General Game Chat

[Moonface]

Yeah, until they reinstate the sales for those people in the 170 countries that do not support the PSN, I won't consider this a true walkback. They recommended TOS-breaking workarounds when this was still in the pipeline, btw. This whole thing is "we didn't think this one through".

I'm under the impression that Steam were the ones to remove Helldivers 2 from sale in those affected countries. As for recommending people break ToS, Sony already encourage that by selling PlayStation consoles in those countries that lack PSN which forces people there to either have no account or make one that is set to a different region. If Sony sells their systems in a region, that region should have PSN with no excuses, especially if Sony have the gall to be selling PS5 Digital consoles in those regions.

If nothing else, I'm glad so many people realized the fault wasn't so much with Arrowhead but with Sony and went after Sony accordingly. Too often the developers are the ones thrown under the bus for stupid shit the publisher decides on. PSN should have been optional with rewards for people who do connect their accounts as an incentive, that way nobody gets shut out in regions without PSN and those with PSN access aren't forced to get an account.

It's like recently there was a game that has a physical art book that if you get a copy for PlayStation, the artbook is censored but the Switch copy does not come with a censored artbook. There's no good reason for doing that either and if you're censoring stuff that Nintendo isn't then you're definitely doing something wrong. All this stuff just tells me that even with Jim Ryan out the door Sony still have their heads shoved firmly up their own arses from overconfidence due to the PS4.

[Moonface]

Microsoft Closes Multiple Bethesda Studios
Microsoft has closed a number of Bethesda studios, with Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, saying the "changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades."

Matt Booty also shared what will happen to each studio, its games, and employees, in regards to its closure:

• Arkane Austin – This studio will close with some members of the team joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda. Arkane Austin has a history of making impactful and innovative games and it is a pedigree that everyone should be proud of. Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game. The game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy and we will provide make-good offers to players who purchased the Hero DLC.
  
  
• Alpha Dog Studios – This studio will also close. We appreciate the team’s creativity in bringing Doom to new players. Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7 and we will be turning off the ability for players to make any purchases in the game.
  
  
• Tango Gameworks – Tango Gameworks will also close. We are thankful for their contributions to Bethesda and players around the world. Hi-Fi Rush will continue to be available to players on the platforms it is today.
  
  
• Roundhouse Games – The team at Roundhouse Games will be joining ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS). Roundhouse has played a key role in many of our recent game launches and bringing them into ZOS to work on The Elder Scrolls Online will mean we can do even more to grow the world that millions of players call home.
  

Furthermore, a small number of roles across select Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will also be eliminated. All of these closures and changes are made with the expectation "that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP."

Microsoft also announced layoffs for 1900 staff from its video game work force just over three months ago.

Source: IGN

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Arkane Austin doesn't surprise me, but to see Tango go under after they shadow dropped one of the sleeper hit games of last year is ridiculous. All that says to me is it doesn't matter if you make a great game if it's doomed to generate no independent revenue by being mostly consumed through Game Pass.