inXile Entertainment joins Microsoft Studios

[Wintermute_of_Cof]

No one will care about preserving games because these services are actually great value for your money.

People care.

[Danathar]

Wasteland 3 and 4 was two more wastelands than I thought we'd get. Same with Torment.

Sucks that an Indi can't make it without being part of a larger group. I have reservations, but I'm willing to see what happens. Honestly I wouldn't mind seeing the current set of games ported to Xbox (as long as we can use keyboard and mouse!).

Unfortunately I can't see the Linux desktop ports continuing, unless it's really easy to make them work. Maybe though we might see honest IOS ports to phone/tablet?

[Danathar]

I'm glad to hear inXile employees will have work in future but otherwise there is no much reasons to be glad about. I'm deeply disappointed.

All I noticed from their gaming division is sickening push for lock-in, DRM and exclusives. MS haven't joined Khronos Vulkan working group, instead they are pushing their DX12 lock-in.

Brian Fargo said that the DNA of inXile will not change so it will be interesting to see how much an open PC platform ever meant to them.

I'm willing to wait and see what transpires as a result of all this.

Let's be clear though, inXile was SOLD to Microsoft. They OWN the the company now. What Brian Fargo says certainly will have weight, but in the end it's Microsoft's decision as to WHO's DNA is used. Once you sell your company, you are no longer in charge and no longer have the final say.

Being in charge is part of the appeal of running your own company.

[shmerl]

Unfortunately I can't see the Linux desktop ports continuing, unless it's really easy to make them work. Maybe though we might see honest IOS ports to phone/tablet?

MS has way more money to continue it. So they can sabotage it not because it's not easy (it's not any more difficult than usual), but because it's Linux, and MS "loves" Linux... I.e. they can do it even if it will be much easier than alternatives.

[shmerl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAcjSQvdDq4&t=4m19s

See at 4:19:

"Some of the teams are going to have games that will come out soon and have some things in the works, but mostly we feel really set up to give our fans new exclusive games for Xbox and a great pipeline of new things going into Game Pass".


Exclusive games for Xbox, and worse than DRM "game streaming" (Game Pass). They don't even hide that it's their main intention behind buying these studios.

[PsychicMonk]

Josh Sawyer from Obsidian also talked about Game Pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suvxb0OfhpQ&t=3m28s

[shmerl]

Just to be clear, streaming itself is not a bad thing inherently. What's bad, are games that will be available only through such services without any ability to buy DRM-free version. And no doubt DRM obsessed publishers will like that a lot. Another method to screw up the user.

[ChipMan]

I have no problems with this IF the games don't become Windows Store exclusives. If I can still buy them on Steam or elsewhere no big deal. Some games like Killer Instinct eventually made their way to Steam way after their initial release on the Windows Store, but most haven't and never will. Good luck ever playing Gears or Forza on Steam, not going to happen. This would be a shame. Not to mention, with Obsidian, they've made games in the past that were easy to mod. Not ever going to happen with UWP, they will be locked down tighter than a bank vault.

[Jozape]

WL2 sold well. It's the last two games (TTON and BT4) which sold poorly. Unfortunately since TTON was a truly amazing game, but between the messed up PR about the cuts and the fact that it definitely targets a very specific audience... :/

Wasteland 2 was good for inXile, but I was thinking of Mage's Tale in addition to Torment and Bard's Tale IV. Though Mage's Tale I guess didn't affect them as much as Torment or Bard's Tale IV since the former was already paid for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAcjSQvdDq4&t=4m19s

See at 4:19:

"Some of the teams are going to have games that will come out soon and have some things in the works, but mostly we feel really set up to give our fans new exclusive games for Xbox and a great pipeline of new things going into Game Pass".


Exclusive games for Xbox, and worse than DRM "game streaming" (Game Pass). They don't even hide that it's their main intention behind buying these studios.

Are games that come to game pass only available there? Or are they sold individually too? But anyways yeah that is not surprising that they want Xbox exclusives. Surely they at least mean Windows too.

Josh Sawyer from Obsidian also talked about Game Pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suvxb0OfhpQ&t=3m28s

I wonder why they didn't try anything weirder with crowd funding? Maybe he had to answer to too many people in the studio and now can instead pitch it to Microsoft. Always been a sore spot for me with the crowd funding dream that now seems to be dead... Why didn't anyone try anything different, besides inXile? Even they relied on the good name of Planescape: Torment to make such a game, changing the formula but not too much for Tides of Numenera. But hey, at least inXile tried unlike everyone else.

But yes, interesting prospect of game pass. They won't have to be another indie game developer in the sea of shovelware anymore and can have the visibility of Microsoft's backing on Microsoft's very own service. Even weird games like Torment could have some measure of success.

[shmerl]

Are games that come to game pass only available there? Or are they sold individually too? But anyways yeah that is not surprising that they want Xbox exclusives. Surely they at least mean Windows too.

You'd have to ask someone who is using it. I'm not using any such services. I suppose it can also depend on developers. If MS allows third party releases, then there is no point for those developers to make it exclusive. But MS own games can very likely be so.

[PsychicMonk]

If Game Pass is really an important part of the reason why they bought InXile+Obsidian then it would make a lot of sense to release at least some games exclusively for Game Pass members. (After all they want to convince people to become a paying Game Pass member pretty much like netflix does with it's own productions.)

[shmerl]

I don't think Netflix exclusivity is a good thing either. It's always bad.

[BurningBright]

I am fine with Gamepass in it self, from the stand point of it is one of many services people have a choice of using. though, much like Netflicks, it is a service I will not use. However, I see the attraction to gamers that like to sample a variety of games at a relatively cheap price. Most of which they will not finish, or not play again once they do. We have all been there. And even if they do want to play them again they will still have access as long as they keep up the subscription. Which, some one here pointed out, is cheaper than the price of two AAA games a year.

However, I dislike the forced subscription services such as buying a gold pass to be able to play multiplayer. Play Station does this as well.

Ideally, I would like to see InXile games on a multitude of platforms and content providers. It would bring a lot of much needed exposure. However, I dislike the idea of the flip side. That being that the GOG/DRm free side would now be excluded. I am a realist and I know there are a lot of gamers to whom DRM free is not so important nor do they all understand what the fuss is about. I have had numerous conversations where I find they just don't care too much, if at all. Basically, they don't get why DRM free is such a draw. And that is fine. Which is why excluding the games they may like to try from other services and content providers when those are the ones they like to use does not make sense. Exclusivity between different PC market places hurts everyone really.

I am excited for Inxile in this merger. I just hope in this move that the DRM free market place is not excluded.I hope it is as the Kokatu article alludes to. That Microsoft is trying to corner the market on a different niche than Playstation has. By not trying to compete with flashy AAA games but with deep RPG's that are, at their core, grassroots. For me DRM free is a large part of that.

[BurningBright]

https://kotaku.com/microsoft-s-new-stud ... 1830383030

This seems promising. I admit, though I was happy InXile would have less financial woes and could now focus more on working on games then trying to scrape by on a small budget, the news had still put me in a bit of a depression about the future of good RPGs.

Some of it has started to lift.

We can't change it anyway, so let us hope this all works out as Mr. Fargo predicted (about InXile being able to get some healthy growth). He is no newbie, so if someone can pull this off into the positive for a little studio like InXile, it is he.
I have to admit my first thought was a short " oh shit" too.

Indeed we cant. which is why I am going try and stay positive and be happy that Inxile is able to stay around as a game development studio despite that there may be big changes on some levels. I agree if any one can keep their philosophy intact and from having it superseded up by a big industry one it would be some one like Brian Fargo.

[shmerl]

Let's wait and see until the first title created under MS ownership. I'll admit my concerns about MS were unfounded, if it will come out DRM-free and for Linux.

[BurningBright]

No one will care about preserving games because these services are actually great value for your money.

People care.

This would be unfortunate. It would be like what happened with System Shock, System Shock 2, Fallout 1 and 2, and so on.

Only slightly different circumstances. Could it be we have come full circle?

"War! War never changes"

Of course someone always does care.

[BurningBright]

Let's wait and see until the first title created under MS ownership. I'll admit my concerns about MS were unfounded, if it will come out DRM-free and for Linux.

I am with you. I have some doubts but am fighting them and staying positive. I wish I could be as at ease with things as some of the others here. Happy for Inxile and at ease with the whole situation. I am trying.

[Danathar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAcjSQvdDq4&t=4m19s

See at 4:19:

"Some of the teams are going to have games that will come out soon and have some things in the works, but mostly we feel really set up to give our fans new exclusive games for Xbox and a great pipeline of new things going into Game Pass".


Exclusive games for Xbox, and worse than DRM "game streaming" (Game Pass). They don't even hide that it's their main intention behind buying these studios.

You can hate it, but buyouts are not made for altruistic reasons. Microsoft bought inXile for a REASON. You bet they want to leverage their purchase to enhance Xbox. Why wouldn't they?

[shmerl]

You can hate it, but buyouts are not made for altruistic reasons. Microsoft bought inXile for a REASON. You bet they want to leverage their purchase to enhance Xbox. Why wouldn't they?

"Enhancing" with exclusivity is an anti-competitive practice which reflects increasing monopolization of the market. It's not a good thing.

[thebruce]

No one will care about preserving games because these services are actually great value for your money.

People care.

The thing to remember about that though is it's for educational and archival purposes, with legal ownership of the complete game, not a green light to hack any game you have to make it work when the server doesn't respond.

And multiplayer games with independent servers have to be entirely self-contained and not publicly (internet) accessible.

"The new rules will be disappointing for average users who had hoped to get abandoned multiplayer games up and running again, just for fun. Albert told Motherboard that the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment pushed to make these exemptions cover "affiliate archivists," allowing private citizens to contribute toward software preservation. "The Copyright Office specifically rejected that request,"
...Any "eligible library, archives, or museum" that gets an online game working in this way won't be able to allow public access from "outside of the physical premises."

To my understanding it doesn't say much about personal game ownership and what happens when an authenticating server goes down breaking single player access. For one, allowing that could be opening a HUGE can of worms. What if a server is temporarily down? Is that a green light? More clauses... What if a server goes down intentionally in order to provide a new product? Is it legal to hack and continue using the old one? The software licensing model would be rendered ineffective entirely. So I'm not confident the ruling makes much of any allowance for personal hacking of games with server-based DRM. I could be wrong, but that's not how I understood it.