Destin Legarie Podcast | Save State Plus

South of Midnight director David Sears recently said that if he had been making the financial decisions at Xbox, he wouldn't have funded his own game. I have some serious disagreements with that perspective.

In a recent MinnMax interview, Sears discussed Microsoft's approach to funding smaller, creative projects like South of Midnight and Double Fine's Keeper, suggesting that Xbox's previous spending strategy was ultimately unsustainable.

Let's talk about it.

Sources:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/south-of-midnight-director-says-he-wouldnt-have-funded-it-if-he-was-xbox-and-a-bad-outcome-was-inevitable/

https://kotaku.com/creative-director-says-he-wanted-to-make-south-of-midnight-but-doesnt-think-xbox-should-have-funded-it-2000752408/

#SouthOfMidnight #Xbox #CompulsionGames

Ubisoft reportedly wants to buy Arkane Studios from Xbox, and it's not the only company interested.

According to a new Bloomberg report from Jason Schreier, Ubisoft and at least two other gaming companies have submitted bids for Arkane Lyon, the developer behind Dishonored, Deathloop, and the upcoming Marvel's Blade.

Xbox is also reportedly considering selling the studio to its own management, potentially allowing Arkane to become independent. No deal has been reached, and a December deadline is approaching.

What would Ubisoft owning Arkane mean for Marvel's Blade? Why is Microsoft looking to sell another talented Xbox studio? And could an independent Arkane be the better outcome?

Sources:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-03/xbox-s-arkane-studios-attracts-multiple-bidders-including-ubisoft

#Arkane #Ubisoft #Xbox

The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel is officially real! Bethesda has finally revealed the full title of its next major RPG, along with a new teaser and confirmation that the game takes place in Hammerfell.
After more than eight years since the original announcement, Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios have given fans their first major update in years. But there's still no gameplay or release date, and Bethesda says it will be some time before we learn more.
Let's discuss the reveal, what Sentinel means for The Elder Scrolls 6, and whether Bethesda is finally getting ready to show us more.
Sources:
https://x.com/ElderScrolls/status/2117636239398420789/quotes
https://x.com/TheRealZephryss/status/2117673929603256385

#ElderScrolls6 #Sentinel #Bethesda

I previously covered the abrupt departure of Helen Chiang, Xbox's first Chief Operating Officer, who left Microsoft after 21 years with the company and just three months in her new position.
At the time, it was reported that a source claimed Chiang was terminated for policy violations.
Helen Chiang has now responded publicly, and she's pushing back.
In a lengthy LinkedIn statement titled "Clarity is Kindness," Chiang says that characterization is inaccurate.
She explicitly denies leaking confidential information, leaving to join a competitor, or engaging in a range of serious misconduct.
She also says she never sought the COO position in the first place. Microsoft promoted her into that role in July.
But perhaps the most significant part of the statement is her concern about how Microsoft handled the situation. Chiang questions whether the company's standards of fairness and accountability were applied consistently.
Listen on Spotify https://t.co/T449YDTEX1
Helen's post https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7523070828704477184/

Video game budgets are spiraling out of control, with AAA productions reportedly costing hundreds of millions of dollars. But should we stop comparing budgets just because game companies account for their spending differently?Jason Schreier recently discussed the reported $500 million Gears of War: E-Day figure and explained why comparing development budgets can be misleading. I respect his reporting, but I disagree with the idea that these comparisons aren't worth making.With layoffs, studio closures, rising game prices, and increasingly aggressive monetization, I think understanding how these budgets became so enormous, and what studios are doing to compensate for that is one of the most important conversations in gaming.What do you think? Have major publishers allowed budgets to get out of control?Sources:Jason Schreier — What A $500 Million Game Actually Means: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS5kfdJ0ySoJason's past post on budgetshttps://bsky.app/profile/jasonschreier.bsky.social/post/3mhvx2lohzs2j?utm_source=chatgpt.com#GamingNews #Xbox #GameDevelopment