Bethesda is a good developer but Microsoft is making them worse – Reader’s Feature

metro.co.uk:

A reader worries that Microsoft is taking the wrong attitude with its first party studios, especially Starfield developer Bethesda.

I read the Reader’s Feature about Starfield the other day and couldn’t help but agree. The gameplay footage all looked worryingly familiar, despite it being a brand new franchise in a completely different universe, and I have very little confidence in it turning out well. Bethesda is a good developer, at least in part, but their biggest problem is that they believe their own hype and my worry is that Microsoft is making that worse.

In theory, Microsoft buying Bethesda could be a good thing. One of Bethesda’s biggest issues is their outdated tech and their terrible QA. Microsoft could help with both those things very easily and while I doubt there’s been enough time to do anything about the graphics for Starfield they should be helping out with the bug-checking. If Starfield comes out and it’s the usual glitchy mess though that is going to be a giant red flag.

Recently, Bethesda admitted that they’re already working on Fallout 5 but at the speed they go it’ll be lucky to come out this decade, given they have The Elder Scrolls 6 to finish first. Microsoft should be helping with Elder Scrolls 6 and absolutely should be involved in Fallout 5 from the very start, but why is it I get the feeling they’re not?

Microsoft owns a lot of developers now but it’s going to be a long time before any of their games see the light of day. That’s understandable, but some sources are already suggesting that there’s a problem with how Microsoft are managing them. The Initiative is the obvious one, where Crystal Dynamics had to be brough in to help with their first game and reports saying half the staff have left