Bethesda was (very) recently folded into microsoft proper, it was operating as it’s own thing for the first few years, like every company microsoft purchases. then gets folded in.
Clearly Microsoft is trying to avoid more bad game launches, they need to exert some amount of control but I’m looking at that and seeing them trying to do it with a minimal touch.
Microsoft has had a spat of sub-par, underwhelming releases lately - Redfall, Starfield, even going back as far as Halo Infinite and to my knowledge, none of the war stories there have said it had anything to do with Microsoft meddling. I’d go as far as to say that Microsoft needed to keep a closer finger on the pulse of all these studios, not less.
You’re referring to their legal structure, which is not the point under discussion. Thus far, Microsoft has seemed very willing to give their game studio acquisitions significant autonomy even in high level operational decisions. Minecraft is the most famous example, but there are others
MS is often criticized for being held off. You can ask anyone who had worked with them and not often than not you’ll find they let people do what they want.
No one is that stupid. This is mire lies, he knows they’ll be absorbed like the rest
I dunno, between redfall and Starfield it sure does feel like Microsoft leaves them to their own devices and doesn’t even check their homework.
Bethesda was (very) recently folded into microsoft proper, it was operating as it’s own thing for the first few years, like every company microsoft purchases. then gets folded in.
Not quite, they promoted some folks and reorged the upper structure of Xbox a bit but Zenimax is still operating fairly independently:
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/23933049/microsoft-reorg-xbox-marketing-ai-leadership-changes
Clearly Microsoft is trying to avoid more bad game launches, they need to exert some amount of control but I’m looking at that and seeing them trying to do it with a minimal touch.
Microsoft has had a spat of sub-par, underwhelming releases lately - Redfall, Starfield, even going back as far as Halo Infinite and to my knowledge, none of the war stories there have said it had anything to do with Microsoft meddling. I’d go as far as to say that Microsoft needed to keep a closer finger on the pulse of all these studios, not less.
They aren’t, that’s all business speak to avoid bad press. Microsoft do this a lot.
Which game companies has Microsoft absorbed? My understanding was they’ve left most of their game acquisitions alone to do their own thing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Studios#Subsidiaries_and_divisions everything under Xbox Game Studios, Zenimax is currently in the process of being moved under Xbox Game Studios (or, rather, studios under the Zenimax name are, zenimax will cease to exist once that is complete)
Everyone has been absorbed. I don’t know where you got that understanding from, they absolutely are not left to do their own thing.
You’re referring to their legal structure, which is not the point under discussion. Thus far, Microsoft has seemed very willing to give their game studio acquisitions significant autonomy even in high level operational decisions. Minecraft is the most famous example, but there are others
No, I am not.
MS is often criticized for being held off. You can ask anyone who had worked with them and not often than not you’ll find they let people do what they want.