- 14 hours ago
- #thecseeklyrecap
- #gamingnews
- #opinion
- #discussion
Hello there. Welcome to The Cseekly Recap. I’m your host, Csomm and this is a recap of selected news I have covered this week that I find to be interesting.
#thecseeklyrecap #gamingnews #opinion #discussion
Like, share, subscribe and all that good stuff!
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:17 Avowed 2 in development? Good God…
06:51 Todd want to make TES6 properly
13:35 Star Wars Eclipse is in big bantha poodoo
20:06 Outro
Sources:
Article 1: https://frvr.com/blog/xboxs-obsidian-is-working-on-avowed-2-with-a-new-director-reveals-co-founder/
Article 2: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/todd-howard-on-the-elder-scrolls-6-we-need-to-get-it-right/
Article 3: https://insider-gaming.com/quantic-dream-strike-aims-to-save-star-wars-eclipse-development/
For more content check me out at https://www.youtube.com/@realcsomm
#thecseeklyrecap #gamingnews #opinion #discussion
Like, share, subscribe and all that good stuff!
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:17 Avowed 2 in development? Good God…
06:51 Todd want to make TES6 properly
13:35 Star Wars Eclipse is in big bantha poodoo
20:06 Outro
Sources:
Article 1: https://frvr.com/blog/xboxs-obsidian-is-working-on-avowed-2-with-a-new-director-reveals-co-founder/
Article 2: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/todd-howard-on-the-elder-scrolls-6-we-need-to-get-it-right/
Article 3: https://insider-gaming.com/quantic-dream-strike-aims-to-save-star-wars-eclipse-development/
For more content check me out at https://www.youtube.com/@realcsomm
Category
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GamingTranscript
00:00Hey hey hey, it's time for another edition of the Cheekly Recap.
00:03I'm your host Chom, and this is a selection of news I have covered this week.
00:07The footage behind is from the game Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2, The Sith Lords.
00:13Let's get started with the first news of the week, which is all about Avowed 2.
00:17It seems Obsidian is working on Avowed 2 with a new director.
00:21And this is a very interesting news to me for various reasons, which I will disclose later,
00:26but I would take it with a healthy dose of caution,
00:30because none of this has been officially confirmed by Xbox or Obsidian.
00:34Most of it comes from comments by former Obsidian co-founder Chris Avalon.
00:39And the important thing here is that he no longer works at the studio,
00:44but apparently still has connections there.
00:46So why am I interested in this news?
00:48Well, I played the game, I made a review about it, and you can check it out if you wanna.
00:53But long story short, it was pretty shit.
00:56I could go on and on about what was bad in that game.
01:00But it's safe to say that Avowed wasn't a blockbuster on a level of Skyrim.
01:05And don't get me wrong, when we saw initial trailers and reveals and whatever they dished out,
01:10the game had amazing potential.
01:12Not to mention, it was Obsidian who was making the game,
01:15and we all know what happened with Fallout New Vegas.
01:18That is how legendary that game became.
01:21And it's still, to this day, one of the greatest RPGs ever made.
01:25So, when you actually started playing the game, it seems like we were heavily,
01:30and I mean it, heavily catfished.
01:33Because the game looked nothing like the trailers.
01:35Or at least, it looked nothing like we thought.
01:39And there are many reasons for that.
01:40I think I also made a video about it.
01:42I don't really remember.
01:43More incentive for you guys to go through my channel and see what I was doing.
01:47But anyway, if you take a look how the game was developed under the previous leadership,
01:53new leadership may not be a bad thing.
01:55The new guy who's going to be the replacement has an excellent pedigree.
02:00He worked on Neverwinter Nights 2, Mask of the Betrayer,
02:03Dead State, Pillars of Eternity, and Tyranny.
02:06So, if we take that as a reference point,
02:10a wowed 2 might lean more heavily into deep roleplaying systems and stronger narrative design.
02:16However, considering what a wowed is now,
02:20that is what kind of turd we have in front of us,
02:23I am going to be extremely skeptical when it comes to this game.
02:27Because you know what they say.
02:29Fool me once, shame on you.
02:31Fool me twice, shame on me.
02:33I believed Obsidian once that the game is going to be a good game.
02:37So, that ain't gonna happen anymore.
02:40It's only when I see proper gameplay and gameplay features properly fleshed out,
02:45only then would I consider to buy it.
02:49But then again, considering I'm doing this review bullshit,
02:52and this is me speaking as a reviewer,
02:54I am actually kinda curious to see if they can fix what was bad with the first game.
03:01And there were a lot of things that didn't work there, let me tell you that.
03:05Also, I worry that a sequel is the easy answer here.
03:09This may sound harsh, but I wonder if a wowed 2 is being made because Microsoft needs franchises
03:15rather than because there was an overwhelming demand for another game.
03:20Yeah, there was an overwhelming demand for another game from the Pillars universe,
03:24but I can say with 100% certainty, nobody wants what a wowed was in the form of a wowed
03:322.
03:32My bet would be that people want what Pillars of Eternity 1 and Pillars of Eternity 2 was.
03:38At least that's my view, because I played both of those games and they were pretty good.
03:43And then you have a wowed as a comparison to the older stuff and, oh my god,
03:48it's nowhere near good like the old stuff was.
03:52So, I don't really know what's their angle here, but in the long run it doesn't matter.
03:57If they want to repeat history and make another shitty game,
04:01you know, by all means you can do that, nobody's stopping you.
04:04What I would do, however, is I would totally scrap a wow to begin with.
04:09I would actually work hard for people to forget that game
04:13and focus making Pillars of Eternity 3.
04:16Because remember, sequels should exist because players overwhelmingly want more,
04:22maybe the first game had incredible ideas that deserved expansion,
04:26or there's a passionate community demanding another entry.
04:29And I don't really see any of that with a wowed.
04:33The only time that I saw that people were saying that they cannot wait for a wowed 2,
04:38well, that was a very fringe minority.
04:40Probably people who don't know what a good game is,
04:43or people who have very low expectations.
04:47I mean, there's plenty of those, so what do I know?
04:49And if majority of people are saying the game is, you know, okay-ish,
04:54I think that is a weird foundation on which to build a franchise,
04:57especially when Microsoft is cutting costs and restructuring studios.
05:01Anyway, I will end this with two things.
05:04The first thing is that I think this reflects a bigger Xbox problem.
05:08Microsoft seems obsessed with manufacturing franchises instead of letting them emerge naturally.
05:14It kinda reminds me a bit of Ubisoft.
05:16But the point here is that not every game needs a sequel,
05:19and not every IP needs to be a trilogy.
05:22Sometimes a game comes out, receives a lukewarm response, and you basically move on.
05:28But instead, Xbox has spent years throwing money at projects,
05:32hoping one of them becomes the next Halo or Elder Scrolls.
05:35And meanwhile, some of their most interesting projects remain a niche.
05:40The second thing that I would like to point out is,
05:43I actually wonder if Obsidian's talents are being wasted here.
05:47Remember, this is the same studio that made Pentiment on a relatively tiny budget.
05:52And that game had more personality, artistic vision, and confidence than Avowed ever did.
05:59So in that sense, I would rather see, for example, Tyranny 2, a new isometric RPG,
06:06maybe some kind of a spiritual successor to New Vegas, or something completely original.
06:12And instead, we are getting something that many people already have forgotten.
06:17It's kinda interesting if I wanna be cynical a bit,
06:19because this sounds less like Avowed was a success and deserves a sequel,
06:23and more like we spent years and millions creating this IP, so we have to keep going.
06:29And that is a sunk cost thinking.
06:31But I mean, okay, if Microsoft wants to burn money, by all means, do whatever you want.
06:37Just don't expect that people are going to flock to Avowed 2,
06:41unless you make it much, much better in comparison to what first Avowed was.
06:46Next news article is all about Bethesda and Elder Scrolls 6.
06:51And this time, our boy Todd says that they need to get it right.
06:56Now, this is one of those statements that sounds reassuring on the surface,
07:01but it also highlights the uneasy reality surrounding the Elder Scrolls 6.
07:06Todd Howard saying we need to get it right is absolutely true.
07:10The problem is that Bethesda has put itself in a position where getting it right isn't enough anymore.
07:17After 8 years of silence, expectations are, as far as I'm concerned, really, really high.
07:24But let's start with a good news.
07:26The fact that Howard says most of Bethesda Game Studios is now working on Elder Scrolls 6
07:31suggests the game is finally in full production mode.
07:34And that's a significant thing,
07:36because for years the project was effectively on the back burner
07:40while the studio focused on Starfield and its expansions.
07:44So if the majority of the studio is now dedicated to Elder Scrolls 6,
07:48you could reasonably expect development is going to accelerate.
07:52However, what really stands out for me is Howard admitting
07:56he questions whether announcing the game in 2018 was the right decision.
08:00And to be honest, he is right to question it.
08:03That reveal trailer has become one of the strangest announcements in gaming history.
08:08I mean, when I saw it for the first time,
08:11I kind of expected that the game is going to come out
08:13in at least, I don't know, 4, maybe 5 years.
08:17But it turns out, Bethesda essentially announced a game
08:20that barely existed at the time.
08:22There was no gameplay, no story details,
08:25no release window,
08:26and 8 years later,
08:27we still don't know anything about the game.
08:30Also, Todd's saying, just pretend we didn't announce it,
08:34it's kinda funny,
08:35but it also feels like an acknowledgement that the reveal was a mistake.
08:38I mean, imagine announcing a game
08:41and then disappearing for nearly a decade.
08:43Most studios would probably get absolutely roasted for that.
08:47But when I think about it, Bethesda is getting roasted,
08:51so I guess there's that as well.
08:53One thing I need to emphasize,
08:55this isn't just another Bethesda game.
08:57This is the sequel to The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim,
09:00one of the most influential RPGs ever made.
09:04Skyrim has sold tens of millions of copies
09:06and has remained relevant for over a decade
09:09through mods, re-releases, and community support.
09:12So the challenge for Bethesda isn't making a good RPG.
09:15The challenge is making a sequel worthy of a game
09:19that has become a cultural phenomenon.
09:21And that's a much harder task,
09:23especially when you take into account
09:26what I call the starfield factor.
09:29You see, whether Bethesda likes it or not,
09:32starfield changed the whole conversation.
09:34When the game launched, I had high expectations for it,
09:38because obviously, why wouldn't I?
09:39But then when I saw what the game is all about,
09:42its exploration systems, loading screens,
09:45repetitive procedural content,
09:47and lack of the seamless world design,
09:49it's fair to say that I was completely disappointed.
09:52And because of that,
09:54I no longer give Bethesda the benefit of the doubts automatically.
09:58Before Starfield, I kinda assumed Elder Scrolls VI would be incredible.
10:04But after Starfield, there are several questions that were going through my head.
10:08For example, has Bethesda evolved enough?
10:11Can the creation engine still compete?
10:14Will exploration feel modern?
10:16Will NPCs and quests be more dynamic?
10:19And finally, and the most important question,
10:22has the studio learned from recent criticism?
10:25Those questions sort of existed on a certain scale a few years ago,
10:31but with Starfield, they have intensified.
10:34So based on this, the biggest risk isn't that the Elder Scrolls VI will be bad.
10:38The biggest risk is that they're going to incorporate what they already produced in Starfield,
10:44make a slightly prettier version of Skyrim?
10:48And that's basically it.
10:49That's the fucking game.
10:50Now, I made a video about what would I like to see in the Elder Scrolls VI,
10:55but basically, these are the things that I expect from the game.
10:59Better combat,
11:00better animations,
11:02better NPC behavior,
11:03more reactive worlds,
11:05stronger storytelling,
11:07and less reliance on loading screens.
11:09Which is basically what Starfield lacked to begin with.
11:12And if Bethesda delivers Skyrim 2,
11:15in the most literal sense,
11:17it's going to be outdated as fuck.
11:20Oh yeah, and let's not forget,
11:22no bugs at launch.
11:24I really wanna play a game from start to finish,
11:27that isn't going to have a game-breaking bug,
11:31or, with me not dreading that something is going to happen,
11:34and then my whole save is going to be tanked.
11:37Because that almost happened,
11:39and what's even funny,
11:41the same bug happened in Fallout 4.
11:44So, from a certain point of view,
11:45it's a good thing,
11:46because I found the fix,
11:48albeit almost barely,
11:50but at the same time,
11:51it shows you that they don't really give a shit about the stability of the game.
11:55And that's not me being mean,
11:57that's just a factual truth.
11:59Now, the fact that Microsoft and Bethesda continue to avoid showing the game,
12:04tells me one thing.
12:05They know exactly how important the first gameplay reveal is.
12:09And if they are smart,
12:11they will probably emulate what we saw for the first time when Skyrim was announced.
12:16There are also talks about waiting until they can show the game,
12:20while saying,
12:21it's coming soon.
12:23And I would argue that's a smart thing to do,
12:25because nobody wants another situation where we are waiting another five years after seeing gameplay.
12:32So, when Elder Scrolls 6 finally reappears,
12:35I expect Bethesda to have a much shorter marketing cycle than people think,
12:39and I would say that probably one to two years from reveal to launch is the right way to do
12:46it.
12:47Finally, I want to say one thing.
12:49Todd Howard is correct.
12:51Bethesda really needs to get this right.
12:53Not because Elder Scrolls is a beloved franchise,
12:56or because Xbox needs exclusives.
12:58They need to make it right,
13:00because the Elder Scrolls 6 has spent eight years transforming from a highly anticipated RPG
13:06into a mythical game that exists mostly in people's imaginations.
13:11And the longer the wait continues,
13:14the harder it becomes to meet expectations.
13:17Also, after the mixed reaction to Starfield,
13:20Bethesda no longer has the luxury of saying,
13:23guys, just trust us.
13:25Now, they have to prove it.
13:29And the final news of this recap is all about Quantic Dream and Star Wars Eclipse.
13:35Quantic Dream Strike aims to save Star Wars Eclipse development.
13:39And I thought to myself,
13:41what the hell is Star Wars Eclipse?
13:43And if you are in the same boat as I am,
13:45well, let me tell you a story.
13:48So, Star Wars Eclipse is one of the most ambitious Star Wars games currently in development.
13:53And also one of the most mysterious ones.
13:56It was announced back in December 2021,
14:00and five years later, there is still no gameplay footage and no release date.
14:05The only thing that we have is this trailer that's running currently in the background.
14:09Anyway, unlike recent Star Wars action games, such as Star Wars Jedi Survivor,
14:14Eclipse is designed as a narrative-driven, action-adventure with multiple playable characters
14:20and branching storylines.
14:22According to the official description,
14:24every major decision can change relationships, locations, battles, and even which characters survive.
14:30It seems that the game takes place during the High Republic era,
14:34which is roughly 200 years before Luke Skywalker and the Galactic Empire.
14:39That means that the Jedi Order is at its peak,
14:41the Republic controls much of the galaxy,
14:44the Outer Rim remains dangerous and politically unstable,
14:47and new factions and species play major roles
14:50instead of the familiar Empire vs. Rebels conflict.
14:53Like I said before, very little has been officially confirmed,
14:57but Quantic Dream says players can expect multiple playable protagonists,
15:01branching narrative, action-adventure gameplay, choice-driven consequences,
15:06several endings, and more traditional gameplay than previous Quantic Dream games,
15:11while still emphasizing storyline.
15:13And by the way, if you don't know about Quantic Dream,
15:15that's the studio behind Detroit Become Human, Heavy Rain, and Beyond Two Souls.
15:20But anyway, since there has been no gameplay reveal,
15:24it's still unclear how much emphasis will be placed on combat, exploration, or RPG mechanics.
15:30So now that I've kinda painted the picture about this mysterious game,
15:35what the hell is Quantic Dream actually doing?
15:38Because again, since the reveal, there has been virtually no official updates,
15:42no gameplay has been shown, no release window has been announced,
15:45and multiple reports have described development as progressing very slowly.
15:49And now, in 2026, we have additional concerns regarding Quantic Dream.
15:56Reports indicate that Quantic Dream's parent company, NetEase,
15:59has been reassessing investments after the commercial failure of another Quantic Dream project.
16:05Although Quantic Dream has publicly stated that Star Wars Eclipse remains in development,
16:10multiple industry reports suggest the project is still years away,
16:14and has faced staffing and production challenges.
16:16And if the reporting is accurate, this is a worrying sign,
16:20not just for Star Wars Eclipse, but for Quantic Dream as a studio.
16:24I mean, games get delayed all the time, especially ambitious AAA titles.
16:28That is kinda normal.
16:30What's more concerning here is a combination of several factors.
16:34Number one, the cancellation of another internal project that was apparently expected to help finance Eclipse.
16:40Number two would be reports of significant understaffing.
16:44Number three would be employees going on strike.
16:47And number four, allegations that management is asking people to work overtime,
16:52despite having fewer developers.
16:54And when you think about all these things,
16:56to me, that paints the picture of a studio trying to ship an extremely expensive game
17:01without having the resources needed to do it.
17:03Because if developers themselves are saying they need over 100 people just to realistically complete a project,
17:10there's a much bigger issue than missing a milestone.
17:14For starters, it seems that the financial situation might be the real problem.
17:18In other words, it was Spellcaster Chronicles that was reportedly expected to generate revenue
17:24that would help fund Eclipse.
17:25And if you know something about project management,
17:28AAA development works best when funding is stable from the start.
17:31If one project has to succeed in order to finance another project that's already in production,
17:37the studio becomes vulnerable.
17:39When that first project gets cancelled, suddenly the entire financial plan falls apart.
17:43So the strike doesn't sound like developers trying to kill the game.
17:47One developer said that the strike is not sabotage, it's an attempt to save the project.
17:52And that tells me morale has probably reached a point
17:55where employees believe the current trajectory simply isn't sustainable.
17:59Also, the Star Wars license raises the stakes.
18:02A Star Wars game isn't just another original IP.
18:05It comes with high licensing costs, expectations from fans, oversight from the IP holder,
18:11and enormous commercial expectations.
18:14I mean, me, speaking as a Star Wars fan,
18:17when I see something that has been in development for 5-6 years,
18:21and I haven't seen anything at this point,
18:24what the hell am I supposed to think about?
18:26Not to mention, I completely forgot about this game altogether,
18:29because there was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing,
18:33from developers to point out what's happening.
18:35Not a single blog post, information of any kind, absolutely nothing.
18:40And obviously, everything increases pressure on everyone involved.
18:43Now, having said all of this, ironically, I'm less worried about delays than I'm about scope cuts.
18:51If management refuses to hire enough people, but also refuses to dramatically reduce scope,
18:56developers often end up trying to achieve the impossible.
18:59And eventually, something has to give.
19:01Whether we are talking about features, polish, release date, or developer well-being.
19:06And none of these outcomes are ideal.
19:09So right now, I wouldn't say Star Wars Eclipse is doomed.
19:12Plenty of games have survived difficult development cycles.
19:15But this is probably the most concerning news I've heard about the project since it was announced.
19:21The combination of many factors such as cancel funding source,
19:25reports of understaffing, overtime, labor strike,
19:28and claims that more than 100 additional developers are needed,
19:31well, that suggests the studio is facing structural problems rather than ordinary development delays.
19:37And if the reports are accurate, I think the healthiest outcome would actually be a major delay
19:42combined with additional investment and a realistic reassessment of the game's scope.
19:47I mean, easier said than done, right?
19:50But that's as far better path than pushing ahead with an overstretched team
19:54and hoping passion alone can compensate for a lack of resources.
19:58And don't forget, history has shown that strategy rarely ends well
20:03for either the developers or the players.
20:06And that's basically it when it comes to the news that I covered this week.
20:09Thanks very much for watching, and as always, I encourage you to leave comments.
20:12I read all of them, and I'm very happy to interact there with you guys.
20:16And also, if you enjoy this content, consider liking it and subscribing for more discussions like this.
20:21And that's it from me, until the next one.
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