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Phil Spencer Was a Big Reason Why Obsidian Joined Xbox

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Speaking in a recent interview, Obsidian Studio Head Feargus Urquhart said that the company wanted to prioritize maintaining its creative freedom in making games. Urquhart was unsure at first whether Microsoft would allow this. However, it seems that Xbox boss Phil Spencer put those fears to rest. While Microsoft and Xbox executives convinced Urquhart to have his studio join the team at the gaming giant, Phil Spencer's attitude towards gaming was what sealed the deal.

Spencer came across as "authentic," according to Urquhart, and as someone who genuinely "loves games." This attitude has been recognized by others in the gaming community as well.
 

Speaking in a recent interview, Obsidian Studio Head Feargus Urquhart said that the company wanted to prioritize maintaining its creative freedom in making games. Urquhart was unsure at first whether Microsoft would allow this. However, it seems that Xbox boss Phil Spencer put those fears to rest. While Microsoft and Xbox executives convinced Urquhart to have his studio join the team at the gaming giant, Phil Spencer's attitude towards gaming was what sealed the deal.

Spencer came across as "authentic," according to Urquhart, and as someone who genuinely "loves games." This attitude has been recognized by others in the gaming community as well.
I needed a laugh while taking a shit. Thanks!
 

Chukhopops

Member
Spencers, Xbox's and Microsofts goals are pretty transparent at this point and Spencer seems direct and humble.

Getting aquired by them is a good deal for devs.
His plan was clearly to create the absolute best non-J RPG lineup between Obsidian, Bethesda and inXile. I’m sure they also approached Larian and Owlcat but they weren’t selling.
Phil put nearly all of his points into persuasion and barter.
40 base Charisma
40 base Luck

Didn’t even need to put any points in it.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
His plan was clearly to create the absolute best non-J RPG lineup between Obsidian, Bethesda and inXile. I’m sure they also approached Larian and Owlcat but they weren’t selling.

40 base Charisma
40 base Luck

Didn’t even need to put any points in it.

Not only RPG, but when the acti-blizz deal is done, they will have some of the best FPS's along with racing games and 3rd person action games. They even have a horror studio with tango.
There 1st party size, quality and diversity will be unprecedented in the gaming industry.
 

MadPanda

Banned
Man if I had the blank cheque Phil got compared to Don Id be buying loads of studios too.

I wonder if Don did get the same go ahead money from MS. Seems like none of the others had the same dosh
If he had he would've put all of that into Kinect. He was a man responsible for setting the course for Xbox and his course was Kinect and TV. Phil changed their course and Phil convinced Satya (Microsoft CEO) and Amy Hood (CFO) to buy mojang and later on to invest in gamepass and other studios. Of course they would give his such financial backing when he presented a clear and prosperous vision and he did that in times when Satya was questioning why Microsoft was even in console business. That's his biggest achievement and that's why he's praised so much, not for buying these studios. This is all well documented if you want to read further.
 

sircaw

Banned

Speaking in a recent interview, Obsidian Studio Head Feargus Urquhart said that the company wanted to prioritize maintaining its creative freedom in making games. Urquhart was unsure at first whether Microsoft would allow this. However, it seems that Xbox boss Phil Spencer put those fears to rest. While Microsoft and Xbox executives convinced Urquhart to have his studio join the team at the gaming giant, Phil Spencer's attitude towards gaming was what sealed the deal.

Spencer came across as "authentic," according to Urquhart, and as someone who genuinely "loves games." This attitude has been recognized by others in the gaming community as well.
Money Saving GIF by rakutenca
 

DavJay

Member
No matter who you don’t sell out for one guy because if he ever left for some reason you are stuck forever.
 

Gojiira

Member
Not only RPG, but when the acti-blizz deal is done, they will have some of the best FPS's along with racing games and 3rd person action games. They even have a horror studio with tango.
There 1st party size, quality and diversity will be unprecedented in the gaming industry.
‘Quality’ Lol, and yet despite this so called ‘quality’ Xbox still has the weakest lineup of the big three. Obsidian is so far the only interesting/quality producing dev in their lineup.
Of course denial seems inherent in Xbox and its fans lol
 

jigglet

Banned
Well Phil would have been easy to take at his word, since they've been so hands-off on all post-Rare acquisitions.

Whether this is a good thing or not remains to be seen though.

Sometimes studios need a bit of hand-holding. Remember when Activision said they would not dictate what each of the three COD studios were working on? Then we ended up with 3 futuristic games in a row. Sometimes you just need oversight (*cough 343i cough*).
 
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Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
Phil definitely is a BIG reason why Xbox has had the turn around its had. Especially when you consider most of the changes took place in a few short years, After the Actiblizzard deal, Xbox will have the best stable of first party developers in the business, with some of the biggest IP's in the industry. Shit is crazy when you think about it.

Shit, just thinking they own Doom, Oblivion, Skyrim, Starfield...and soon CoD and a bunch of others. Damn...
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
‘Quality’ Lol, and yet despite this so called ‘quality’ Xbox still has the weakest lineup of the big three. Obsidian is so far the only interesting/quality producing dev in their lineup.
Of course denial seems inherent in Xbox and its fans lol
Last year they were metacritics publisher of the year.

And there line up for the next 12 months is the best imo.

2022 has been quiet but covid has effected everyone.

Also game preference is highly subjective.

So you really are barking up the wrong tree here.
 
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Denton

Member
Microsoft has been historically terrible with their aquisitions, but I do believe that MS since Spencer got appointed is mostly hands-off.

The problem is, judging by how problematic the development of Avowed has been, maybe they should actually be more hands on.
 

Gojiira

Member
Last year they were metacritics publisher of the year.

And there line up for the next 12 months is the best imo.

2022 has been quiet but covid has effected everyone.

Also game preference is highly subjective.

So you really are barking up the wrong tree here.
Not really.
Game preference is indeed subjective, but Im sorry to tell you but nothing has come out of MS’ rampant acquisitions besides a few middling first party releases. They can publish as much Forza and Indies as they want but it doesnt stop their current lineup and future lineup from being bland.
Until Avowed at least.
 
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Microsoft has been historically terrible with their aquisitions, but I do believe that MS since Spencer got appointed is mostly hands-off.

The problem is, judging by how problematic the development of Avowed has been, maybe they should actually be more hands on.
Phil Spencer was made head of MS Game Studios 14 years ago, why do people have such a hard time remembering this?
 
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Denton

Member
Phil Spencer was made head of MS Game Studios 14 years ago, why do people have such a hard time remembering this?
He was made leader of gaming at MS only after Mattrick left in 2013. And then it took a couple years before the acquisition spree really began.
 
Phil definitely is a BIG reason why Xbox has had the turn around its had. Especially when you consider most of the changes took place in a few short years, After the Actiblizzard deal, Xbox will have the best stable of first party developers in the business, with some of the biggest IP's in the industry. Shit is crazy when you think about it.

Shit, just thinking they own Doom, Oblivion, Skyrim, Starfield...and soon CoD and a bunch of others. Damn...

That's what happens when you have tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars at your disposal...People act as if MS invented time travel...They simply have been buying their way to the top, or at least been trying to.
 
He was made leader of gaming at MS only after Mattrick left in 2013. And then it took a couple years before the acquisition spree really began.
Head of MS Game Studios is what I said (general manager of Microsoft Studios was the title I think, so the top guy there answering directly to Don Mattrick and he even got promoted one year later), a similar position to what Herman Hulst has today at Sony or that Shuhei Yoshida use to have at that time, so pretty high up. Phil gets all the credit when something works out and none of the blame when it doesn't.

Why pretend he wasn't there all along in a high up position? You think Don Mattrick made all the decision by himself? Also Don Mattrick left almost 10 years ago as well.
 
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As good as Microsoft money was for Obsidian, Obsidian has been good for MS.
They have four games in development, The Outer Worlds 2, Pentament, Avowed and Grounded, and they have the ability to take a number of Bethesda IP and do just as good a job with them.
Grounded has done really well for the amount of staff that built it, Pentament is actually really interesting to me from the story of it, and I enjoyed TOW as well.
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
That's what happens when you have tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars at your disposal...People act as if MS invented time travel...They simply have been buying their way to the top, or at least been trying to.
Reading comprehension. How does that work?

I never doubted Microsoft had money. Of course they do. Phil spencer was the man that got Microsoft to invest money into Xbox. Sony would do the same if they had the money Microsoft has. So would Nintendo. I'm surprised so many have an issue with what Microsoft is doing. 1 to 1, Sony nor Nintendo can compete with Microsoft financially.

And I wouldnt say their "trying" to do anything. They're literally in the middle of purchasing one of the biggest publishers in the industry for $70 billion. Before Activision, they bought another publisher for $7 billion.
 
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Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
Not really.
Game preference is indeed subjective, but Im sorry to tell you but nothing has come out of MS’ rampant acquisitions besides a few middling first party releases. They can publish as much Forza and Indies as they want but it doesnt stop their current lineup and future lineup from being bland.
Until Avowed at least.
Yeah games take time. And again your wrong. There acquisitions have got them forza horizon 4 + 5, and because of pre existing contracts deathloop + ghostwire are on ps5 for a year and psychonauts 2 was multiplatform. But that will soon change, sony wont be able to moneyhat those devs and there others devs games are coming, (games take time.)

But u say its going to bland, but u say its subjective. Well there devs have a good track record with meta scores and are very popular so objectively they will have the best first party by those metrics by the time this gen is done.

And you just ignore that ms were publisher of the year in 2021, so your argument has no merit.
 
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iceatcs

Junior Member
He's the guy will go ahead for a long term breaks. OR request to pause the project and he will allow that.

I think devs view him as anti-crush.
 
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spons

Gold Member
Phil's origins are in PC gaming, of course he likes Western RPGs. He's basically acting out his childhood dreams, and who am I to blame him.
 

Teslerum

Member
Everyone here: LOLZ ItS MoNeY.liE

Meanwhile realtity: Obsidian is making Grounded and Pentiment. Two projects that are purely passion ones by small teams.

Name another publisher that would have allowed Obsidian to also produce these 2.

You know money can be an insenstive, that doesn’t mean the article isn’t true.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Well deserved praise and on Father's Day. All your green rat children are proud of you papa Phil.
 

Laptop1991

Member
Will judge it after Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 are released, hopefully more money will makes these games really good.
 

K2D

Banned
I bet there is a clause, an option for them to buy themselves out if they ever wanted to. Like Bungie did. Same for Bethesda?
 
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