Tag: bethesda

Should Bethesda change its way of working? Former Starfield developer thinks so

Starfield was a disaster. Whether it was liked more or less, its launch was an unparalleled festival of bugs. And that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that it didn’t even resonate with the audience in the way one would expect from a Bethesda game. It was liked. It sold well. It worked among critics. But it wasn’t a sweeping success like Fallout or Skyrim: it was simply a game that worked well, in a discreet manner. In other words, it was a disaster by Bethesda’s standards. And this is something that could have been avoided, according to a former developer of the studio. According to Nate Purkeypile, an artist who […]

Starfield was a disaster. Like it or not, its launch was an unparalleled festival of bugs. And that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that it didn’t even resonate with the audience in the way one would expect from a Bethesda game. It was liked. It sold well. It worked among critics. But it wasn’t a runaway success like Fallout or Skyrim: it was simply a game that performed well, in a discreet manner. In other words, it was a disaster by Bethesda’s standards. And this is something that could have been avoided, according to a former developer of the studio.

According to Nate Purkeypile, an artist who worked at Bethesda for many years and who has now given an interview to Kiwi Talkz for the release of his game The Axis Unseen, one of the reasons for Starfield’s failure is the use of its internal engine, the Creation Engine. An engine that is not only outdated but also extremely difficult to use.

In Purkeypile’s words, the reason he has been able to release his game in just three years is because Unreal Engine 5 is a tool that has allowed him to automate many of the most laborious development processes. Something impossible with Creation Engine. And if he had used the engine they used at Bethesda, he would have spent hundreds more hours just polishing details. This makes him think that Bethesda should change their graphics engine if they want to thrive again in the future.

Is Unreal Engine the Future of Bethesda?

Defining working with Creation Engine as “being on a train while laying down the tracks… while both are on fire,” he has also admitted that transitioning from one engine to another involves a lot of work. But it’s worth it. In the same interview, he points out how other large studios, like CD Projekt, have done it recently due to having similar problems with their games, referencing the disaster that was the launch of Cyberpunk 2077.

Will Bethesda stop using the Creation Engine? Only time will tell. Although we are inclined to say no, we also didn’t think CD Projekt would make the jump to Unreal Engine. So, we’ll see if they end up listening to Purkeypile or not. And with which engine they release their next game, which should be the next Fallout.

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Starfield is receiving terrible reviews on Steam. The reason? Of course, overpaying

Bethesda has had a setback with Starfield. Not because the game is bad or because it doesn’t deliver what it promises, but because every decision they make sinks it a little more. It happened precisely during the preparation for their DLC, Shattered Space. With the constant buzz about its port to PS5, now is the perfect time for fans to complain about having to pay for mods, just when they can hurt them the most.

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Few mods-ales

Of course, they don’t have a classic name like “mod,” but Starfield Creations. And with the excuse, they can cost up to $7 for a simple mission. And since no one seems to pay attention to them through the usual channels, they have decided to use the same system that proved successful in Helldivers 2: to trash the game on Steam, which has gone from mostly positive reviews to mixed reviews. And it’s just a matter of hours until they become negative.

However, this time it doesn’t seem like the fans are going to win, no matter how much review-bombing they do: Bethesda doesn’t seem to be putting the brakes on this microtransaction system and no one really knows what they can do to fix the lost prestige of Starfield. Perhaps they are simply relying on Shattered Space to put them back on the map after the latest updates have improved the game in the eyes of the public.

The good part for Bethesda? That Creations will probably end up being forgotten and becoming a residual way to make some money from those who want to have it all. The bad part? They seem to be forgetting a maxim of video games: fans always remember everything. And when you need them, it can backfire on you.

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The trailer for the Indiana Jones video game takes us back in time to when we still got excited about the saga

Originally, Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond movie, but he was seduced by George Lucas and his idea of an archaeologist solving mysteries who was, according to his friend, basically like Agent 007. In 1981, the world saw the birth of Indiana Jones with Raiders of the Lost Ark, and over the years its legend has grown and grown, overshadowed by the last two installments, which were more disoriented than anything else. Until now.

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The adventure returns

In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, we will see the adventurer in all his splendor, with the face of Harrison Ford (though not his voice) and fighting, as it could not be otherwise, against the Nazis. Because sometimes a video game has to come around to remind us who the good guys and the bad guys are in the world. It is an exciting, lively trailer, with a story that is reminiscent of the first trilogy of movies.

The game will take place between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade (that is, 1937, probably) and, from what we see, we will have to use our fists wisely, solve puzzles, jump between planes, and in general, become the most famous archaeologist in the history of pop culture—with the seal of quality from Bethesda and MachineGames (Wolfenstein: The New Order, Youngblood).

It is important to note that this is not the first Indy game we’ve seen, far from it: in 1982 an adaptation of the first movie appeared for Atari 2600 and over the years its legend has grown, with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis being the most iconic. The last original game before this Great Circle appeared in 2009 to critical disappointment. Hopefully, Bethesda hasn’t pulled another Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. Fingers crossed.

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The first expansion of Starfield could be just around the corner

Todd Howard, head of Bethesda, has confirmed when the first expansion for Starfield will arrive, along with the next update for the game.

Starfield was supposed to be one of the biggest releases of 2023, if not of the decade. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Even though the game is interesting, it’s not the masterpiece that everyone was expecting, with rather limited content, many design issues, and a style that is too iterative of its other franchises, like Fallout. Something that they may fix in the near future.

Todd Howard has spoken with the people at Kinda Funny Games, confirming that the first expansion for Starfield will arrive this fall. Named Shattered Space, its existence was leaked last June after a bundle with copies of the special edition of Starfield revealed it. This not only confirms the existence of this expansion, but also an approximate date and part of the content. Howard has confirmed that it will have a new story, new locations, and new equipment, among other surprises.

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But that’s not all he has commented. He has also confirmed that a new update will be announced this same week, in a few days. Thus confirming that they will keep the promise of significantly updating Starfield with patches every six weeks. But what will this patch bring to be considered significant?

Confirming that “it will add a lot of things”, the only thing that has been confirmed is that they have redone the maps, which includes the maps of the cities. This is one of the most common criticisms that have been made to the game, stating that the city map was essentially useless. Presented in topographic terms, which can be useful in nature, in cities it did not accurately represent streets or buildings, making it an interesting geographical curiosity, but useless as a map.

He has also confirmed that “cool things are coming for spaceship construction,” but he hasn’t specified what. Nor has Bethesda said what they meant when they promised new ways of traveling. Therefore, while this patch is certainly promising, we still have to be patient to understand its full extent.

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Microsoft could close Bethesda in Europe

Microsoft initiated a wave of layoffs last January, and it seems that one of the affected has been one of Bethesda’s European subsidiaries.

Of the many ways to start the year, Microsoft’s may be the least auspicious. Confirming last January that they were going to cut around 1,900 jobs after their acquisition of Activision Blizzard, they did not want to clarify exactly which employees would be affected. Something that makes a terrible situation even worse, leaving hundreds of people in the dark about whether they will still have a job in a month.

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According to Insider Gaming, one of the possible affected by these cuts is Bethesda France. This subsidiary of Bethesda, with 12 years of experience, employed 15 people and their work focused mainly on the marketing and publishing of Bethesda games for France.

All of this seems to be confirmed by several sources that have spoken with Insider Gaming. The most notable and vocal about it has been Scotty Cool, formerly the community manager of Bethesda France, who lamented in a tweet on April 22nd about leaving the company after having worked there for eight years. In a subsequent tweet, he clarified that the situation was due to the closure of Bethesda France, all of which was caused by the mass layoffs announced by Microsoft last January.

While this may seem like a minor loss for some people, it is not at all. First of all, because fifteen people are losing their jobs. But also because this could mean a reduction in the quality of Bethesda’s releases in the French market, since now all this work will have to be produced by independent agencies. These agencies, for obvious reasons, do not always have the same level of involvement and care as an in-house office.

Unfortunately, this is not the first of similar cases that have occurred between last year and this one. Multiple European offices have been closed by numerous companies, claiming the need to cut expenses. This has meant less attention to the European market, with less marketing and media availability. That is why, even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal, this is not good news for Microsoft or Bethesda. Much less for the players.

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Fallout 76 is the game you need if you’re eager for the second season of the series

Fallout 76 is the game you should play if you’ve enjoyed the Fallout series and want to delve into a game that lets you inhabit its post-apocalyptic wasteland.

You have probably seen the Fallout series. If you have, chances are you loved it. It has not only captivated fans of the franchise, but it has also managed to reach the general audience. Even people who don’t usually play video games. Its unique lore, sense of humor, and action-packed moments have made it a success. And for good reasons.

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If you want to know more about Fallout and immerse yourself in its narrative, you have several options to start depending on your preferences. But maybe you are one of those people who are not so interested in the story, but rather in the fact of inhabiting the wasteland. Being one of the inhabitants and building your own story. And that Fallout exists.

For anyone who wants to fully immerse themselves in the exploration and colonization of the wasteland, they should play Fallout 76. But why? You may have heard that it’s a game that didn’t do well. That it has many expansions. That it’s not exactly like the other Fallout games. And all of that is true. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s an excellent game that you should experience, especially if you like the idea of playing with other people in a post-apocalyptic universe. That’s why we’re going to break down the reasons why you should play it.

The beginnings of Fallout 76 were a bit rough. Released on November 14, 2018, the game promised to not only be the first multiplayer game in the franchise, but also the closest experience to being a settler in the franchise’s post-apocalyptic world. This was contributed by the fact that, in terms of story, it takes place in 2102. Only twenty-five years after the nuclear war between the United States and China. Something that was true, to a certain extent.

The problem was that the game was, from the start, excessively rough. With a terrible loot system, very serious stability issues, and a complete absence of NPCs, because they intended for players to interact with each other to create the game’s story, the game was a disappointment.

Fortunately, over time it improved. Introducing NPCs, strengthening the overall narrative, server stability, and a better loot and mechanics system, the game managed to overcome a terrible first impression. Having reached 73,368 simultaneous players last week, with around 40,000 simultaneous players at any given time of the day, the game is now more alive than ever.

In addition, the game has been introducing new expansions and content, Wastelanders advances the narrative by one year, introducing us to a new region: Appalachia. In Steel Dawn, the Brotherhood of Steel was introduced for the first time, introducing greater power tensions between groups. Something that would be reinforced in Steel Reign, having to make a dramatic decision regarding the future of the Brotherhood. At the same time, Atlantic City is a new expansion that introduces a new region, the other Las Vegas, with a similar touch to what we could expect from New Vegas.

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The greatest virtue of all this is that it’s free. You don’t need to buy anything else other than the base game. Both Apalachia and Atlantic City come with introduction packs with loot and currency, but you don’t need them to get into each expansion. Except to support their developers.

Another positive aspect of the game is its community. With lovely players who have no problem helping newcomers, it is a strong and friendly community that is a pleasure to interact with. In addition, their commitment to the game and role-playing the world of Fallout make Fallout 76 even better than it already is. It is a good reason to get into the game.

If you want to have your own home, interact with other settlers and make a life in the wasteland, maybe even join a faction and fight against others, Fallout 76 is your game. One that we can’t imagine how it could be improved in the near future.

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All Fallout games are canon according to the boss of Bethesda

Fallout: New Vegas seems to have been left out of the franchise canon after the Fallout series, although not according to Todd Howard.

We can’t stop saying it: Fallout has been a resounding success. We loved the series, but it has also been loved by critics and the public. So much so that the games in the franchise are having a second life that we can only celebrate. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some concern among a certain sector of the fandom. Considering the events of the series, how does what happened in the most beloved game of all, Fallout: New Vegas, fit into it?

Allowing ourselves a small spoiler only during this paragraph and never again, in the series Shadow Arenas is blown up. Not only that. It is implied that New Vegas has been completely destroyed. This would make the events of Fallout: New Vegas impossible, suggesting to fans that the series is a retcon of the franchise’s lore. Or worse yet: they have decided to leave out the highest-rated game in the franchise.

Todd Howard, director of Bethesda, has come out to explain through IGN that there is no reason to worry. New Vegas is part of the Fallout canon. According to Howard, the event that doesn’t fit in with the series would occur immediately after New Vegas.

That doesn’t mean it’s not worrisome that an iconic location in the franchise is impossible to visit again. Although considering that Bethesda has never felt a special affection for Fallout: New Vegas, which was made by their subsidiary studio Obsidian, it shouldn’t surprise us either. So while the timeline fits, Howard’s dislike for the city of New Vegas also fits.

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The next generation patch for Fallout 4 has disrupted plans for the biggest mod to date for the game

Fallout 4 is set to receive a new major patch, but this has disrupted the release of the largest mod for the game to date: Fallout: London.

Many franchises stay alive thanks to the passion of fans. Sometimes, that passion is rewarded with a new life. This is what is happening with the Fallout saga, but especially with its latest numbered installment, Fallout 4.

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The reasons for this are evident. On one hand, the Fallout series on Amazon Prime has just premiered. Being a critical and public success, with both audiences excited about it, it is normal for there to be a revitalization of interest in the franchise. Bethesda, the company behind it, has also taken advantage of the momentum. With all the games on sale on different platforms, with new content for their active games and with Amazon’s Prime Gaming giving away three of the games (Fallout 76, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas), it is logical that there is a resurgence.

Even so, the biggest resurgence of all is from Fallout 4. Probably because it’s the latest single-player installment, but also because Bethesda took the opportunity to make a big announcement. The long-awaited Fallout 4 patch for the new generation is just around the corner. And it won’t just make the game compatible with the capabilities of the current console generation, but it will also include new content for the game.

Unfortunately, not everything is good news. As the community has pointed out, this update has the potential to break game compatibility with mods. Something that has already happened in the past with other major updates, and is expected to happen again now.

This is particularly tragic because what has kept Fallout 4 alive until now is the passion of the community. Something that includes all the changes they have made to the game in the form of mods, to change all kinds of elements of the game. From cosmetic issues to fixing problems that Bethesda hadn’t touched until now. Including introducing new content. Something that will be done by one of the most anticipated mods by the community, and one of the mods most affected by all this: Fallout London.

Fallout: London is a total conversion of Fallout 4 that allows us to play a new campaign in which we will experience the Fallout universe in a completely different setting, in a post-apocalyptic London. Team Folon, the team behind this game, announced last December that this mod would be released on April 23rd. Something that their leader, Dean Carter, has had to cancel, announcing an indefinite delay for the campaign.

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The reason is that the next generation update for Fallout 4 will be released two days later, on April 25th. This potentially makes Fallout London unplayable two days after its release. That’s why, considering they will need an additional month of work to make it compatible, they have preferred to delay its release until everything is ready and they can guarantee its full compatibility with the game.

This is not the only issue with Fallout: London. With a size of around 30-40GB, the most popular modding platform, Nexus Mods, cannot host it. Something that the Folon team has found the best possible solution for.

After reaching an agreement with GOG, the video game store from the creators of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, they will be able to distribute Fallout: London through their store. This will allow installing the mod in Fallout 4 both on GOG and Steam, and if they manage to reach an agreement with them, even on Epic Games. This would facilitate its distribution.

While many fans were eagerly awaiting Fallout: London, we will still have to wait a little longer to enjoy this modification. Everything will depend on Bethesda and what happens on the next 25th. Whether they have finally taken into account all the people who have kept their game alive all these years, or simply decided to ignore them.

The creator of the Fallout series is not trying to please you

The Fallout series is one of the most anticipated of the year, and its creator has stated that he doesn’t aim to please the fans, but rather himself… as he is also a fan.

Something that is quickly learned when working on creating art of any kind is that it is impossible to please everyone. There will always be someone who feels offended, upset, or left out of the discussion. It’s inevitable. Humans are not a hive mind. That’s why works that try to please everyone rarely turn out really well; because they end up making compromises that make it possible to be liked by almost everyone, but loved by almost no one. Including their authors.

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Jonathan Nolan, creator of the Fallout series, the legendary game by Bethesda, has stated exactly at a press event recorded by the English lifestyle magazine T3. Stating that it is impossible to please the fans, he has affirmed that as an artist, what you must do is seek to please yourself; do what you want to do and trust that you will make the best possible version of it. Something that may sound alarming to many people, but it has a twist. He talks about it as a fan of the franchise.

While it doesn’t aim to please the most avid Fallout fans, it also doesn’t intend to deviate from what the franchise is. Something evident when Bethesda had to ask him to change his script due to its similarities with what they wanted to do in Fallout 5. Because when he says he’s a fan, he means it.

According to Nolan’s statements, “for me, it started with Fallout 3, which consumed about a year of my life.” Clarifying that “back then I was a young aspiring writer, and that almost ruined my whole life,” since the game is “ridiculously playable and fun.” Does that mean he has any kind of resentment or reservation about the franchise? Not at all. As he himself has said, Fallout is “a series of games that I absolutely love.”

The Fallout series was announced in July 2020 and we didn’t receive its first trailer until December 2023. It will premiere on Amazon Prime on April 11th, releasing all eight episodes of the first season at once.

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Summary of everything we saw at the Xbox Developer Direct 2024

We bring you a summary of everything we saw at the Xbox Developer Direct 2024, which has presented what we should expect from Xbox this year.

Although it is not the biggest event of the year for the company, the Xbox Developer’s Direct 2024 is an important date for the company. They establish a roadmap, give developers a chance to speak, and show the inner workings of what they are working on and what will be released in the near future. That’s why we bring you a summary of everything we saw during this conference. Because there was a lot to unpack, well condensed, and with a lot of interest.

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Bethesda took up a good part of the show. On one hand, Obsidian Entertainment showed more of Avowed, which showed us the depth and dynamism of both its combat and moral choices. Something that reminded us of a combination of Arx Fatalis and Fallout New Vegas, which will be available in autumn on PC and Xbox Series S and X. Towards the end of the conference, Machine Games came out to show us Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. For many, the highlight of the conference, we break it down in depth in its own article, but we are left with two key aspects: Harrison Ford puts the face of Indiana Jones and it is a first-person game where it is important to stop and think before acting. A very Indy approach that will arrive in 2024.

Another one of the games that were shown was the new title from Oxide Games, Ara: History Untold. A 4X strategy game, in the style of Civilization, created by veterans from Firaxis Games who have worked on games like Civilization V. This is their second game after the space-themed RTS Ashes of the Singularity, and the uniqueness of this Ara is that, although it takes the foundations of Civilization, there are no turns here: the players’ actions all happen at the same time. And predicting the movements of our rivals will be crucial to achieve victory, that is, in autumn.

In this conference, fortunately, there was also room for surprises. This was the appearance of Visions of Mana, which will not only be released in the summer of 2024, but will also be the first time that a title from the franchise is released on an Xbox console. Showing movement within the open world, the new mount, and the dynamic music system, the game was a nod to JRPG fans who are unlikely to be dissatisfied with the result.

Another highlight for many was the appearance of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Not only did they give us a lot more information about the game, such as it being a digital-only release and its price being €49.99, but they also have a new combat system and have reinforced the most memorable aspects of the first game. And it already has a release date: May 21st. Which gives us a good reason to have faith in Xbox’s 2024.

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