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'We Need to Change Course' — Bethesda Boss Tells Staff the Company Must Focus on 'Our Strongest Franchises' as Xbox Layoffs Hit Hard

⁨253⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨simple@piefed.social⁩ to ⁨games@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.ign.com/articles/we-need-to-change-course-bethesda-boss-tells-staff-the-company-must-focus-on-our-strongest-franchises-as-xbox-layoffs-hit-hard

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Comments

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  • DigDoug@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Is that code for “Rerelease Skyrim again”?

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    • BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I mean fuck, better than what they’ve been doing.

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    • CubitOom@infosec.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Its code for more horse armour and online services that they can milk for years

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    • VitoRobles@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I mean if they did the Oblivion Remastered with Skyrim, that’s easy fucking money.

      Or even Fallout 3 & 4.

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      • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Honestly I’d be alright with fallout 3 remastered

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      • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Fuck no, not that. UE5 looks horrible, and most of the NPC’s in the Oblivion remaster look lile skinwalkers

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      • CitizenKong@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        As far as I know a Remaster of Fallout 3 is planned actually.

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  • Kn1ghtDigital@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    NGL I don’t have a lot of faith in Bethesda to actually create quality anymore. The image for this is for Vegas, which was more obsidian’s work, and they did it in a fraction of time, I think?

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    • Bluefruit@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Yea it was a very short window for development, 18 months: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout:_New_Vegas

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    • iamthetot@piefed.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I’m a huge Elder Scrolls fan. I met my partner on Elder Scrolls Online. I have pretty much zero faith in Elder Scrolls VI being any good.

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      • CosmoNova@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I mean ESO was developed by ZeniMax. Perhaps it would be best to let them handle Bethesda‘s franchises directly and disband their subsidiary. I suspect Bethesda has suffered too much from toxic positivity.

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    • DupaCycki@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Depends how you look at it. Obsidian was more like a modding team than a game development team for New Vegas. They had the engine and all mechanics ready to use. All they had to do was minor tweaks and new content. So essentially modding, not developing a game.

      Arguably, most of ‘game development’ these days is more akin to ‘modding’ from 10+ years ago, so the terms kind of lose their meaning. But New Vegas was made in 2008-2010, so I think it fits.

      As we can see years later, games made by Obsidian from scratch aren’t nearly as good. Perhaps what made New Vegas great was the mix of Bethesda and Obsidian. Or maybe Obsidian just lost their edge, like most studios, sadly.

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  • acosmichippo@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    no shit. maybe try making an elder scrolls more than once every 20 years.

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    • alekwithak@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      But making games costs money. Corporations are supposed to make money for their shareholders, not spend it!

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      • acosmichippo@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        someone should have told them that before Starfield.

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    • CosmoNova@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Here’s my uninspired lame advise that will never happen: ZeniMax should close down Bethesda. Then they should contract the Crimson Dessert guys and hire a good writer to make the next Elder Scrolls game. Sure it‘s more expensive than doing it in house and it would take years but I think it‘s what players would want.

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      • BigBananaDealer@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        nobody wants that they want skyrim again with a new story and world. why did fallout 4 get mixed reactions? not skyrim enough. why did starfield get mixed reactions? not skyrim enough.

        and the people who dont want skyrim again just want morrowind again

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      • ampersandrew@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Warhorse is working on a Lord of the Rings game. That’s probably more of what we want out of a new Elder Scrolls than the actual next Elder Scrolls.

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    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Is Skyrim really the last one???

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      • formergijoe@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I guess the Elder Scrolls Online technically counts as an Elder Scrolls post Skyrim

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  • cybervseas@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    What else have they been busy with? Just Starfield?

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    • Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Seriously, it isn’t like Bethesda has a long list of IP to work with here.

      Other than Elder Scrolls and Fallout (which they should already be assumed to be focusing on to begin with), the only other IPs that are still alive would be DOOM and maybe Wolfenstein,

      Dishonored is dead, Quake is dead, they shuttered Tango so no continuation of Hi-Fi Rush or Ghostwire, RAGE is dead.

      Another Indiana Jones maybe?

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      • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Unfortunately, Bethesda decided to spend all their time working on Starfield. The only thing they had when they revealed the ES6 trailer, was the video. And that’s because they knew they’d get lynched if they didn’t annoubce ES6

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      • cybervseas@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Thanks I suppose I forgot about Doom. So, he meant they shouldn’t focus on Doom lol.

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      • QueenMidna@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Hi-fi got picked up by a different studio, didn’t it?

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      • VitoRobles@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Oh is it Bethesda and ID software now? I didn’t know they merged. I knew ID software helped with Starfield, but I thought they were still separate.

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    • Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      TES6 and possibly a new Fallout.

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      • edgemaster72@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        id develops Doom, Bethesda is the publisher, both of which are owned by ZeniMax, itself owned by Micro$lop under the Xbox division

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      • rtxn@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Also don’t Bethesda handle Doom, now?

        No, id Software is the developer company, which is owned by Bethesda Softworks. The “Bethesda” that is their in-house development company is called Bethesda Game Studios, they handle franchises like Fallout and TES.

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    • ms_lane@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Skyrim > 4 years > Fallout 4 > 4 Years > Fallout 76 (yes, it was Todd’s team that made the map and originals quests) > 4+1 years > Starfield

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    • psx_crab@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Likely ES6, and the DLC for Starfield.

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      • cybervseas@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I was wondering which franchises other than their “strongest franchises”. I think it’s starfield and doom.

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    • immutable@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Let me preface this with the fact that I like Bethesda games, fallout, Skyrim, starfield, I enjoy them all.

      Does anyone else feel like they are all kinda the same game.

      • elder scrolls: medieval Bethesda game
      • fallout: apocalypse Bethesda game
      • starfield: space Bethesda game

      They share like 90% of the game mechanics.

      I could see cutting back on these if they were all radically different, but they all few so similar to me, almost interchangeable.

      But I’m sure not innovating and pumping out cash grab sequel after cash grab sequel will work, that works really well right? In a few years we can all read the “how Bethesda got beat by {scrappy upstart that actually provided interesting new games}” articles that try to piece together the mystery.

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    • P00ptart@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Mostly ports. Because the switch 2 really needed a fallout 4 port.

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  • Abyssian@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Yes, it’s always a wonderful idea for creative game companies to stop being creative and trying to come up with cool new things and instead focus on things that have sold well in the past to please the shareholders.

    That always works out for everyone.

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    • kureta@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Well, so f as r it worked really well for Bethesda. They sold Skyrim 10 times to everyone.

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    • Katana314@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      They could make a new Halo, that goes past even normal numbers. They don’t even have to settle for billions of gamers. They could call it…Halo Infinite.

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  • KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Yeah let’s focus on our franchises like Doom and Quake – by firing half the staff at id.

    Sony is on fire, Microsoft is on fire, Nintendo seems to be doing fine by focusing on brands and profit-first hardware. Where did everyone else go so wrong?

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    • AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      $500 million budgets probably. Things are different now. Video games aren’t a form of art or interactive storytelling or anything creative. They’re simply made to make a profit, that’s it. Anything else is just a useful side effect. That’s why indie games hit different. People with stories to tell instead of dollars to make. Movies are the same way too.

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    • aksdb@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Looks like those that do badly are those that went on an acquisition spree over the last years.

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    • Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Big money and MBA guys running the show is where it went wrong

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    • Squizzy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I think Nintendo has moved to niche, their gaming selection is so bad.

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  • TheGreenWizard@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Good luck Bethesda, even Obsidian has hit an 18 carat run of bad luck. I guess they’ll stay afloat due to casual players and the fact that its an elderschrolls game. But count me the fuck out on getting es7, that shit will need to be fucking amazing for me to pay the AAA price it will inevitability be, and I mean AMAZING cause after fallout 4 I’ve been disappointed with them. God I wanna be wrong Tod, PLEASE TOD PROVE ME WRONG 😭

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    • Bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      You dont need to worry about ES7, with the amount of time ES6 is taking, ES7 wont be within out lifetimes

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      • TheGreenWizard@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Lmao, my dumbass meant es6

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  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Yeah… Todd and Emil… are gonna have to… actually make something good.

    For the first time in a decade.

    Right so like Asha’s statement said that no publically announced games have been cancelled.

    … Does Elder Scrolls 6 … actually count as publically announced?

    Its never had a release date or window, its only ever had one trailer, basically just a panning landscape shot…

    Yeah I can enough wiggle room there that Asha can basically be a fascist and just straight up tell Todd and Emil exactly what to do, and threaten to fire them if they don’t.

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  • vane@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    The morale must be great.

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  • Mediaburn@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    How about… Make good games, for gamers and with respect for your customers.

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  • tixooo@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    If they focus on ESO… Put some effort, no bs, you will profit, the game is great, but the direction is scattered all over the place. Put some advertisment too ffs.

    Skyrim still makes shit ton of money, creation club mods and enhanced versions and all that. Keep doing that the game is still epic as is, I play it to this day and support it.

    Simple money making. Fuck that new gen bs. Nobody will have money for the machines that they will need to run those beasts by the time they come out.

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    • DupaCycki@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      ESO is developed by an entirely different company - Bethesda’s parent company, Zenimax. The only input from Bethesda is lore-related. They also use a completely different engine, and not Bethesda’s creation engine.

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      • tixooo@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Yes, absolutely. But the game is still amazing, its very much lore friendly, and even expands on it massively :) Its a good game :)

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    • Caducous@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I mean, you can make a next gen game that can also run on last gen hardware. We used to have ultra low settings but I guess no company wants to implement that anymore.

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      • tixooo@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Yup. Company’s these days are different from what it used to be. In the past it was a group of people with a slot of passion and desire to create a specific game or to make games. Now its corporations for proffit with soulless developers.

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  • DarkCloud@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Just make creative and fun games.

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  • echodot@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Have they tried not trying to screw random people over to save .1% of their budget, only for that decision to decrease the player base by 50%?

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  • Passerby6497@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Who are they going to hire to make their games good if Obsidian goes under?

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    • BigBananaDealer@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      obsidian cant even make good games for themselves, i highly doubt theyd make good games for bethesda without credit

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      • Passerby6497@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        without credit

        Not sure where this part came from, but Obsidian made FONV, a game in the Bethesda IP that was credited to them.

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  • Scio@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    They have one of those left?

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