EXCLUSIVE: Read the memo 'Starfield' director Todd Howard just shared across Microsoft, Xbox, and Bethesda

[Windows Central]

EXCLUSIVE: The legendary producer, director, and game designer just shared this Xbox / Bethesda-wide memo on Starfield's development and future.

EXCLUSIVE: Read the memo 'Starfield' director Todd Howard just shared across Microsoft, Xbox, and Bethesda : Read more

 

[fdruid]

Sorry, I understand the insight it brings and all, but why should we be reading an INTERNAL memo? Is all journalism this days based on unending scrutiny and corporate theft (sometimes plain theft) in the name of exclusives)? Everything is a leak, everyone working at a tech company is a double agent. This culture of voracious consumption of information and entitlement is sick.

 

[fjtorres5591]

Not all "leaks" are leaks.
Often they are messages the organization wants out without being seen to be saying them.
This "leak" coming today, with Bethesda "acquiescence", is no accident.

If you've followed the catfights around the review codes and salty insinuations floating around the internet, the note shoots down most of the snarky attacks and makes it clear the outfits denied codes were denied for cause, out of strength; not weakness, not fear. No more turning the other cheek. (Remember *why* MS bought ZENIMAX in the first place, as revealed in court.

Consider the note (coming after the review code whining) an unofficial callout to the XBOX haters: STARFIELD is good, Bethesda (and MS) know it, and review bombing is not going to make it anything else.

Consider this the second step in the *real* console war.
Things are about to get interesting.

 

[smartin559]

Sorry, I understand the insight it brings and all, but why should we be reading an INTERNAL memo? Is all journalism this days based on unending scrutiny and corporate theft (sometimes plain theft) in the name of exclusives)? Everything is a leak, everyone working at a tech company is a double agent. This culture of voracious consumption of information and entitlement is sick.

Welcome to the free press. This kind of reporting has been going on since the printing press was invented. It's even one of the things that the US Constitution Guaranteed in the first amendment.

The problem is you thinking it's new. It's not, nor is it entitlement.

 

[fjtorres5591]

Welcome to the free press. This kind of reporting has been going on since the printing press was invented. It's even one of the things that the US Constitution Guaranteed in the first amendment.

The problem is you thinking it's new. It's not, nor is it entitlement.

Not arguing with you, but:

How did the memo come into the hands of WC ?
Did they hack their way into the MS email system?
Or was it forwarded to them by somebody who thought it was something the outside world should know?

Considering the words in the memo, the kudos for their collective achievement and the disrespect being thrown their way ("Starfield can't be any good because you can't land and walk on gas giants!" "Starfield's start screen either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn't care." And the many "professional" gaming sites who saw nothing wrong, defended the slur, and say the game can't possibly be good even though they admit they haven't played it, and far worse..."

The STARFIELD hate is so bad it has spilled outside the ****** space to FORBES and other "serious" media. People who have spent years of their lives crafting that game can't be happy to stand there and take it meekly. Getting that memo out won't stop the hate but at least it screams "We did GOOD work and our BOSSES know it. Soon the gamers will know it too. And those are the only folks that matter: actual players and their bosses.

They have reason to be proud and somebody wanted the word out.
WC agreed.

 

[smartin559]

How did the memo come into the hands of WC ?

It was leaked. Whether by Todd in order to get the word out, or by someone in the company who shared it with a friend doesn't really matter. Todd knows the score, if he doesn't want something to leak, he doesn't send a memo to everyone.

The likelihood that reporters at WC have the talent, time or ethics to steal such a thing is very low. The story isn't big enough to risk the blow-back.

 

[Iamdumbguy]

Sorry, I understand the insight it brings and all, but why should we be reading an INTERNAL memo? Is all journalism this days based on unending scrutiny and corporate theft (sometimes plain theft) in the name of exclusives)? Everything is a leak, everyone working at a tech company is a double agent. This culture of voracious consumption of information and entitlement is sick.

Wont someone thinks of the corpos?

 

[fjtorres5591]

It was leaked. Whether by Todd in order to get the word out, or by someone in the company who shared it with a friend doesn't really matter. Todd knows the score, if he doesn't want something to leak, he doesn't send a memo to everyone.

The likelihood that reporters at WC have the talent, time or ethics to steal such a thing is very low. The story isn't big enough to risk the blow-back.

Exactly.
They want this out and if they didn't when WC checked with MS they would have been "suggested" they preferred it wasn't published.
Bethesda is very anti-leak and they hold grudges.

The story is out because they want it out. Just...deniably.