Atari - Loses D&D License - Reverts back to Hasbro

Funny how one person mentions they should let CDprojekt do games(2 games to their name) and another states that Bethesda couldn't handle it….weird world we live in.

Not sure what world you're living in but it's certainly not the same one I am. In this world that isn't what I said and even less of what I meant.

I said I'd think Bethesda should do it but I wasn't so confident that I'd say it would be what I'd most want. Some on this board certainly hate them, but as far as chances to see DnD CRPGs get made that aren't crap they're the best positioned and probably the best able to do it. It doesn't hurt that they have a positive relationship with people involved with some of the best DnD based games among the vast quality spectrum they inhabit.

My lack of confidence that such a product would be what I'd hope was not meant to imply confidence in the opposite being likely; I am merely uncertain of what kind of game they would create given the opportunity. Bethesda makes a particular type of game when it comes to RPGs and has done so for quite some time. I have purchased and enjoyed almost every one of them mind you. While I could fill serveral pages with things that were wrong with them in general and individually I did enjoy most of them so I can't say they're bad at making Bethesda-style RPGs.

What I am uncertain of is whether a Bethesda DnD game would be different enough in style and content to differentiate it from Skyrim or even make it an interesting effort on their part. Planescape is a strange and different enough setting at least to overcome that, but I'm not sure what the linceaseability of that neglected setting might be so perhaps Dark Sun would do. A more familiar high-fantasy setting would require them creating a very different feeling game for it to be worth doing - they already have a densely elaborate high-fantasy property so why confuse their own brands. Zenimax might be able to accept another division doing a more Dragon Age: Origins style game but I'm not sure that Bethesda could make an argument for them to do it.

I am confident that they would not decide to acquire the rights unless they were planning to create a game with either a substantially different setting or game-play style than their Elder Scrolls Games. I think they would opt for the uniqueness of setting than creating radically different technology and game-play though. That is less a statement of technical capabilities than it is a realization that they wouldn't be able or allowed by their board to fail to fully utilize the work they've done on Skyrim.

After I play Skyrim I might be able to say whether I think they've be able to focus enough on interesting NPCs and improved ally AI to make say… a Dark Sun or Planescape game that I would hope for using their new technology. Right now I can only say I want them to but I'm uncertain what the results would be or even if they'd want the property.

As far as CD Projeckt doing it goes - I could not claim with confidence that would result in something "great" either. They also make one kind of game and most DnD settings would result in a product that would not automatically be worth the resources for them to do instead of another Witcher product. With them as well as Bethesda the most promising prospects would be either a Dark Sun or Planescape game and what I would be most uncertain about would be their ability to provide meaningful party mechanics; again its not their technical competency I doubt but whether they could justify the effort to alter gameplay that sells quite well without it.
 
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