A rumour concerning Beyond Good & Evil 2 and... Nintendo.

[Mr.Mattress]

I want a unified platform, but not a console. That would be the worst way to do it. On a unified OPEN platform, such as the PC, hardware manufacturers and software developers can freely compete, giving consumers options. The only one who doesn't have any competition on this platform is Microsoft with their line of operating systems. But that line of operating systems is the constant that keeps things compatible, and Microsoft has little influence over the software developers and hardware manufacturers beyond requiring compatibility. They don't manipulate prices like on a console. The lack of options available to consumers in the console monopoly is good for no one but the big three. It's sick.

Then you [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.] don't understand history [http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/11/business/nintendo-to-pay-25-million-in-rebates-on-price-fixing.html]. When there is a lack of options, and there is only one major company to provide you with anything, they will screw consumers over. Microsoft, when it was the only computer makers in the 90's, did terrible things to consumers like forcing certain programs remain on your computer at all time or it wouldn't run, and forcing others to play by their rules or to be bought or sued into nonexistence. Likewise, Nintendo, when it was the only video game makers in the 80's, jacked prices on their games and kept them high, held onto hundreds of thousands of cartridges of various games to keep their prices high, forced companies in both Japan and the US to play by their rules or to basically bankrupt, and tried to sue companies that didn't (like the makers of Game Genie, but they almost always failed). One company holding a monopoly over a product (in this case, a unified game platform) will result in you being screwed over by them one way or another. A unified platform is not good, and Valve's Steam platform .

Your last sentence also makes no sense; you claim to want one choice but then say the big three act like a monopoly. On top of the fact that I showed that when there is only one major player in anything leads to actual monopolistic practices, these 3 console makers actually keep monopolies down. Remember when Microsoft tried to invade your privacy with mandatory Kinect? If it weren't for the other options of the Playstation 4 and the WiiU, you would either be studied 24/7 by Microsoft employees as you played Halo 5 or not be playing console video games. Also considering the WiiU has free internet and the PS4 was 399$ at launch, while the XBone (which is slightly weaker then the PS4) was 499$ with internet you had to pay for, Microsoft clearly was manipulating prices somewhere.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

snip

So is a fundamentally fragmented multiformat medium something you're fond of? A monopoly can result in abuse, sure, and I've conceded a successful unified medium sadly appears to be a pipe dream for now. But I don't see how a medium being hacked to pieces by three company's selfish territorialism (with IP's held hostage by all) is much to be thankful for.

The consumer is being repeatedly screwed over regardless.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

The sad thing is that they both would have sold millions on any other platform.

Except that's a lie considering how the first game's sales on Sony and MS' systems was the exact reason Nintendo had to bail out Bayonetta 2 in the first place. So apparently those "millions" never existed.

 

[Redryhno]

snip

So is a fundamentally fragmented multiformat medium something you're fond of? A monopoly can result in abuse, sure, and I've conceded a successful unified medium sadly appears to be a pipe dream for now. But I don't see how a medium being hacked to pieces by three company's selfish territorialism (with IP's held hostage by all) is much to be thankful for.

The consumer is being repeatedly screwed over regardless.

At least you have a choice with the selfish territorialism...hell, everyone I know these days has one console and only use it for a handful of things they can't get on PC.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

What I meant to say is that each of them have their own monopoly. Sony controls everything on their platform, from digital games pricing to hardware, to subscriptions, to warranties, to terms of use.

This isn't really an issue; almost every platform in the modern day does this. From Valve's Steam to Apple's iTunes, to Computers to Internet Browsers to Rewards Programs, everything sets controls what they do and don't have. Even in a 1-Unified Open Platform, there would be controls of some kind. You don't get rid of warranties, subscription fees, terms of use and price controls by getting rid of the competition.

Most people won't buy more than one console per generation. They don't wanna spend thousands of dollars per generation.

I can't really argue with that.

Hardly any good comes from the way these monopolies interact. Nintendo pretty much does their own thing and Sony and Microsoft have only gotten worse. Sony doesn't innovate anymore. They've used the same flawed controller for eighteen years, and the Xbox controller adopted that same 14 button design that only utilizes your index fingers and thumbs. Meanwhile, Sony has adopted Microsoft's paywall, which I criticized on the first page.

That's because innovation bit Sony in the ass last generation, did nothing for Microsoft last generation or this generation, and built up to biting Nintendo's ass this generation, which is why people don't want BG&E2 on the NX.

I see little in the way of new ideas, like in the PS2 era.

If you think about it, there wasn't much in the way of innovation on the PS2 either. The PS2 could play DvD's and allow people to connect to the internet for Online Games, that's pretty much all of the innovations to it from the PS1. Other then that, it was pretty much a buffed PS1. It didn't revolutionize gaming by making it 3D or bringing in a new powerful genre. All it did was play DvD's and connect to the internet (poorly compared to the Xbox Original).

Actually, a lot of those games were made by third parties, many of whom fortunately no longer make PlayStation exclusives. The limited shelf space/life in stores means these huge companies have to make games that are big and generic.

Edit: The rejection of Xbox Live Gold on PC a few years ago is an example of how things can go when people have options on the platform.

I can't argue with any of this.

So is a fundamentally fragmented multiformat medium something you're fond of?

I'm fond of keeping monopolies from forming, whether it's natural or forced. If you enjoyed the era when Nintendo treated 3rd parties like shit, where games, no matter how good or bad, were 59$ for ever and false scarcity was common, more power to you, I want to avoid that.

A monopoly can result in abuse, sure, and I've conceded a successful unified medium sadly appears to be a pipe dream for now. But I don't see how a medium being hacked to pieces by three company's selfish territorialism (with IP's held hostage by all) is much to be thankful for.

Division within an industry such as this is good as it normally forces creativity to attract customers to their side. Yes, there is stagnation in that front, but originality still happens and is still successful (like Splatoon). Also, selfish territorialism will still happen on a unified platform because it's not just Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo that hoard IP's; Spyro and Crash will still get the shaft because Activision owns them, Beyond Good and Evil may still not happen because Ubisoft owns it, and the less I say about EA the better. You can't get rid of this problem by only having 1 console to make games on.

The consumer is being repeatedly screwed over regardless.

It'd be worse if there is only one group making consoles, like in 1985-1991. Imagine if only Microsoft made consoles, and the XBone's announce was the exact same in this multiplatform universe. Your choices are get an invasive piece of hardware that will spy on you, or not play any game at all. Sounds like fun, huh?

 

[Redryhno]

Hardly a happy ending for Bayonetta all things considered. But hey, atleast there was a second game. Sadly, a third one will not be in the cards anytime soon.

And I think we can agree that that is not a wholly negative thing. Both Bayonetta's are very good games, but for every Bayo and Vanguard Plat puts out, we get at least one Legend of Korra. And I'd rather not up the chances for Bayo3 to be another Korra.

And I'll argue to the death that I'd rather have had that second game than nothing, even if it is on a system alot of people around here turn their noses up at for whatever reason. Hell, it's not even like being an exclusive means much, you remember how much ruckus Xcom2 being on PC only caused? And it's largely done about as well as Xcom1.

 

[B-Cell_v1legacy]

I take it you're one of the refugees from Gametrailers? Or a coincidentally timed migrant from elsewhere?

Yes. Longview is one of us from GT.

 

[Longview]

Just for the record I want no association with B-Cell and he does not represent me in anyway

 

[Zhukov]

Scratch that, wouldn't it be great if Jeffers was back so he could essay you to death? ^.^

I miss Jeffers.

Funny guy, knew how to handle himself in a debate. And every now and then he would throw restraint to the winds and dish out a textual beatdown on some hapless soul. And it would be glorious. Unless you were the hapless soul in question.

Oh man, he would have been all up in my grill for this thread.

Aye, he was one of the good ones.

Spoiler

 

[B-Cell_v1legacy]

Just for the record I want no association with B-Cell and he does not represent me in anyway

but my friend, I always respect you both place on gametrailers and here too.

 

[Ishigami]

I see this is a rumour.

So if this turns out true then I think it a mistake on part of UbiSoft.
Going from multiplatform to a platform exclusive, even if only temporarily, thus far seems to have not turned out well in recent history.
Rise of the Tomb Raider or Bayonetta 2 did this. In both cases it did not help the sales and it pissed fans from former platforms off. So in summary it hurt the brand.
And it did not advance the platform in any way. So there is not even that.

 

[Penitent]

http://www.videogamer.com/news/nintendo_steps_in_to_fund_beyond_good_and_evil_2_as_nx_exclusive_report_claims.html

So there's a possibility that Beyond Good & Evil 2 will finally leave the realm of vaporware and actually be made. As an exclusive. For the fucking Nintendo NX... thing.

(Thus ends the informative part of this post.)

*ahem*

Just fuck off Nintendo. Fuck. Right. Off.

I, uh... I think this might just be about as annoyed as it is possible for me to get over video game news. Well, it's not so much news at this point as a tentative rumour based on a vague leak. But if it's true... Christ all-fucking-mighty.

Yes, I remember Bayonetta 2. I know how the counter argument goes. "It wouldn't even exist without Nintendo. Would you prefer it come out as an exclusive or not at all?" Honestly, I'd prefer it not come out at all. I'd rather something I want not exist then exist but be unobtainable because in order to play it I'd have to spend hundreds of dollars on a useless piece of junk that will be good for nothing else besides Mario Kart 17.

I can't remember if I commented on the Bayonetta 2 thing, but if I did then I take it all back. Fuck exclusivity and fuck Nintendo. I've always been content to ignore them, but now, well... now I shall be thinking very unkind things about them indeed. Just you see if I don't!

Seriously though, this makes me wish I owned something made by Nintendo. Like a bunch of those really hard to get crappy plastic toys that everyone goes nuts for. Just so I could pile them up, take a shit on them and set the whole mess on fire.

You sound so mad that it's hilarious, dude. Just find an NX on the cheap or wait for an emulator. There's no need everyone else needs to not have fun just because you're a grump.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

I see this is a rumour.

So if this turns out true then I think it a mistake on part of UbiSoft.
Going from multiplatform to a platform exclusive, even if only temporarily, thus far seems to have not turned out well in recent history.
Rise of the Tomb Raider or Bayonetta 2 did this. In both cases it did not help the sales and it pissed fans from former platforms off. So in summary it hurt the brand.
And it did not advance the platform in any way. So there is not even that.

How is Bayonetta's brand hurt? Without Nintendo there probably wouldn't be a Bayonetta brand anymore. Now they at least got a sequel, and she's a character in Smash, so a Bayonetta 3 seems inevitable

It's only bad for butthurt fans who can't accept that it wasn't going to be made with out Nintendo

 

[kilenem]

A long as it doesn't get the Conker or Street Fighter 5 treatment it should be alright.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Okay, I have no idea what this means:

http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/253588-ubisoft-requested-that-destructoid-remove-their-beyond-good-evi

Typically game companies don't care about rumors whether or not they're true except in the form of leaks showing off gameplay. It could just be Ubi being eccentric, but this might lend credence to the rumor. In which case I'm going to get my facts straight when the inevitable, clumsy backlash happens.

 

[xaszatm]

Okay, I have no idea what this means:

http://www.gonintendo.com/stories/253588-ubisoft-requested-that-destructoid-remove-their-beyond-good-evi

Typically game companies don't care about rumors whether or not they're true except in the form of leaks showing off gameplay. It could just be Ubi being eccentric, but this might lend credence to the rumor. In which case I'm going to get my facts straight when the inevitable, clumsy backlash happens.

At the same time, this is also the same company that got people thinking Rayman was going to be a character in Smash 4 and looked what ended up happening. But you are correct, this unfortunately DOES lend credence to the rumor and, if this thread is anything to go by, means so much 'fun' in the future.