Multiplat AFL 23 - PS/Steam Releasing May 4, Xbox TBC

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

WHEN CAN I PLAY? READ BELOW:

• PlayStation (Physical): Thursday 4 May
• PlayStation (Digital): 8:01am AEST Thursday 4 May
• Steam: Currently 8:01am AEST Thursday 4 May, may be moved to 12:01am AEST
• Xbox (Digital or Physical): TO BE CONFIRMED, unlikely to be 4 May

Spoiler: Specific Big Ant quotes about the release:

Those that pre-ordered PS versions will be able to play on Thursday, disks will have already been mailed by retailers, they will also be available in-store.

Steam will also be available Thursday.

Stating the obvious, we are still having issues with XBox.

Seriously, anyone that looks hard knows there’s issues - why do you think there are so many exclusives for a particular platform that are not marked as exclusive, but are only on that platform.

If I took that road, life would have been a lot easier.

Xbox digital and retail will release at the same time - that is not a decision we get to make.

It applies now and I will no doubt pay a price.

Spoiler: Other Quotes

Re: commentary team

Spoiler: Other Quotes

Hamish is still there, Daisy didn't make it into the final version of the game.

We added Gary and increased the workload of Harf.

Re: game availability/release dates

I can never give 100% guarantee about anything in the future, but as it stands today, the statement I am prepared to make it that all stock that is at retailers on 4 May will be available for sale.

As to the amount that will be there for sale, and whether it is enough, that is a question I cannot answer.

It will be made digitally available on the various platform holder electronic stores.

Clarifying, the game will not release prior to 4 May 2023.

I am vague as there is one platform that has had sufficient stock at retailers and the other has not, and I cannot name them (contractual reasons).

The game will not be further delayed because of the numbers of units in stock.

Re: Steam listing

I've already put in a request for the screenshots to be replaced with current ones, they'll probably only be there for a day.

As much as the feedback has generally been positive, these are old, meant to be placeholder only and were not meant to go live.

Re: playing lists

All playing lists are accurate for the 2023 season.

Re: content creator footage

This is all prior to day one patch (as some have noted updates like numbers etc are apparent)

Re: Career mode

A head's up on Career mode.

At the AFL 23 Launch night I mentioned the non-team based Individual Career Mode in an interview with Dean (Twistie3). As alluded to at that same event, we were working with the AFL and AFLPA to include as many past legends in the game as possible.

The great news is that we have received approval for far more AFL legends than were previously envisaged, but this has meant that we had to make the tough decision to divert resources away from the Individual Career mode development. The individual Career Mode function will not make it into AFL 23, Career Mode will be entirely team based. I expect this mode to be include in future iterations of the game.

Re: microtransactions

You do not have to make purchases, things can be earned.

Re: general development

So fundamentally flawed, in so many ways, it’s bananas.

We are doing AFL as it’s a passion project, without us doing it there would not be one being made.

So much more upside with making games that are played internationally, let alone one that will not even be played in every state in this country.

 

[Pickitt]

Can't believe people are even having this conversation. This thread, my god.

Some just really don't want it to be in the game for whatever reason, I don't get it

 

[Strahany]

Decided never to pre order games again, with how the industry has trended over the past decade.

Anyway, I just preordered AFL 23.

Figured I’m going to play it no matter what, so might as well give the encouraging boost to the sales data, even if it is infinitesimal.

 

[Freo16]

I wonder if we’ll see the cover or something next week, seems weird that a week ago the cover was being teased as ‘coming soon’ and then it wasn’t there at the unveiling.

 

[NOVA4]

It all comes at a cost which is making the actual game better.

What’s your role in the development team?

 

[StrappingTape]

Wow ok. You can still love AFLW and understand it's a waste of time putting in an afl game where it seems the overall consensus is just going to be good enough game this year to build on. I'd have though with that lofty goal, anything impacting the dev that isn't necessary would be something you'd be in agreement to remove. Just a copy and paste job, yeah OK lol

 

[StrappingTape]

Exactly. NFL 2K5 and the late 00 NBA 2K games were much better

And where was the WNBA in these ones? You mean 2k sports when building it prioritised everything into features for the core game?

I was a 2k player but the VC killed it years ago, the core game if you can get through the trash is still decent though, unfortunately no one can compete these days as they are too far ahead. NFL if they still had the license I can only imagine what you'd be paying extra for whilst being bombarded to buy VC after each touch down.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Wow ok. You can still love AFLW and understand it's a waste of time putting in an afl game where it seems the overall consensus is just going to be good enough game this year to build on. I'd have though with that lofty goal, anything impacting the dev that isn't necessary would be something you'd be in agreement to remove. Just a copy and paste job, yeah OK lol

They've done a lot of motion capture and worked with coaches to influence the programmers on how to write the AI and CPU, so there is a good chance it will be on a higher level. We'll just have to wait and see. They've teased us this week with screenshots, so I'm keen to see some gameplay. I really hope there is a collision system and gang tackling for the first time in an AFL game.

 

[George]

And where was the WNBA in these ones? You mean 2k sports when building it prioritised everything into features for the core game?

I was a 2k player but the VC killed it years ago, the core game if you can get through the trash is still decent though, unfortunately no one can compete these days as they are too far ahead. NFL if they still had the license I can only imagine what you'd be paying extra for whilst being bombarded to buy VC after each touch down.

Are you trying to say that the games are s**t now because the WNBA is in them? Lmao

You're talking straight nonsense man, how can you have an educated opinion on it when you don't know the process involved in adding the women's league. Could be as easy as copy pasting it across from the men's and adjusting the rules.

 

[Mootsy]

Lol, FIFA/NBA 2K are definitely not the pinnacle of gameplay in sports games, perhaps 10 years ago but not now.

I dunno, those two games have been upgraded quite well, to be fair.
One thing they have evolved is individual player feature animations and gameplay flow is very realistic.

 

[SugarShane]

Apparently this is the most polarising AFL game ever and it still doesn't even release for 6 weeks.

 

[dwwaino]

Could be as easy as copy pasting it across from the men's and adjusting the rules.

Pretty much just is.

The simplest example would be to say think of a weapon in an RPG game. If you have 50 swords you don't make all 50 from scratch. You create a base weapon object complete with all of the under the hood workings and expose all the fields such as 3D model, base damage, weapon speed etc required for the final designer to tweak and save a final child version of this object which becomes the individual weapon. Now do the same with a 3D character, and as long as you use the same skeleton you can even change the animations as easy as selecting them from a drop down menu (I obviously have no idea how the object properties panel in their engine looks so that's an example from other engines). If they have mocapped different male and female running gaits then this is where that would simply be applied. The same with things like iconic kicking styles and stuff.

These are things I can do in Unreal Engine so I'm sure actual professionals who have spent well over a year working on this would have zero issues doing. Wikipedia says they have 66 employees. The extra time it takes level designers to create extra iterations of female players would have zero bearing on those designing match simulation or game modes.

 

[jdoggdrool]

Apparently this is the most polarising AFL game ever and it still doesn't even release for 6 weeks.

Now the thread has moved on to how women leagues are a waste of time for the devs. Based on zero evidence or facts.

We've got some real bright thinkers in here.

 

[Mootsy]

I wonder if it’ll have body editors like in saints row

 

[Flagmantle Pod]

Surely if the academy is going to be included we will be able to make custom banners, custom trophies, custom medals and custom lighting for our stadiums.

Custom banners would honestly just make this game perfect

 

[agiel]

Surely if the academy is going to be included we will be able to make custom banners, custom trophies, custom medals and custom lighting for our stadiums.

Custom banners would honestly just make this game perfect

Such a good idea. No more of the same banner every week from Evo 2 lol. Can't wait to bring back "Lick them Pussy's"

 

[new0066]

BigAnt are sponsors of Carlton AFLW & been supporters of AFLW in general, it wouldn’t make sense for them to make an AFL game without including AFLW, so I doubt that they only included it because they were forced by the AFL etc

 

[BigAntStudios]

Decided never to pre order games again, with how the industry has trended over the past decade.

Anyway, I just preordered AFL 23.

Figured I’m going to play it no matter what, so might as well give the encouraging boost to the sales data, even if it is infinitesimal.

I thank you, and anyone else, that pre-ordered.

It's rather archaic, but pre-orders make a difference to how retailers support a product.

BTW We may, or may not, get a pre-order up on the digital stores. There is one platform in particular that requires a pre-order bonus or other compelling reason to have digital pre-orders.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I thank you, and anyone else, that pre-ordered.

It's rather archaic, but pre-orders make a difference to how retailers support a product.

BTW We may, or may not, get a pre-order up on the digital stores. There is one platform in particular that requires a pre-order bonus or other compelling reason to have digital pre-orders.

Pre-order now for Fat Ranga Misiti!

 

[George]

Hold on, this is coming out on PC right? Couldn't see a pre-order option on Steam?

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Hold on, this is coming out on PC right? Couldn't see a pre-order option on Steam?

BTW We may, or may not, get a pre-order up on the digital stores. There is one platform in particular that requires a pre-order bonus or other compelling reason to have digital pre-orders.

 

[BigAntStudios]

BigAnt are sponsors of Carlton AFLW & been supporters of AFLW in general, it wouldn’t make sense for them to make an AFL game without including AFLW, so I doubt that they only included it because they were forced by the AFL etc

We're including the AFLW because we want to, it was never a discussion point as to their inclusion, no one had to ask us to do it, from day one the AFLW have been included in all product planning.

Anyone that pulls on the jumper and crosses that line, giving their all for their club, has my deserved and enduring respect.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

We're including the AFLW because we want to, it was never a discussion point as to their inclusion, no one had to ask us to do it, from day one the AFLW have been included in all product planning.

Anyone that pulls on the jumper and crosses that line, giving their all for their club, has my deserved and enduring respect.

Can I ask please, will state leagues teams (VFL/SANFL/WAFL/etc) be added into the game, similar to how you set up the cricket games with international teams and then you got domestic leagues (albeit not real names) around the world that you download the real players/lineups within the academy, or will it just be centred around the AFL/AFLW system.

 

[BigAntStudios]

Can I ask please, will state leagues teams (VFL/SANFL/WAFL/etc) be added into the game, similar to how you set up the cricket games with international teams and then you got domestic leagues (albeit not real names) around the world that you download the real players/lineups within the academy, or will it just be centred around the AFL/AFLW system.

You won't be disappointed, you will get an improved Academy that is very similar to that in Cricket 22.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

You won't be disappointed, you will get an improved Academy that is very similar to that in Cricket 22.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Keen to take advantage of the hard work of others and download their WAFL