In the wake of COVID-19, we're starting to see a number of notable game delays. Truth be told, development troubles started earlier on in the pandemic, but it feels like it's beginning to come to a head in 2022 with multiple AAA titles moving to next year. In a recent PAX West panel, Xbox's Matt Booty was asked about this very topic, and whether COVID really is to blame for all these recent delays.
As it turns out, it isn't entirely at fault. Booty discusses a number of other issues contributing to game delays, with the transition to next-gen consoles still earmarked as an issue for developers almost two years after launch.
"The teams have really leaned in and figured out a lot of great ways, and actually there's been a lot of innovation around that [working with COVID]."
"We're still on the front edge of a new console generation. The teams are still figuring out things like ray tracing."
The Xbox exec then goes on to discuss the CPUs within next-gen consoles, and how developers are still getting to grips with shifting power over from GPU-centric consoles like Xbox One, to the current CPU-strong systems like Xbox Series X and S.
"We spent 5 or 10 years figuring out how to optimize things for GPUs, 'we want to move all the work over to the graphics card and have the graphics card do all this work'. Now, as games get more heavy into things like simulation — and even some of the graphics workload — are actually more on the CPU side.
So now we've got teams trying to sort of back up and figure out 'what am I going to move over to the CPU, how do I balance between those two things'. We're still wrestling with that."
So, even as game console architecture seems to become less complicated over time, development teams are still finding it tough to move over to next-gen development, including bringing features like ray tracing into the mix, without delays.
At present, Xbox Game Studios hasn't utilised ray tracing in a big way, but that should be about to change. Forza Motorsport in set to launch in spring 2023 from Turn 10 Studios, which is working to deliver "real time ray tracing on track"; a first for the series.
Should we pull back on RT to help with game dev? Or is it important to chase these next-gen features? Leave your thoughts below.
Comments 20
For me Ray tracing is just another cool gimmick but isn't necessary or needed. Not many people play the games and even notice the Ray tracing effect.
It is funny how we talk about delays being the result of the pandemic as if Xbox could ever get a games out without issue.
Should we get rid of things like ray tracing to help speed up development…well no, it’s a perk that’s been used to sell expensive consoles to you…and a perk that’s still being used to sell expensive games to you. Why’s it on the gamer/customer that raytracing requires more effort??
Xbox should have had their dev tools completed earlier. And it’s on them to find a way to ensure those tools are fully up to date and available to all their studios. And it’s up to them to manage their studios time better. And it’s up to them to deliver their games on time. It’s not our responsibility.
If they are taking off features then reduce the price of New Games.
Don't promise features unless you are absolutely cast iron sure you can deliver in a reasonable time, it's really that simple.
Looking at you Minecraft which was used to showcase ray tracing on the series X. Two years later all we have is a greyed out toggle on console and radio silence on this feature from mojang.
Tldr: under promise & over deliver
@UltimateOtaku91
This. I played Control on XSX at 4K/30 with RTX on and was wondering what all the fuss is about. Switched to 4K/60 and never looked back.
Covid definitely did not help.
But what it created and is happening now is a work from home culture and expectation.
Meaning you haven’t got the whole team together working in the office and varying departments like a well oiled machine.
This has happened where I work and it definitely is not as smooth and flowing as it used to be. But of course you carry on a do your best but things might get a little confusing and take longer.
As for ray tracing I’m not sure I care for it to much.
Not having it in FH5 or HFW has definitely not spoiled my massive enjoyment of both games.
But then again seeing it in the new Forza Motor sport for 2023 with comparisons without ray tracing. FM 2023 did look awesome, those cars reflecting off each other looked special in real racing time.
After my sensible response above
Look Xbox executive with all this GPU and CPU etc.
Forza Horizon 5 says hello a brilliant AAA cross generation game, along with Sony HFW, GOWR soon.
So cut with the rubbish and go manage your game studios and developers.
@Dezzy70 you know both Horizon and GoW seen massive delays right? They both were teased as launch window titles.
Everyone has been delayed everything they announced. Everyone. Hell, Sony decided to entirely remove multiplayer from TLOU2, a feature of every Naughty Dog game since Uncharted 2, and delayed it to the point we still have no clue when it will be here.
Stop me if I am wrong; but doesn't the Series X have custom RT cores?
@Tharsman
Was not about delays it was about GPU and CPU changes from the consoles and how those games are released or about to with cross generation and are top end games.
Let’s not forget, Starfield, FM and Redfall are all new generation only, therefore it should have helped with development. Unless the little tissue box, series s isn’t helping matters.
Let’s look at it another way.
FM is due in spring so lets go with the oldest date Xbox said, June 2023 in their showcase.
Now let’s say it could have released December 2022 so they had a AAA game for this year.
So is the ray tracing in this game making it 6 months late at the extreme of dates?
Xbox as always full of executive excuse.
Instead of messing about doing excuse speeches go do something productive to help these games and your studios.
At this point raytracing should be part of the basic work flow of the engine being used. Tick a box to enable it. Edit parameters to adjust number of sources and bounces to performance needs.
Don't tell me they're trying to tack it on instead of starting at the engine level.
Work from Home does present a lot of challenges and delays work flow. Its not as if you can just walk over to another person to discuss something. If you have an issue with something you need someone else to look at, you have to compose an email, set-up a skype call etc - wait until they respond. In an office environment, you could literally go over, get whatever you needed sorted and carry on in less than a minute or two...
So yes it does have a big impact on work flow.
As for RT, it does make a difference and depending on the scene, can be a transformative experience or very subtle. Its much more accurate and doesn't 'break' like Screen Space options, isn't 'static' like baked in options enabling much more dynamic and realistic lighting - which affects shadows, Global Illumination, reflections etc as all of these are a result of light and how it interacts with materials and objects in the world - the way it does in 'real' life....
@gollumb82 agree 100%. I started Control with ray-tracing on before switching to 60fps a few hours in. The performance difference going to 60fps was night and day compared to 30fps, and the graphical downgrade due to turning off ray-tracing was, to my eyes, pretty negligible. I’ve yet to see any game that makes me think ray-tracing is worth the time and effort.
@BAMozzy
Thank you for the work from home bit about brings challenges.
Trouble is now because it has become the norm, we are not getting away from it.
At work we had to put a hybrid WFH system in place to get staff back to work in the office two days a week. Crazy.
raytracing is a waste of time and resources i would rather they just made it run the best it can
@Dezzy70 People power!! People want more flexibility and opportunity to work wherever they are and in some ways, its a great benefit to certain industries - or a difficult option to offer in others.
It can work well if you are 'organised' and set up in such a way that its 'normal' and structured enough that work flows are not disrupted too much, they can work well. At crunch times though - that stage where you are bringing 'parts' together from different people to make a game, that's where issues that could be easily fixed, can take 'hours', waiting for the 'right' person to read/contact you back and/or resolve an issue.
Some environmental artist bug/glitch issue, found only when someone else puts a character created by a character artist, animated by some other team, voiced by an actor, carrying weapons developed by another team and not entirely sure if the bug is player character created, a bug/glitch with the weapons, something in the environment causing it etc - a day or two wasted as people wait for each other to contact as you try and chase down a fix. Instead of being in an office and having all relevant people be able to come and see, identify the issue and 'fix' there and then...
@Tharsman They decided very early on to make the last of us 2 multiplayer into a stand alone games as a service game once Jim Ryan came aboard. It will be out next year
@UltimateOtaku91 yeah I don't even have a 4k TV anymore or hdr I'm rocking my old bravia from 2013 & games like horizon forbidden west etc still look amazing on it 1080p not sure I can even notice a different between hd & 4k tbh
@trev666 In my experience ray tracing is only really a big deal when a game is designed around utilizing it. For most games that simply add it, it's usually hard to notice.
That and I think it's useless in games when you gotta take a big FPS hit.
Removed - unconstructive
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