RallyCarDelta Gaming @GameOverThirty

Personally, I can't get upset at a team for trying to cut cost and use prebuilt / recycled animations. The best parts of AC Black Flag Resynced are exploring the new seamless game world and living out the pirate fantasy. Sure, maybe they could have mixed it up a bit more (relied on one pose too much) but I can't fault the team for cutting cost here. Started playing last night and I didn't even notice this until I saw people on here complaining about it.

PR statement: globenewswire.com/news-release/2…

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced surpassed 2M copies sold. Strong performance out of the gate, and a much needed "win" for Ubisoft. Again, it's not going to fix their financial situation alone, but it is what they need right now.

Assassin's Creed @assassinscreed

23 hours ago

Dash my Buttons... Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has already passed 2 million copies sold! 🏴‍☠️ Whether you're sailing with us again, or stepping aboard the Jackdaw for the first time: THANK YOU from the bottom of ARR hearts.

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@GenePark Been saying the same thing. TDA's DLC expansion is excellent. While I though the Doom TDA was generally great all around, the DLC content is basically the 4th game in the series, combining Eternal's movement with TDA's blocking & parrying.

I get the sense that after Eternal they modeled similar sales for TDA, perhaps slightly down to account for Covid. They made the game more approachable (if you wanted it). They doubled down on the story side, art, etc. You can tell a LOT more story went into TDA. Cut scenes, environment, etc. If remove Eternal for a moment, TDA sales are likely much closer to Doom 2016. Doom 2016 is probably the "natural" landing place for games like this. Eternal was in a perfect storm situation, and probably led the team astray in terms of realistic numbers.

A message from id software. They confirm they still have a team / studio to build id games. They are supporting each other as team members say goodbye. Earlier today, I put out the idea that they were being returned to the base cost of 2016, and that appears to be the case.

id Software @idSoftware

23 hours ago

A message from id

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@JNavok

You're going to continue to see certain segments of the games industry swing towards a model where game development looks more like movie production ramp-up. Core teams will exist at the main studio. As games get further into production, they will augment staff with external co-devs, contractors. When the projects end, those costs no longer impact the base cost of the studio. This won't work for everyone. It's not a silver bullet. It's not going to apply to every studio. However, it is already happening and I expect it to continue (especially for large projects where the primary entity does not want a permanently large cost base).

@ZhugeEX

@CaptainTuttle68 I'm not going to get into the politics of the Hollywood unions. That's a completely different discussion. We don't have the space for it here.

I know we disagree on this, but there is a process to it. It looks haphazard because there is no better way to do it, at least not in the US. That said, I'm not "happy" they reduced HC at ID. I know they will likely never get some of that senior expertise back. I can't say anything about the other cuts like QA. I assume they will handle some of that through contracts. I hope whoever is left can pick up that mantle and carry id tech forward.

MSFT confirmed to WC that there is still a team working on id tech. The evidence seems to suggest that the organization was reduced to the size that it was when Doom 2016 was created. If this is true, the argument from MSFT's perspective is probably similar to what we've seen at other studios: Allowance to hire and grow teams expanded cost base and impacted returns. When comparing the return from the 2016 version to return on The Dark Ages, did a bigger cost base result in meaningful gains? Eternal is something of a wildcard because it released right at the start of COVID. We've heard this all over the industry, assuming this is what is going on. Studios that doubled or tripled in size were not able to create returns proportional to that cost increase. Again, I'm disappointed that id Software was targeted for layoffs. I played all the Doom games. I'm not defending it, but I am trying to understand it. I don't believe we are seeing the full story on our end. windowscentral.com/gaming/zenimax…

@kyledagrade It is. I was basically lumping them together since they have id tech people at each studio. I also quite enjoyed the Wolfe St games.

Currently updating #DOOM TDA to play the expansion. I know Id Software underwent layoffs, but I'm hopeful the folks at Xbox know the value of Doom / Quake / Wolfenstein. Give me another one, even if the budget needs to be smaller. Limitation can often be a useful tool.

While it's broadly an unknown, I disagree with the talking point that these games can't happen with reduced team size. While this gets into a dicey conversation about the labor force, jobs, gainful employment, etc., as someone who has led projects for 20 years... A large team does not mean the end product is better, or even gets done faster. It just means there is more potential for output. The raw confusion / complexity in the team often cancels out the benefit. It's a balancing act.

@porkinscopilot Likely, especially on the QA side and possibly art.

@Shp_Mastr445 But which version of Quake, if we ever get one? The Gothic horror version or the Strogg attack?

@vocalhazard Voting with your wallet IS the best method.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is showing a respectable start on Steam. Peak concurrency on July 9th hit nearly 100,000. This is probably indicative of a healthy start on other platforms as well. Given the situation at Ubisoft, I am sure they will be eager to share sales numbers if they get into the millions. This isn't going to fix their financial situation, but it's certainly better news than the game performing poorly.

Xbox's plan is still to get to gamers where they are, instead of dragging them all to console. The above doesn't mean they can't grow in terms of MAU, but it likely won't be on the traditional living room console. PC, maybe even Roblox, mobile, etc., can get them those "casual" gamers.

The "console war" was lost when Microsoft tried to harness the Xbox One as a living room entertainment device and doubled down on Kinect. That's it. It was over back then. In terms of console share, there's no logical way to reverse that. All the strategy changes that you've seen since the Xbox One era have been focused on adding players from other sources, while supporting their console base. After dropping the ball content during Xbox One, Xbox tried to reverse that and "win" on content. They had an idea that a flooded content pipeline would bring people in from various access points. I'd argue the idea wasn't the problem, but rather the literal content. Regardless... The PlayStation digital-only announcement won't change that. Xbox isn't going to bring tens of millions back to the console with exclusives. If a person is a one console buyer (between Xbox and PS), they aren't leaving their digital library behind to stick it to the other company. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sticking with your product of choice. Xbox, and PlayStation will likely be here for the long haul (in some form or another), but neither side is going to change the console market share in a way that shocks the world. Everything from this point forward is about engagement, LTV, and possible growth in adjacent sectors.