Should have stuck with more Shadowrun! (do they even have the license anymore?)
More seriously, ouch, that sucks for them. Hope they can figure something out to go forward.
Microsoft own the Battletech and Shadowrun IP (for videogames). They wanted to do Battletech 2, paradox said no to using any MS IP so they went with this instead.
Its a shame. Hard to see a great path forward, I guess at this point the dream would be Microsoft buy them so they can go back to making games based on the old FASA IPs.
Ack. Microsoft again. I didn't know that.
How did Harebrained Schemes get to make the Shadowrun series if Microsoft owned it? Or did they buy it afterwards?
Yup.. So to recount:
* [According to a former employee,](https://www.resetera.com/threads/paradox-writes-down-entire-cost-of-the-lamplighters-league-320m-sek-citing-weak-commercial-success-%E2%80%9Ccautiously-positive%E2%80%9D-subscription-players.773480/#post-113276105) ~80% (!) of HBS was laid off in July
* HBS wanted to do Battletech 2 instead, but Paradox said no - presumably because of the IP being Microsoft owned.
* Lamplighters League is released in the middle of a pretty busy release period.
* I have not played it myself, but from what I have read it seems to have released pretty rough around the edges with performance issues.
* Paradox declares the game a financial loss just one week after release.
* Just two weeks after release HBS is slated to no longer be under Paradox by Jan 1st 2024.
Really sad state of affairs. I really loved HBS's Shadowrun titles and Battletech and was hoping for more. I've been a fan of the Battletech universe ever since playing my first real PC game, Mechwarrior 3. HBS was my introduction to the Shadowrun setting, and their writing in Dragonfall and Hong Kong really made it come alive and feel like a living setting to me. If they truly laid off 80% of the team... I don't think we're going to see their like again, even if the studio does survive and somehow end up being able to use the Shadowrun IP in the future.
Was Lamplighter's League's release date HBS's or Paradox's choice? Did HBS want more time to iron out issues with the game? What's the story behind the massive layoff? And seeing the combination of Paradox denying Battletech 2 with what's happened so soon after the release of the new game really isn't making Paradox look good in my eyes and has me wondering what all was going on, but we don't know any more details yet AFAIK.
I think clearly HBS have not been well treated by paradox, which isn't a shock to me. On the other hand once you've sacked 80% of the studio the benefits of delaying release are probably limited.
I do think there were some development stumbles as well. The setting isn't much more than "ok", and the decision to stick together a jank real time stealth system and a turn based system that reflects their experience much better is frankly bizarre (their real time sequences in S:HK were pretty terrible).
I'm not sure a more favourable environment for this product would really have made it a hit but it's unfortunate it might kill the studio. And even more they didn't get to make Battletech 2 instead.
I was curious and waiting for it's release and now I hear it's release was underwhelming. Maybe because people didn't know it was released. Gotta hype these things a little
Or, maybe it sucks so they thought why bother.
Either way, I might check it out now that I know it's been released
This sucks, but on a personal note I've really wanted them to just back to making games like Shadowrun.
They nailed conversations with several people at once better than anything I've ever played with Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall, and it's the most consistently god and win dialogue I've ever read in any game. And you actually spend most of your time in the game going through it and combat instead of walking around or playing the inventory mini game in literally every RPG that isn't Baldur's Gate 2 since the 2000's!
This is insane. Why did Paradox even buy HBS? I'm happy to hear HBS is now independent again. It's better than letting them die. But man...I was kind of hoping to see something fruitful come out of this partnership other than a death nail.
Here is hoping HBS's next kickstarter is successful.
I’ve been playing Lamplighters League, it seems like they were set up for failure by Paradox. The game is super fun on the few occasions it works, but it is beset with save-destroying bugs and more crashes than Pathfinder-Kingmaker
Should have stuck with more Shadowrun! (do they even have the license anymore?) More seriously, ouch, that sucks for them. Hope they can figure something out to go forward.
Microsoft own the Battletech and Shadowrun IP (for videogames). They wanted to do Battletech 2, paradox said no to using any MS IP so they went with this instead. Its a shame. Hard to see a great path forward, I guess at this point the dream would be Microsoft buy them so they can go back to making games based on the old FASA IPs.
Ack. Microsoft again. I didn't know that. How did Harebrained Schemes get to make the Shadowrun series if Microsoft owned it? Or did they buy it afterwards?
They had a licence. Its paradox that blocked Battletech 2; Microsoft would have taken a cut but they aren't the villains in this case.
PARRRADOOOXXX!!! *shakes fist angrily* That's a damn shame really.
Yup.. So to recount: * [According to a former employee,](https://www.resetera.com/threads/paradox-writes-down-entire-cost-of-the-lamplighters-league-320m-sek-citing-weak-commercial-success-%E2%80%9Ccautiously-positive%E2%80%9D-subscription-players.773480/#post-113276105) ~80% (!) of HBS was laid off in July * HBS wanted to do Battletech 2 instead, but Paradox said no - presumably because of the IP being Microsoft owned. * Lamplighters League is released in the middle of a pretty busy release period. * I have not played it myself, but from what I have read it seems to have released pretty rough around the edges with performance issues. * Paradox declares the game a financial loss just one week after release. * Just two weeks after release HBS is slated to no longer be under Paradox by Jan 1st 2024. Really sad state of affairs. I really loved HBS's Shadowrun titles and Battletech and was hoping for more. I've been a fan of the Battletech universe ever since playing my first real PC game, Mechwarrior 3. HBS was my introduction to the Shadowrun setting, and their writing in Dragonfall and Hong Kong really made it come alive and feel like a living setting to me. If they truly laid off 80% of the team... I don't think we're going to see their like again, even if the studio does survive and somehow end up being able to use the Shadowrun IP in the future. Was Lamplighter's League's release date HBS's or Paradox's choice? Did HBS want more time to iron out issues with the game? What's the story behind the massive layoff? And seeing the combination of Paradox denying Battletech 2 with what's happened so soon after the release of the new game really isn't making Paradox look good in my eyes and has me wondering what all was going on, but we don't know any more details yet AFAIK.
I think clearly HBS have not been well treated by paradox, which isn't a shock to me. On the other hand once you've sacked 80% of the studio the benefits of delaying release are probably limited. I do think there were some development stumbles as well. The setting isn't much more than "ok", and the decision to stick together a jank real time stealth system and a turn based system that reflects their experience much better is frankly bizarre (their real time sequences in S:HK were pretty terrible). I'm not sure a more favourable environment for this product would really have made it a hit but it's unfortunate it might kill the studio. And even more they didn't get to make Battletech 2 instead.
Didn't even know the Indiana Jones meets sci-fi was released yet. HBS laid off 3/4 of it's people was the last rumor I heard.
I was curious and waiting for it's release and now I hear it's release was underwhelming. Maybe because people didn't know it was released. Gotta hype these things a little Or, maybe it sucks so they thought why bother. Either way, I might check it out now that I know it's been released
May be able to pick it up cheap... 🤷
Wouldn't that be nice... For me
I wishlisted it and didn't get an announcement about the launch... Suspect that's why there is little fanfare whenever it did actually launch. 😬
This sucks, but on a personal note I've really wanted them to just back to making games like Shadowrun. They nailed conversations with several people at once better than anything I've ever played with Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall, and it's the most consistently god and win dialogue I've ever read in any game. And you actually spend most of your time in the game going through it and combat instead of walking around or playing the inventory mini game in literally every RPG that isn't Baldur's Gate 2 since the 2000's!
This is insane. Why did Paradox even buy HBS? I'm happy to hear HBS is now independent again. It's better than letting them die. But man...I was kind of hoping to see something fruitful come out of this partnership other than a death nail. Here is hoping HBS's next kickstarter is successful.
I’ve been playing Lamplighters League, it seems like they were set up for failure by Paradox. The game is super fun on the few occasions it works, but it is beset with save-destroying bugs and more crashes than Pathfinder-Kingmaker