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[AzekZero]

South of Midnight reached an all-time peak of 1,436 concurrent players on Steam

Turns out the game you want to make might not be what the market wants.

That's why I love small / single-dev indies. A team of that size getting that number of concurrents is having a good time!

 

[Denton]

SoM was a decent gamepass game with fantastic soundtrack that never had any chance to meaningfully sell.

 

[Bonfires Down]

This was to be expected, considering that South of Midnight was likely a major commercial flop.
Still I'm surprised Double Fine isn't on the chopping block first.

I'm thinking Double Fine is working on a semi-big game that may be in the final stages. As soon as it launches and does mediocre numbers though

 

[deriks]

I didn't even remember those guys

 

[ByWatterson]

The game has great reviews from both professionals and people who played it. If it didn't have mass appeal, that's Microsoft's fault for publishing it, not Compulsion for developing a great game.

If someone dies of a drug overdose due to idiotic legalization, you can blame both the addict and the government.

 

[Esquie]

I'm thinking Double Fine is working on a semi-big game that may be in the final stages. As soon as it launches and does mediocre numbers though

That's my thought as well. Neither Keeper nor Kiln were "Tim Schaefer's game", they were two (disastrous) side projects. So Tim's game is most likely their last shot, and it'll probably flop as well.

 

[Pokedot]

No idea why Microsoft bought them in the first place

They bought a bunch of studios to make games for Gamepass, but it hasn't been a wild success. Asha now focusing on games that sell well with less priority on Gamepass. A studio like Double Fine is probably on the chopping block too.

 

[Topher]

They bought a bunch of studios to make games for Gamepass but it hasn't been a wild success. Asha now focusing on games that sell well. A studio like Double Fine is probably on the chopping block too.

Compulsion hasn't been a success at all. Probably would have gone out of business if MS hadn't bought them. Was just another in a long line of bad decisions by Phil Spencer.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

They bought a bunch of studios to make games for Gamepass, but it hasn't been a wild success. Asha now focusing on games that sell well with less priority on Gamepass. A studio like Double Fine is probably on the chopping block too.

I think they opt out and go indie again.

 

[Futaleufu]

I must be in the minority who liked We Happy Few. An immersive simulator that focuses on stealth and not combat, with different characters that change the way the game plays. And the DLC was quite interesting.

 

[taylor34]

I tried playing South of Midnight but was kind of turned off by the setting. Was kind of meh so I just bailed on it.

 

[RPS37]

South of Midnight wasn't bad.

The only thing bad about it was the bland combat.

 

[Artistic]

The only thing bad about it was the bland combat.

I haven't beat it, like 3-4 chapters in. But I feel the story is worth going through despite the combat being pretty bare bones.

 

[RPS37]

I haven't beat it, like 3-4 chapters in. But I feel the story is worth going through despite the combat being pretty bare bones.

The graphics and overall presentation, especially music as well are top notch.
The combat ends up getting stale with not a lot of moves or enemy types.
Still worth finishing tho.

 

[Odinnii]

I remembered these assholes for getting involved in some Tomb Raider drama. Looking into them some more, I found this gem

This was their community manager. Of course after getting called out, instead of getting rid of her they doubled down and went to the media to complain about racist misogynist gaymer harassment .

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I remebered these assholes for getting involved in some Tomb Raider drama. Looking into them some more, I found this gem

This was their community manager. Of course after getting called out, instead of getting rid of her they doubled down and went to the media to complain about racist misogynist gaymer harassment .

The biggest bigots are always the ones who call out racist people.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

 

[MrCunningham]

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/s/N74f7WTn1C

- Contrast (never heard of it)
- We Happy Few (I remember this one)
- Song of the South of Midnight (Never played it)

 

[Topher]

Just spin off Ninja Theory, Double Fine and Compulsion and be done with it. Really do not believe any of those studios are going to survive long term

 

[Edgelord79]

There next game was probably 3 to 5 years out at best.
Not shocked.

Though would be nice if they could afford to go independent and buy themselves out of Microsoft.

Closing studios outright should never be the answer..............except Haven.



P.S They sent South of Midnight out to die.

Compulsion has not brought anything of value to the table imo. It's a logical studio to shut down if looking to cut costs.

 

[Bernardougf]

They bought a bunch of studios to make games for Gamepass, but it hasn't been a wild success. Asha now focusing on games that sell well with less priority on Gamepass. A studio like Double Fine is probably on the chopping block too.

Less priority on gamepass ? She talks about it every fucking time just like Phil did , she even lowered the price for more subs, and the games continue to be avaible day one outside COD with no signs of stopping for now.

 

[Team Andromeda]

Sad as their South Of Mindnight was ace with a fantasic sound track to boot, but go woke, go broke.
Couldn't be happier for that racist bitch losing her job, sorry for the other staff mind

 

[Heisenberg007]

Just spin off Ninja Theory, Double Fine and Compulsion and be done with it. Really do not believe any of those studios are going to survive long term

Obsidian will also see layoffs I think. Coalition, too.

 

[Heisenberg007]

No idea why Microsoft bought them in the first place

"to outspend Sony out of business"

 

[Ashamam]

SoM was a decent gamepass game

Sums up the problem really in one bite. A culture of mediocre is good enough for the core identity of Xbox.

I've seen this concept pop up time and again. Good enough for gamepass…

 

[Camreezie]

Sad as their South Of Mindnight was ace with a fantasic sound track to boot, but go woke, go broke.
Couldn't be happier for that racist bitch losing her job, sorry for the other staff mind

She's on Linkedin begging for a new job lmao

 

[PeteBull]

The only thing bad about it was the bland combat.

It had unatractive female protag, that alone made sure it sold terrible, not saying if it would be some hottie game would break all records, but easily double or triple its abysmall sales at least.

 

[PlayStaytion]

It's not a big deal, when key devs and artists left the studio it's name means nothing and it's not a big deal.

 

[yazenov]

No idea why Microsoft bought them in the first place

They needed a lot of games monthly for Gamepass in order to be the Netflix of gaming, and retain those Gamepass subscriptions. . The quantity over quality business model of subscription.

MS needed a lot devs to support this business model, no matter their credentials. whoever were for sale were bought up to feed the Gamepass machine.

Their games were "perfect" for Gamepass. But now that Gamepass is no longer MS's priority as its a shity business model (shocking), they will be tossed to the dumpster like the trash they are.

 

[Topher]

They needed a lot of games monthly for Gamepass in order to be the Netflix of gaming, and retain those Gamepass subscriptions. . The quantity over quality business model of subscription.

MS needed a lot devs to support this business model, no matter their credentials. whoever were for sale were bought up to feed the Gamepass machine.

Their games were "perfect" for Gamepass. But now that Gamepass is no longer MS's priority as its a shity business model (shocking), they will be tossed to the dumpster like the trash they are.

In the end, MS didn't get quality or quantity. Just more evidence that Phil Spencer really had no idea what he was doing.

 

[Sorcerer]

MS has a "compulsion" for layoffs.

 

[Alan Wake]

I remembered these assholes for getting involved in some Tomb Raider drama. Looking into them some more, I found this gem

This was their community manager. Of course after getting called out, instead of getting rid of her they doubled down and went to the media to complain about racist misogynist gaymer harassment .

I know these kind of people. They're often not well mentally. Just seeing "Bi/Pan" in her bio is enough.

 

[KanKamAndNob]

 

[uncreativename]

Is Gamepass no longer MS's priority, though? If they're going to keep it around, they need to make it a priority, or admit that it's a failure, and shut it down. They can't have it both ways and be successful imo, because of the way it eats into sales on their platform.

 

[KanKamAndNob]

It had unatractive female protag, that alone made sure it sold terrible, not saying if it would be some hottie game would break all records, but easily double or triple its abysmall sales at least.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

In the end, MS didn't get quality or quantity. Just more evidence that Phil Spencer really had no idea what he was doing.

He okayed the original Halo Infinite trailer

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

That's my thought as well. Neither Keeper nor Kiln were "Tim Schaefer's game", they were two (disastrous) side projects. So Tim's game is most likely their last shot, and it'll probably flop as well.

If I'm Media Molecule, I'm avoiding yarn and / or clay as a kitchy aesthetic for my next game.

 

[PeteBull]

There will always be some thirsty degenerate posting "would" meme, but if chick isnt hot enough to be invited into vip section or into yacht party, u can very safely assume she is below 6/10, aka not goodlooking enough to be game protag.

I could say tons more but all im gonna say is her forehead is big enough for safe landing of boeing 747 and would fit perfectly into those funny hairline reveal shorts

 

[saintjules]

I'm not sure I understand why studios get shuttered rather than just 'released'?

Yeah I don't get it either. I'd have a clause in my agreement to let my studio go independent. Especially if you were independent to start with and then merged with a company like Sony / Microsoft.

 

[caligula13]

I liked the gameplay of South of Midnight but the story and everything else was of course made for the modern audience.

 

[Ryseer]

No idea why Microsoft bought them in the first place

My only answer is,because they could. Terrible that the FCC didn't do more to stop it. Pockets got lined no doubt.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

SoM was a decent gamepass game with fantastic soundtrack that never had any chance to meaningfully sell.

Given that it's overwhelmingly male gamers who play character action games, do you:

A. Try to design a character who appeals to your audience, or

B. Change her to an ugly black chick to punish the white male gamers who you consider to be "a mistake"

 

[KanKamAndNob]

Given that it's overwhelmingly male gamers who play character action games, do you:

A. Try to design a character who appeals to your audience, or

B. Change her to an ugly black chick to punish the white male gamers who you consider to be "a mistake"

The closest I can think of is The Walking Dead with Clementine, and even that's pushing the definition of a major commercial success. I legit can't think of any huge, blockbuster AAA game with a black female let alone an ugly one like SoM's character.

There are popular black female characters in games (Marvel Rival's Storm, Sheva, Marina, Twintelle, etc), but then again they're not the main, playable character though.

But I wonder why characters like the ones above are well received, but a black "female" that looks like Eddie Murphy in a wig aren't?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

No idea why Microsoft bought them in the first place

These kind of artsy studios they needed to change their image from AAA games to being indie friendly, since some gamers like the masses of PC indie games.

I dont agree with the theory they need some GP filler because the number of games these small studios make are so few compared to the monthly games handed out (let's say about 8-10 per month x 12 months = let's say about 100/yr). So having an occasional shit game nobody wants like Kiln is going to have zero effect on whether a gamer subs to GP or not.

The games are so forgettable, I bet many gamers dont even know they came out for their GP plan. Unless someone really follows gaming, I bet tons of them wouldnt even know what Keeper or Kiln even are. It's just that the games resonate with gamers so little, it's been a flop.

But in an alternate universe, maybe DF or Compulsion made REPO or Slay the Spire or Balatro and they'd have a hit. Didnt happen.

 

[Three]

These kind of artsy studios they needed to change their image from AAA games to being indie friendly, since some gamers like the masses of PC indie games.

I dont agree with the theory they need some GP filler because the number of games these small studios make are so few compared to the monthly games handed out (let's say about 8-10 per month x 12 months = let's say about 100/yr). So having an occasional shit game nobody wants like Kiln is going to have zero effect on whether a gamer subs to GP or not.

The games are so forgettable, I bet many gamers dont even know they came out for their GP plan. Unless someone really follows gaming, I bet tons of them wouldnt even know what Keeper or Kiln even are. It's just that the games resonate with gamers so little, it's been a flop.

But in an alternate universe, maybe DF or Compulsion made REPO or Slay the Spire or Balatro and they'd have a hit. Didnt happen.

I get what you're saying about artsy studios but this is about Compulsion Games not Double Fine. they needed that gamepass filler for both. I think you underestimate the gamepass marketing around these filler games. There is a degree of gamepass marketing with games like that as something to look forward to. How many people have mentioned looking forward to games like Hellblade, Keeper and South of Midnight on this forum alone? I bet a lot. Of course having played them their view might not necessarily be the same as before but they were looking forward to those releases nonetheless. That's pretty much the gamepass filler. Something to look forward to for the next month/quarter. In fact I remember people even dreaming of MS making a release per month/quarter with those acquisitions:

Thread 'Xbox Wants To Provide A 'Steady Flow Of Great Games' Moving Forward'

Mar 13, 2022

It's not quite there yet, according to Phil

There are a lot of talented developers working under the Xbox banner now, and according to Microsoft's gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, the aim for the tech giant from here on out is to provide an ongoing stream of "great" video game content.

Phil touched on this during the same Xbox Era podcast - noting how Microsoft hasn't quite reached that point yet, as there's no "big game" for this quarter. Here's exactly what he had to say:

"We do have a...

• Vasto
• Replies: 537
• Forum: Gaming Discussion

• 
• 
• 

I was in that thread saying that's a pipe dream.

 

[Black_Stride]

Shoulda made good games!
South of Mid

Not sure I understand why studios get shuttered rather than just 'released'?

Really more game companies should ask for that.
MBO which lets management buyout the company, the value can be as low as 1 dollar.


But at the end of the day any legal and tax costs on MS side are more err cost for MS, just shutting down is usually the cleanest way even if it comes with other issues.

Compulsion being a Canadian company makes life hard for MS to "save" it.
Unless im mistaken within the tech industry in Canada full shut down would require MS to basically pay salaries for like a year either way......that could be cheaper than any alternatives, considering MS could sell off assets and such.

 

[kpopSuperstar]

The closest I can think of is The Walking Dead with Clementine, and even that's pushing the definition of a major commercial success. I legit can't think of any huge, blockbuster AAA game with a black female let alone an ugly one like SoM's character.

There are popular black female characters in games (Marvel Rival's Storm, Sheva, Marina, Twintelle, etc), but then again they're not the main, playable character though.

But I wonder why characters like the ones above are well received, but a black "female" that looks like Eddie Murphy in a wig aren't?

Hm, I was gonna say Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, but that game wasn't a big commercial hit.

Edit: Saga from Alan Wake 2 and Forspoken are two others.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

The closest I can think of is The Walking Dead with Clementine, and even that's pushing the definition of a major commercial success. I legit can't think of any huge, blockbuster AAA game with a black female let alone an ugly one like SoM's character.

There are popular black female characters in games (Marvel Rival's Storm, Sheva, Marina, Twintelle, etc), but then again they're not the main, playable character though.

But I wonder why characters like the ones above are well received, but a black "female" that looks like Eddie Murphy in a wig aren't?

Must be because of all those privileged white male gamers who have never seen a real woman before. Let's continue shoehorning homely black chicks into everything then blame the audience when they don't buy it.

 

[MayauMiao]

Hm, I was gonna say Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, but that game wasn't a big commercial hit.

Edit: Saga from Alan Wake 2 and Forspoken are two others.

Pretty sure Jade is Asian

 

[kpopSuperstar]

Pretty sure Jade is Asian

I honestly can't tell.

Compulsion games would call me racist.