"I need a weapon" - Master Chief

[SneakyLink]

Yeah, it's one of the only remaining surviving Nintendo-related insider rumors alongside the mid-March Nindies. There's really no telling when and/or if that'll get officially revealed.

If true, time to buy the collection again! On the go Halo always sounds awesome.

 

[Smasherfan88]

Everytime I see people say "The next game will cut down the roster enormously" I face palm at the stupidity of the notion I won't lie. Yes, Sakurai said it would be difficult to get /every/ character back in the next game. However /every/ does not mean most. Most of the roster is from Nintendo, they're the easiest to bring back every game and honestly we could expect 0 cuts from anyone Nintendo. What I think Sakurai meant with this statement was more-so third-parties.

Now, SEGA, Namco, and Capcom seem the easiest to work with, they might come back next game with all their reps and even more. The actual problem children that you should expect to be getting the boot is anyone from Square Enix due to the stinginess they have and the apparent fortune you have to spend since you have to pay for all that crap separately, art, music, characters, locations, etc. etc. and the 'rules' they have put in place for crossovers like "X dragon quest hero can't fight Y dragon quest hero", heavily stupid.

Now, I have no idea if Snake's absence from Smash 4 was due to them just not being asked or some process in Brawl that made him more trouble than he was worth. So any Konami reps returning are a 50-50 thing, I can easily see it go either way.

Now, with DLC only new companies who were brought in were M-Soft and SNK. With how generous SNK was in the Fighter Pass, I can honestly see them returning and maybe bringing in more fighters with them.

Microsoft... they expressed desire for Banjo and Kazooie during Smash 4 publicly, which I'll be honest is probably what made Sakurai think besides the ballot "Oh wait, this is possible now? Well time to do this thing that was supposed to happen in Melee." So their return does depend on if both companies want them to be in smash bros still. Which I think its safe to say at least for Banjo it is since he pleases basically everyone to be honest. Then something we in the Chief support thread here have in our favor: Microsoft has expressed public desire for Master Chief to join Smash Bros. before Fighter Pass #2 gained the "ok" from Nintendo to do (the public display for Chief was done such in the time between Joker's reveal and release I believe, otherwise between his release and Hero and Banjo's reveal, don't think they okayed fighter pass 2 before 1 was even close to finishing) So really for Microsoft here it depends on:

1. Do both companies want to return (and maybe bring in more?)

and

2. Is the pay/price worth the trouble?

So in all honestly if next Smash Game does get some cuts, it's probably gonna be Square Enix and maybe Konami, and potentially Microsoft. Though I have higher hopes for M-Soft than I do Konami.

 

[MattX20]

So, the rumored Master Chief Collection port, you think that will be announced in the first general direct this year, E3, or possibly next year if not the fall?

 

[pinshadow]

So, the rumored Master Chief Collection port, you think that will be announced in the first general direct this year, E3, or possibly next year if not the fall?

I think it will be later. My theory is that the Switch ports are being worked on while they are doing the PC ports, and they won't release a Switch version until all of them are completed. Given that they've really only got Reach and Combat Evolved done now, I'd say we're waiting until atleast E3 (where it would be a bombshell announcement), probably longer. Maybe they would want to time it with a potential Chief reveal since I think revealing the collection would be almost a dead giveaway that he was in, but I also wouldn't expect Chief until later in the pass since he is a character that is literally impossible to top hype wise.

 

[cmbsfm]

I think it will be later. My theory is that the Switch ports are being worked on while they are doing the PC ports, and they won't release a Switch version until all of them are completed. Given that they've really only got Reach and Combat Evolved done now, I'd say we're waiting until atleast E3 (where it would be a bombshell announcement), probably longer. Maybe they would want to time it with a potential Chief reveal since I think revealing the collection would be almost a dead giveaway that he was in, but I also wouldn't expect Chief until later in the pass since he is a character that is literally impossible to top hype wise.

Makes sense to me as to why haven’t heard anything official

 

[NoOtherPersona]

If Chief is in I want them to shoot the gun immediately joker was a great start and I think someone like Chief would be a great opener

 

[Desert Croc]

If Chief is in I want them to shoot the gun immediately joker was a great start and I think someone like Chief would be a great opener

Eh, I’ll have to disagree. Chief would be one of the biggest Smash reveals and using him to start the past would be wasteful, as I can’t really think of anyone else who could make such an impact that they could use later on aside from Sora, who I can’t see making it in for multiple reasons. I think the pass opener will be a B tier character like Dante or Heihachi, a character who isn’t too mainstream but has enough fame in the world of gaming to generate a good amount of hype.

 

[NoOtherPersona]

Eh, I’ll have to disagree. Chief would be one of the biggest Smash reveals and using him to start the past would be wasteful, as I can’t really think of anyone else who could make such an impact that they could use later on aside from Sora, who I can’t see making it in for multiple reasons. I think the pass opener will be a B tier character like Dante or Heihachi, a character who isn’t too mainstream but has enough fame in the world of gaming to generate a good amount of hype.

To each there own I'd prefer Chief to go first since that last pass character kinda didn't sit well I think a super hype character would be a way to restore faith at least

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Everytime I see people say "The next game will cut down the roster enormously" I face palm at the stupidity of the notion I won't lie. Yes, Sakurai said it would be difficult to get /every/ character back in the next game. However /every/ does not mean most. Most of the roster is from Nintendo, they're the easiest to bring back every game and honestly we could expect 0 cuts from anyone Nintendo. What I think Sakurai meant with this statement was more-so third-parties.

Now, SEGA, Namco, and Capcom seem the easiest to work with, they might come back next game with all their reps and even more. The actual problem children that you should expect to be getting the boot is anyone from Square Enix due to the stinginess they have and the apparent fortune you have to spend since you have to pay for all that crap separately, art, music, characters, locations, etc. etc. and the 'rules' they have put in place for crossovers like "X dragon quest hero can't fight Y dragon quest hero", heavily stupid.

Now, I have no idea if Snake's absence from Smash 4 was due to them just not being asked or some process in Brawl that made him more trouble than he was worth. So any Konami reps returning are a 50-50 thing, I can easily see it go either way.

Now, with DLC only new companies who were brought in were M-Soft and SNK. With how generous SNK was in the Fighter Pass, I can honestly see them returning and maybe bringing in more fighters with them.

Microsoft... they expressed desire for Banjo and Kazooie during Smash 4 publicly, which I'll be honest is probably what made Sakurai think besides the ballot "Oh wait, this is possible now? Well time to do this thing that was supposed to happen in Melee." So their return does depend on if both companies want them to be in smash bros still. Which I think its safe to say at least for Banjo it is since he pleases basically everyone to be honest. Then something we in the Chief support thread here have in our favor: Microsoft has expressed public desire for Master Chief to join Smash Bros. before Fighter Pass #2 gained the "ok" from Nintendo to do (the public display for Chief was done such in the time between Joker's reveal and release I believe, otherwise between his release and Hero and Banjo's reveal, don't think they okayed fighter pass 2 before 1 was even close to finishing) So really for Microsoft here it depends on:

1. Do both companies want to return (and maybe bring in more?)

and

2. Is the pay/price worth the trouble?

So in all honestly if next Smash Game does get some cuts, it's probably gonna be Square Enix and maybe Konami, and potentially Microsoft. Though I have higher hopes for M-Soft than I do Konami.

This would be the ideal situation, and is what I hope for at best, but I don't really know what to expect in terms of the number of cuts. Am not expecting some roster massacre post-Ultimate per se, but I get it as far as some preparing themselves for a worst case scenario, because let's face it, Ultimate has spoiled us. lol

I never got the obsession some have had with the idea of a Smash reboot after this. A reboot would expectedly have much more cuts for the sake of rebuilding pretty much everything from the groundup, whereas if we just got another sequel under the direction Smash has been in for awhile, there would be minimal cuts, which most would probably prefer even with reused assets. Out of any fighting/roster series I can think of, Smash has honestly had the best track record in bringing veterans back. Even the cuts from Smash 4 (pre or post DLC) that had fans fussing the most wasn't much compared to what other series' rosters have cut.

 

[Lionfranky]

I doubt they will end the season 2 with bang. They will most likely use Chief in spot 2 ~ 4.

 

[Gazorpazorpfield]

Here's a fun idea: If Chief does get in, what should his reveal tagline be?

I thought "Enters the Ring" would be fun, but Incineroar already took that one

 

[GolisoPower]

Here's a fun idea: If Chief does get in, what should his reveal tagline be?

I thought "Enters the Ring" would be fun, but Incineroar already took that one

"MASTER CHIEF Finishes The Fight!" would be rather fitting for on multiple levels if he was the actual final character in Smash Ultimate.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Seeing as Fatmanonice heard rumors about the final character being a tribute to Iwata, I would honestly expect a more unusual character for the final one. Traditionally, the crowd-attracting characters are saved for the start of any pattern, to get buyers into the idea of a base game/DLC pattern, with the rest being for anyone that's already invested into the whole thing and don't mind what's next/something different. Also, are usually interesting in their own right conceptually and gameplay wise (and, admit it, it actually is good to see something that's not predictably seen coming by 90% of hardcore fans).

Besides, I don't think video game companies in general even believe in the idea of "ending" things with "a bang". Except for Beenox, apparently, despite the fact that CTR's content support isn't over.

This would be the ideal situation, and is what I hope for at best, but I don't really know what to expect in terms of the number of cuts. Am not expecting some roster massacre post-Ultimate per se, but I get it as far as some preparing themselves for a worst case scenario, because let's face it, Ultimate has spoiled us. lol

I never got the obsession some have had with the idea of a Smash reboot after this. A reboot would expectedly have much more cuts for the sake of rebuilding pretty much everything from the groundup, whereas if we just got another sequel under the direction Smash has been in for awhile, there would be minimal cuts, which most would probably prefer even with reused assets. Out of any fighting/roster series I can think of, Smash has honestly had the best track record in bringing veterans back. Even the cuts from Smash 4 (pre or post DLC) that had fans fussing the most wasn't much compared to what other series' rosters have cut.

As far as I see it, the bulk of character absences will be on the front of third party characters and more redundant ones. Which is just as well, because there's a ton of first and second-parties that could fill the void. I just mostly would expect the more expensive/hard to license ones to sit the next one out (not to mention that all those third party properties that came in via spirit events will be gone). If come back next time, then there's no need for me to worry about Chief being left aside for now.

Also, for the latter point, I couldn't agree more. I mean, people are treating Smash like it has an ongoing plot or something, it's far from being a Mortal Kombat Armageddon situation in regards to necessary roster cuts. Plus it's not the first time a dream match game was followed by a more modest one.

 

[Trevenant]

Seeing as Fatmanonice heard rumors about the final character being a tribute to Iwata, I would honestly expect a more unusual character for the final one. Traditionally, the crowd-attracting characters are saved for the start of any pattern, to get buyers into the idea of a base game/DLC pattern, with the rest being for anyone that's already invested into the whole thing and don't mind what's next/something different. Also, are usually interesting in their own right conceptually and gameplay wise (and, admit it, it actually is good to see something that's not predictably seen coming by 90% of hardcore fans).

Besides, I don't think video game companies in general even believe in the idea of "ending" things with "a bang". Except for Beenox, apparently, despite the fact that CTR's content support isn't over.



As far as I see it, the bulk of character absences will be on the front of third party characters and more redundant ones. Which is just as well, because there's a ton of first and second-parties that could fill the void. I just mostly would expect the more expensive/hard to license ones to sit the next one out (not to mention that all those third party properties that came in via spirit events will be gone). If come back next time, then there's no need for me to worry about Chief being left aside for now.

Also, for the latter point, I couldn't agree more. I mean, people are treating Smash like it has an ongoing plot or something, it's far from being a Mortal Kombat Armageddon situation in regards to necessary roster cuts. Plus it's not the first time a dream match game was followed by a more modest one.

Didn’t Sakurai confirm this is the last DLC? That pretty much confirms that there wouldn’t be any bonus character and even if there was it would ha e been predated by the theory meaning any speculation is null and void. I honestly wouldn’t put much stock into that as it’s pretty unlikely to occur.

That’s unless it’s in the pass which is even more of a long shot considering it won’t sell as dlc and probably should have been included in vanilla ultimate.

Here's a fun idea: If Chief does get in, what should his reveal tagline be?

I thought "Enters the Ring" would be fun, but Incineroar already took that one

I thought it was pretty much no contest that it would be finish the fight. Back in the ballot era when people considered Master Chief an impossible character similar to the likes of Goku and such, that was the tag line people gave to him despite the commonality at the time being to give joke characters ironic taglines which cement them as such which usually relate to memes involving them and the like. Obviously Chief isn’t as impossible as Goku but back then it was viewed as such

 

[Gazorpazorpfield]

Didn’t Sakurai confirm this is the last DLC? That pretty much confirms that there wouldn’t be any bonus character and even if there was it would ha e been predated by the theory meaning any speculation is null and void. I honestly wouldn’t put much stock into that as it’s pretty unlikely to occur.

That’s unless it’s in the pass which is even more of a long shot considering it won’t sell as dlc and probably should have been included in vanilla ultimate

I think the implication was that fighter 6 is the bonus character, not that I necessarily buy into what Fatman says

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Didn’t Sakurai confirm this is the last DLC? That pretty much confirms that there wouldn’t be any bonus character and even if there was it would ha e been predated by the theory meaning any speculation is null and void. I honestly wouldn’t put much stock into that as it’s pretty unlikely to occur.

That’s unless it’s in the pass which is even more of a long shot considering it won’t sell as dlc and probably should have been included in vanilla ultimate.

Yeah, yet Fatman seems to put trust into what his people tell him. Guy is ready to die on his hill.

At any rate, I can expect a less-exected first-party or obscure third-party as the final character. Who it is, I'm not sure at this stage, but it should be interesting.

 

[Trevenant]

I think the implication was that fighter 6 is the bonus character, not that I necessarily buy into what Fatman says

Well in that case Fatman must have updated his predictions. The last time I saw his predictions, he was predicting Waluigi being 6 and then in no order Crash, Geno, Lloyd, Dante and Chief.

Yeah, yet Fatman seems to put trust into what his people tell him. Guy is ready to die on his hill.

At any rate, I can expect a less-exected first-party or obscure third-party as the final character. Who it is, I'm not sure at this stage, but it should be interesting.

But Fatman preparing to die on the hill for his sources as he’s that confident in them being right or what have you doesn’t really change the facts.

We know for a fact that there are no plans for additional dlc and Fatmans theory existed before this was confirmed essentially rendering anything his sources said null and void.

This essentially means the only chance we have a bonus iwata tribute will be if it’s thought up after the column which is a bit too specific to not be a stretch or if it’s included in the fighters pass, which again makes no sense as a 30 year old one off character as downloadable content who would be added more for the surprise of people wondering who it is. I don’t think you should expect it and I’m surprised people are actually considering it at all after the recent column to be honest.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

The reason why I don't believe in predicting things is specifically because with this series, it's easy to be proven wrong and have it backfire on you when you only have a gut feeling to go on from.

Expect the unexpected, and be ready for any possibility.

 

[Swop]

I have to say out of all the possible newcomers that we could ever receive, adding Master chief would be THE most surprising addition in the series, not just because it is a rival mascot from a rival company, but the fact that Halo has never in its existence, been on a Nintendo Console before. You could argue that Joker's game or Cloud's game (pre-Smash 4) would of already surpassed this, but The Persona Series and The Final Fantasy Series in general have already been on a Nintendo Console at least once prior to their inclusion. Master Chief? he has NOTHING under his belt that has any form of ties to Nintendo, it would be insane. (Unless you count Banjo and Kazooie as a bridge to Nintendo from Microsoft that is).

Banjo was my #1, but I love Halo as a series so it would be awesome to see Master Chief 'Finishing the fight' in smash.
(plus the possible wholesome fan art of Banjo showing Chief around in smash would be Kino af)

 

[GolisoPower]

Master Chief? he has NOTHING under his belt that has any form of ties to Nintendo, it would be insane. (Unless you count Banjo and Kazooie as a bridge to Nintendo from Microsoft that is).

I would like to point out that Halo content has appeared on Minecraft on the Switch with the Halo Mash-Up Pack. So he has some ties with Nintendo. Albeit it's not a Halo game...

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I have to say out of all the possible newcomers that we could ever receive, adding Master chief would be THE most surprising addition in the series, not just because it is a rival mascot from a rival company, but the fact that Halo has never in its existence, been on a Nintendo Console before. You could argue that Joker's game or Cloud's game (pre-Smash 4) would of already surpassed this, but The Persona Series and The Final Fantasy Series in general have already been on a Nintendo Console at least once prior to their inclusion. Master Chief? he has NOTHING under his belt that has any form of ties to Nintendo, it would be insane. (Unless you count Banjo and Kazooie as a bridge to Nintendo from Microsoft that is).

Banjo was my #1, but I love Halo as a series so it would be awesome to see Master Chief 'Finishing the fight' in smash.
(plus the possible wholesome fan art of Banjo showing Chief around in smash would be Kino af)

Imagine him being revealed on the same day that a Halo collection gets announced. The loophole would be stretched to its absolute limit, and it'd be glorious.

I would like to point out that Halo content has appeared on Minecraft on the Switch with the Halo Mash-Up Pack. So he has some ties with Nintendo. Albeit it's not a Halo game...

Still beats 2B (who has only a single SE game to her name) appearing on a Sega game on Switch, a specific version of said game that has yet to be exported on top of that...

 

[Lionfranky]

https://www.windowscentral.com/vete...e-and-loses-massive-haul-worth-estimated-5000

New book announced. As much as Halo 5 story deserves all the criticism, it is much worse just to ditch it next game. I'm kinda glad that they didn't choose half assed route to ignore.

 

[Gazorpazorpfield]

https://www.windowscentral.com/vete...e-and-loses-massive-haul-worth-estimated-5000

New book announced. As much as Halo 5 story deserves all the criticism, it is much worse just to ditch it next game. I'm kinda glad that they didn't choose half assed route to ignore.

Well... if they ditched the ridiculous Cortana villain arc and guardian shtick, I'm not sure I'd be mad. Either way, Infinite takes place four years after the events of Halo 5, so the story can technically follow it while being distant from all the narrative baggage.

Based on the trailers though, Cortana's still evil, so eh. I just want them to get the Halo 4/5 stuff over with and do something new.

 

[Lionfranky]

Well... if they ditched the ridiculous Cortana villain arc and guardian shtick, I'm not sure I'd be mad. Either way, Infinite takes place four years after the events of Halo 5, so the story can technically follow it while being distant from all the narrative baggage.

Based on the trailers though, Cortana's still evil, so eh. I just want them to get the Halo 4/5 stuff over with and do something new.

I can see where you are coming from, but they still need to tread carefully. I have to disagree with Halo 4 stuff. Halo 4 actually set interesting stuff. Halo 5 and comics ditched those set up.

 

[NoOtherPersona]

https://www.windowscentral.com/vete...e-and-loses-massive-haul-worth-estimated-5000

New book announced. As much as Halo 5 story deserves all the criticism, it is much worse just to ditch it next game. I'm kinda glad that they didn't choose half assed route to ignore.

Man I just like the fact that its looking like halo again I don't care for the style change from 3 to 4 and 5 the designs aren't as good some armors look good but there are a lot that are bad plus look at fred and Kelly they got there halo legends appearance I'm loving those arm knifes.

 

[Smasherfan88]

I can see where you are coming from, but they still need to tread carefully. I have to disagree with Halo 4 stuff. Halo 4 actually set interesting stuff. Halo 5 and comics ditched those set up.

He's right here actually. At one point an still living Didact was supposed to be the main antagonist of five but the idea was scrapped for Cortana. For some reason. If I recall though the Didact is confirmed still alive regardless but... they purposely did it in an way where he couldn't affect the story.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

I didn't mind the concept of Cortana becoming the villain, but the execution of it and how the story was laid out with the writers of Halo 4's spartan ops did not help.

 

[LightKnight]

The way I see it, a FP3 is 'confirmed' not to be planned as of right now. Whether you take that to mean it confirms FP3 isn't happening or FP3 is in conversation would either way be a bit of a jump from their statements. Its basically the same situation as FP1. Pretty sure they just want us to focus on what is currently happening regardless of what is going to happen.

"Master Chief Finishes The Fight!" is definitely a top contender. Though, idk how well it fits into the context of the situation so maybe it would be modified? Or they could relate the phrase to giving the Covenant back their bomb, or Chief needing a weapon.

Didact or Cortana both could have worked as villains individually for Halo 5 but I think we all agree in the end it just wasn't handled well. Cortana was split into many parts in Halo 4 but Halo 5 gave the impression the 'real' Cortana is what we were seeing. It would have been much more compelling and less of a smear to the character if it was revealed this was a very corrupt version of her. Heck, there are fan theories out there that Cortana might be sinisterly affected by her time with the Gravemind. If it were true and 343 ran with that it'd help the continuity of the series. My guess is H5 was a combination of a different agenda and poor writing. Hopefully things go the right direction in Infinite though.

 

[Desert Croc]

The way I see it, a FP3 is 'confirmed' not to be planned as of right now. Whether you take that to mean it confirms FP3 isn't happening or FP3 is in conversation would either way be a bit of a jump from their statements. Its basically the same situation as FP1. Pretty sure they just want us to focus on what is currently happening regardless of what is going to happen.

"Master Chief Finishes The Fight!" is definitely a top contender. Though, idk how well it fits into the context of the situation so maybe it would be modified? Or they could relate the phrase to giving the Covenant back their bomb, or Chief needing a weapon.

Didact or Cortana both could have worked as villains individually for Halo 5 but I think we all agree in the end it just wasn't handled well. Cortana was split into many parts in Halo 4 but Halo 5 gave the impression the 'real' Cortana is what we were seeing. It would have been much more compelling and less of a smear to the character if it was revealed this was a very corrupt version of her. Heck, there are fan theories out there that Cortana might be sinisterly affected by her time with the Gravemind. If it were true and 343 ran with that it'd help the continuity of the series. My guess is H5 was a combination of a different agenda and poor writing. Hopefully things go the right direction in Infinite though.

Well, Sakurai has made it clear that this is the last wave of DLC so it really doesn’t matter, plus, after the whole gym incident, I don’t think another Fighter’s Pass is worth it anymore.

 

[Smasherfan88]

Well, Sakurai has made it clear that this is the last wave of DLC so it really doesn’t matter, plus, after the whole gym incident, I don’t think another Fighter’s Pass is worth it anymore.

As of this moment, again.

I think its quite valid still FP3 is possible due to the datamining we know after fighter pass 2 there'd be 4 more open slots for fighters. We also know Sakurai was intending Fighter Pass 1 to be the end of new fighters for Ultimate but got the okay around November of fighter pass 1. It is possible cause of these factors near the end of FP2 FP3 is confirmed.

That said I do agree I'd like Sakurai to stay healthy, that said due to how he operates not even Nintendo or Namco can tell him how much he works, his schedule and everything is entirely up to him. We have to trust he slows down, honestly the year deadline date of FP2 is probably Nintendo trying to tell him "Hey, buddy, you don't have to work so hard."

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

As of this moment, again.

I think its quite valid still FP3 is possible due to the datamining we know after fighter pass 2 there'd be 4 more open slots for fighters. We also know Sakurai was intending Fighter Pass 1 to be the end of new fighters for Ultimate but got the okay around November of fighter pass 1. It is possible cause of these factors near the end of FP2 FP3 is confirmed.

That said I do agree I'd like Sakurai to stay healthy, that said due to how he operates not even Nintendo or Namco can tell him how much he works, his schedule and everything is entirely up to him. We have to trust he slows down, honestly the year deadline date of FP2 is probably Nintendo trying to tell him "Hey, buddy, you don't have to work so hard."

In regards to the whole "no future plans for support" statement, if one doesn't take it at face value, it could be taken to mean "we currently don't know if we'll add other characters until further notice". So in that regard, this reasoning would make sense if they change their minds later. Also depends on how well FP2's characters will do for sales (sure, the last character may definitely be unpopular overall except with a certain subset, but it's a blip in the radar).

Meanwhile, some Western companies continue to have hideously awful work practices in regards to time crunch. Naughty Dog higher-ups haven't just rejected their childhood, but their empathy too: https://twitter.com/GameAnim/status/1238199242256052224

 

[Lionfranky]

In regards to the whole "no future plans for support" statement, if one doesn't take it at face value, it could be taken to mean "we currently don't know if we'll add other characters until further notice". So in that regard, this reasoning would make sense if they change their minds later. Also depends on how well FP2's characters will do for sales (sure, the last character may definitely be unpopular overall except with a certain subset, but it's a blip in the radar).

Meanwhile, some Western companies continue to have hideously awful work practices in regards to time crunch. Naughty Dog higher-ups haven't just rejected their childhood, but their empathy too: https://twitter.com/GameAnim/status/1238199242256052224

343i employer reviews weren't that good in a certain website iirc. I'm not sure their work ethic compared to other western studios. Halo Infinite was given enough time even with new engine development in mind. Still, there have been hiccups like certain people quitting, but they told that it wasn't big issue, saying people quitting happens all the time in gaming industry.

 

[Gazorpazorpfield]

343i employer reviews weren't that good in a certain website iirc. I'm not sure their work ethic compared to other western studios. Halo Infinite was given enough time even with new engine development in mind. Still, there have been hiccups like certain people quitting, but they told that it wasn't big issue, saying people quitting happens all the time in gaming industry.

Well, they aren't gonna say "yeah, we're completely screwed and the game's gonna bomb", ya know? Given 343's track record, I'm reserving judgment until I see a good amount of gameplay.

 

[Lionfranky]

Well, they aren't gonna say "yeah, we're completely screwed and the game's gonna bomb", ya know? Given 343's track record, I'm reserving judgment until I see a good amount of gameplay.

By look of it, I didn't get too much impression of discontent from those employees. One of them even testified iirc. Even critically acclaimed and successful games have stuff like this happening. From what I heard, Santa Monica was on brink of bankruptcy before God of War 4. While not as bad, Guerrila studio kinda got reborn with HZD.

 

[GolisoPower]

By look of it, I didn't get too much impression of discontent from those employees. One of them even testified iirc. Even critically acclaimed and successful games have stuff like this happening. From what I heard, Santa Monica was on brink of bankruptcy before God of War 4. While not as bad, Guerrila studio kinda got reborn with HZD.

I remember there being a story about Chad and Jared Moldenhauer (The co-founders of Studio MDHR) remortgaging their own houses and quitting their jobs to develop Cuphead! That's one story I'm not forgetting anytime soon.

 

[Lionfranky]

I remember there being a story about Chad and Jared Moldenhauer (The co-founders of Studio MDHR) remortgaging their own houses and quitting their jobs to develop Cuphead! That's one story I'm not forgetting anytime soon.

Yeah. That was one of the most touching story I've ever heard. I'm so glad that I paid well for their game. And it sold really well and earned awards. But, that is more of success story than redemption. But, I'm still optimistic about 343i. At least, they don't seem to have bad intent.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Meanwhile, Netherrealm Studios has stories of female employees being mistreated, and researching violent footage to design the gore in recent MK got too much for at least one guy.

So really, 343i doesn't sound nearly as bad as that one.

 

[Izanagi97]

Meanwhile, Netherrealm Studios has stories of female employees being mistreated, and researching violent footage to design the gore in recent MK got too much for at least one guy.

So really, 343i doesn't sound nearly as bad as that one.

Hell, content creators (still) have to edit MK videos before uploading so they don't get demonetized

 

[PsychoJosh]

Meanwhile, Netherrealm Studios has stories of female employees being mistreated, and researching violent footage to design the gore in recent MK got too much for at least one guy.

So really, 343i doesn't sound nearly as bad as that one.

Crunch is already hellish enough but having to look up traumatizing reference material and get nightmares and PTSD from it on top of that?

I've got no sympathy for Netherrealm. If anything bad happens to them it's what they deserve as a company. And I never liked Mortal Kombat anyways.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Even as a lifelong MK fan, kinda can’t help but feel the same. Sure, they’ve taken it slower and easier on the devs during MK11’s DLC cycle, but that doesn’t undo the damage that was done to some of them in finishing the base game on that crunch time.