Obsidian Blasted By Xbox Fans For 'Prioritising' PS5 & Switch Versions Of Pentiment

Probably has more to do with the Switch and PS5 versions being "new."

Yeah this is just f**king stupid.

I mean most Xbox gamers will have played it by now, so probably won’t buy it physical anyway.

Well it makes sense, stick the game that is available on game pass, that will have the least amount of sales, at the back,isn't there an xbox logo on the box as well ?

My issue is more with the lack of Xbox logo anywhere. Why would it not appear when the game loads up. Apparently it just says “Xbox Game Studios presents” as you start a new game but that is it.*

Same with the marketing of the games and the Rare games that hit NSO. Why is it so bad to have the Xbox branding? I thought that was the point.

*Edit: to be clear as people can’t read - it’s only when you start a new playthrough. So if you play through the game once you see the word Xbox once. Where really it should be everytime you boot up the game.

Proof, if any were needed, that some gamers are petulant children. Plenty of games receive physical editions post launch after sales have reached a certain milestone and some games never receive a physical edition.

With regards to the “ordering” of platform editions in that marketing photo, who cares? Does it mean you can’t play pentiment on game pass any more, does it stop your purchased edition from loading or delete your save files? No? Then who cares?

On Limited Run Games xbox is the first box.
https://limitedrungames.com/

Can people chill?

Probably not.

Tired of this generation of whiners. Always something to nitpick, always something to moan about. I had to delete my Twitter this morning because that’s all they do on there.

At least there is going to be an option for physical on Xbox.

Not more of this, can't you concentrate on actual Xbox new this is a non event. Microsoft already has a ton of games on PlayStation, they are one of the biggest publishers on PlayStation (take a look at all those Activision Blizzard and Bethesda titles on there) and yet all we hear about now are these 4 weaker titles

It’s business on what console are they going to sell the most. The ones with the biggest user bases.
I’m an xboxer, so blame Microsoft for not pushing console sales advertising wise etc. And not helping consoles sales by releasing with no first party exclusive and missing a whole year with no first party exclusives. This all effected series console sales.

@Sifi Those titles were there BEFORE the Xbox acquisition, but I get your point.

This is one of the most non factor things to complain about. Like seriously.....

These are corps, people. They don’t care about such protests. It’s all about money. This brand loyalty thing really cracks me up.

@gollumb82
At least someone gets it along with me.
They are not your friend, money is.

Complete overreaction by people hoping (and succeeding) to draw attention to themselves.

@OldGamer999 "And not helping consoles sales by releasing with no first party exclusive and missing a whole year with no first party exclusives. This all effected series console sales"

You could be onto something there, Sony only released One AAA First Party exclusive in 2023 and are releasing No AAA First Party games in 2024 or the first quarter of 2025, and their sales are now declining.

It's simple. The most popular platforms going first.

They are prioritizing money.... not consoles

@Sifi do you ever quit on the bringing Sony into every single thing?

Their output this year has no relevance on the article at all?!

@OldGamer999
Prolly because I’m an old gamer too haha.

A limited run Physical release for the 'minority' of Xbox Series X gamers who wanted to buy it Physically instead of playing it on Game Pass or buying it Digitally.

PC and Xbox Series S are pretty much Digital only platforms anyway...

Xbox gamers simply do not buy physical media in any significant quantity anymore. There's a vocal minority who dont understand this.

Out of everything you can complain about, this is what they choose 😂

Incredibly stupid, as most of the internet.

Xbox are going to do what's best for Xbox.

If that means physical version isn't economically viable against projected sales on Xbox and that not being the case on other platforms, well tough go cry somewhere else Xbox don't care.

If you're angry at this you really need to sit down and reprioritise things in your life. At the very least you ought to go touch grass.

i bet they have plans for a ps5 version of avowed and outer worlds 2.

I would call it a nitpick if it was an isolated event, but it is not.

Microsoft giving away exclusive games to Sony, while PlayStation is locking away games like Stellar Blade and Final Fantasy from US.

Not releasing a physical copy at all (despite lots of Xbox consumers asking for), but releasing as soon as team blue gets the game.

In some places, Microsoft marketing is void. In any clothing store I go where I live there is official PlayStation branded shirts everywhere, but no a single Xbox product.

PS shirts, notebooks, mugs, you name it. Xbox? Nothing, unless you want to import it from Xbox Gear Store.

We have the media, making fun of Xbox all those years, and other companies prioritizing PS on marketing, and now, a first-party Xbox owned studio also decided to prioritize PlayStation on its marketing?

This is not a nitpick, this is the last straw.

Xbox has always been treated as the 2nd class citizens by lots of third-party, specially japanese ones until recently, and now Xbox fans are going to be treated this way by first-party too?

That's not good at all.

The problem is not brand loyalty, it is not respecting your primary consumer, the one that invested money on your platform, just like they did with Windows Phone when released new, apps on iOS and not on WP.

One does have to wonder if the people who are upset have played the game. It’s been available on Xbox since 2022 and they are unhappy now? 🤷‍♂️☹️

@gollumb82
😂Yeah we not getting any younger.
And with age comes being skeptical.

You can't have your "I'll play it digitally on GP for free" and eat physical too.
Not sure what the issue is.

That victimhood behaviour is really sad.

@Sifi
Good few of us have said it for years and all the big three know it.
Exclusives help sell consoles and price along with advertising.
For probably a few reasons since the other weekend our shops nearby have sold a good few series x, more than normal for this time of year.
Price cut £409.99 or £359.99
No Sony exclusives in 2024
Xbox have Indy this year exclusive
Maybe that’s some of the reasons why.

Some people treat Xbox as a religion, they forget it's part of a private company.

@K1LLEGAL it says xbox game studios , same as ps games on pc say , playstation studios , I really don't see the issue , same as mlb on xbox says ps studios , I mean how many times should they say xbox ?

As far as I can see the Xbox version is missing languages that the other versions have. Also, someone did something to check framerate and the PS5 might be running at a higher framerate.

The language think I had my friends on other systems confirm via the store pages.

@eduscxbox it's just advertising they're not gonna stick ps at the back when the sales will be mainly from that format

@rustyduck more than likely

"Xbox version in the back. No physical when it came to Xbox, but now when it is on PS5 it has a physical release. Give me a break, we are the most abused fan base"

Probably because Limited Run would have lost money on an Xbox-only physical release of the game. The PS5 and Switch are where a physical release will actually matter (actually, more the Switch).

I am sure this physical release was more about Limited Run seeing an opportunity rather than Microsoft campaigning for it (Microsoft would have been totally fine making this digital-only). So, Limited Run will prioritize the version that will make the most money for Limited Run.

@supercalifragilistic The entire game needs to have a green tint and the games artwork needs to have Xbox logos on everything! If they want to play the version that doesn't have all the branding, they need to buy an Xbox. 🤣

Last Friday, Sony lost $10 bln in share drops in part because shareholders are concerned that their first party studios aren't getting the margins they used to. I would expect that games are going to start shipping across platforms from all major first party publishers eventually. Shareholders will demand it if there is a platform they think they can make money on but aren't.

XB just happens to be the first first party publisher going this direction. I would also expect next year to see at least Redfall go to PS5.

I also think the hate on over this move by MS is stupid. All of the games announced have next to no continuous sales and none of them were insanely financially successful on XB.

The message from MS seems to be, "If it didn't make enough money on XB, we will see if it can make money elsewhere".

Another day, more pathetic cretins.

@supercalifragilistic "It is just advertising"

It is not. On the recent Business Update podcast, Phil Spencer said that the idea of putting these four games on other platforms was to make people more interested on Xbox.

Now tell me, how they're planning to achieve that by using 'Microsoft Corporation' instead of 'Xbox Game Studios' on PS Store, and hidding the Xbox phisical game cover in the marketing material?

@Sifi all console sales are down as of January 2024, with the switch being the most affected , this will probably change next year with the rumoured launch of the switch 2 and ps5 Pro, the ps5 has seen a slight increase in Feb due to the price cut and helldivers 2 ,and of course ff7 rebirth

@eduscxbox corporate spiel, how can a game on rival platforms increase interest in the xbox console , anyone who believes that is foolish, Sony probably wouldn't allow any mention of xbox on their storefront is more than likely.

@supercalifragilistic so you play the game through completely, no matter how many sessions, and you will see the Xbox logo once in total.

Compare that to any other publisher in history where you see the splash screen everytime you load up the game.

So it’s not the same as those PS Studios games…?

@Tyrant_T103 exactly what I was thinking.

I have a Series X and I understand that they wanna push the newest versions out to a new audience. People really overreacted. I mean look, as Xbox user we all know pentiment has been out for a long time...alot of people may not realize that there is now a ps5 and switch versions so they wanted to push those upfront so people realize. People need to understand business. The console market is slowing down major due to streaming services and PC is getting more and more popular. Of course there will always be games that won't go multiplat...but like Phil said the ones that make the most sense will go multiPlat. Once a game reaches it's fullest potential on its exclusive console...it's smart to fish it out so the money comes back around for another sequel to day one drop on gamepass. The incentive is the features the Xbox consoles have(which are different than ps5) and day and date first party (and many 3rd party) games being dropped on gamepass. The games sit on gamepass for a long time before they tread out to newer audiences. It makes so much sense once a game slows way tf down. This is why Sony is now starting to copy Xboxs strategy. This is why Jim was fired .. because Sony wasn't looking to the future. They want everything the same and it's not happening that way. The games Xbox dropped for Nintendo and Sony are actually low budget shadow dropped day one gp games that are now for SALE on other platforms. That's the incentive for Xbox. U get to try all the first party games before u buy..Incase a cyberpunk 2077 happens again I'm all for the Xbox model. MLB the show 2 SOLD SIX times better on Xbox even though it's a first party Sony game. Starfield is 3 on top ten highest game earnings of the generation...Sony has absolutely zero games on that list. Sony took home absolutely zero awards at TGAS yet Xbox took home multiple. Xbox is now selling more consoles in Japan than Sony is. The take over has been happening since 2022 when Phil got promoted. Sony was extremely worried about Xbox buying COD since cod funded sonys first party games. I didn't realize just how real that was until sonys CEO mentioned there will be zero first party Sony games till later 2025. Sony is definitely and factually the most 3rd party games company this generation. I'm sure they'll bounce back though. I'm not at all confident they'll ever be able to dominate Xbox again . because Xbox just isn't gonna let that happen. Xbox has been preparing for the future for years now ..Sony want buying into it they thought it was a waste of time. Well, u see the analytics...don't believe the false narrative that gamepass ruins sales...that is the complete opposite. Xbox players have much higher user activity than ps players do. Palworld has far more CONSOLE players playing on their consoles than Sony has ps5 players playing helldivers 2 on console. It's like 85-90% PC players where Palworld is much more even...I'm sure there are more PC players for Palworld aswell but it's not a huge gap like sony- PC with hd2

@supercalifragilistic "how can a game on rival platforms increase interest in the xbox console"

In Japan, for example, Xbox brand is not as known as it is in western countries.

But Microsoft could use PlayStation and Switch player base to bring awareness to the Xbox brand, it works.

But for that to work you have to make sure to show the damn name and logo for people to see.

Yes, It needs a huge Xbox Game Studios text everywhere.

Game description:

"The Xbox Game Studios adventure experience is now on PlayStation..."

Published by: "Xbox Game Studios"

Game start... "Xbox Game Studios Presents"

That is how you raise awareness of your brand inside other platforms.

I love this. If you try hard enough, you can really get upset about anything

LOL at these absolute chuds.

People just want to find something to complain about

@eduscxbox oh right 😂 so you reckon that's gonna make people buy an xbox ?

"Twitter people mad."

Anyway...

@supercalifragilistic it could, but the way they're doing? No way it will.

They're hiding Xbox name and logo as much as they can.

How can they raise awareness if they don't show themselves?

Lol ole fan boys. 🤣

Promote the game to audiences that are just now getting access to the game or promote to those who have had access for 2 years? Pretty easy choice.

It's pretty wild what people choose to complain about on Twitter.

@themightyant I think it's quite obvious Sony are not launching any AAA First Party titles this year, no mention of any by any studio could be a big clue and the shareholder meeting would of said something like "We are not releasing sequels to major existing franchises but don't worry we have this amazing new AAA First Party game" but No mention of any such thing they have nothing for this year,.
Maybe you should of told Sony about that decline because 10 billion was wiped off Sonys stock after Sony cut its sales forecast for the PlayStation 5 console for the fiscal year.

The games industry has become such a desolate and depressing wasteland behind the scenes. I miss the old days when companies still knew how to have fun with their customers. Now it's all just this crappy rat race to make the most money. The industry has no soul anymore.

Time to get over it folks. The Xbox consoles are now the lowest selling platforms that Microsoft publishes games on. Why wouldn't they push the bigger platforms in their ads?

@eduscxbox As well as what is always shaping up to trade blows for number 1 game of the year, Helldivers.

I'm personally in effected as I have a PC and Playstation as well. But it definitely does show who is prioritizing wanting to sell their own platform versus who wants to go the publisher route.

"Abused"? "Second class citizens"? All of these "fans", whose identities seem to revolve so heavily around a black plastic box, need to grow the f**k up, honestly.

i think ms thought cloud gaming would be big and they could pass sony with that. i also think they paid a lot of money for a study only to find out most of the world can't or won't cloud game.

i could have told them that for half the fee.

so what else can they do besides put their games on ps? sell the xbox brand?

@Tyrant_T103 Sony wouldn't even allow Switch or Xbox to be there at all. Then then in the advertising would even push their slogan. "Only on Playstation." Sony marketing can't be legal, not sure how they get away with it.

@rustyduck is this the same sony that just released cloud streaming to ps plus premium in October of last year and then launched a streaming only handheld?

Boy I have become too old….. I feel like there’s too many whiny people with voices now days..:: ugh.

They need to look at this from a business standpoint…. Having PS and Switch at the forefront advertises the fact that it’s now available on those platforms. Platforms which will likely have more increased sales at this current time versus the original platform it launched on. People will have already either bought it, played it, or have it wishlisted/backlogged on their Xbox. This gives opportunity to show the players that highly enjoyed it to see its on other platforms too if they choose to double/triple dip, and advertises to owners of only PS or Switch that “Hey it’s here in your system too!”

Ugh…. Some people… think before you speak or react to your emotions. Seriously. Y’all like Obsidian and MS? You want them to succeed and be profitable and last a long time? Let them do what they’re doing without the idiotic criticisms. Did you go to business school and study marketing and advertising? No? Then shut it. All your negative bs just leads to sheep mentality joining the crowd and causing a detrimental effect on what they’re trying to achieve which is success and profiting so they can continue to make great games for us! Sheesh!

It's going to be the same story in a year or two when Hellblade 2 goes to ps5 and limited run offers to do a physical copy again.

@Friendly Actually on limited run they are spaced out and PlayStation takes centre stage.

@MrMagic nah.

On the website they overlap, with xbox on top.

And this is their advertising image:
https://tinypic.host/image/DBCRKM

But whatever. As if it matters.

@Friendly On your original link at the very top of the page with the alternating advertisement there's just the tiniest little bit overlap, with Ps5 taking centre stage. It doesn't bother me either way but it's completely different to that link you've just posted.

This is just sad. I hope the people who are genuinely upset by this find some shred of happiness in their lives. Such a shockingly stupid thing to get upset about.

I've been following (and chuckling at) the extended meltdowns some Xbox fanboys are having on Twitter since the start of the rumor-mongering about all this.

That said, I can understand why genuine Xbox loyalists would be frustrated by and hypersensitive to all this, given the continued perceived lack of success and humiliation of their preferred brand relative to the successes of Sony and Nintendo. At this point, applauding for the red carpet being rolled out for the release of Xbox Game Studios titles on opposing platforms probably strikes them as being somewhat emotionally akin to cuckoldry.

Even if the reactions themselves aren't rational, it's not good brand management to leave a fraction of your primary audience feeling like that. Then again, it also wasn't good brand management to let rumors about the Xbox brand going fully multiplatform mutate out of control for a week, and Microsoft allowed it to happen anyway.

That's because Switch and PS owners will actually buy the game while Xbox owners will just rent this on game pass.

@Tyrant_T103 Now that's just darn logical!

@MrMagic so you agree that there’s overlap on the website with xbox on top

Xbox is just a digital gamepass system for me. If I wanna play the best games, I just power up my Switch or PS5 😁

@Friendly Yeah but because there's barely any overlap at all, you can now see the white bar at the top of the PS5 box so it draws your eyes straight to the middle of screen. At least it did for me.

@Doomcrow

Mine is just the most powerful original Xbox and Xbox 360 at this point.

Microsoft's first party as a whole is shockingly bad to me and the only game that I would've gotten around too once my backlog was cleared up a bit was Hi Fi Rush....which is now on PS5 anyway.

PS5's first party lineup isn't that great either but Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin appeal to me way more than Indiana Jones, Avowed and....the other games they're releasing that I legit can't remember.

SMH... 🤦‍♂️ Good lord. The bigger issue is Microsoft sinking to low depths of using f-ing Limited Run. Remember games like Cuphead? That got a standard release. But no longer, just keep fueling the LRG fire of BS. 😡

Social media, keeps bringing out the psychos, and their first world problems.

Nothing burger. Honestly seems as if PureXbox is doing this article to push engagement.

Outrage culture is good for no one.

Those tweets are terrible, like it's hardly something to complain over, it's marketing 101 to show the new systems it's coming to first.

@Ralizah I seem to recall a few years ago when the console fanbase felt the Pc market had be prioritized. It is telling it takes their games going multiplat to get physical releases…

I’m more annoyed outer worlds remaster isn’t on game pass yet but it’s on ps+. I realize a different publisher handled that one but sheesh.

I think it's to advertise that it's on other platforms. Don't understand the childishness of these fans.

The Xbox only crew are a funny bunch. Nothing to see here at all.

People’s minds are going to melt now that we know the release dates for the four games that “…will not be Starfield or Indiana Jones.” Phil kept his word. The four games weren’t Starfield or Indy. And they’ll all be released in around 60 days.

But what’s next? And when?

"You could argue that some people are overreacting a bit here" - Yes they are 😂