Requirement to use internal tools blamed for the state of Halo and Fable's delays

[Darth Vader]

Everybody knows these are just excuses and damage contention, but it's funny how things are being spun around:

Xbox's no-show at The Game Awards caps off a disappointing 2022

A few bright spots can't illuminate what was a pretty grey year overall for Xbox.

www.windowscentral.com

It's hard to know for sure where the difficulty lies for Microsoft and its first-party games output. Some have blamed Microsoft's internal rules around contract work as causing unnecessary churn that sees projects lose key staff on a higher-than-usual basis. I've been told internal politics over engine use has also led to developmental problems in games like Fable and Halo Infinite, as Microsoft sought to use its own tools rather than fully-featured industry standards like Unreal Engine, which further exacerbates problems around training contractors, only to lose them mid-project. The pandemic was harsh on all sides of game development, but that doesn't seem to have stopped Sony from releasing Horizon Forbidden West or God of War Ragnarok this year, nor has it stopped Nintendo from launching Splatoon 3 or Pokemon Scarlet / Violet.

Funny how Sony managed to deliver games consistently with their studios working with contractors and also using their own custom engines. Here's a list of studios that have delivered games since 2020 using their custom engine:

• Bluepoint
• Guerrilla
• Insomniac
• Japan Studio / Team Asobi
• Naughty Dog
• Polyphony
• Sony Santa Monica

Insomniac will probably have 4 AAA games released in 3 years using their own game engine. As a matter of fact, the only game from a Playstation Studio that released using an "industry standard" engine was Returnal.

 

[TubzGaming]

 

[arvfab]

I knew it, all problems lead to the tools at Xbox....

 

[Darth Vader]

I knew it, all problems lead to the tools at Xbox....

It's what happens when your CEO is a tool.

 

[arvfab]

It's what happens when your CEO is a tool.

Yeah we are speaking about the same tools.

 

[Yurinka]

Everybody knows these are just excuses and damage contention, but it's funny how things are being spun around:

Xbox's no-show at The Game Awards caps off a disappointing 2022

A few bright spots can't illuminate what was a pretty grey year overall for Xbox.

www.windowscentral.com

Funny how Sony managed to deliver games consistently with their studios working with contractors and also using their own custom engines. Here's a list of studios that have delivered games since 2020 using their custom engine:

• Bluepoint
• Guerrilla
• Insomniac
• Japan Studio / Team Asobi
• Naughty Dog
• Polyphony
• Sony Santa Monica

Insomniac will probably have 4 AAA games released in 3 years using their own game engine. As a matter of fact, the only game from a Playstation Studio that released using an "industry standard" engine was Returnal.

You can add San Diego Studio, Media Molecule, Sucker Punch to the list, they released at least a game since 2020.

To make or use internal engine takes more work than to use Unreal Engine, but big companies like Sony or MS have dedicated teams to constantly work in game engines and tools that are independent from the team that makes let's say 'the game itself'.

I think this is only a wrong assumption from whoever wrote the article or who said that to the writer. I highly doubt that internal engine development would delay games like Halo or Fable. Specially Halo, because Infinite it's basically the same game they always did but prettier. In the case of Fable it's true that they are now making a game that is way more complex and big than 'simple' racing games, so it's true they had to add many things to the engine, but not an issue for AAA devs like them.

If Fable hasn't been shown or announced a release date it isn't because of delays or development issues. It's because it's too soon: they announced it before starting its production. Its release is still years away.

 

[anonpuffs]

There are 2 internal tools that microsoft keep promoting/allowing to ruin their first party studios. iykyk

 

[Deleted member 51]

 

[Umar]

 

[KiryuRealty]

The construction tools for the Halo engine have been LEGENDARY for how insanely terrible they were to work with going all the way back to the Halo 2 and 3 days, so considering the change over to 343 and the loss of the people with the expertise to use those substandard tools well, it makes total sense that the bad development environment would cause poor final products.

 

[PropellerEar]

 

[Gamernyc78]

But but not Microsoft the creators of directX awesomeness which would propel Xbox over ps in many ways

 

[Deleted member 51]

Hard pass, couldn't limit myself with a downgrade. Plus I love openness. Not closed ecosystems. Also love open communities. This is just a PS circle jerk now. Discussions are beyond bland.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Evil Sony sabotaging startup company Xbox.

 

[Darth Vader]

I think this is only a wrong assumption from whoever wrote the article or who said that to the writer. I highly doubt that internal engine development would delay games like Halo or Fable.

They mentioned a source. It's not their assumption.

 

[Darth Vader]

Hard pass, couldn't limit myself with a downgrade. Plus I love openness. Not closed ecosystems. Also love open communities. This is just a PS circle jerk now. Discussions are beyond bland.

You do realise the source for this article is a Microsoft affiliated website right?

 

[Deleted member 51]

You do realise the source for this article is a Microsoft affiliated website right?

You do realize I'm taking about THIS website, right? I'm not sure how you could even possibly misinterpret what I said, or even how I implied it? Kinda hard to miss the obvious elephant in the room...

 

[Kokoloko]

Hard pass, couldn't limit myself with a downgrade. Plus I love openness. Not closed ecosystems. Also love open communities. This is just a PS circle jerk now. Discussions are beyond bland.

But by doing so you’re limiting yourself the games you can play lol.
And some of the best ones too. Its something I never understand about PC guys, claim to play everything and have freedom to do so...Apart from Nintendo and alot of PS games, which is a big chunk of gaming… Unless you own all 3, your limited regardless

 

[Kokoloko]

You do realize I'm taking about THIS website, right? I'm not sure how you could even possibly misinterpret what I said, or even how I implied it? Kinda hard to miss the obvious elephant in the room...

Its an obvious elephant but its a fairly new website. Give it time to grow

 

[Darth Vader]

You do realize I'm taking about THIS website, right? I'm not sure how you could even possibly misinterpret what I said, or even how I implied it? Kinda hard to miss the obvious elephant in the room...

Yet discussions have been happening and you're the one pretty much coming here and trying to disrupt the discussion with outright trolling. If you have nothing to say, then don't.