In what could be a blow to Linux gamers who are fans of Obsidian RPGs, Microsoft is apparently close to acquiring the studio.
Kotaku writes:
One person with knowledge of the deal told Kotaku they’d heard it was “90%” finished. Said a second person: “It’s a matter of when, not if.”
So that sounds basically certain, that Microsoft will soon own Obsidian. Both Microsoft and Obsidian declined to comment on the rumour of course, as companies usually do when deals aren't yet finished.
Naturally, this will be a worry to Linux gamers since this could mean future Obsidian titles may not arrive on Linux like they have before. Obsidian has given Linux fans Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity II and Tyranny recently so it would be a huge shame not to have their next story-driven RPG land on Linux.
Microsoft acquiring anyone always makes me feel quite uneasy, since they could end up requiring future games they publish to be exclusive to their own store therefore locking out Steam. At least if they stayed on Steam and didn't do a Linux version (for whatever reason) of their next set of games, we would have Steam Play's Proton so it wouldn't be such a major issue.
However, Microsoft seems to have done a good job at letting Mojang continue doing their thing with the Java edition of Minecraft so perhaps it will work out okay.
What are your thoughts?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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buenaventura Oct 10, 2018
Yuck, that's terrible :<
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Microsoft has actually changed with the new CEO. So I would not automatically be as pessimistic as we had every reason to be earlier.
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Microsoft has actually changed with the new CEO
lol
Why do you laugh out loud for that? It's true. I'm no MS advocate, far from it, but it's quite a distance from the old "Linux is cancer" from the former CEO, to the current MS that cooperates with Red Hat on their cloud computing platform (Azure), and is a major contributor, both economically and codewise, to major open source projects, even the Linux kernel. They are one of the main sponsors of The Linux Foundation, open sourced several of their frameworks (and a massive part of C#) and even has made a version of their SQL server to run on Linux.
So go ahead, be a stereotypical Linuxhead and laugh at me all you like - but fact remains the same. They are not the same today as they were twenty years ago. I would not be surprised if there will be no difference to the support Bethestda do towards Linux today.
2 Likes, Who?
They "support" Linux where they have to, because they couldn't shut out the competition. Coorporations are not your friends, especially not big ones like Microsoft (and neither is Apple, or Google, or EA, or Amazon, or...).
If they are such a great Linux supporter, show me their recent games running on Linux. State of Decay 2 and Sea of Thieves, both Unreal Engine 4 games. Do they run on Linux? Nope. Heck, you can't even buy them on Steam. Forza Horizon 4? Nope. Ori and the Blind Forest? It's a Unity game! Linux support? Nope.
If they are such a great Linux supporter, show me their recent games running on Linux. State of Decay 2 and Sea of Thieves, both Unreal Engine 4 games. Do they run on Linux? Nope. Heck, you can't even buy them on Steam. Forza Horizon 4? Nope. Ori and the Blind Forest? It's a Unity game! Linux support? Nope.
9 Likes, Who?
People often try to assign human emotions and intentions to Microsoft, but it's a corporation. It exists to make money for shareholders, and it will buy and sell its CEO's own mother if it means making an extra few dollars. Having said that, if they find Linux versions of games to be profitable, they might release some, but if Linux ever became serious competition, that would stop.
3 Likes, Who?
Well, feels like Microsoft answer to Valve Linux embrace & improvement is to buy game studios and start to planning a revenue constriction.I really do hope Valve have some serious other games lined up. They have some seriously good IP that need a refresh and continuation like Left 4 Dead 3, Team Fortress 3, Half-Life 3, Portal 3 and so on.
I could happily go for some L4D3.
They need more than Artifact (even though I've no doubt it will be a ridiculous hit) and In The Valley of Gods.
They could do an "orange box 2" if they really want to avoid the "3" in their names :D
Liam, an interview with both Microsoft and Obsidian would be nice to have after the deal is publicized. Pinning a few statements in an article would be nice, especially as their number one priority will be to reassure fans after the deal :)
Have them go on the record about their DRM, Linux, etc. plans, even if it's just to say "undertermined"/"no plans".
Microsoft has actually changed with the new CEO. So I would not automatically be as pessimistic as we had every reason to be earlier.
That's not untrue, but let's not forget Microsoft has multiple departments whose politics and interests wildly differs (although that's getting better). So while their cloud department has exhibited some promising behaviour (and Satya Nadella having put more emphasis on this one), I wouldn't take that for granted.
http://bonkersworld.net/organizational-charts (must-see chart)
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Pfft, Microsoft is only playing "nice" with Linux because they have it exactly where they want it to be: widespread enough so that they can present it as "competition" when they are under antitrust-scrutiny, but far from being a real threat.
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I want to buy their games so badly... I loved NWN, this should just be about the same.
But time and budget.
Although with Proton out, if I buy a windows game, I also buy a linux game around the same value.
With the exception of GTA V, the linux games was a little less expensive :-).
But time and budget.
Although with Proton out, if I buy a windows game, I also buy a linux game around the same value.
With the exception of GTA V, the linux games was a little less expensive :-).
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They "support" Linux where they have to, because they couldn't shut out the competition. Coorporations are not your friends, especially not big ones like Microsoft (and neither is Apple, or Google, or EA, or Amazon, or...).
Your view is far too binary. The world isn't so black/white, and all corporations are not your enemy. Google contribute a *lot* to the Open Source communities (in fact I'm surprised you even included them in your list). And don't forget that Valve is a corporation too. As well as Feral. Or any of the other corporations that indeed are whom we can thank for why we got more or less every gaming title that's running on our platform today.
If they are such a great Linux supporter, show me their recent games running on Linux.
I don't see the need to. What I'm saying, is that it's LESS of a danger NOW that Bethesdas current (and let's be frank, already very limited) Linux support will die with a purchase, compared to with the Microsoft we knew before. Microsoft has changed attitude towards Linux, That's just how it is. The former Microsoft would not have cooperated with Canonical to bring Ubuntu to Windows 10. They would not have included Ubuntu in their Windows Store.
If they purchase Bethesda I would not be surprised if the current edition of Microsoft didn't change much of Bethesdas strategies at all. That's all I'm saying. Take their takeover of Mojang, that didn't change much of their strategies with Minecraft? Also ref the recent news about them opensourcing more of Minecraft. That's not the Microsoft we knew 15 years ago.
Last edited by Beamboom on 10 October 2018 at 1:20 pm UTC
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Xbox on cloud + windows store + companies adquisition = no sounds good
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Google contribute a *lot* to the Open Source communities
Yes, when it benefitted them. And then they sold their user's data to advertisers, because that benefitted them as well. And they kept quiet about data breaches, because that benefitted them. As long as they can make money, all is fair game to them. Capitalism.
And don't forget that Valve is a corporation too
Yes, and it should be well known that I have a heck of a lot of issues with Valve.
As well as Feral
And hell do I have problems with Feral. I mean, I *did* have a job interview with them a few years ago. And I did not sign the contract they've offered me.
I repeat: cooperations are not your friend.
Microsoft has changed attitude towards Linux, That's just how it is.
If that's what you need to tell yourself to sleep at night, fine. But I'm telling you, you have a too romanticized view on it.
5 Likes, Who?
Pfft, Microsoft is only playing "nice" with Linux because they have it exactly where they want it to be: widespread enough so that they can present it as "competition" when they are under antitrust-scrutiny, but far from being a real threat.
Microsoft has a feet on every boat. They know that the future is in the cloud and that's why they created Azzure and have good relations with Linux now. Their current behavior marks that in a far away future it's quite probable that may end up ditching their NT kernel and start using Linux (of course, with all their proprietary subsystems over it). Not to mention that Linux systems has make big improvements to be a better gaming platform and if you add the big support for virtual environments and network subsystems it has, it makes it a way more appealing system to develop games in the cloud.
Antitrust is definitely not a concern for them, they can avoid any problem with many bribes (as they always did). Right now I feel that their main concern is to keep on good health their main revenue source, which is keeping alive their subsystems service monopoly on this cloud-based service transition.
Last edited by x_wing on 10 October 2018 at 2:21 pm UTC
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I think this can be a good thing. Many Obsidian games suffer from strange bugs long after release due to funding problems. I'm not that worried that Microsoft will mess things up, as they have shown the desire to change recently.
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To me it sounds a lot like Microsoft is trying to get a grip on the gaming market as a publisher, so they don't become irrelevant if/when Windows is no longer the main platform. Right now, Windows 10 is slowly but steadily losing market share in favor of macOS, Linux and even flipping Windows 7 (tho, not enough to make up for 10's loss). Currently MS is more defensive than ever in trying to future proof their relevance, even tho it looks like they're playing their cards against competitors. Them buying GitHub and all those game publishers is a clear sign of that. Maybe I'm wrong, but this theory is not out of the question.
Could be, but I feel that they are becoming irrelevant as a main platform because of their own actions. If they would want to avoid all their current problems with W10 (which is one of the main reason they are "losing" market), they would have to build again all their QA department that they destroyed around 2012. From my point of view, GitHub buying points towards to make stronger their Azzure platform.
Definitely this game Studios acquisitions were made in order to make stronger their store (which means to attack Steam revenues & market), but I'm not sure if their store will be Windows exclusive for the times to come.
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Yeah saw it coming if it wasnt microsoft it was going to be zenimax, cant stay independent it seems these days and stay competative with big triple a games same as Ninja theory. A real shame but not a surprise.
Last edited by Whitewolfe80 on 10 October 2018 at 4:57 pm UTC
Last edited by Whitewolfe80 on 10 October 2018 at 4:57 pm UTC
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I still think Valve should release a SteamOS/Linux exclusive title, say, for a month, before hitting losedoze. If you want to play it within the first month you'll have to do it on SteamOS/Linux. Would shake things up a bit for sure.
More than anything, it would be a shot across the bow that doesn't just threaten the Windows/Microsoft Store's potential monopoly, but would threaten Windows' existing monopoly itself if any AAA title was a SteamOS/Linux exclusive.
Granted, I know most people hate platform/OS exclusives. But literally everyone else has done it except SteamOS/Linux (ok, excluding the small FOSS games out there). What better way to show the market potential; or better, to show that for many gamers, there's no such thing as platform/OS loyalty if there's an awesome game out there to be played.
Fairly soon, there'll be a day where enough devs use cross-platform tools and APIs. Compilers and Debuggers will work the same for all targeted platforms, API calls work the same across all platforms (Vulkan<3<3<3). Middleware won't rely on some archaic, unstable and proprietary framework that is only supported on the big OS.
We're not there yet, and have a ways to go. But look at how far we've come?
Valve wont do that thought the bigger market by far is on the windows platform they would lose so much money making a big game like half life 3 linux exclusive. The issue is if they did that you would get a bunch of dual booters the majority of which would ditch linux as soon as they finish the game.
Last edited by Whitewolfe80 on 10 October 2018 at 4:59 pm UTC
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Well, yeah . . . but they'd be sort of acclimatized. They might keep the Linux partition around in case of another exclusive. And then, they might use Linux to browse for a bit next time Windows did something annoying. And then, who knows? After a while they might notice Linux was better.I still think Valve should release a SteamOS/Linux exclusive title, say, for a month, before hitting losedoze. If you want to play it within the first month you'll have to do it on SteamOS/Linux. Would shake things up a bit for sure.
More than anything, it would be a shot across the bow that doesn't just threaten the Windows/Microsoft Store's potential monopoly, but would threaten Windows' existing monopoly itself if any AAA title was a SteamOS/Linux exclusive.
Granted, I know most people hate platform/OS exclusives. But literally everyone else has done it except SteamOS/Linux (ok, excluding the small FOSS games out there). What better way to show the market potential; or better, to show that for many gamers, there's no such thing as platform/OS loyalty if there's an awesome game out there to be played.
Fairly soon, there'll be a day where enough devs use cross-platform tools and APIs. Compilers and Debuggers will work the same for all targeted platforms, API calls work the same across all platforms (Vulkan<3<3<3). Middleware won't rely on some archaic, unstable and proprietary framework that is only supported on the big OS.
We're not there yet, and have a ways to go. But look at how far we've come?
Valve wont do that thought the bigger market by far is on the windows platform they would lose so much money making a big game like half life 3 linux exclusive. The issue is if they did that you would get a bunch of dual booters the majority of which would ditch linux as soon as they finish the game.
2 Likes, Who?
Kimyrielle Oct 10, 2018
The bigger overall concern about this is why, as a society, we think market concentration is a good thing and accept it so readily, when everyone who ever read past the preface of a economics textbook knows that market concentration is bad?
I don't get that.
Companies buying other companies should be something that's allowed only in exceptional circumstances.
But hey, we don't seem to have a problem with a half dozen mega-corporations pretty much controlling Earth's food supply, so video games are probably fine to be controlled by a monopoly, too.
*shrug*
I don't get that.
Companies buying other companies should be something that's allowed only in exceptional circumstances.
But hey, we don't seem to have a problem with a half dozen mega-corporations pretty much controlling Earth's food supply, so video games are probably fine to be controlled by a monopoly, too.
*shrug*
3 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Oct 10, 2018
Why couldn't it have been InXile?:><:
Why would you want inXile to be bought by MS? Beside, Brian Fargo wouldn't sell his company. It wasn't like Interplay was bought by MS either. inXile makes some of the best games around and to note, I'm pretty sure Obsidian is made up of a lot of the old Black Isle guys, who used to work for Brian Fargo!
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