There are alot of Cows in the Sony E3 press conference Shawn Laydon thread suggesting that PS4's enemic lineup (of games that have made cameos at the last 2 E3s) is ok because were at the end of the gen, and were on the eve of the PS5.

Part of me thinks its anxiety about:

• Losing the current gen power narrative to Xbox One X
• The pendulum possibly swinging back to Microsoft next gen, and Cows wanting Sony to neuter any impending momentum in that direction by pushing out hardware as quickly as possible, before its due. This didn't go well for Sega either of the TWO times they attempted this.

Its weird. I've seen Cows, in fact, I think I might have even seen you (dont remember) in the last week or so suggesting Lems had already given up on this gen, and they had their next 3 years planned out waiting for next gen.

When did it become matter of fact that the PS5 was coming in 2019? I keep seeing Cows suggesting that the PS5 is coming out VERY soon, like next year (or, just as unlikely, anytime before Holiday 2021).

Cows are speaking as if its already the end of the generation, and they're already hanging up the curtain on the PS4, and using this as an excuse to justify Sony's enemic looking E3 lineup, and the fact that most of the games on the itinerary have been shown for the last 2 E3s.

Look, Sony had an awesome E3 in 2016, but they clearly blew their load prematurely back then, as what was shown then was pretty much the entire next 3 years of their first party lineup. We know what basically all of their studios are doing, or have done, or WILL do for a while.

Mark my words. At most, there will be another iteration of the PS4. A "PS4 Pro 2". You will not see a legitimate 9th generation traditional console before Holiday 2021.

There will not be a large enough gap in hardware in 2019 to justify an entirely new generation of hardware, called "Playstation 5", abandoning the "PS4" brand. Unless they plan to change the definition of hardware generations. Or make their games foreward compatable and handicap themselves to inferior hardware anyways. Or completely abandon their current massive userbase while they are winning and printing money hand over fist, which would be monumentally stupid, and pointless.

And we also know that Sony doesnt have the money or resources to do a crazy loss leader strategy and develop exotic custom tech, nor do they have any impetus to (because again.....they're winning.), so anything they make will be all off the shelf tech. And again, there isnt enough of a gap to justify a new hardware gen yet. Nor are developers even asking for it. Nor will there be any fundemental changes in current game development conventions that will demand this new hardware this quickly.

Seems Cows are anxious for Sony to hurry up and push out new hardware as quickly as possible, because they lost the power narrative over Scorpio.

You do know that there are several AAA game studios in Santa Monica, CA or in the area, some within walking distance of one another, right?

Were we just not going to talk about this?

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/with-e3-around-the-corner-microsoft-is-hiring-for-/1100-6458846/

http://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/xbox-new-studio-1202802940/

Microsoft is planning to hire a principal program manager to staff and run an unannounced studio in Santa Monica, Calif., according to a public job posting at the console manufacturer.

Though the posting is light on project details, the qualifications listed — which include “a knowledge and understanding of the process of building new IP,” and “experience shipping high quality titles at AAAA standards” — suggests that this new branch would be responsible for producing a new first-party blockbuster franchise to bolster the Xbox brand.

The listing also calls for “10+ years of experience in the gaming industry,” and “4+ years of experience as a lead/executive producer level-or-above,” as well as “live ops and multiplayer experience,” suggesting that the project is still in nascent stages, and still requires staffing on all levels.

Over the past year, the Xbox brand has received criticism for the perceived inadequacy of its first-party console line-up, especially compared to recent offerings from perennial rival PlayStation, such as the much-acclaimed “God of War,” which was developed by Sony’s Santa Monica studio.

Though staffers at this new venture have yet to be announced, Microsoft’s recent hiring of former Crystal Dynamics head of studio Darrell Gallagher points to a possible role for 2013’s “Tomb Raider” lead. With the industry-defining E3 coming up in June, there’s a fair chance more about this new studio will be announced sooner than later, but it’ll likely be a matter of years before any of their efforts actually land on store shelves.

Its a shame, because I actually really like the artstyle and the idea/premise of Sea of Thieves as an intellectual property.

Its just that the game ended up being Games-as-a-Service dogshit. It would have been awesome, if they had used the same premise as a single player traditional adventure game with a story. The kind of game they would have made in their prime. This is a game that has no place being Game-as-a-Service.

A sentiment I also share with David Jaffe's game Drawn-to-death. The unique artstyle, the edginess, humor, and (however limited)the storytelling of the tutorial, the weapons and the gameplay loop of that game, if extrapolated into a full singleplayer TPS could have been a solid AA-AAA game. Both of these games were basically wastes of IP's imo.

Back to Rare, I actually think that the fact they created a new IP in itself was step in the right direction. In contrast to all the people who mistakenly think they want Rare to revisit old IP, and constantly beg for nonsense they think they want like Banjo or Perfect Dark, or Battletoads, etc.....Trust me, you dont really want that. Just like you didnt really want Yooka Laylee. Dont get me wrong, things like that will be a dick-swinging moment at E3, or shatter kickstarter records, etc, but thats just nostalgia talking......when it becomes a real product, those games NEVER set the world on fire. You'll get your little nostalgia high, but when you come down, those games will come and go, and be middling/average at best (Crash/probably Shenmue) or terrible at worst (yooka laylee). Rare should stay on this path at least, and stick to making new IPs, and try to create NEW classics that will be worshipped 20 years from now. Dont cling to the past.

Im sensing a pattern here. You are reframing things that are objectively positive in every way, as negatives.

At what point do we stop blaming Microsoft for Rare being shit, and start blaming Rare themselves?

This "Microsoft killed rare" narrative needs to die. They were in decline before Xbox was even a thing. Half of Rare left the company in 1999 before Xbox even came out. They went on to form Free Radical (who made the timesplitters series, and eventually the Haze "Halo killer" flop, before being bought buy Crytek and making Homefront 2, then being dissolved). They ran to Microsoft after Nintendo shut off the money spigots on them, and begging Nintendo to fully acquire them, Nintendo telling them to kick rocks. Nintendo might have been onto something. Even when Microsoft bought them, Nintendo were happy to sell their shares, and not even try to stop them. This was NOT a hostile takeover. Nintendo didnt even want them.

Out of the Conker Live and Reloaded, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata, Banjo nuts & Bolts, all games they made before they ever touched the Kinect, Plus all of the Kinect bullshit plus all of the cancelled Rare projects that have leaked to Beta64 over the years, and finally Sea of Thieves (a skeleton of a game which they aparently didnt even have ideas for, if rumors are to be believed ) at what point do we stop blaming Microsoft for Rare being shit, and start blaming Rare? They cant hide behind the Kinect forever. None of these games lit the world on fire, and none of the cancelled ones looked like they were going to either. How many chances do they need to make non Kinect games, that were all meh at best, before we stop claiming that MS forced them to make Kinect shovelware?

Hell, even the guys who left to make Yooka Laylee cant hide behind the "ebil Microsoft hates gaems" narrative. A clone of the game that everybody claimed that they wanted, and threw money at like crazy, ended up being shit. The game was obviously not greenlit for a reason, despite Microsoft having the chance if they wanted to.

Im not quite sure what any of the people pouring out 40s over Rare possibly think Rare would have done differently had Microsoft not stopped them.

Honestly, im not even that hungry for another GTA. I remember feeling "been there done this" even when GTAV came out, after playing RDR/GTA4/BoGT/LatD and Saints Row 3 before it.

Personally im not interested unless they do something new (or rather fresher) like going back to London.

I know they're going to do some fuckshit like revisit Liberty City or Vice City again for the umpteenth time. Boring, not interested. Played that game already. More interested in RDR, or another LA Noire. Or Agent. A period based scenario.

Saints Row 3 even had features that GTAV didnt even have, like human shields, etc.... And it still has the same shitty police AI that magically knows where you are and spawns around corners from you. Its not intuitive at all. You never feel like you can "beat" the AI or that theres logic that you can outsmart based on rules, like in a Metal Gear game, or even Red Dead Redemption 1(dont quote me, its been like 7 years since I played that game). They just endlessly respawn near you.

I dont own an Xbox One.

More importantly, join date = may 5, 2018. Welcome back.