FDev Trading Statement Jan 2021 - plenty about Elite Dangerous Odyssey timeframes, plus how COVID19 has affected all the devteams

[[Cancelled Consoleer] boppa_]

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that Frontier was able to negotiate higher price for free Epic week givaway due to the higher cost of console version?
But AFAIK Epic deals only in PC versions, so Frontier projected loss most likely omitted consoles with their prices.

No, I'm saying pretty much the same as you. That the projected loss would've been based on something like £5 per unit.

In general the lack of commitment to consoles is short-sighted. 4m PS5's sold in the first month, with only a 1080p backwards compatible mode of Elite to tempt them to purchase, and the faint whiff of Odyssey possibly coming at some point in the future, but no native version.

How many of that 4 million are now going to pay full price for a DLC that is

a) 6 months behind the PC release - all of the good discoveries hoovered up by the PC player base, nothing new to discover
b) running in a backwards compatible mode-only 1080p PS4 jail
c) no plans for cross play
d) no plans for a native release

I'm not sure it makes much business sense to purposefully ignore that potential 4 million x £30, and that's not factoring in however million XBox SX Commanders.

 

[VR Jay Le Chardon]

Thanks Stuart, now for the standard cries and teeth gnashing - BUT THEY PROMISED .... All the armchair computer programmers will jump up and down, stating with 100% certainty that THEY could have finished it by now, it's easy, they will definitely tell you how easy it is.

It's simples - all the need to do to put the project back on track is not develop the virtual flat screen VR mode for on foot, and instead copy-pasta in the VR cockpit code, thus saving development time and making for happier VR players.

And yes, although I want more than virtual flat screen, I am taking the mick with this post, mostly mocking the armchair programmers

 

[M00ka]

.....​

Our plan for PlayStation and Xbox is to submit console versions for approval as soon as possible after we have released on PC, rather than putting the console developments of Odyssey under additional time pressure by planning for a simultaneous PC/console launch. PlayStation and Xbox console releases will therefore now come in FY22.​

.....​

Got a question about the above paragraph taken from the original statement from FD. Are they stating that a developer (in this case FD) has to seek approval from Microsoft and Sony for a game to be able to play on either of the two consoles? So what happens if either Microsoft or Sony just say NO, what standing would FD have? I know it is a very remote possibility, damn near zero, but if a developer has to seek approval there is always that chance that either Microsoft or Sony say no for some reason.

Just thought it was strange that they hold that much power concerning another companies product, especially when it is just a DLC.

 

[thistle]

This puts the console delay in context I think:

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is expected to release on PC, the biggest platform for Elite Dangerous, before the end of the financial year (which ends on 31 May 2021), albeit slightly later than our initial target for Q1 2021 (January to March). This will be preceded by an alpha period.

Our plan for PlayStation and Xbox is to submit console versions for approval as soon as possible after we have released on PC, rather than putting the console developments of Odyssey under additional time pressure by planning for a simultaneous PC/console launch. PlayStation and Xbox console releases will therefore now come in FY22.

 

[StuartGT]

Got a question about the above paragraph taken from the original statement from FD. Are they stating that a developer (in this case FD) has to seek approval from Microsoft and Sony for a game to be able to play on either of the two consoles? So what happens if either Microsoft or Sony just say NO, what standing would FD have? I know it is a very remote possibility, damn near zero, but if a developer has to seek approval there is always that chance that either Microsoft or Sony say no for some reason.

Just thought it was strange that they hold that much power concerning another companies product, especially when it is just a DLC.

All games have to be submitted to Microsoft and Sony for certification on Xbox and Playstation respectively. That process can take from 1 to 4 weeks depending on the size of the product/update, and can be rejected if a severe issue is found. This has been the case for nearly two decades now.

Sony's big drama regarding Cyberpunk 2077 was because the former purposefully allowed the latter through certification on the assurance that the day1 patch would resolve the issues on PS4. Whoopsy.

 

[M00ka]

All games have to be submitted to Microsoft and Sony for certification on Xbox and Playstation respectively. That process can take from 1 to 4 weeks depending on the size of the product/update, and can be rejected if a severe issue is found. This has been the case for nearly two decades now.

Sony's big drama regarding Cyberpunk 2077 was because the former purposefully allowed the latter through certification on the assurance that the day1 patch would resolve the issues on PS4. Whoopsy.

Thanks mate I know my question sounded naïve but I have had very little experience with consoles and statement jumped out at me. So if Microsoft of Sony had similar games in the pipeline they could make certification for a rival developer a rather long and drawn out process huh! At least that is a valid reason for the delays regarding the consoles, the developers are at the mercy of the Big Two!

 

[Factabulous]

Isn't that what Chris Roberts has done for years? There are a few posters on this forum that consider the alpha is a released game...

SC is Quantum, so it an be in both states at the same time

Possibly the 'alpha' will incorporate the 'beta' (still closed to those who paid up front (like me) or are LEP holders) toward the end of its run when it contains all of the new content?

Alpha and Beta typically are trying to do different things, which is why you tend to have both. Or if you only have one it would be a Beta.

Alpha generally means 'we have something we want you to check is fun'. As wiki says, it comes before the feature freeze, so you can influence what goes in the final release

Beta means 'this is what you will get, find bugs if you can'. It comes after the feature freeze, so you rarely get functionality changes - just bug fixes.

Software release life cycle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So if there is no Beta, it means they're just really hoping there are no bugs. Which - based on every previous release of the game (and every other piece of software ever) is ... unlikely

 

[varonica]

There's one guy somewhere proudly looking at the 6 million alts he created...

While I realise it may have been a controversial decision, I for one created zero free alts during the giveaway. Yes I know, brave to admit it, but that's how I swing!

 

[Rat Catcher]

While I realise it may have been a controversial decision, I for one created zero free alts during the giveaway. Yes I know, brave to admit it, but that's how I swing!

Oh, the shame of it! How can you possibly show your face here and say such things!
(Of course, I'd never admit, openly, to not creating any free alts either... I already have 2 alts because I'm greedy - and retired...)

 

[Barking_Mad]

Yeah, but an Alpha with no Beta?

Surely Alphas answer questions like:

• Is FPS combat fun, does it flow?
• How does walking around on planets feel, can I move around successfully?
• How are the social areas? Are they the right size? Is it easy to navigate? Can I do what I want?

And this is why I thought that they were behind because if it really is an Alpha and they are asking 'Alphaesque' type questions, then it clearly wasnt in a position to make those changes if the release date wasn't too much later.

Idle speculation on my part though, so who knows - the devs do

 

[metatheurgist]

So if there is no Beta, it means they're just really hoping there are no bugs. Which - based on every previous release of the game (and every other piece of software ever) is ... unlikely

I think the paid alpha, open beta theory is probably the right one. No point going on about the beta if everyone will get it. Not to mention Frontier rarely run any beta for more than 2 weeks so it's not like that's going to slow release....

 

[Speedcuffs]

additional 8 million base game owners

Also: DOOOOOOOM!

 

[Patrick_68000]

"The Board continues to expect that revenue for FY21 will be in the range of £90 million to £95 million"

We are far from the £ 1.5 million requested in Kickstarter for ED

 

[Darth Ender]

"The Board continues to expect that revenue for FY21 will be in the range of £90 million to £95 million"

We are far from the £ 1.5 million requested in Kickstarter for ED

And yet we should be thankful for the return of sporadic new posts to galnet, while we continue to be without player contributed content like how used to exist or new content updates that dont involve new developer related features like additional more unique ships ...or most of all.. a complete powerplay feature-set.

weird how 1.5 million could do so much during kickstarter and 90 million just sustains what's already been made.

 

[Patrick_68000]

ELITE DANGEROUS: ODYSSEY​

​

Our next major internally developed release is Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, which is a major new paid era for Elite Dangerous, allowing Commanders to explore distant worlds on foot for the first time, taking on new missions and engaging in intense tactical combat, seamlessly merging with Elite Dangerous' iconic cockpit experience. Premiered during The Game Awards on 10 December 2020, reaction to the Elite Dangerous: Odyssey trailer has been positive and encouraging in advance of its release this year.​

​

Elite Dangerous continues to perform well through an engaged and ever growing community of Commanders. During 2020 Elite Dangerous hit its highest ever player numbers shortly after the Fleet Carriers update at Easter, and then again higher still since on multiple occasions, including just before Christmas. There is a great deal of excitement around Elite Dangerous: Odyssey both outside the Company and within. Over its lifetime Elite Dangerous has already generated over £100m in revenues, with over 4 million base game units sold. A successful strategy to seed new players in advance of the launch of Odyssey yielded an additional 8 million base game owners through the launch of Elite Dangerous on the Epic Games Store in November 2020 including a 'Free Week'.​

​

As always we are committed to delivering a high quality experience through the release of Odyssey, to a large and engaged player community with high expectations. Odyssey is coming together well, despite Covid-related challenges with collaborative working on such a large project, which are resulting in some inevitable minor delays.​

​

Having reviewed project timelines to take into account the renewed need to continue with remote working for the near future, as well as our commitment to release only when we are certain that the experience for our players, on all platforms, will be as enjoyable as possible, our launch plans for Odyssey have now been updated.​

​

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is expected to release on PC, the biggest platform for Elite Dangerous, before the end of the financial year (which ends on 31 May 2021), albeit slightly later than our initial target for Q1 2021 (January to March). This will be preceded by an alpha period. Our plan for PlayStation and Xbox is to submit console versions for approval as soon as possible after we have released on PC, rather than putting the console developments of Odyssey under additional time pressure by planning for a simultaneous PC/console launch. PlayStation and Xbox console releases will therefore now come in FY22.​

​

​

David Braben declared :​

We know that our Elite Dangerous community are looking forward to the arrival of Odyssey this year, and we're focussed on delivering the high quality experience that they expect and deserve. 2021 is set to be another great year for Frontier."​

The game is dead (once again).

 

[Patrick_68000]

And yet we should be thankful for the return of sporadic new posts to galnet, while we continue to be without player contributed content like how used to exist or new content updates that dont involve new developer related features like additional more unique ships ...or most of all.. a complete powerplay feature-set.

weird how 1.5 million could do so much during kickstarter and 90 million just sustains what's already been made.

For the analysts' projections for FY22, between £133 million and £153 million, you will definitely use your self control.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Whooooa - Epic trebled the player base??? That would help explain some of the server errors...

In these additional 8 million there are certainly the 4 million owners of the original units, who took the opportunity to have an additional copy

 

[Patrick_68000]

8 million downloads of a free game and even though I don't imagine they all actually played it, it's still an impressive figure.

Even if only 20% buy Odyssey, it will be huge.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Doubtful. Consoles will get the minimum development effort necessary for the game to be playable on the last-gen consoles, and nothing more. It's clear that Frontier are not as committed to delivering an experience for console players, as console players are committed to Elite Dangerous.

In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they ditched the console version of the game altogether in the summer. The signs are there. Maintenance mode, and then slow death.

I think you have already read :

ANNOUNCEMENT - Odyssey Update 2021

Greetings Commanders, We wanted to share an update with you regarding the ongoing development of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey. 2020 was a difficult year for many, but in spite of those challenges we are pleased with our progress towards what is a truly ambitious new era for the game. We’ve been...

forums.frontier.co.uk

 

[[Cancelled Consoleer] boppa_]

I think you have already read :

ANNOUNCEMENT - Odyssey Update 2021

Greetings Commanders, We wanted to share an update with you regarding the ongoing development of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey. 2020 was a difficult year for many, but in spite of those challenges we are pleased with our progress towards what is a truly ambitious new era for the game. We’ve been...

forums.frontier.co.uk

I have read about the intention to release a DLC in FY2022 to run on consoles released in 2013, yes?