Obsidian and The Outer Worlds expose Bethesda as the frauds they are and have been

[Gladius Legis]

Brilliant writing, spectacular setting design, engaging characters, meaningful choice and consequence.

And no stupid microtransactions or other disgusting money-making schemes.

Meanwhile Bethesda is doing really dumb crap like a $100/year premium subscription for their colossal failure that is Fallout 76.

 

[Umbran]

"Fraud" means something pretty specific. "You make me pay more, and in ways I don't care for, to play your game," is not fraud.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of fraud:

1a: DECEIT, TRICKERY
specifically : intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right
was accused of credit card fraud

b: an act of deceiving or misrepresenting : TRICK
automobile insurance frauds

2a: a person who is not what he or she pretends to be : IMPOSTOR
He claimed to be a licensed psychologist, but he turned out to be a fraud.
also : one who defrauds : CHEAT

b: one that is not what it seems or is represented to be
The UFO picture was proved to be a fraud.

...

Bethesda pretends to be a respected game publisher and developer. Some of its fans still pretend it is a respected game publisher and developer, perhaps on its past successes. Bethesda, within the last couple of years, is NOT a respected game publisher and developer.

It's not the legal definition of fraud (that would be the 1a entry), but it does fall under another valid and existing definition of the word.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Before this becomes a thread completely about semantics (like all threads do) I will say Obsidian has given me better Bioware fantasy style games than Bioware is giving these days with Pillars of Eternity, and now a better Fallout style game than Bethesda is giving me these days.

They understand the kind of geek I am and what I value in a game. Which means they get my money.

 

[Umbran]

Bethesda pretends to be a respected game publisher and developer. Some of its fans still pretend it is a respected game publisher and developer, perhaps on its past successes. Bethesda, within the last couple of years, is NOT a respected game publisher and developer.

With respect, dude, you don't get to say, "I declare them to not be respected, and therefore everyone who says otherwise is a fraudluent, lying liarpants!" You have an opinion about Bethesda. That's fine. But it is your opinion, not an established fact such that others are lying if they don't agree with you.

You have not been granted the title of Arbiter of Game Development Reputation by any relevant source. So, please dial it back, before you insult someone in your fervor.

 

[Gradine]

Didn't Obsidian already do this once before with Fallout: New Vegas?

Bethesda is garbage, for sure. But we already knew Obsidian made better games than them. Just... also way more buggy and incomplete (at first) also (yes, more buggy than Bethesda games, Obsidian does tend to clear that bar).

 

[Gladius Legis]

With all respect, all the evidence is on my side.

Fallout 76 has a 52 on Metacritic.

Another recent Bethesda product, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, has a 69 on Metacritic.

Fallout 76 has combined sales of 2.46 million across all 3 platforms (PS4, XB1, PC). For a AAA title, that's ... not good.

In the UK, Fallout 76 sales had tanked 82% from Fallout 4.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Didn't Obsidian already do this once before with Fallout: New Vegas?

Bethesda is garbage, for sure. But we already knew Obsidian made better games than them. Just... also way more buggy and incomplete (at first) also (yes, more buggy than Bethesda games, Obsidian does tend to clear that bar).

Obsidian has always been better, yes, but Bethesda has gotten EA-greedy lately on top of being inferior. And while I certainly didn't care for Fallout 3 and 4, Bethesda's most recent offerings (76, Youngblood) are another level of awful.

 

[Gradine]

Obsidian has always been better, yes, but Bethesda has gotten EA-greedy lately on top of being inferior. And while I certainly didn't care for Fallout 3 and 4, Bethesda's most recent offerings (76, Youngblood) are another level of awful.

They probably got a taste of that MMO live-service money from ESO and it developed into a nasty habit. I mean hell with all the Skyrim re-releases and remasters and VR editions I guess Skyrim could very well have been called live-service for a time.

I'm probably still going to foolishly cling to hope for Elder Scrolls VI being a return to form but I will probably just be disappointed again.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

With all respect, all the evidence is on my side.

Here's a fun game...I just went metacritic and grabbed 4 Non-Fallout games from Bethesda and 4 Non-Fallout games from Obsidian released in the last 10 years. I only picked games that I have heard of, and that I would consider "popular". Guess which set of scores belongs to which company.

94,91,85,82

Spoiler: Click here for the games

Dishonored, Skyrim, Doom 2016, Prey

89,88,86,85

Spoiler: Click here for the games

Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity 2, The Outer Worlds, The Stick of Truth