61 replies to this topic

[InvictusLee]

TLDR; This is a direct message from a long time player of both the game and the franchise to PGI's head guy. Everyone seems to gloss over this topic without ever addressing it directly.

I have a simple, somewhat elegant, somewhat controversial solution to your license issue:
Just buy the BT/MW IP off microsoft.

Now i understand that may be extremely expensive: but hear me out.
From what you and Mr. Katz discuss in your recent podcast interviews.
It seems like your greatest obstacle to doing anything meaningful at all with MWO and MW5 is the licensing situation. If you own the IP, you can take all the time you need in the world to make the business profitable from a business standpoint while creating a superior mechwarrior gaming experience. So Just buy the IP from Microsoft, then promise to make a couple of xbox exclusive games for them in return for the favor.

If you need, you could raise funds by giving your playerbase the option of becoming share holders in the company or property allowing us to directly support PGI in its quest to make MWO awesome.
Then you could possibly leverage this to get investment from the stockmarket, private investors or banks for further investment or loans. Black Bird interactive went down a similar route with Homeworld 3, while simultaneously putting out hardspace. I think we should, as a community and developer, take a play from their playbook. You could also have novel/novella tie ins, or further down the road, maybe a tv show, novel, storyline or movie that tied directly back into MWO's own lore, which could in turn act as marketing material, broadening our audience for the game without need for formal marketing. Star Trek Online, as ****** of a game that it is, with its weird currencies and loot boxes does indeed get a boost from the currently running star trek shows, such as discovery and picard by releasing those ships as exclusive cash shop items. I am just throwing an example at you, i dont want a repeat of STO's lootbox, anti consumer actions in MWO. I'm just pointing to the benefits of owning the IP and being able to create lore on the fly within the game and outside of it. Granted, CBS is many times larger than PGI, I do believe, if we made a real go at it, we could have a popular TV/Movie/Netflix original on our hands to feed the MWO machine.

This isnt the end all be all solution, but it is one that gives you the most valuable asset of all for development: Time.

Edited by November11th, 09 November 2020 - 11:03 AM.

[Six-Pack]

BT franchise encapsulates also the Battletech game which did well in sales so it's gonna be more expensive than you realize.

[InvictusLee]

Even so: If PGI owns the IP, it can push expansions, new games and series' on its own time table and sort out any background issues they are currently having.

[InvictusLee]

Since BT made money, there should be even more urgency to buy the IP.

[martian]

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 11:00 AM, said:

TLDR; This is a direct message from a long time player of both the game and the franchise to PGI's head guy. Everyone seems to gloss over this topic without ever addressing it directly.

Russ Bullock visits this forums very very infrequently.

If you wish to contact him directly, you should try Twitter, his favorite communications platform.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 11:00 AM, said:

I have a simple, somewhat elegant, somewhat controversial solution to your license issue:
Just buy the BT/MW IP off microsoft.

Why do you think that Microsoft has even the slightest intent to sell its MechWarrior rights?

So far Microsoft has been absolutely content with offering a few temporary licences.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 11:00 AM, said:

Now i understand that may be extremely expensive: but hear me out.
From what you and Mr. Katz discuss in your recent podcast interviews.
It seems like your greatest obstacle to doing anything meaningful at all with MWO and MW5 is the licensing situation. If you own the IP, you can take all the time you need in the world to make the business profitable from a business standpoint while creating a superior mechwarrior gaming experience. So Just buy the IP from Microsoft, then promise to make a couple of xbox exclusive games for them in return for the favor.

If you need, you could raise funds by giving your playerbase the option of becoming share holders in the company or property allowing us to directly support PGI in its quest to make MWO awesome.
Then you could possibly leverage this to get investment from the stockmarket, private investors or banks for further investment or loans. Black Bird interactive went down a similar route with Homeworld 3, while simultaneously putting out hardspace. I think we should, as a community and developer, take a play from their playbook.

I am not sure if the current dimished playerbase would be willing to offer such funding.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 11:00 AM, said:

You could also have novel/novella tie ins, or further down the road, maybe a tv show, novel, storyline or movie that tied directly back into MWO's own lore, which could in turn act as marketing material, broadening our audience for the game without need for formal marketing. Star Trek Online, as ****** of a game that it is, with its weird currencies and loot boxes does indeed get a boost from the currently running star trek shows, such as discovery and picard by releasing those ships as exclusive cash shop items. I am just throwing an example at you, i dont want a repeat of STO's lootbox, anti consumer actions in MWO. I'm just pointing to the benefits of owning the IP and being able to create lore on the fly within the game and outside of it. Granted, CBS is many times larger than PGI, I do believe, if we made a real go at it, we could have a popular TV/Movie/Netflix original on our hands to feed the MWO machine.

This isnt the end all be all solution, but it is one that gives you the most valuable asset of all for development: Time.

Microsoft does not own the rights for novels and I am quite sure that Microsoft does not own the rights for TV shows. Thus, it can not sell them.

Edited by martian, 09 November 2020 - 12:19 PM.

[InvictusLee]

martian, on 09 November 2020 - 12:08 PM, said:

Russ Bullock visits this forums very very infrequently.

If you wish to contact him directly, you should try Twitter, his favorite communications platform.


Why do you think that Microsoft has even the slightest intent to sell its MechWarrior rights?

So far Microsoft has been absolutely content with offering a few temporary licences.


I am not sure if the current dimished playerbase would be willing to offer such funding.


Microsoft does not own the rights for novels and I am quite sure that Microsoft does not own the rights for TV shows.

Microsoft is a corporation but they are also a gaming company that owns XBOX.
Currently they seem to be committed to consumer/player friendly.
They could sell the IP in a well publicized sale, and come off as a hero and at the end of the day still make money.

I believe the player base is still with us, and just sleeping. I mean not actually sleeping, just playing other games.
I am currently a raid clan leader in destiny 2, simply because i got bored of MWO as it is now a stale ******* of its former self.
I believe the player base can be reinvigorated as well and those not currently playing or contributing to the game can and will be back if we, the community, can make real change, somewhat like warframe, which nearly died. I see MWO in a similar situation.


A private individual owns the tv rights because he was lucky enough to snipe them in a sale but i believe we can get them back.
The novels can be commissioned, as most are. I really don't see what your objection is.


I dont have a twitter and I'd really appreciate it if someone made russ and darion aware of this thread.

I said the word cr acker. Like a saltine. Lol im not cursing i swear.

[VeeOt Dragon]

i think the biggest hit to sales of MW5 was their choice of going epic exclusive at the last minute. most if not all of the people i know that were interested, myself included refused to buy the game on that alone. i really do think it was a huge mistake on their part.

[InvictusLee]

VeeOt Dragon, on 09 November 2020 - 12:43 PM, said:

i think the biggest hit to sales of MW5 was their choice of going epic exclusive at the last minute. most if not all of the people i know that were interested, myself included refused to buy the game on that alone. i really do think it was a huge mistake on their part.

Pgi being PGI i suppose, but it still isnt an excuse to throw the baby out with the bath water.

[martian]

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 12:23 PM, said:

Microsoft is a corporation but they are also a gaming company that owns XBOX.
Currently they seem to be committed to consumer/player friendly.
They could sell the IP in a well publicized sale, and come off as a hero and at the end of the day still make money.

But all the past behaviour of Microsoft indicates that Microsoft is quite content with the status quo. They already have those MechWarrior rights. They are fully paid for. Keeping them unused incurrs no financial expenses for Microsoft. And licensing them for some limited time means being paid some royalties. Microsoft is in a pretty good situation when it comes to MechWarrior.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 12:23 PM, said:

I believe the player base is still with us, and just sleeping. I mean not actually sleeping, just playing other games.
I am currently a raid clan leader in destiny 2, simply because i got bored of MWO as it is now a stale ******* of its former self.
I believe the player base can be reinvigorated as well and those not currently playing or contributing to the game can and will be back if we, the community, can make real change, somewhat like warframe, which nearly died. I see MWO in a similar situation.

Those beliefs are nice, but I am not sure if they are warranted.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 12:23 PM, said:

A private individual owns the tv rights because he was lucky enough to snipe them in a sale but i believe we can get them back.

This is almost two decades old thing that ended fruitless. And as you have noted, those movie rights were owned by somebody else, not by Microsoft.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 12:23 PM, said:

The novels can be commissioned, as most are. I really don't see what your objection is.

I think I wrote it clearly in my previous post: Microsoft does not own the novel rights, and therefore Microsoft can not sell those rights.

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 12:23 PM, said:

I dont have a twitter and I'd really appreciate it if someone made russ and darion aware of this thread.

What about registering on Twitter?

[InvictusLee]

martian, on 09 November 2020 - 12:54 PM, said:

But all the past behaviour of Microsoft indicates that Microsoft is quite content with the status quo. They already have those MechWarrior rights. They are fully paid for. Keeping them unused incurrs no financial expenses for Microsoft. And licensing them for some limited time means being paid some royalties. Microsoft is in a pretty good situation when it comes to MechWarrior.


Those beliefs are nice, but I am not sure if they are warranted.


This is almost two decades old thing that ended fruitless. And as you have noted, those movie rights were owned by somebody else, not by Microsoft.


I think I wrote it clearly in my previous post: Microsoft does not own the novel rights, and therefore Microsoft can not sell those rights.


What about registering on Twitter?

What I'm saying is that i am not hung up on Microsoft owning everything. The novels are written by writers who are commissioned to do so. We just phone up the company that owns the novel rights and ask for a collab on lore and books.

[martian]

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 01:11 PM, said:

What I'm saying is that i am not hung up on Microsoft owning everything. The novels are written by writers who are commissioned to do so. We just phone up the company that owns the novel rights and ask for a collab on lore and books.

So instead of negotiating with one company (Microsoft), you would be negotiating with at least two or three corporations.

It is not so simple, especially if there is no sign that those corporations would be even interested in selling their IP.

[InvictusLee]

martian, on 09 November 2020 - 01:23 PM, said:

So instead of negotiating with one company (Microsoft), you would be negotiating with at least two or three corporations.

It is not so simple, especially if there is no sign that those corporations would be even interested in selling their IP.

It is far far simpler than creating a new game engine from scratch on a timetable that would make the game super unprofitable.

[martian]

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 01:36 PM, said:

It is far far simpler than creating a new game engine from scratch on a timetable that would make the game super unprofitable.

That's interesting. Have you lead many negotiations with megacorporations like Microsoft?

[InvictusLee]

martian, on 09 November 2020 - 01:38 PM, said:

That's interesting. Have you lead many negotiations with megacorporations like Microsoft?

No, but i am willing to bet money, and put my own skin on the line to do so, and win.

[martian]

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 01:42 PM, said:

No, but i am willing to bet money, and put my own skin on the line to do so, and win.

If you say so.

Have you already used Twitter to inform Russ Bullock about your plan?

[InvictusLee]

martian, on 09 November 2020 - 01:45 PM, said:

If you say so.

Have you already used Twitter to inform Russ Bullock about your plan?

Ive tried.

[InvictusLee]

Lockheed_, on 09 November 2020 - 01:58 PM, said:

My question before going into any negotiations would be, what would make Micorsoft sell the licence? I don't think there really is anything other than a crazy high offer.
Holding the licence does not cost them any money.
As long as people want to make Mechwarrior games, they are getting paid however.
If they sell the licence what they are getting in return must be valuable enough to compensate for several years of licencing fees.
Also should the next MW title become highly profitable, Microsoft could just refuse to renew the licence and release a new title on their own cutting out the middle man.
They are very much in a position of power when it comes to any negotiations.

Maybe. But the license is worth very little as is, and microsoft isn't one to sit on its laurels and wait for profit. No they are aggressive badtards. So if we can't wrestle the lP from them, perhaps we can wrestle a studio and more funding to expand mwo, as it only behooves them to make themselves more money.

[The6thMessenger]

November11th, on 09 November 2020 - 11:00 AM, said:

I have a simple, somewhat elegant, somewhat controversial solution to your license issue:
Just buy the BT/MW IP off microsoft.

Or a different direction, sell MWO to microsoft?

That might work.

[InvictusLee]

The6thMessenger, on 09 November 2020 - 03:06 PM, said:

Or a different direction, sell MWO to microsoft?

That might work.

worth a shot but pgi would need to be on board for giving up and washing their hands, and we all know microsoft would just shut down the servers immediately because they would either want to start from scratch or wash their hands of the project as well.

[TELEFORCE]

I'd rather I become a millionaire and buy the IPs from Microsoft, Topps, and Ironwind Metals. Battletech needs to be unified once and for all.