They also have some of the longest tenured pros of game design and programming in the industry in its entirety… something sadly far more rare outside of Nintendo… but especially Japan.
Shigeru Miyamoto, for example, has been designing at Nintendo for literally 4+ decades at this point.
Turns out you can master a craft after doing it for a majority of your adult life.
But - in the US at least - the executives at publicly traded game companies would rather shut down literal smash hit dev studios like the guys who made Hi Fi Rush than cultivate a few master class devs of their own over a few decades…
Never me anymore because I main the anti-tank and usually something not super necessary backpack-wise and the anti-tank cooldown is 1 minute… so I litter those things all over the map like I’m leaving emergency heavy-enemy crushing weapons for my Helldiving homies.
I don’t think big companies know how to make a good FPS campaign anymore, let alone hone in on classic deathmatch multiplayer. The last FPS I bought was Half-Life: Alyx four years ago, and the first one to come along and interest me since then was Phantom Fury, but I’m letting that one iron out bugs for a few weeks before I...
The real problem is how basically game dev is an untenable long-term career from a AAA standpoint… or at least it is outside of Japan.
Almost every major dev is not being run by anyone with more than 10-ish years of dev experience.
Why? Because studios shut down and fire everyone, or they get bought… and fire everyone… or the grizzled vets get burnt out, or find out that work-life balance shifts when they get old enough to want to start a family, or discover (like I did) that general software pays better, has less turnover, and doesn’t shut down as often.
Look at all the major players in the FPS game for example from the past 15 years… The guys who made Perfect Dark, the original GoldenEye, Killer Instinct, Banjo Kazooie, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day? Mostly not in the industry anymore or struggling while working on small indie projects. Some of the companies still exist, but the guys who’d be in their 60s with 30 years of game dev and design mastery under their belts? Gone.
Cliff Blezinski isn’t working on games anymore. John Carmack isn’t at id. Half of Bungie’s OG staff has moved on to other stuff or switched to 343 or some other smaller studio.
I said “outside of Japan” earlier btw because meanwhile Shigeru Miyamoto is still at Nintendo. Dude’s an absolute elder god of game design, and all he’s been doing is working on them for more than 4 decades at this point.
Kojima’s been making games since the 80s, so has most of the folks at Capcom, and the From Software guys have been doing the same thing for 15+ years at this point.
And then there’s the rare tiny studio or re-org of a once awesome team like Respawn after all the Activision / Call of Duty stuff or indie effort like the guy behind Stardew Valley… but other than those handful of exceptions, there’s no one but 20-something recent grads that pad out the teams at these giant game companies like Ubisoft, Activision, EA, etc. Even Blizzard is a pale shadow of what it once was. And Valve doesn’t really make games anymore b/c they don’t have to…
They aren’t making great games - but NOT because they’re “stupid…” they’re making bad games… because they just started… and all the old farts who they should be apprenticing under like you do with ANY other respected artisan type career are gone.
And every year some $10 million / year bonus paid suit shuts down an Ensemble Studios, or a Telltale Games, or fires half of the team at Square Enix b/c the new Tomb Raider 6-year project didn’t make a bajillion dollars after some exec decided that should be their target since “Clash Royale” only took 1 year to pump out and just basically prints piles of money.
for those not from the US, I highly recommend watching the YouTube channel “Not Just Bikes” to get a better understanding of how absolutely dogshit the US is for anyone without a car.
Not only is public transit non-existent… you are nearly constantly under threat of being hit by a car as a pedestrian - as things like sidewalks, street crossing safe areas, etc. are all spotty at best… not to mention how trucks and SUVs now are bigger than ever so chances are higher than they’ve ever been before that you won’t be seen before being run over.
Yeah I’m going to disagree. The community manager got fired for standing up on behalf of the players.
I don’t know what else people expect Arrowhead to do realistically to “make this right,” but that community manager guy had always dreamed of working for Arrowhead and lost his dream job by NOT acting like a corporate shill when it came to choosing the players or his bosses.
SONY was in the wrong here. Please let’s stop being so harsh to the guys killing their careers by saying to the people like the community manager who lost his job (by doing the right thing no less) that they “should’ve done more.”
Direct your ire to whatever Sony executive was pushing for this. Please just let Arrowhead devs continue to polish this game that most of us are really enjoying otherwise.
I was really fortunate, as I got to work with an incredibly talented pool of guys and gals who’d worked on games for decades. They were once basically a third of the legendary game studio “Ensemble Studios” - aka the guys who made Age of Empires.
When they were shutdown, all of them split in to basically 3 different new companies from the ashes :
Robot Entertainment
Bonfire
New Toy
From those 3 companies we got things like “Orcs Must Die” as well as “Words With Friends.”
Bonfire and New Toy eventually got bought by Zynga - and eventually were merged into a single studio in the Dallas area.
I was there for a couple of years. Was my first real game job after a couple of smaller gigs, including some contract work and a few months beforehand at a very small studio. Yes, it was Zynga, but I worked with guys who’d been making games like Age of Mythology since the 90s and they were MASTERS and were actually making stuff that was pretty fun to play - considering it was “Facebook” game work.
Then, a new CEO was hired at Zynga… A guy who’d been at Microsoft during their “Project NATAL” days where the Xbox One had been all about TV and SPORTS… rather than video games…
This CEO was Don Mattrick.
I remember when we’d be having lunch in the cafeteria, they’d often do things like play E3 stage presentations on the big projector… and a lot of the older guys would just boo and get up and walk out when Don Mattrick was on stage during his Microsoft Xbox tenure.
I never had put it together why they hated him so much until I realized who had shut down Ensemble. It was Don Mattrick.
And in 2012 when Mattrick became CEO of Zynga, one of the first things he did was start shutting down satellite studios.
One of those studios was the one I was at.
Now, I was of course upset, but I landed on my feet and am okay… but do you know what that means for those guys in their mid to late 50s that I worked with originally from Ensemble?
It means they had the studio they worked for… shut down TWICE… by the same guy at 2 different companies in a row.
Second - Helldivers ain’t Flappy Bird. Making an online multiplayer game that needs the ability to do reliable matchmaking across multiple platforms with hundreds of thousands of players out there needs MASSIVE network and infrastructure support…
So you may say “don’t take money from the mob,” but this is more a situation of where if they HADN’T taken Sony’s support, they likely wouldn’t have been able to have the resources to have done all that themselves which could have made the difference between their great success and failure.
Remember that the first helldivers game was also a Sony published title where everything worked out fine for everyone then… but mostly because it wasn’t near as big a success story and making headlines but was instead a far more niche title lost mostly in the noise of smaller dev Sony titles.
I’m sure arrowhead has learned its lesson now and it will likely able probably to flex its muscles in the future thanks to its success financially - as I’m sure lots of publishers will be now coming at them with much more lucrative and favorable contract deals going forward, but they probably would not have been able to do what they wanted to do at the scale that they have been able to had Sony not been there to help provide that initial capital and infrastructure support.
This is Sony’s fault fully. The guys at Arrowhead are just wanting to have the means to make good games. They needed the resources to launch successfully and pretending it would have been feasible otherwise without said resources is sadly… naive.
This is like saying to any sort of person involved in commercial agriculture “don’t buy a John Deere tractor if you don’t like their draconic business practices.”
Like… there’s not really many other choices if you want to make a game that can do simultaneous cross-platform networked multiplayer and want to be able to launch on any console.
I mean, unless you want them making something that has massive difficulty coming to console… like maybe Lethal Company is the only recent example I can think of that’s a small non-major publisher-backed title that has networked 4-player multiplayer… and even then i’m not sure what sort of challenges that dev had when trying to implement any sort of netcode for gameplay.
Not defending Sony, but I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to make a game that can have hundreds of thousands of players playing multiplayer matches simultaneously all over the world, but it needs a lot of infrastructure, and network support and other expensive hard to do stuff that you can’t just shit out like it’s Flappy Bird.
The problem is is they probably needed capital and support to get it off the runway, and Sony attached strings to the capital and support they gave them.
Now that it’s a hit, Sony is trying to flex its legal power via said strings - I’m guessing - and probably have all but threatened this relatively small dev with pulling the rug or taking them to court if they don’t follow orders.
TL;DR - Making games is expensive. Sony probably offered the small dev with limited resources a Faustian bargain and now the Devil is calling for his dues. They probably never had a choice.
Below is a look at the most exasperating news from streaming services from this week. The scale of this article demonstrates how fast and frequently disappointing streaming news arises. Coincidentally, as we wrote this article, another price hike was announced....
They still could have it on rails, just use magnets to secure rather than a latch that can get stuck or broken as easily. I would worry more that magnets = no Hall effect joysticks.
Any time I hear this “calls on” bullshit I see a useless politician saying weakly “come on, guys… stop it.”
Instead of a hard-fisted “fix this or I will use executive power to make you do so directly and in such a way that I do not attempt to preserve any position the ownership class would want me to consider.”
Fucking DO something. I don’t care if it gets overturned or Republicans whine. The people will LOVE you for it you feckless old farts.
For some reason I imagine that scene in of one of the first few episodes of the HBO mini-series Chernobyl, when they wade into the water near the exploded reactor and their flashlights just immediately die due to the massive amount of radiation and the episode ends in darkness with the crew’s Geiger counters just going absolute ape-shit sounding like a singular continuous tone.
To most of us, this is probably just a summary of events over the past year or so. But, it’s good to know that this sort of news is reaching non-gaming channels.
No, the people who deserved it are the ones at the top with garages full of supercars and fleets of private yachts. The Bobby Koticks, the Don Mattricks, etc.
The ones who I guarantee you are NOT suffering or losing their livelihoods.
The tens of thousands of devs who got into making video games because of their deep love of them… devs who have worked countless hours and crunched over the holidays while missing out on sleep, family events and more all just because management won’t plan, can’t stop chasing trends and pivoting the project, and because they fired 10% of the team last quarter to boost the share price by $0.02.
The devs didn’t deserve any of that.
They don’t deserve to lose their jobs right after some game ships and it turns out no one wants to pay $70 plus micro transactions shoved in their faces every other round between matches.
AAA gaming is broken and many of my peers from that industry seem to be in a bad spot now at no fault of their own… but their boss’s boss’s bosses who keep steering the ship into rocks are the ones you should be throwing rotten produce at.
My god… are you… me? Same exact shit. Created my YT account 14 years ago. Made some vids… some got some views… eventually I got a few dollars deposited like for 3 years. Probably totaled the same $100 you mentioned then boom. Shut down.
That was your first thought watching the Halo show? 😅 I mean… yeah that’s important but uhhhh… I’m not ashamed to admit that wasn’t probably my first thought.
Right, but this does seem stupid in a way that makes them seem petty.
And yeah, we never know those things would pass, but if they were to bring them to the table in earnest, they can point over and over again how the Republicans reject sensible healthcare proposals instead of saying how they totally were going to own Trump with this petty stuff.
This is some tired 2018 late night monologue tier eye-rolling stuff, but if it makes you feel good, enjoy I guess.
Car seat adjustment, above seat vehicle interior lights, steering wheel adjustment, door handles, door locks, main rear view mirror, climate controls for vents and seats, car starting, and trunk and seat releases should all have controls that can be operated either directly or with physical buttons.
If there is ALSO a screen driven element, that’s fine, but this stuff needs to work without a screen.
This stuff is not being done for the sake of UX. It is for saving money at the expense of consumer safety.
Democratic mayoral candidates are engaging in games of one-upmanship by launching conservative-sounding plans to increase law enforcement and force people into addiction treatment.
It’s a city run by multi-millionaire landowners who refuse to support big expensive tax-paid projects that would address the issue of homelessness such as :
A. allowing tall more densely populated housing to lower their property values and “ruin the view…”
…or…
B. high speed rail that could allow for Tokyo-like commuting from long distances to cheaper living areas for a working populace.
Anyone who would support left-leaning legislation has largely been priced out of living in SF for like a decade now.
Now, unless you have $5k to set aside for rent every month, you are living outside the city.
AUSTIN, Texas – Leaked video shows Hood County Constable Scott London, Hood County GOP Chair Steve Biggers and Hood County GOP Chair candidate Greg Harrell attending a meeting held by Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX) where they supported the death penalty for women who seek abortions or use IVF, including pregnant minors. London...
“Both sides” are not equal in every way, but they are in enough in some certain aspects (NOT ALL) that it merits making criticisms and comparisons on at least some aspect of the actions of the Democratic party.
All that being said, you should still support Democrats over Republicans, but we - as voters - should be pointing out at the ballot box - especially in primaries - what sort of behaviors will get you replaced by a better candidate within the party.
Nintendo president: “Game development will become even longer, more complex, and more sophisticated” (mynintendonews.com)
It's the worst (sh.itjust.works)
Perfect Dark Reboot Is Allegedly In Bad Shape (www.gamespot.com)
I don’t think big companies know how to make a good FPS campaign anymore, let alone hone in on classic deathmatch multiplayer. The last FPS I bought was Half-Life: Alyx four years ago, and the first one to come along and interest me since then was Phantom Fury, but I’m letting that one iron out bugs for a few weeks before I...
Grocery stores promoting gas discounts are not helping the transition away from gas vehicles
Large grocery stores around here offer cheaper gas if you shop at there store. This can be up to a dollar a gallon off.
Helldivers 2 receives influx of positive reviews after PSN backtrack (www.pcgamesn.com)
It's Time To Stop Giving Xbox Boss Phil Spencer A Pass (kotaku.com)
"PSN isn't supported in my country. What do I do?" Arrowhead CEO: "I don't know" (lemmy.world)
Arrowhead CEO on negative reviews: "I guess it's warranted. Sorry everyone for how this all transpired. I hope we will make it up and regain the trust by providing a continued great game experience." (twitter.com)
https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/4dddfb0c-e6d2-4ad8-b1c8-2a2c89d6f912.png
All the ways streaming services are aggravating their subscribers this week (arstechnica.com)
Below is a look at the most exasperating news from streaming services from this week. The scale of this article demonstrates how fast and frequently disappointing streaming news arises. Coincidentally, as we wrote this article, another price hike was announced....
Roku OS home screen is getting video ads for the first time (arstechnica.com)
Nintendo Switch 2 report details magnetic Joy-Con, Pro Controller compatibility (www.eurogamer.net)
cross-posted from: sopuli.xyz/post/11963267...
White House calls on pension funds to adopt stronger labor standards (wapo.st)
What happens when every time your browser sends data to a tracker it makes a beep sound? (infosec.exchange)
video...
Tesla slashes vehicle and self-driving-ish software prices as shares plummet (www.theregister.com)
How Greed Ruined Gaming (www.youtube.com)
To most of us, this is probably just a summary of events over the past year or so. But, it’s good to know that this sort of news is reaching non-gaming channels.
YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown now includes third-party apps (www.theverge.com)
DeSantis signs controversial bill banning civilian boards from investigating police misconduct (www.sun-sentinel.com)
Hollywood writers went on strike to protect their livelihoods from generative AI. Their remarkable victory matters for all workers. (www.brookings.edu)
Democrats introduce bill to name Miami prison after Trump (thehill.com)
European car safety body is coming for touchscreens. The European New Car Assessment Programme mandates that key controls need physical buttons or switches (www.politico.eu)
Carmakers are equipping their latest models with fancy touchscreens, but that could cause problems with Europe’s largest car safety authority....
San Francisco Democrats are locked in a race to the right (www.politico.com)
Democratic mayoral candidates are engaging in games of one-upmanship by launching conservative-sounding plans to increase law enforcement and force people into addiction treatment.
LEAKED VIDEO: Texas Republicans Attended Meeting with Group That Suggested Violence and Jail For Women who Have Abortions and Use IVF (www.texasdemocrats.org)
AUSTIN, Texas – Leaked video shows Hood County Constable Scott London, Hood County GOP Chair Steve Biggers and Hood County GOP Chair candidate Greg Harrell attending a meeting held by Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX) where they supported the death penalty for women who seek abortions or use IVF, including pregnant minors. London...