[Update] Obsidian and InXile is getting bought by Microsoft

[bjornk]

Quote

Microsoft set to buy Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/news/microsoft-set-buy-fallout-new-vegas-developer-obsidian-entertainment/

https://kotaku.com/sources-microsoft-is-close-to-buying-obsidian-1829614135

https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/microsoft-acquiring-obsidian-report-1202974279/

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/obsidian-reportedly-about-to-be-acquired-by-microsoft.124252/

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2018 by bjornk
Title updated

[ritualclarity]

Well if that happens. that would mean that right before or during (surprise event you won't know when) the game will have to do an update... for something not critical or something just to break your flow ...

[bjornk]

2 hours ago, ritualclarity said:

Well if that happens. that would mean that right before or during (surprise event you won't know when) the game will have to do an update... for something not critical or something just to break your flow ...

or delete your saves...

[ritualclarity]

1 hour ago, bjornk said:

or delete your saves...

Hey, give microsoft some credit... they caught it after their dev team handed over the updates to the early adopters and they screamed bloody murder... So we are safe! (so long as you aren't an early adopter)

[bjornk]

Yup, Microsoft is buying Obsidian and not just them, Brian Fargo's inXile as well. It's like an Interplay reunion.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-11-09-microsoft-studios-obsidian-inxile-entertainment-acquisition

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/11/10/microsoft-to-acquire-obsidian-entertainment-inxile-entertainment

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-11-10-microsoft-to-acquire-rpg-specialists-obsidian-entertainment-and-inxile

It almost sounds like M$ is planning to make an RPG... but I highly doubt that anything good will come out of it... probably buying them to kill them off... I bet this is happening because of the reception Cyberpunk 2077 got at the Xbox event E3 2018. M$ got jealous...

It's also possible that MS just wants them for their portfolio, you know, just wants to publish their games under MS title. Not sure what that means for us though, knowing MS, possibly not anything good.

Edited November 11, 2018 by bjornk

[Doublezero]

Microsoft is an enigma to me. They're sitting on a ton of IPs that they don't use, a console that they won't make exclusive games for and their shining beacon, Halo, has been driven into the ground by a greedy publisher (them) and a studio that is runned by people who admit they hate the franchise.

I don't know what to think of this move by Microsoft. Are they going to make exclusive games for the next Xbox or are they going to be time exclusives? If it's the latter then there is no reason to buy another console from them. My guess is that they are going to produce some game as service garbage or at the very lest something that's filled to the brim with microtransactions like in Forza.

It's hard for me to be positive about this because I own an Xbox One that is covered with dust and the one game that I really wanted was Halo 5 and it disappointed me tremendously. I do hope they make another Alpha Protocol but I won't hold my breath.

I will say this; they should have bought Bioware years ago. I believe Mass Effect would have better off for it.

[bjornk]

I honestly don't understand why MS bought these studios, as neither of them was very successful. Both of them had to resort to crowd funding in order to survive and neither of them has produced a massive hit. I wonder how this will affect the projects they've already been working on. I'm particularly interested in Cain and Boyarsky's project, The Outer Worlds or something.

Edited November 12, 2018 by bjornk

[bjornk]

"Microsoft Studios" is now called "Xbox Game Studios"... I wonder what that implies for the future of studios like InXile and Obsidian, which are now part of it...

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-studios-rebranded-xbox-game-studios

 

[ritualclarity]

I believe they are just moving some assets around and renaming parts of their company to better reflect their current jobs(task etc) for that branch of the company. Changing the name to Xbox Game Studios is more in line with what they will be doing and such. Many companies do that.

1 of 2 things can happen as I see it. They can be absorbed into the parent company or they can be allowed to continue. I suspect so long as they are productive and are doing great they will continue with little interference.  MS will own whatever they create and can use the end product as they see fit (in advertisements etc)

Second thing... they get absorbed with all the assets and such into the main body and future products will be watered down as the main talent will be missing from the production. (or watered down) Still better than what Bethesda and EA is currently doing to their game assets. I believe at least for the beginning they will keep with the first choice. There are projects in the oven and major changes on that level will be really damaging. Once those are done they will possibly restructure and move to the second possibility

My biggest fear however, is that they (MS) will require the games to be prepared for Xbox even if they were originally PC oriented and did their best $$$ from PC. Possibly even restricting release to other platforms including Sony and such.