Ori and the Will of the Wisps director Thomas Mahler has weighed in on video game releases that fall short of expectations at launch, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man's Sky. Mahler took issue with companies surfing their games and disappointing consumers, and the game's director took to the popular gaming forum Resetera to air his grievances. In a lengthy post, Mahler expresses his disgust with the "snake oil salesmen of the game," saying it all started with Dungeon Keeper and Fable Fame's Peter Molyneux, who had a history of overly embellishing what players could achieve in the games. titles you were working on. in. about. “It all started with Molyneux. He was the master of "Instead of telling you what my product is, let me go wild with what I think it could be and turn you on," Mahler wrote. "And that was fine, until you put your money in and then the game was nothing like what Peter wanted it to be." “He's been pulling this shit for a good decade or more with reporters and players loving hearing about Uncle Peter and the amazing things he does for the industry. He had to come up with very bad games for the press and the players to finally stop listening to the lies.
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(Image credit: Hello Games) Mahler then turns to Hello Games founder and CEO Sean Murray, the studio behind No Man's Sky, a game that was notoriously disappointing at launch compared to the hype surrounding the game. “Then came Sean Murray, who had apparently learned straight from Peter Molyneux's textbook. This guy apparently loved being in the spotlight,” Mahler wrote. “Even days before No Man's Sky was released, he threw in multiplayer that didn't even exist and was only too happy to let people think No Man's Sky was 'Minecraft in Space,' where you could literally do anything. a common theme behind game snake oil sellers, because hey, it appeals to everyone!). “Obviously there was a huge reaction when No Man's Sky was finally released and the product had nothing to do with what Murray had made of it,” Mahler continues. “But what happened then? They released a bunch of updates, so let's forget about the initial lies and deceit and, hey, we're showering him with bounties again because he finally delivered what he said would be the game years early.
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(Image credit: CD Projekt Red) Mahler naturally cites Cyberpunk 2077 as the latest game that failed to create unrealistic expectations ahead of release, to the point where the game is no longer available for purchase on the PlayStation Store due to countless bugs and performance issues. “And then came Cyberpunk. Made by the guys who made Witcher 3, so this shit had to be good. This is our Cyberpunk universe and believe us, you can do it all! Here, the entire PR department at CDPR took all the cues of what worked for Molyneux and Murray and just went completely nuts** with it,” Mahler wrote. “Players had to believe it was 'First Person Sci-Fi GTA.' What's not to like? Each video released by CDPR was carefully crafted to create an image in the players' minds that was simply unbelievably compelling. Mahler also points out that this type of practice is not only harmful to consumers and the industry as a whole, but also has an impact on developers. “And let me also say, from a developer perspective, this whole thing sucks. In 2014, I remember a reporter from a major publication telling us that Ori almost landed the cover of a magazine he read frequently, but in the end they had to pick No Man's Sky because it was "the biggest game," Mahler said. “I agreed at the time, like, 'Okay, I get it, they have to promote the biggest game, obviously they have to go for clicks. It sucks, but that's how the game is played. "But then I got really confused once No Man's Sky came out and it became clear that all this hype was based on lies and the honest guy who just showed off his actual product was really hit the balls because the guy was capable of coming up with big short stories that have absolutely no substance.
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Perhaps a bit predictably, Mahler has since apologized for his impassioned Twitter post, stating that “we should always be respectful of one another. And I didn't go yesterday. < p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yeah, I screwed up yesterday. Here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/4gH0KGxURAF February 4, 2021 While Mahler's delivery has certainly outpaced his tone and delivery, video game companies tend to get carried away. Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man's Sky are sadly just a few examples of games seriously disappointing gamers at launch. Ubisoft's Watch Dogs and Gearbox Software's Alien: Colonial Marines are two other titles that are now infamous for the difference in the final experience. We can't blame a company or developer for promoting their own games, but more realistic advertising would be greatly appreciated. It would help avoid the kind of outrage that comes when a game falls short of a developer's lofty goals, and it would also give consumers more confidence when it comes to pre-ordering a title. But with development costs rising with each generation and the margin of success narrower than ever, we honestly don't expect to see a change in direction any time soon. Today's best deals on Ori and the Will of the Wisps
