101Force

I need more Buckethead in video games.

@UltimateOtaku91 :

> After all, Call of Duty: WWII also on the PlayStation 4 managed to sell 168,324 units when it was launched last year in Japan, beating out Super Mario Odyssey in the process.

That was from 2018 and I'd bet the series has only gained more popularity in Japan since then, so Nadella could very well be right and that could very well be what Sony is actually concerned with here.

> However, the authority says that 'behavioural remedies' could also work, like making certain games & IP multiplatform in future even if they're under Microsoft ownership.

With 250 million players or so, it wouldn't be hard to convince Microsoft to adopt this approach because it woukd maximize profits. But what really boggles the mind about all ofthis is the implied belief that CoD will always be one of the most popular games available.

I'm of the opinion that when an AAA developer has unused assets resulting from a cancellation or change in art direction, those assets should be given to an indie developer to use however they'd like in a new game in exchange for the AAA developer obtaining publishing rights over that game. That way the indie developer gains AAA assets at no cost to them, and the AAA developer hasn't sunk time and money into creating assets for nothing.

For the King is a great game, though a bit difficult at times, and it supports up to 3-player local co-op.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I never started — although I had planned to — because I was waiting for local multiplayer to be completed. Given the title (Infinite) I originally hoped for something that involved a degree of procedural generation and was a little bummed when it turned out to have no such features, so local multiplayer is all it had going for it in my case.

If it doesn't go through I imagine Microsoft will be more inclined to raise a complaint about Sony's exclusivity deals — because yes, those kinds of agreements are regulated by anti-competition laws as well — which if the FTC is consistent could result in certain PlayStation exclusives being barred from release in some regions. And Microsoft will probably focus on acquiring smaller studios with one or two titles that have franchise potential, in addition to acquiring IPs that haven't been adapted for video games yet.

Although I liked what I saw, I was somewhat disappointed and rated the overall presentation a C.

I mentioned elsewhere I thought Switch Directs worked well for Nintendo because they used them in part to promote indie titles, which in turn helped to attract more indie developers to the console. And I had hoped Microsoft would adopt a similar approach given their failure to bring about a modern successor to XNA.

I've never used the PS5 Dual Sense, but the "gyro aiming" that can be achieved with the Nintendo Switch's JoyCon, such as when aiming in BOTW for very fine adjustments, is a ridiculously useful and fun experience. It's just such a shame the sticks stop working properly so quickly.

> It's worked wonders for Nintendo especially in the Switch era...

Arguably it worked wonders in the Switch era because Nintendo has frequently used their Switch Direct events to promote indie titles alongside an internal strategy for attracting indie developers to the console in the first place.

If Microsoft keeps this up people will start migrating to PlayStation for PS Now.

@Friendly : If the deal doesn't go through I think Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and (to a lesser degree) Tencent will refrain from large studio acquisitions and focus on acquiring smaller studios with only one or two games that have franchise potential, in addition to IPs that haven't been adapted for video games at all yet. Microsoft will also probably criticize Sony's exclusivity deals, which under certain circumstances could breach FTC regulations, in a formal capacity as well.

@Savage_Joe : Two years ago people would have said the same thing about the (excellent) game Control, but here we are.

@UltimateOtaku91 : I think you'd have a hard time arguing Microsoft's enterprise and IT services are relevant in comparing Xbox to PlayStation, the issue is really only in the competition between their gaming divisions.

@Rafie : I edited my post to be a bit more clear, but it was the CoD 10-year-offer I was referring to. If it was just a matter of Xbox and CoD you'd think that offer would be considered a fair deal, but that offer is made to "various platforms" which actually isn't what Sony is competing with now and could very well be what they've got a problem with.

I'm not sure about the FTC, but it just occurred to me Sony might actually not want this CoD 10-year-offer because it would mean putting the games on a competitor's platform, the Nintendo Switch, where currently they aren't available. In other words, Sony might believe they can compete well enough against Xbox with CoD but not the Switch (or its sucessor) with CoD.

Dear Microsoft, I know your first-party studios already have their plates full, so please hire some (credible) indy game studios to develop some games for the Xbox ecosystem. You can start with a 16-bit, platformer/Metroidvania "demake" of Prey.

I'd be willing to bet it will be the last console generation for both Microsoft and Sony, although Nintendo might release one more console around 2034. There are simply too many reasons from a business perspective to transition over to streaming game services — steady revenue, a larger audience, a lower consumer buy-in, greater control over online play, greater control over fan-made mods, etc. etc. — and the potential market by 2034 will be big enough for the likes of Microsoft and Sony to justify the change.

@Savage_Joe : That's a fair distinction and one that I agree with — social media entities should be regarded as a type of publisher — but publishers have the right to refuse certain kinds of content and material to better appeal to their preferred consumer demographic, to attract certain kinds of advertisers, or to maintain certain standards. eg: Tor only publishes science fiction, Nature only publishes peer-reviewed research, Ensign only publishes LDS church material, Penguin Random House only accepts submissions from published authors, etc. etc.

@Grail_Quest : Leaving Twitter because you don't want to be associated with, exposed to, or seen as supporting certain kinds of speech isn't synonymous with supporting censorship. The fact of the matter is Twitter is a private platform that caters to consumers and whatever rules it imposes on that platform don't really affect free speech, they affect their consumer demographics.

@mac01208 : Exorcising consumer rights — choosing what media platforms you subscribe to — is not synonymous with supporting censorship.

@KonstantTrouble : Content assocation is a major concern for advertisers though. For example, various advertisers avoid pornographic websites despite the large user count because content association can harm brandnames.

That's awesome and I'd love to see "new ports" like this with a few other games as well.

It's a shame local co-op was cut from Halo Infinite. Microsoft should be prioritizing local co-op in general to further the appeal of the Xbox Series S (and the Xbox ecosystem overall) as a family/party gaming console.

I'm excited as the next person for Diablo 4, but what I'd really like is local co-op support on the Xbox port of the Diablo II remake.

My (unrealistic) wish list:

• Console ports/remakes of Warcraft 1, 2, and 3, and Starcraft 1 & 2, with built-in level editors and online level sharing. They could even make the latter exclusive to Game Pass subscribers if they're looking to give the service a bit more value.
• Some assets from World of Warcraft are re-purposed for use in single-player, narrative-driven RPGs available for both PC and Xbox consoles. These types of games could be used to provide backstory and lore for the World of Warcraft universe and increase interest in the World of Warcraft MMO altogether.
• Starcraft is expanded with a series of games that focus on small, squad-based gameplay, similar to the Space Hulk board game or the (underrated) video game For The King. If done well this too could shift toward more narrative-based gameplay, but honestly what I really want from this is local co-op.

"What's on your wish list?"

Updated/corrected feature tags and the ability to properly view all games with any particular tag. For example a number of games that support local multiplayer don't have the relevant tag applied to their store listing and filtering store listings by that tag only produces a partial list of all the entries with that tag actually applied anyhow. It's frustrating and costs both Microsoft and third-party developers sales.

The solution is to get xCloud onto more devices and start looking into unique content for Game Pass — if not exclusive games then exclusive mods and the like. There's some obvious examples with their own IP, such as Doom and Quake given their rich history with mods on PC, but some third-party examples too, such bankrolling Stardew Valley's or Terraria's developers to make mod-support exclusive to Xbox (as far as consoles are concerned) and then offering certain mods exclusive to Game Pass subscribers.

Eh, I don't care for either game but Games For Gold is just a byproduct of subscribing to Game Pass for me.

Microsoft would do well to either modify a bare-bones Linux installation or develop a Retroarch "core" to behave like a dedicated portal to XCloud. It would require relatively little work and time, would make their service available for a wider variety of platforms, and leave it up to the DIY communities to put the portal on things like the Raspberry Pi and other devices of their choosing.

I'm sure Microsoft tracks the most popular games by time spent playing, but I wonder if they track games by prioritization or abandonment, eg: which games are most likely to be first played by new users, attract existing users when they're newly-added, or be abandoned half-way through. If they're only focussing on one or two of these metrics it could lead to an eventual decline in subscriptions. I also wonder if Microsoft has considered adding unique content, eg: Doom or Skyrim mods that are only available to Game pass subscribers, or offering minor tweaks to some of their games on Game Pass to make them more appealing to certain demographics, eg: up to six-player split-screen co-op or deathmatch for the original Doom and Doom II.

The funny thing is if you look at Nintendo's efforts with Switch online it's apparent Sony could be doing a lot worse. That said, Sony has an incredible library at their fingertips — both from in-house development and strong third-party relationships — and they absolutely could be doing more with that.

I'd enjoy another remake provided it was different enough that, as someone who enjoyed the original and the first remake, it was still relatively unique overall — almost like a whole new game. But personally I'd only be interested in a Resident Evil-style remake if it was modelled after 5, and its fantastic multiplayer experience. Otherwise I'd suggest a Breath if the Wild-style remake might be the way to go.

I'm not a resident of the UK so I'm in no position to respond, but it seems to me like most of the complaints boil down to ignoring how much larger Tencent and Sony's gaming divisions are compared to Microsoft's gaming division or penalizing Microsoft for having enough foresight to realize game subscription and game cloud/streaming have a place in the market (even though plenty of alternatives exist on PC and to a lesser extent on consoles).

I was under the impression that services like Xbox Gold exist because the game servers were being maintained by Microsoft (or Sony in the case of PlayStation Network), so if that's not the case — as these servers are clearly being maintained by the games' publisher — what does Xbox Gold pay for, exactly?

I bought Terraria (while it was still on Game Pass) and Stardew Valley (which is still on Game Pass). I'd buy 7 Days to Die as well if it was a bit more clear when/if it would be receiving updates for Xbox.

It's a shame Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic isn't backwards-compatible. And it's also a shame a "demake" of Prey (my favourite Arkane title) wasn't released as a side-scrolling, 16-bit "metroidvania".

Valve ought to put Portal 1 on sale now.

This is awesome!

@UltimateOtaku91 / @Carck : Sorry if someone already clarified this and I missed it, but you've got it wrong. The deal extends COD releases on the PlayStation by three years on top of the existing deal — to the end of 2027. And that is more than fair, especially since it doesn't make sense for anyone, Microsoft included, to guarantee releases into the next console generation when we don't even know what that generation will look like.

When does the current deal expire? Frankly I'd be surprised if consoles as we know them even exist after 2030 or so, and a three-year grace period to negotiate a new deal seems generous to me.

Metroid on the NES. And years later when I played Super Metroid and saw references to the last stretch of the first game it made it all the more sweet.

I find it hard to believe that Microsoft or Sony will continue to produce game consoles after the (next) tenth console generation. These manufacturers typically take a loss on console sales, Netflix and the like have normalized media as a service, internet speeds have and continue to improve in the most populated areas, game-streaming services aren't hampered by size limitations they way console gaming is, game-streaming services can reach a larger number of consumers due to availability on more devices, and smart phone gaming in particular has become the most dominant form of gaming... all of which adds up to a strong business argument for shifting toward a game-streaming service.

Presumably Nintendo will be in a position to (successfully) produce game consoles for longer, but due to the costs involved, limited consumer exposure, and increasing size of games I can't imagine they'll be making consoles after the 11th console generation at the latest anyhow.

I've been holding off playing, waiting for local co-op...

...and local co-op for the Diablo remake? Please?

I like games, fiction, and virtual worlds as much as the next guy, but I don't need or want a virtual world that's prevalent in every part of my life, that's just going to make the ongoing mental health crisis worse. If anything we need to dial back what we've already got.

Like it or not, gaming definitely seems to be heading in the service direction — a handful of distributors made avaialable on a wide variety of hardware platforms.

Whatever the case I hope they don't just sit on the back-catalogues of the companies they acquire. Port those older titles to console (and maybe slip in some split-screen multiplayer wherever possible), remake them, make sequels, etc.

Hopefully these can be ported to modern Xbox consoles someday...

This looks awesome!

I don't disagree with Musk, but he's so out-of-touch with the reality of the masses that it's ridiculous how every comment he makes gets media coverage.

I'd really like to see some of these older Bethesda / id games, and soon Activision-Blizzard games, that never had a console release ported to Xbox consoles. But this is still good.