Microsoft Games Boss Promises Higher Quality, Fewer Games 51
Thanks to the San Jose Mercury News for its article discussing Microsoft Game Studios' new general manager Shane Kim's attitude to development, as the piece notes: "Some of Kim's first acts have been to ax or delay several projects. Since the fall, Microsoft has scaled back its staff of internal game developers from 1,200 employees to about 1,000." But it's argued: "Because there are now so many others making games for the Xbox, Microsoft needs to make fewer titles, Kim said... This shift toward a conservative investing style mirrors the larger shift within the video game industry, where development budgets and marketing costs are reaching Hollywood proportions."
Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft make some awesome products until they are in a monopoly position. DOS was a fine OS, and so was Windows 3.*, same with Word up to 6.0, IE up to 5... They have lots of $$$ and they know how to use it. When they go after a market they make the best products, that is until they've got it locked, at which point it doesn't matter and they slack off : just look at how they stopped development on the bug-ridden, outdated (popup blocking, tabbed browsing anyone?) IE. But on the other hand, since QuickTime and Winamp have the media market, WMP 9 is a really cool piece of software.
It's the same with games (and the console, by the way). Since it's a highly competitive market, they'll know to get the skilled people to work for them, make some really good titles. AoE was pretty cool for a while, there were the Mechwarrior series and the Close Combats... Microsoft are great when it comes to games.
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent stuff (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent stuff (Score:1)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:4, Interesting)
So how come they are having so much trouble with the X-Box then? If what you are saying is true, then as they are struggling with Xbox at the moment (and not holding the monopoly), surely there should be lots of great games. Instead we see mainly PC ports and a few average multi-plaform console ports.With the noticable acception of Halo and the other launch titles.
Since they are not in a monopoly in the console market (thank god) your comments would suggest that their games should be excellent. As this article suggests though, this isnt the case( why else would they be making promises?). Any how as the old saying goes. If at first you dont succeed, try, try again.
When they go after a market they make the best products, that is until they've got it locked, at which point it doesn't matter and they slack off
Just imagine, what that statement means for the future if Microsoft manage to get a hold of the console market? I personally think I'll lose interest in the whole idea of console gaming if this happens. Console gaming should be a hotbed of innovation. The last thing we want is anyone slacking off.
nick
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:3, Informative)
Both of them are fighting for third place anyway. (Score:2)
And who cares about third place vs. fourth?
Jon Acheson
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:3, Informative)
Tossing aside Japan can really change the outlook
Re:Final Fantasy 7 (Score:2)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:1)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2)
I would disagree that Japanes games 'are almost always of higher production quality, are more enjoyable, are more aesthetically pleasing...' etc. You state these things as fact, when in reality they are only your opinion. I personally do not agree at all. One of the few Japanese games I do like, is Dance Dance Revolution. (And even then, there is some Hawaiian tie-in that I can't figure out)
But this is not a xenophobic choice...I like Americ
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2)
Project Gotham Series
Amped Series
Crimson Skies
Mechassault
Top Spin
Links
Halo
Grabbed by the Ghoulies (I liked it - so did Famitsu, which gave it a 31!)
Seems like a pretty good list to me. Many of them are absolutely huge sellers, too.
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2)
Halo is the only technical launch game, though PGR1 and Amped 1 were also launch games. But I was talking more about the (easily superior) sequels. Discrediting them as launch titles would be like saying the Super Mario Brothers series was a launch NES title...
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:1)
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2)
Good points.
First of all, they may not be the leaders (yet), but the X-Box did a lot better than anyone would have given them credit for a few years ago. Yes there are lots of PC games but there are also good original titles, and Live works really well. I think the main reason why they haven't cornered the market is because they don't understand it (sometimes just throwing money at a problem doesn't solve it), and because Sony are pretty much unbeatable -- no matter how much money you throw, Sony are big
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2)
It was good for it's time, but it was an awful product compared to what we have today.
One upside was that it didn't have a web browser bundled with it, but then it was really just a shell for DOS anyway.
Back then, given the choice, I would have chosen a Mac. And I hate macs.
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:3)
You're forgetting that IE before 4 was a terrible product. IE 3 couldn't render lots of common sites without problems.
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:1, Offtopic)
Microsoft is trying to keep the updates down, so they are going to roll out a ton of new features in Service Pack 2. It's not just promises, you can go get it yourself [microsoft.com], right now.
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2, Offtopic)
Wow. Pop-up blocking and tabbed browsing? State of the art, for 1999. What about inline searches, mousegestures, style sheet switching, or even a built-in search bar? Does it even display PNG's properly yet?
By reducing the number of updates you're supposed to
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:1)
And DOS - the best half-assed single user shell I've ever used; the thing I particularly enjoyed was freeing up the 640K memory to play games.
Ugh.
Re:Microsoft makes some pretty decent games (Score:2)
Not it's not, it's a piece of shit with an appalling user interface.
Cost vs. Methods (Score:5, Interesting)
ORIGINAL post: Game quality, innovation & budg (Score:2)
The fact that game production costs are now approaching Hollywood proportions isn't really news to anyone who follows the industry. What is news and what is different here is how Shane Kim approaches game investment and development, and how that directly affects quality and innovation in games.
Laying off 200 (presumably) talented game developers and alienating some of those that remain seems counterintuitive to producing high-quality games, but on paper I'm sure it looks like a good financial move for a
Hollywood? (Score:1)
Don't let the flash and glamour of tinsel town fool you, games are pretty much at the level of movies right now. For every Lord of the Rings [metacritic.com] there's a Tony Hawk [metacritic.com], and at the same time, for every Fugitive Hunter [metacritic.com], there's a Battlefield Earth [metacritic.com].
Fewer first-party titles? Higher quality games? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Fewer first-party titles? Higher quality games? (Score:5, Funny)
Microsoft Games Boss (Score:5, Funny)
* Press X-X-Y while pressing both triggers
* Jump up
* File antitrust lawsuits
* Fire wave-motion gun
* Go to Court
Caught red handed (Score:1, Flamebait)
High Quality != High Budget (Score:4, Insightful)
But they are going to be even less willing to take the risk to innovate than before. A high-quality game isn't just last year's game with prettier graphics.
Pajitnov (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Pajitnov (Score:1)
Microsoft shrinks while EA grows? (Score:2, Interesting)
And (Score:1)
and so is quality.
"Higher quality, fewer games" (Score:1)