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[Iva Demilcol]

oh my....if this is true.

Didn't MS do the same with the Phantom Dust Studio?

Phantom Dust wasn't being developed by a 1st party studio.

 

[chadskin]

Microsoft better bring bring their A game to E3. And by A game, I mean Alan Wake 2.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

It's mind blowing how over board some are going with NX.

It feels like some people are operating under this mindset that time froze for 25 years, and as soon as Nintendo releases a "traditional" console with "traditional" console power everyone will drop Sony and MS and come flocking to them just like the good ol' days.

 

[PenDynasty]

They never evolved. They had a crown jewel and just slightly polished it with each iteration doing nothing amazing while the gaming world was led by innovation.

 

[shingi70]

Deep down I don't think they want to. They'll throw a little money at the occasional token third party support to keep up appearance, but I don't think they have any interest in wasting their time/money in curating a meaningful third party library for their consoles.

It's not even about third party support back in the n64 to early gamecube era nintendo had a pretty great western first party branches.

 

[Emperor Bohe]

holy shit

 

[KampferZeon]

Sony never owned Ready At Dawn.

yeah i know. Ready At Dawn are very close like 2nd party, same as Insomniac Games.

Maybe I should say Bungie. Why can't Lionhead be independent again like Bungie?

Insomniac had some pretty bad games but still kicking. feels a bit unfair.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I think you mean new The Movies, or its spiritual successor.

Yes.



With Microsoft permission

Who knows what people will want. Someone might be going through the archives of what's already been done and want something that particular. We all sorta grew up with the technological advancement and the impressive quality of ShenMue and we've wanted them to make more games for years. ShenMue was my very first import and remains to be one of a kind even if technology has advanced beyond the capabilities of the Sega Dreamcast. I can't speak for all the Fable fans, but I remember Project Ego from the moment they showed pictures of a stealth based hero in a deserted land.

Lots of games have their legacy with the fans that enjoy them. I'm not quite sure if it'll ever become what it was or is. Look at Dungeon Keeper from Bullfrog, completely F2P based game and it's still one a kind regardless.

I don't think they're gonna completely do it in. If anything technology has taught us that it's possible to resurrect something from the dead. We're also living proof that games can have such adoring fan bases. If not, it'll disappear into the night like nothing happened.

Sadly, when it's all said and done and everuthing goes to the side, a new generation of people will have to keep it going. Maybe someone in 30 years will care. I'll just keep my memories and hold on to what we get now.

 

[SegaShack]

Microsoft Studios is now publishing only the biggest hits
Let's just recap Microsoft's generation in review:
- Start Lift London
- Downsize the XBLA/Microsoft Studios team because MS doesn't want to be in the business of publishing so many indie games
- Close Microsoft Victoria
- Cancel Black Tusk's original game and make them the Gears studio
- Close Xbox Entertainment Studios
- Buy Mojang
- Merge Lift London with other UK-based small teams
- Promote Kudo to oversee Lift London and other UK based teams
- Kudo transfered out of Microsoft Games
- Spin off Twisted Pixel Games
- Close Press Play
- Close Lionhead

In light of the W10/Xbox One news recently, I would interpret this as the following: Microsoft does not see themselves as a hardware platform owner anymore. As a result, their interest in developing games is no longer about establishing a diverse portfolio (even at a loss), but instead about just publishing games only if they make reliable money with no risk. Hence why they're willing to sign with outside partners, and hence why they're still making Halo, Forza, Minecraft, and Gears. If you were going to transition away from the hardware model but still wanted to publish the odd game and didn't want to shut down the division at all, this is exactly what you'd do. Besides these franchises, almost all of Microsoft's first-party partners are now working on Hololens, and it's not clear that Hololens is going to be a consumer focused gaming product during the Xbox One's lifespan. The exceptions: the Project Spark team (W10/XO) and Decisive Games (presumably working on AoE, for W10/XO), and Rare.

As it relates to Press Play, Microsoft's purchase never really made any sense to begin with, just as it didn't with Twisted Pixel, but my thoughts at the time were that it was driven by wanting to have a robust portfolio of indie exclusives as other indie titles went increasingly multiplatform. Neither company had mega hits, although both had some success. In addition, neither company was all that large, so shutting them down isn't just a vote of non-confidence, it's a vote that they aren't even interested in owning those types of companies.

Microsoft did a pretty crap job of making use of Lionhead
Finally, separate from the musing about Microsoft Studios, I think Lionhead Studios has been treated extremely poorly by Microsoft. Microsoft did not secure Black & White from EA or The Movies from Activision when they bought Lionhead. The lack of care about the studio's non-Fable history was palpable. Also let it be noted that every non-Fable game they worked on under Microsoft got cancelled. Which would be OK if they cared about Fable, but here's what they did with Fable:
- Fable 1 gets a late PC port
- Fable 2 never gets a PC port
- Fable 3 gets a GFWL PC port that gets discontinued years ago when they run out of keys, MS never bothers to remove GFWL
- Fable Heroes never gets a PC port
- Fable The Journey never gets a PC port
- Fable Anniversary gets a late PC port with a rocky launch
- Fable Legends cancelled during beta

Microsoft sucks at F2P
Let's talk about free to play, though. Free to play is a pretty exciting business model for publishers and fans alike, if executed properly. MS has really sent some big signals about F2P and their interest in it. How have they done?

- In Summer 2011, Microsoft publishes Age of Empires Online for PC (GFWL). The game was developed by Robot Entertainment, also known as the company that formed when Microsoft closed Ensemble Studios (the previous developers of Age of Empires). Microsoft had Ensemble develop a console exclusive RTS which ended up being a huge hit but then closed them because I guess they didn't want a PC studio? Who knows? The game started as basically a free demo that required you to pay to buy into most of the content. It also started as a busywork grind. A year later, Microsoft, having basically bungled the game's first year, released the game on Steam (still required GFWL) and lowered the prices. This also did not work. Then a few months later they made the game actually F2P--you could unlock all the content by grinding, or pay to accelerate. A little under 2 years after release, they discontinued development on the game. 8 months later they shut down the servers. As the game is online only, it can no longer be played.
- In 2011, Microsoft publishes Crimson Alliance for XBLA as free to play. Except it turns out they don't understand free to play and the game costs money to play. When they are asked about this, they explain that the demo is free to play (as it was for every other XBLA game released on Xbox 360). ??? Great game, no followup, developer is now a support studio for Halo, no chance of game being ported to a modern platform.
- In 2012, Microsoft launches Windows 8. A variety of the launch games for the platform are "Free to Play", including a great little point and click / hidden object hybrid called Adera. The free to play model for Adera is that you can play the first quarter for free and then pay for the rest. So, again, a demo. Other games are actually free to play, but they're versions of games that used to be entirely free. One game is an endless runner called Gunstringer Dead Man Running. Gunstringer is F2P with currency in a similar model to, say, Jetpack Joyride. This game is shut down in 2014.
- In 2012, Microsoft launches Microsoft Flight, a free to play revival of Flight Simulator. Again, the free content is basically a demo, so it's clear they don't understand Free to Play. The game is locked behind GFWL and is PC exclusive. Five months later, they ceased development on the game, leaving it with nowhere near enough content. In 2013, they removed the ability to purchase any of the content or download the game. In 2014, they shut the servers. Note that Microsoft previously killed the team that made Flight Simulator and then created a new team for this project.
- In October 2012, Microsoft launches the first traditionally F2P game on XBLA: Happy Wars, a Japanese-developed tug of war team based hack and slash multiplayer game. This game went pretty well, although they realized that the business model with F2P is attracting as many people as possible so that you can monetize whales, which was at odds with the whole "you need to pay $50 a year to be able to download this game". It's fine, because the developer went ahead and ported the game to Steam without Microsoft. On Steam it has a few million players.
- In May 2013, Microsoft releases Crash Course 2, a sequel to the free Doritos advertorial game Crash Course. It is pretty well received and very popular, millions on the leaderboards near release. Around the same time they release Crash Course Go, a version of the game for Windows 8. Both games are cancelled less than a year after release and the servers shut down effective immediately.
- In July 2013, Microsoft announces Lift London is working on 4 F2P games. None ever release or are announced.
- In September 2013, Microsoft publishes Ascend: New Gods, by Signal Studios, the popular developers of the Toy Soldiers franchise. This is an F2P dungeon crawl 3rd person ARPG, kinda like Kingdoms of Amalur or Elder Scrolls or a more mechanically intense Fable. The game is actually super popular, lots of people play it. Less than a year after release, Microsoft cancels the game, removes it from sale, and gives everyone 3 day's notice about a server shutdown. Also they do not tell the developer, Signal Studios, who is completely blindsided. Signal ports the game to Steam, where it did OK for a while. It's still available. Signal hasn't worked with Microsoft since.
- A little bit before shutting down Ascend: New Gods, Microsoft shows the first footage of Fable Legends. At the time, the game is not specified as F2P, but it's later clarified to be F2P and Xbox One/Windows 10 cross-play. Microsoft teases 5-10 years of support--that this is the Fable series as we know it going forward. Fable Legends is cancelled during open beta.
- In summer 2014, Microsoft betas Project Spark, a game creation game that's F2P with Microtransactions. The game discontinues development and goes free a year after release, the F2P model having not worked at all.
- In June 2015, Microsoft confirms that they are publishing Gigantic, an Xbox One/Windows 10 cross-play F2P MOBA by indie developer Motiga. The game is in closed beta and moving to open beta this summer. Well, maybe, because a month ago the developer announced significant layoffs.

These are not all of Microsoft's F2P failures--I could also talk about the semi-F2P business model of Game Room, which failed, Microsoft's bad attempts to make their old free Windows parlour games (Minesweeper, Mahjong, Solitaire) into money-making opportunities but instead alienating their audience, Age of Empires: Castle Siege (a bad Clash of Clans clone).

I could also talk about the failure of their cloud gaming initiative by exploring how just about every Microsoft server-based game has been shut down. I could also talk about how Galactic Reign, released by Microsoft as a bold experiment in cloud-based rendering of cutscenes -- pay attention if you like Quantum Break -- shut down 6 months after release, leaving players unable to play the game. I could also talk about how all of Microsoft's major initiatives with the Xbox One: Smartglass, Cloud-based Rendering or Computing Features, and Dedicated Servers are all defunct.


Microsoft is the absolute master of failing at things even when it'd be easier to succeed. The good news is, pretty soon they'll have no more internal studios to shut down besides the ones reliably pumping out their biggest franchises every two years. As someone who bought a lot of Microsoft Game Studios titles and really loved so much of what they accomplished on 360, it sucks that shifting corporate priorities and an unwillingness to fully commit to gaming sabotaged so much of what they could have accomplished.

Great post. This is very informative. I am a big fan of Xbox too but it's a shame to see what has been happening. Then again I am a gamer, not a fan boy.

 

[Alx]

Microsoft better bring bring their A game to E3. And by A game, I mean Alan Wake 2.

At least they'd better convince everybody that they have a plan, whatever that is... they didn't really improve their communication since their early troubles at the beginning of the generation, you don't just announce the closing of three studios without any kind of comment or explanation.

 

[Papacheeks]

Microsoft Studios is now publishing only the biggest hits
Let's just recap Microsoft's generation in review:
- Start Lift London
- Downsize the XBLA/Microsoft Studios team because MS doesn't want to be in the business of publishing so many indie games
- Close Microsoft Victoria
- Cancel Black Tusk's original game and make them the Gears studio
- Close Xbox Entertainment Studios
- Buy Mojang
- Merge Lift London with other UK-based small teams
- Promote Kudo to oversee Lift London and other UK based teams
- Kudo transfered out of Microsoft Games
- Spin off Twisted Pixel Games
- Close Press Play
- Close Lionhead

In light of the W10/Xbox One news recently, I would interpret this as the following: Microsoft does not see themselves as a hardware platform owner anymore. As a result, their interest in developing games is no longer about establishing a diverse portfolio (even at a loss), but instead about just publishing games only if they make reliable money with no risk. Hence why they're willing to sign with outside partners, and hence why they're still making Halo, Forza, Minecraft, and Gears. If you were going to transition away from the hardware model but still wanted to publish the odd game and didn't want to shut down the division at all, this is exactly what you'd do. Besides these franchises, almost all of Microsoft's first-party partners are now working on Hololens, and it's not clear that Hololens is going to be a consumer focused gaming product during the Xbox One's lifespan. The exceptions: the Project Spark team (W10/XO) and Decisive Games (presumably working on AoE, for W10/XO), and Rare.

As it relates to Press Play, Microsoft's purchase never really made any sense to begin with, just as it didn't with Twisted Pixel, but my thoughts at the time were that it was driven by wanting to have a robust portfolio of indie exclusives as other indie titles went increasingly multiplatform. Neither company had mega hits, although both had some success. In addition, neither company was all that large, so shutting them down isn't just a vote of non-confidence, it's a vote that they aren't even interested in owning those types of companies.

Microsoft did a pretty crap job of making use of Lionhead
Finally, separate from the musing about Microsoft Studios, I think Lionhead Studios has been treated extremely poorly by Microsoft. Microsoft did not secure Black & White from EA or The Movies from Activision when they bought Lionhead. The lack of care about the studio's non-Fable history was palpable. Also let it be noted that every non-Fable game they worked on under Microsoft got cancelled. Which would be OK if they cared about Fable, but here's what they did with Fable:
- Fable 1 gets a late PC port
- Fable 2 never gets a PC port
- Fable 3 gets a GFWL PC port that gets discontinued years ago when they run out of keys, MS never bothers to remove GFWL
- Fable Heroes never gets a PC port
- Fable The Journey never gets a PC port
- Fable Anniversary gets a late PC port with a rocky launch
- Fable Legends cancelled during beta

Microsoft sucks at F2P
Let's talk about free to play, though. Free to play is a pretty exciting business model for publishers and fans alike, if executed properly. MS has really sent some big signals about F2P and their interest in it. How have they done?

- In Summer 2011, Microsoft publishes Age of Empires Online for PC (GFWL). The game was developed by Robot Entertainment, also known as the company that formed when Microsoft closed Ensemble Studios (the previous developers of Age of Empires). Microsoft had Ensemble develop a console exclusive RTS which ended up being a huge hit but then closed them because I guess they didn't want a PC studio? Who knows? The game started as basically a free demo that required you to pay to buy into most of the content. It also started as a busywork grind. A year later, Microsoft, having basically bungled the game's first year, released the game on Steam (still required GFWL) and lowered the prices. This also did not work. Then a few months later they made the game actually F2P--you could unlock all the content by grinding, or pay to accelerate. A little under 2 years after release, they discontinued development on the game. 8 months later they shut down the servers. As the game is online only, it can no longer be played.
- In 2011, Microsoft publishes Crimson Alliance for XBLA as free to play. Except it turns out they don't understand free to play and the game costs money to play. When they are asked about this, they explain that the demo is free to play (as it was for every other XBLA game released on Xbox 360). ??? Great game, no followup, developer is now a support studio for Halo, no chance of game being ported to a modern platform.
- In 2012, Microsoft launches Windows 8. A variety of the launch games for the platform are "Free to Play", including a great little point and click / hidden object hybrid called Adera. The free to play model for Adera is that you can play the first quarter for free and then pay for the rest. So, again, a demo. Other games are actually free to play, but they're versions of games that used to be entirely free. One game is an endless runner called Gunstringer Dead Man Running. Gunstringer is F2P with currency in a similar model to, say, Jetpack Joyride. This game is shut down in 2014.
- In 2012, Microsoft launches Microsoft Flight, a free to play revival of Flight Simulator. Again, the free content is basically a demo, so it's clear they don't understand Free to Play. The game is locked behind GFWL and is PC exclusive. Five months later, they ceased development on the game, leaving it with nowhere near enough content. In 2013, they removed the ability to purchase any of the content or download the game. In 2014, they shut the servers. Note that Microsoft previously killed the team that made Flight Simulator and then created a new team for this project.
- In October 2012, Microsoft launches the first traditionally F2P game on XBLA: Happy Wars, a Japanese-developed tug of war team based hack and slash multiplayer game. This game went pretty well, although they realized that the business model with F2P is attracting as many people as possible so that you can monetize whales, which was at odds with the whole "you need to pay $50 a year to be able to download this game". It's fine, because the developer went ahead and ported the game to Steam without Microsoft. On Steam it has a few million players.
- In May 2013, Microsoft releases Crash Course 2, a sequel to the free Doritos advertorial game Crash Course. It is pretty well received and very popular, millions on the leaderboards near release. Around the same time they release Crash Course Go, a version of the game for Windows 8. Both games are cancelled less than a year after release and the servers shut down effective immediately.
- In July 2013, Microsoft announces Lift London is working on 4 F2P games. None ever release or are announced.
- In September 2013, Microsoft publishes Ascend: New Gods, by Signal Studios, the popular developers of the Toy Soldiers franchise. This is an F2P dungeon crawl 3rd person ARPG, kinda like Kingdoms of Amalur or Elder Scrolls or a more mechanically intense Fable. The game is actually super popular, lots of people play it. Less than a year after release, Microsoft cancels the game, removes it from sale, and gives everyone 3 day's notice about a server shutdown. Also they do not tell the developer, Signal Studios, who is completely blindsided. Signal ports the game to Steam, where it did OK for a while. It's still available. Signal hasn't worked with Microsoft since.
- A little bit before shutting down Ascend: New Gods, Microsoft shows the first footage of Fable Legends. At the time, the game is not specified as F2P, but it's later clarified to be F2P and Xbox One/Windows 10 cross-play. Microsoft teases 5-10 years of support--that this is the Fable series as we know it going forward. Fable Legends is cancelled during open beta.
- In summer 2014, Microsoft betas Project Spark, a game creation game that's F2P with Microtransactions. The game discontinues development and goes free a year after release, the F2P model having not worked at all.
- In June 2015, Microsoft confirms that they are publishing Gigantic, an Xbox One/Windows 10 cross-play F2P MOBA by indie developer Motiga. The game is in closed beta and moving to open beta this summer. Well, maybe, because a month ago the developer announced significant layoffs.

These are not all of Microsoft's F2P failures--I could also talk about the semi-F2P business model of Game Room, which failed, Microsoft's bad attempts to make their old free Windows parlour games (Minesweeper, Mahjong, Solitaire) into money-making opportunities but instead alienating their audience, Age of Empires: Castle Siege (a bad Clash of Clans clone).

I could also talk about the failure of their cloud gaming initiative by exploring how just about every Microsoft server-based game has been shut down. I could also talk about how Galactic Reign, released by Microsoft as a bold experiment in cloud-based rendering of cutscenes -- pay attention if you like Quantum Break -- shut down 6 months after release, leaving players unable to play the game. I could also talk about how all of Microsoft's major initiatives with the Xbox One: Smartglass, Cloud-based Rendering or Computing Features, and Dedicated Servers are all defunct.


Microsoft is the absolute master of failing at things even when it'd be easier to succeed. The good news is, pretty soon they'll have no more internal studios to shut down besides the ones reliably pumping out their biggest franchises every two years. As someone who bought a lot of Microsoft Game Studios titles and really loved so much of what they accomplished on 360, it sucks that shifting corporate priorities and an unwillingness to fully commit to gaming sabotaged so much of what they could have accomplished.

So basically out greatest fears are true then? And people supporting Microsoft's decisions lately with their W10/Store UWA, and Xbox on PC, now look like they were wrong and people were right that Microsoft is making plans on slowly exiting hardware.

So would this mean we get one more console from them? ANd then that's it?

 

[jax]

Damn this is fucking terrible. Fable has always been a solid series, it will be missed.

Microsoft really doesn't seem to know what the fuck they're doing as of late. Fable would have sold consoles. Now they have even less first party titles, they already didn't have much to begin with. Weird.

 

[ironcreed]

Dan Gray, an ex-producer for Lionhead studios:

 

[TheOctodad]

Seems like MS is moving more and more to consolidating it's games into a few big franchises (for the most part) and creating a PC/Xbox ecosystem to pad it. Wouldn't be surprised if the next gen for MS is basically just an Xbox that is a PC for the living room - much like the steambox.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

yeah i know. Ready At Dawn are very close like 2nd party, same as Insomniac Games.

Maybe I should say Bungie. Why can't Lionhead be independent again like Bungie?

Insomniac had some pretty bad games but still kicking. feels a bit unfair.

Because it's not MS' job to help them become independent. If you were an investor would you put your money in a huge, possibly bloated studio who just had their game cancelled and was shut down by their publisher, or would you just poach the talent and start up a new, smaller, more economically efficient studio under a new name?

 

[Ghost Slayer]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_at_Dawn

wiki isn't always right you know?

 

[Sydle]

What's wrong is Microsoft green lit the project let it stay in alpha-beta, pumped alot of money in showing it off. And instead of just releasing what seems to be a decent 75-80% complete game on PC, and let the studio/team start on something new, they are shutting down a studio that has a lot of legacy, especially for XBox.

Fable on OG xbox was as influential to it's brand as halo IMHO.

To let the studio die is like Sony closing all of Santa Monica studios.

Just wait until the NDA expires and people start talking about their experience playing it. I'd argue it would have a pretty short life without seasonal updates and some changes to the overall structure of the game.

Sony has closed studios with legacy before including Incognito, Zipper, Liverpool. Wasn't Studio Santa Monica's second team pretty far along on their project? Instead of just cancelling the project they let the entire team go.

 

[AncientDiety]

Microsoft Studios is now publishing only the biggest hits
Let's just recap Microsoft's generation in review:
- Start Lift London
- Downsize the XBLA/Microsoft Studios team because MS doesn't want to be in the business of publishing so many indie games
- Close Microsoft Victoria
- Cancel Black Tusk's original game and make them the Gears studio
- Close Xbox Entertainment Studios
- Buy Mojang
- Merge Lift London with other UK-based small teams
- Promote Kudo to oversee Lift London and other UK based teams
- Kudo transfered out of Microsoft Games
- Spin off Twisted Pixel Games
- Close Press Play
- Close Lionhead

In light of the W10/Xbox One news recently, I would interpret this as the following: Microsoft does not see themselves as a hardware platform owner anymore. As a result, their interest in developing games is no longer about establishing a diverse portfolio (even at a loss), but instead about just publishing games only if they make reliable money with no risk. Hence why they're willing to sign with outside partners, and hence why they're still making Halo, Forza, Minecraft, and Gears. If you were going to transition away from the hardware model but still wanted to publish the odd game and didn't want to shut down the division at all, this is exactly what you'd do. Besides these franchises, almost all of Microsoft's first-party partners are now working on Hololens, and it's not clear that Hololens is going to be a consumer focused gaming product during the Xbox One's lifespan. The exceptions: the Project Spark team (W10/XO--whose game got shut down) and Decisive Games (presumably working on AoE, for W10/XO), and Rare.

As it relates to Press Play, Microsoft's purchase never really made any sense to begin with, just as it didn't with Twisted Pixel, but my thoughts at the time were that it was driven by wanting to have a robust portfolio of indie exclusives as other indie titles went increasingly multiplatform. Neither company had mega hits, although both had some success. In addition, neither company was all that large, so shutting them down isn't just a vote of non-confidence, it's a vote that they aren't even interested in owning those types of companies.

Microsoft did a pretty crap job of making use of Lionhead
Finally, separate from the musing about Microsoft Studios, I think Lionhead Studios has been treated extremely poorly by Microsoft. Microsoft did not secure Black & White from EA or The Movies from Activision when they bought Lionhead. The lack of care about the studio's non-Fable history was palpable. Also let it be noted that every non-Fable game they worked on under Microsoft got cancelled. Which would be OK if they cared about Fable, but here's what they did with Fable:
- Fable 1 gets a late PC port
- Fable 2 never gets a PC port
- Fable 3 gets a GFWL PC port that gets discontinued years ago when they run out of keys, MS never bothers to remove GFWL
- Fable Heroes never gets a PC port
- Fable The Journey never gets a PC port
- Fable Anniversary gets a late PC port with a rocky launch
- Fable Legends cancelled during beta

Microsoft sucks at F2P
Let's talk about free to play, though. Free to play is a pretty exciting business model for publishers and fans alike, if executed properly. MS has really sent some big signals about F2P and their interest in it. How have they done?

- In Summer 2011, Microsoft publishes Age of Empires Online for PC (GFWL). The game was developed by Robot Entertainment, also known as the company that formed when Microsoft closed Ensemble Studios (the previous developers of Age of Empires). Microsoft had Ensemble develop a console exclusive RTS which ended up being a huge hit but then closed them because I guess they didn't want a PC studio? Who knows? The game started as basically a free demo that required you to pay to buy into most of the content. It also started as a busywork grind. A year later, Microsoft, having basically bungled the game's first year, released the game on Steam (still required GFWL) and lowered the prices. This also did not work. Then a few months later they made the game actually F2P--you could unlock all the content by grinding, or pay to accelerate. A little under 2 years after release, they discontinued development on the game. 8 months later they shut down the servers. As the game is online only, it can no longer be played.
- In 2011, Microsoft publishes Crimson Alliance for XBLA as free to play. Except it turns out they don't understand free to play and the game costs money to play. When they are asked about this, they explain that the demo is free to play (as it was for every other XBLA game released on Xbox 360). ??? Great game, no followup, developer is now a support studio for Halo, no chance of game being ported to a modern platform.
- In 2012, Microsoft launches Windows 8. A variety of the launch games for the platform are "Free to Play", including a great little point and click / hidden object hybrid called Adera. The free to play model for Adera is that you can play the first quarter for free and then pay for the rest. So, again, a demo. Other games are actually free to play, but they're versions of games that used to be entirely free. One game is an endless runner called Gunstringer Dead Man Running. Gunstringer is F2P with currency in a similar model to, say, Jetpack Joyride. This game is shut down in 2014.
- In 2012, Microsoft launches Microsoft Flight, a free to play revival of Flight Simulator. Again, the free content is basically a demo, so it's clear they don't understand Free to Play. The game is locked behind GFWL and is PC exclusive. Five months later, they ceased development on the game, leaving it with nowhere near enough content. In 2013, they removed the ability to purchase any of the content or download the game. In 2014, they shut the servers. Note that Microsoft previously killed the team that made Flight Simulator and then created a new team for this project.
- In October 2012, Microsoft launches the first traditionally F2P game on XBLA: Happy Wars, a Japanese-developed tug of war team based hack and slash multiplayer game. This game went pretty well, although they realized that the business model with F2P is attracting as many people as possible so that you can monetize whales, which was at odds with the whole "you need to pay $50 a year to be able to download this game". It's fine, because the developer went ahead and ported the game to Steam without Microsoft. On Steam it has a few million players.
- In May 2013, Microsoft releases Crash Course 2, a sequel to the free Doritos advertorial game Crash Course. It is pretty well received and very popular, millions on the leaderboards near release. Around the same time they release Crash Course Go, a version of the game for Windows 8. Both games are cancelled less than a year after release and the servers shut down effective immediately.
- In July 2013, Microsoft announces Lift London is working on 4 F2P games. None ever release or are announced.
- In September 2013, Microsoft publishes Ascend: New Gods, by Signal Studios, the popular developers of the Toy Soldiers franchise. This is an F2P dungeon crawl 3rd person ARPG, kinda like Kingdoms of Amalur or Elder Scrolls or a more mechanically intense Fable. The game is actually super popular, lots of people play it. Less than a year after release, Microsoft cancels the game, removes it from sale, and gives everyone 3 day's notice about a server shutdown. Also they do not tell the developer, Signal Studios, who is completely blindsided. Signal ports the game to Steam, where it did OK for a while. It's still available. Signal hasn't worked with Microsoft since.
- A little bit before shutting down Ascend: New Gods, Microsoft shows the first footage of Fable Legends. At the time, the game is not specified as F2P, but it's later clarified to be F2P and Xbox One/Windows 10 cross-play. Microsoft teases 5-10 years of support--that this is the Fable series as we know it going forward. Fable Legends is cancelled during open beta.
- In summer 2014, Microsoft betas Project Spark, a game creation game that's F2P with Microtransactions. The game discontinues development and goes free a year after release, the F2P model having not worked at all.
- In June 2015, Microsoft confirms that they are publishing Gigantic, an Xbox One/Windows 10 cross-play F2P MOBA by indie developer Motiga. The game is in closed beta and moving to open beta this summer. Well, maybe, because a month ago the developer announced significant layoffs.

These are not all of Microsoft's F2P failures--I could also talk about the semi-F2P business model of Game Room, which failed, Microsoft's bad attempts to make their old free Windows parlour games (Minesweeper, Mahjong, Solitaire) into money-making opportunities but instead alienating their audience, Age of Empires: Castle Siege (a bad Clash of Clans clone).

I could also talk about the failure of their cloud gaming initiative by exploring how just about every Microsoft server-based game has been shut down. I could also talk about how Galactic Reign, released by Microsoft as a bold experiment in cloud-based rendering of cutscenes -- pay attention if you like Quantum Break -- shut down 6 months after release, leaving players unable to play the game. I could also talk about how all of Microsoft's major initiatives with the Xbox One: Smartglass, Cloud-based Rendering or Computing Features, and Dedicated Servers are all defunct.


Microsoft is the absolute master of failing at things even when it'd be easier to succeed. The good news is, pretty soon they'll have no more internal studios to shut down besides the ones reliably pumping out their biggest franchises every two years. As someone who bought a lot of Microsoft Game Studios titles and really loved so much of what they accomplished on 360, it sucks that shifting corporate priorities and an unwillingness to fully commit to gaming sabotaged so much of what they could have accomplished.

Really informative, thank you.

 

[Elandyll]

Microsoft has money to buy Minecraft for 2.5 billion, and unknown fees for TitanFall and TR, but couldn't spare some pocket change to get Fable done?
The Order 1866 got released and bombed. hey but Sony let Read At Dawn go on their own.
why can't Lionhead be independent again?
Just feels like same old Microsoft wouldn't play nice if they are not winning ( in any market they entered )

That's because to "let the studio go" would have either required of Lionhead to prep the case ahead of time when they signed up (what Bungie probably did, but they still lost their IP which stayed behind with MS) or an external entity to pony up enough cash to make it worthwhile for MS to let not only the people go but also the IPs (what makes the backbone of a studio, beside its name).

My guess is that MS values the IPs still, and therefore preferred to shut the studio down rather than sell it or let it go.
I feel bad for the LH folks... Hope they find a home soon.

 

[Risette]

So basically out greatest fears are true then? And people supporting Microsoft's decisions lately with their W10/Store UWA, and Xbox on PC, now look like they were wrong and people were right that Microsoft is making plans on slowly exiting hardware.

So would this mean we get one more console from them? ANd then that's it?

If that. I wouldn't be surprised if the Xbox One was the last.

 

[jax]

I wonder if we'll see Halo on the PS4 now, seems like the Bone is down for the count.

 

[Revolutionary]

Are you talking about the Xbox version?
The game wasnt 1080p or 60fps on XboxOne. And it really got downgraded from the first beta.
It had aliasing going on, rough textures and models. Veeeery long loading times.

Nope, PC. Didn't try it on Xbox.

 

[Loxley]

Microsoft Studios is now publishing only the biggest hits
Let's just recap Microsoft's generation in review:

*snip*

Excellent post Stump.

 

[leeh]

I get what you are saying, I was only teasing.

Yeah, just like the telecom industry where the news went from over 700 individually owned and operated businesses (in the 60's), down to just 6 now (CBS, NBC, ABC/Disney, etc), in less than 40 years.

Food is the same way. Most of the food in the center isles are owned by about 5-8 large corporations as well (Unilever, Kraft, etc).

Scary world when these things are allowed to happen.

Yeap, really is. I don't like this future.

 

[harSon]

It doesn't have to be indipendace, CA is making Halo War 2 who is own by Sega.
Fromsoft is own by Kodogawa and made Bloodborne for Sony.
I think MS will go more and more hire studio strategy.

Microsoft isn't really in a position to attract 3rd party exclusives, unless it supplements the development costs with money to cover not releasing on the market leading platform. And I suppose Microsoft can continue to seek out 3rd party studios who are undergoing tough times, like they did with Sega Lol.

 

[User 479360]

I'm pretty sure a traditional Fable re-boot would have been well received. Heck, it could have included Legends style gameplay as the MP component.

Day one.

 

[mrklaw]

In light of the W10/Xbox One news recently, I would interpret this as the following: Microsoft does not see themselves as a hardware platform owner anymore. As a result, their interest in developing games is no longer about establishing a diverse portfolio (even at a loss), but instead about just publishing games only if they make reliable money with no risk. Hence why they're willing to sign with outside partners, and hence why they're still making Halo, Forza, Minecraft, and Gears. If you were going to transition away from the hardware model but still wanted to publish the odd game and didn't want to shut down the division at all, this is exactly what you'd do. Besides these franchises, almost all of Microsoft's first-party partners are now working on Hololens, and it's not clear that Hololens is going to be a consumer focused gaming product during the Xbox One's lifespan. The exceptions: the Project Spark team (W10/XO--whose game got shut down) and Decisive Games (presumably working on AoE, for W10/XO), and Rare.

This is why I always felt it odd to hear all the people in the 'MS should release more games on PC' camp. If MS was less interested in a specific hardware box like the Xbox, they simply wouldn't invest in a diverse range of first party software in order to help push that box.

So yes, you'll probably get games from MS for PC. But they'll be more safe bets than anything risky, because risky doesn't make much sense unless you're trying to show people that your box of tricks is worth buying.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

I wonder if we'll see Halo on the PS4 now, seems like the Bone is down for the count.

They would shut down all their studio before releasing Halo on PS4, it makes no financial sense for them.

 

[EBE]

yooooooooooooooooooooooo WHAT
i fucking hated the Fable Legends beta but THIS?

im shocked

 

[Akhe]

Wtf!! Holy shit!!

 

[GnawtyDog]

RIP....and to say the game was so far along (even with a troubled development - if it had one). Good luck to the devs seeking new work.

Nintendo better step up. There is going to be a vaccumm of support for the industry once MS truly does leave consoles... it's going to trickle-down, slowly but surely.

 

[Fox_Mulder]

I still believe in Phil Spencer,

Spoiler

maybe

 

[Kysen]

It feels like some people are operating under this mindset that time froze for 25 years, and as soon as Nintendo releases a "traditional" console with "traditional" console power everyone will drop Sony and MS and come flocking to them just like the good ol' days.

Yep they are delusional.

As for MS, damn Satya does not fuck around. The moment any area shows signs of slipping it gets cut.

 

[Stumpokapow]

The exceptions: the Project Spark team (W10/XO--whose game got shut down) and Decisive Games (presumably working on AoE, for W10/XO), and Rare.

It has since been called to my attention that the Project Spark team may have been dissolved when the game shut down and the team leaders are now working on Minecraft stuff:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=194747456
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=194774759
(I believe element is a developer, not sure with who)

 

[jesu]

I wonder if after the microtransactions went live they realised how little people were spending on them.
I would imagine they could explorate from that how little money they would be making once the game came.

Game was a bit boring, I wouldn't have bought anything for it.

 

[Relix]

At this rate I am beginning to think Microsoft is pulling out from the hardware console space and focusing on gaming software for pc and their xbox gaming pcs in the coming years.

 

[jelly]

Excellent read Stumpokapow.

I really enjoyed Microsoft Studios years ago and here and there now. Sad to see them go this way.

 

[neurosyphilis]

Legends was going to bomb hard. I can understand cancelling that project. They could have at least allowed LH to try a new franchise...

When does MS ever let their 1st party studios try something new ?

 

[rothbart]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_at_Dawn

Looks like it's already been corrected. RAD wasn't ever owned by Sony. RAD was formed by former Naughty Dog folks (with Naughty Dog being owned by Sony.)

 

[Papacheeks]

Just wait until the NDA expires and people start talking about their experience playing it. I'd argue it would have a pretty short life without seasonal updates and some changes to the overall structure of the game.

Sony has closed studios with legacy before including Incognito, Zipper, Liverpool. Wasn't Studio Santa Monica's second team pretty far along on their project? Instead of just cancelling the project they let the entire team go.

Zipper also though got to work on the games they wanted. ANd weren't they given a second chance with the Vita?

Wasn't it zipper who made MAG? ANd that game sold like shit, and cost a pretty penny iirc.

Zipper made Socom, but hardly a studio with legacy like Naughty Dog, or Santa Monica. The whole team was let go, but Sony kept the assets to the project, and I want to believe some of those people found work within Santa Monica?

 

[wapplew]

When does MS ever let their 1st party studios try something new ?

Rare making Sea of thieve is the only one I can think of.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

When does MS ever let their 1st party studios try something new ?

Lionhead was working on a new IP alongside the development of Fable Legends as far back as 2014:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...ad-has-8-person-team-building-its-next-big-ip

 

[EMT0]

I'm honestly surprised this didn't happen sooner. I don't know why but I've always had a weird feeling about Lionhead. Yeah, I know, call me on it, whatever. I really did though.

 

[harSon]

Seems like MS is moving more and more to consolidating it's games into a few big franchises (for the most part) and creating a PC/Xbox ecosystem to pad it. Wouldn't be surprised if the next gen for MS is basically just an Xbox that is a PC for the living room - much like the steambox.

How are people arriving at this? Before this closure, Fable was always a part of the accusation that Microsoft only focuses on its marquee titles. Consolidating your games into a few safe big franchises wouldn't consist of pumping money into new IPs like Scalebound, Quantum Break and Sea of Thieves - while pulling the rug from underneath one of your traditionally bankable franchises.

 

[Pop]

I'm shocked but not surprised. Legends was more of an idea rather a game. You could tell what they wanted to do but nothing was actually there. Beta was boring.

 

[jax]

Lionhead was working on a new IP alongside the development of Fable Legends as far back as 2014:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...ad-has-8-person-team-building-its-next-big-ip

That's a real shame.


I'm really curious what they are actually going to show at E3 now? Just more Halo and Forza? Maybe now we can get halo 5 or 6 on PC.

 

[Suikoguy]

It has since been called to my attention that the Project Spark team may have been dissolved when the game shut down and the team leaders are now working on Minecraft stuff:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=194747456
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=194774759
(I believe element is a developer, not sure with who)

Oh, as if your long, informative post was not depressing enough.
You can't live on established franchises alone. You will attract less new customers, the games will eventually become stale and over time lose existing fans. There are rare exceptions to this, but oftentimes it's with series that "reboot" (plus, reboots can fail) or have little relation to previous games (Final Fantasy).

That's why you have to take risks on new franchises. Why bother releasing a follow up to Xbox One if you don't plan on trying anymore?

 

[semiconscious]

At this rate I am beginning to think Microsoft is pulling out from the hardware console space and focusing on gaming software for pc and their xbox gaming pcs in the coming years.

why wouldn't they? (&, while we're at it, why shouldn't nintendo go full-on software, also?)...

 

[Militaratus]

Sad day, I really liked the first 3 Fable games back when I was an Xbox gamer, although it's true they only achieved about 70% of what I wanted from them, but good effort all around. And Black & White truly unleashed my evil side when that was out.

:'(

 

[tiredheadcrab]

Really unexpected. I hope everyone affected lands on their feet.

I wasnt a fan of Fable but FL seemed a little like a side project.