In all honesty, I tend to pre-order any game that I want, and if I do buy a game in a sale whether or not it is about to leave Game Pass is irrelevant to me; if it's on sale and I want it, I just buy it...
I'm not intending to buy the game, but the screenshots are very impressive. My son absolutely loved GTA 5, so I imagine that he will get it, and as we game share on the Xbox I will have the opportunity to play it should I be persuaded to do so.
I do have to say, I wonder whether it will live up to the hype, and also whether it will get fantastic 10/10 reviews whilst at the same time numerous issues with the game are pointed out? I wonder whether professional reviewers will feel compelled to give the game 10/10s, or whether it will deserve them, and whether those same issues in another game would see it marked down? In other words, is the game too big to be critiqued properly?
I'm sure the game will be good, but will it be as good as we will be led to believe? I hope that it is for the sake of all those that are really looking forward to it, but as someone on the outside of the hype, the excitement is kind of bewildering. To me, it's a bit like everyone raving about the latest Artic Monkeys album, when I just don't like their music and I cannot understand how anyone does... 😉
Not suggesting this is the case, @themightyant, but just as with the Campaigns in Gears of War, I think people often think back to when the games first released and how much they enjoyed the games at that time, yet have not played them since. So they look back through rose-tinted glasses, whereas if they were to play them through one after the other today (as I do) then maybe their opinions would change. Basically, what was great for the time in which the games were made, does not feel so great by modern standards.
I totally understand what you mean about O.D.S.T. though, because it does not really feel like a Halo game except for the enemies. The structure, and the fact that you are not a Spartan, does go against what all the other Halo games are. I just love the way the game plays out, and played solo on Legendary, that game sparkles!
Also, just as an aside, my order of Gears of War Campaigns will probably raise a few eyebrows too...!:
I agree with you, @ilyn. I think the reason that E-Day is subject to such high speculation is for three reasons; first, the eye-watering claims about it having cost $500 million to make (personally, I don't believe that, I think between $200 and $300 is more likely). Secondly, the impact that Game Pass has had on the revenue take for the game, something that I think Xbox needs to look into because in all honesty I cannot see Nadella tolerating the loses that E-Day has apparently had. I get that the idea of these exclusives is Xbox playing the long game, with the idea being that they grow Xbox to a sustainable level. Problem is I don't think Nadella will give Xbox 5 to 10 years to turn things round. I reckon he's going to have Sharma drop the axe again next year cutting away just as much as she has this year, if not more (and still you will see people on here saying it's just Xbox 'trimming the fat', which always makes me wonder just how fat Xbox could possibly be!). And thirdly, E-Day is getting a lot of attention because Sharma decided, at the last minute, to make the game an exclusive, something that a lot of people, myself included, think was a mistake. I fully understand the need for exclusives, but you need a lot of them to make Xbox attractive, and other games could have been included straight away (Halo, FH6 and Fable), and those games together with E-Day and Clockwork Revolution would make it 5 reasons to own an Xbox, whereas just pulling E-Day, but giving PlayStation 3 of the others, just begs the question; how serious is Sharma about pursuing an exclusives strategy? If she intends to make Fallout or Elder Scrolls exclusive, then those games could be 4 or 5 years away, and without any big hitters in between then making E-Day an exclusive would have been all but pointless, and when you see the 24 hour peak high for E-Day on Steam sitting at just 6,911 you have to wonder whether E-Day even has the legs to get to the New Year, what with GTA 6 out this month as well. And just to put that figure into perspective, Helldivers 2's peak high for the past 24 hours is 43,125, and that game has been out for over 2 years.
Anyway, I think those are the reasons why there is so much interest in E-Day. There is a lot riding on the game being seen as a success, and whilst there are probably a lot of salty people wanting the game to fail (and I am most certainly not one of them as I am frankly devastated at the idea there might not be another game in the franchise if E-Day is not seen as a success), I think most people are seeing the game through the lens that it cost a lot of money to make, and won't be making even a fraction of it back...
Yeah, er... about that, @mbro444444. I bought the DLC but haven't even played the base game, so I cannot tell you how good it is. It's a terrible habit of mine; I buy games all the time but don't actually play them.
My resolution for 2027 is to do as Mr Ant suggested, which is to only buy a game once I have completed a game. Probably won't happen, but I'm definitely going to try...
I get what you are saying, @themightyant, but Schreier did not say 'The Coalition spent $500 million' he said, 'E-Day cost $500 million'. That's like me saying I spent £100 on my shopping, and only suggesting I spent that on one sandwich!
Maybe I am being a little harsh on Schreier, and maybe he is right more often that a little over half, but he does most certainly get things wrong and yet he never retracts what he previously said. I'm sure he does have some reliable and trustworthy sources (and possibly more than some out there), but I still think he throws out statements that are either so blindingly obvious to a short-sighted man that will always be right, or he throws out ball-park 'facts', which he can then claim changed since he first reported them.
Don't misunderstand me, I am more inclined to listen to what he has to say than not, but I always like to have what he says backed up by others before I completely trust him...
For me, Schreier is wrong almost as often as he is right, and sometimes I feel that he is spit-balling rather than speaking facts (as he asserts here). That said, I do think the game is more than 2 years away (my guess would be 2029 or maybe 30), but whether he knows when Bethesda are targeting, or whether he knows how far into development the game is, or indeed how much more work is required, I'm not so sure. The truth is that if you follow the games industry for long enough, you can start to make educated guesses yourself (as I do all the time), so does Schreier have inside knowledge, or is he simply putting bits and pieces together to form a picture? Who knows.
I mean, it was Schreier that was reporting that E-Day cost $500 million to make, which is a number vastly inflated from the initial reports that it cost between $200 million and $300 million, and which has since been refuted by someone you would think better placed to know the truth. Obviously none of us know the true figure when it comes to costs of making E-Day, but it could be argued that Schreier was potentially wrong in his claims about the game (and from what I can understand, he stands by)...
I'm well aware that it has been back on track for a few years, @fatpunkslim, but that does change what I said at all; had these maps and modes features been present upon release the game would have reviewed and faired better. With the addition of these maps, the game will be better still, that I accept, but I was specifically talking about when the game launched. It has nothing to do with any narrative as I was there day one having bought the Collector's Edition with the energy sword. I loved the Campaign, so I'm not knocking the game at all, just the decision to release it barebones...
Indeed they did botch it, @FarmDog08. I know my views won't be the same as probably anyone else's, but I would put my enjoyment of the Campaigns only, as follows:
I actually really enjoyed Infinite, and I played through all the games at the beginning of this year. I tend to play them all again every year or so, and have managed to get the Legendary Achievement in each of them whilst playing solo...
The reviews for a game such as Halo do not just impact the studio, but also Xbox, and really impact gamers. Just imagine how many more copies of the game would have sold had the game received a smattering of 10s, and how many more people would have bought an Xbox and entered the ecosystem. Someone within the leadership needs to look beyond how much money a game can make by releasing too early, and instead look at it by how much it could make if it released feature complete...
Sharma quite literally said that Xbox could not simply rely on their established franchises, @Tasuki . Yes, she said they need to keep making their staple games, but she also said that she wanted to see studios making new IPs too. They are unlikely to be the small games like Double Fine make, and they are unlikely to be passion projects like Hellblade, but they will be new games and new IPs...
That sounds like the way I should do things, @themightyant. I think starting next year (because I don't think there is anything else I want this year), I will have a one in one out policy. I am weak willed, it has to be said, but genuinely, I will try this. Thanks for the tip...! 😉👌
I've no idea what the compulsion is to buy as many games as I do, @Glassneedles. I'm like a kiddie in a sweetshop! I just cannot help myself, I just want everything. You'd think I'd know better at my age too... 🤣
I have a fair few games on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam, @Glassneedles. All of the Mass Effect games, al of the Resident Evil games (except Requiem, which I only own on PlayStation and was actually the reason I ended up buying a Pro), the Witcher 3, and each of the Dead Space games. There will be several from the list that I have rebought on PlayStation this year too, but without checking, I cannot be sure which ones (and I cannot be bothered to look! 😂).
Funny thing is, I've never been disciplined when it comes to my gaming habit. As an example, I bought GTA5 on the 360, then on Steam, and then on the Xbox One, and yet I have never even played it once! Go figure... 🤣
It's not the first time I have had a spree of double-dipping either, @RTGX. At the start of the Xbox One debacle my two best mates convinced me to buy a PC (although unlike them, I pre-ordered a One too), and on seeing everything really cheap on Steam, I splurged several hundred buying games that I had previously bought on Xbox. When I found that PC gaming was not really for me, I then went fully Xbox again, and bought some of the newer games that I had bought on Steam for my Xbox instead.
I'm not gonna lie, I am terrible when it comes to impulse buying too. Sometimes I say to myself, 'Will I even play this? Probably not!', and then still buy the game just in case I will... 😂
I haven't played it before, @Balaam_, I only got into Souls-likes in recent years, and it's only now that I have bought the game. I have played 3 or 4 games from the genre this year already, and it is the next one I play, although it will probably be early next years now because I have so many brand new games that I really want to get finished before the onslaught begins again in the new year...
I've always done so, @tornster, and no, I cannot play them all immediately. Most often you get bits of DLC with a pre-order, and it is mainly that that keeps me pre-ordering games. It is true though, that every now and again, I will pre-order a game, and never end up playing it.
I have done better in recent years, spending around £1300 in 2024, and £1500 in 2025, but this year has been particularly bad, not aided by all the Collector's Editions and rebuying games on PlayStation, a fair few of which I have already replayed, although that then sets me further back with my new releases.
I do try to do better. I'm just particularly good when it comes to self-control...
Unfortunately not, @RiverGenie! All I ever do is add to my already substantial backlog. Every now and then I make some inroads, and then a month like September or October rocks up, and I fall further behind. I cannot seem to help myself, I like to buy the games I want to play, even though I may never end up doing so. It is a truly terrible habit...
My wallet was crying after both September and October in particular. This has been my worst (or best, depending on which way you look at it!) year for spending on gaming.
These are the games that I have bought this year:
XBOX:
Xbox - Shadow Tactics DLC £8.12
Xbox - Avatar DLC - 8.75
Xbox - Echoes Of The End Enhanced Edition £16.49
Xbox - Disciples Domination - £49.49
Xbox - Lego Batman - £59.99
Xbox - The Outer Worlds: Spacers Choice DLC - £8.74
Total = £135.09
PLAYSTATION:
PS5 - Final Fantasy Rebirth - £42.49
PS5 - Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade - £74.99
PS5 - Resident Evil: Requiem - £74.99
PS5 - Greedfall: The Dying World - £59.99
PS5 - Crimson Desert - £64.99
PS5 - Gran Turismo - £37.79
PS5 - Bloodborne £14.99
PS5 - Pragmata - £59.99
PS5 - Star trek: Resurgence - £19.99
PS5 - Saros - £79.99
PS5 - Forespoken - £26.99
PS5 - Age Of Wonders - £15.89
PS5 - 007 James Bond: Last Light - £59.99
PS5 - Steel Seed - £18.49
PS5 - Mortal Shell 2 Devout Edition - £49.99
PS5 - Wolverine Deluxe Edition - £79.99
PS5 - The Expanse: Founders Edition** - £60
PS5 - Control: Resonant - £54.99
PS5 - End Of Abyss - £22.49
PS5 - God Of War: Laufey** - £79.99
PS5 - Phantom Blade Zero: Deluxe Edition - £64.99
Total = £1,064.00
Bought for PlayStation that were previously owned on Xbox:
Steam - Halo 2 Collector's Edition** - £224.74
Xbox - Gears of War: E-Day Collector's Edition £291.15
PS5 - Gothic Collector's Edition £169.99
PS5 - Fable Collector's Edition - £227.57
PS5 - Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Resynced Collector's Edition £205.00
PS5 - The Blood Of Dawnwalker Collector's Edition - £174.85
Total for Collector's Editions = £1353.30
Total = £2,770.46 (including Collector's Editions)
Other game related items (not included in above total):
Gears Of War: E-day Controller £84.99
Gears Of War: E-Day Lancer Chainsaw Model - £318.91
*I have spent a fair bit rebuying my favourite games for PlayStation after originally buying them on Xbox.
**Pre-orders. Not out until next year.
***I was unable the get the Halo Collector's Edition for either Xbox or PlayStation, so had to get it for Steam as that was the only one still available.
So yes, I have spent a fair bit on my favourite hobby (and it does not include the £500 plus I spent upgrading my PC!). However, I don't drink, do drugs, or smoke, and I rarely go out (too busy gaming, obviously!), so don't judge me... 😉
I have no idea of what is going on behind the scenes that led to Chiang's departure. Who or whether anyone was at fault, I do not know. What I can tell from all this is that not everything is going well at Xbox HQ. The fact that Chiang felt the need to speak out is both telling and sad. It is clear that she is unhappy with the rumours circulating, however, she has not cleared everything up with her statement and has left several questions unanswered. Good for her that she had the courage to defend herself, and I wish her well for the future, but it is still sad that it has come to this...
Strictly speaking just 2, for me; Halo: Combat Evolved and Project Gotham Racing, as I played Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee on PlayStation. I did try Fuzion Frenzy, but didn't like it, only playing it for a couple of hours. I think the reason I played Oddworld on PlayStation was because I bought it for my children, to whom I had given my PlayStation, but it was too difficult for them. They did like it whenever Abe farted though...! 🤣
I think we do hear fairly often what the budget for a game is, @Rimebreaker. It comes out in one way or another, but it is not the norm, that is true.
The problem here is a matter of optics. Right now the rumours doing the rounds are that E-Day cost $500 million to make, (and that apparently does not include publicity). We are also led to believe that is has sold really poorly (around 411,000 copies), but are told that it sold something like 700,000 Premium Upgrades for Game Pass. We know for a fact that it is performing badly on Steam, where the peak high yesterday (a Sunday) was just 7883, which is truly poor for a game that has been out for about 3 weeks.
The narrative is that the game has performed badly, and will in no way recoup its development costs. Compared to $500 million, it obviously has no chance, and no game, except perhaps GTA 6 would ever get near to making that kind of money.
Now we have exec's coming forward and saying, 'no, no, that's not the case', but what does that mean? It didn't cost 500,000,000 but it did cost 499,999,999? Obviously I am being facetious, but if an exec is going to take the time to come out and deny a rumour, why not properly set the record straight? So long as there is wriggle room for people wanting to make the picture look as bad as possible, then people will.
As I keep saying, I don't believe that the game cost $500 million to make, but I cannot believe for one moment that the leadership at Xbox do not know what it cost to make, and surely it is better to end a harmful rumour than it is to be so vague with your argument that you may as well not have said anything in the first place...?
To be honest what surprises me most about the $500 million dollar rumour was the lack of specificity as to exactly what the budget was if only to counter the rumour.
Quotes about some of that money began circulating last week (or maybe the week before, I forget exactly when), and it makes sense that E-Day did not cost that. However, someone somewhere in a position of leadership at Xbox should know what the game did cost to make, and you'd think they would be quick to refute the $500 million rumour and counter it with a more precise figure.
I have said often now that I think the budget on display is far more likely to fall somewhere between $200 million and $300 million. The game oozes quality, and that will not have come cheap.
I'd also like to see addressed the (frankly ridiculous) rumour that a further $500 million spent on publicity for the game. If it is true that the original rumour (of $500 million) did not include publicity, then that does mean more still will have been spent on it (although I do not believe the $500 million rumour that was circulating last week).
The one thing I would say is that even if the budget is a 'low' as $200 million (including publicity), there is no way the game managed to recoup very much of it at all, and it does lead me to fear both for the future of The Coalition and for the Gears of War Franchise. I foresee Sharma taking a chainsaw to The Coalition in March or April next year, and it's not going to be pretty...
I have to be honest, I really dislike these huge sales. There are simply too many games to trawl through.
One of the things I really wish that Microsoft would include with the Store is the ability to hide any games that you own, or are not interested in. When I buy a game, I invariably buy the best version, thus if I own the Premium version of the game, then not only do I not want to buy it again, but I don't want the Deluxe or Standard versions either. I honestly believe that if I were just able to hide the games that I already own (or iterations of them) then I would probably be able to reduce the list of games in this years sale down from 3519 to something like half as many. Then with the ability to hide from that half games that I will never be interested in and never have been from when they were previously on sale, I could probably get the list down to a far more manageable 200 or so (and maybe not even as many as that).
Why I have to trawl through the same games week in week out, games I own and games I am not interested in, I do not know. The net result is that when I see there are 3519 games on sale, I don't bother to look at all. It will literally take over an hour to look through the entire list, and honestly, I have much better things to do. If it were just 200, I would look and maybe buy something, so by not enabling me to curate the games within the Xbox Store, they actually lose a potential sale because I cannot be bothered to look through 3519 games.
As I recall, Microsoft did not include consoles at all on the last Black Friday, @FraserG. I'm not hopeful that they will do this time either (albeit I don't need one anyway)...
I think it cannot be overstated how popular this title is in China, @RTGX. Just as Wu Kong was before it.
However, I would not be surprised at all if E-Day had been available on both PS5 and not been on Game Pass, that E-Day would have sold at least 2 million. It is a quality title.
When it comes to PC, the title is too demanding for the majority of PCs, which really seems to be an oversight on the part of The Coalition. It is all well and good making one of the most technically beautiful games, but if you are limiting how many gamers can play it on your biggest buying platform, then you are (in my opinion) making a mistake.
I do, however, take your point that if you make a quality title, and sell it where people actually buy games, then you can expect good results...
I pre-ordered Phantom Blade Zero, @RTGX. It'll probably be the next game I play, although I might play Blood of Dawnwalker (I bought the Collector's Edition, but have been too busy with other games to play it).
Has to be said, this year is probably the best we have ever had for games. It has cost me an absolute fortune...! 🤪
And yes, I don't think things are looking to good for The Coalition, although I would be delighted if all those that think Microsoft will absorb the loses for the sake of Xbox and its future are right. Unfortunately, I think Nadella will only tolerate so much, and I'd be surprised if he's prepared to give Xbox the time it needs...
I mean, some would have you believe that Wolverine has been a total flop, @RTGX, but E-Day would have killed for the more than 2 million that Wolverine has sold... 😉
I think it will be PlayStation's best year this generation, @Llamageddon. Another God of War game, Intergalactic and a game rumoured to be releasing from Bend studio. As you say, it would be just like Sony to do this right at the end of a generation to persuade you that it is indeed worth investing in the next generation console...
I was well aware of the comment by Reese, and it has been mentioned by a few others, @fatpunkslim, so I most certainly am not speaking from a position of ignorance. The truth is we will never know precisely how much the game cost (or indeed how much it makes and loses), but you only have to look at the product we are presented with to know that we are looking at a game that easily cost $200 million to make, and probably more than $300 million. You simply cannot make a game of the quality of E-Day for anything less than that.
Equally, we can look at Steam to see that E-Day dropped to just 6,832 24 hour peak high on a Saturday night, down from a peak high of 31,000 in just two weeks. That is a drop off of 78%, which is not good. Not good at all. And yes, I am still not ignorant to the demanding nature of the game on PC.
Neither a budget that is north of $200 million, nor the poor sales on PC, will save The Coalition now. It has not made anywhere near enough revenue to prevent large scale job loses at the studio, which is something I really, really do not want to happen. I may not be a fan of what The Coalition have done with "Horde", but I still want them to make another game (and the rumoured single player content that they have in the works, and also the rumoured game based on the Pendulum Wars, albeit how a game without Locust will fare, I'm not too sure).
What I will say is that I know full well that we are being told that the $500 million is not correct, but we are also led to believe that this $500 million does not include the publicity and advertising that the game received, which has been spoken about in terms of a frankly unbelievable further $500 million (and I used the word 'unbelievable' advisedly because I quite literally do not believe it). However, the point remains that we are led to believe that the rumoured $500 developmental costs do not include the games publicity, though of course (as is usual with Xbox and Microsoft) we will never know any facts because it does not suit them to tell us.
Regardless, no one can paint E-Day as a success other than in terms of its quality, and that alone will not save it. My only hope in all this is that The Coalition survives and is able to make another game in the franchise, and do so within a timely manner. If the axe falls too heavily, it will trim the studio to the bone, leaving them just enough staff to make the seasonal content (and probably finish the PS5 version! 😉), but incapable of getting another game out the door for many years if at all...
I really absolutely loved playing New World: Aternum. I never interacted with anyone in the game other than the occasional big PvE battle. I managed to do 900 hours completely solo, and had to prise myself away from the game as my I played it for 6 months and was still buying new games and simply adding them to my backlog. I actually have enough in game coins to buy another Season Pass, so I might just hop back in for a month. It is such a good game, and a real shame to see that it didn't manage to find a better foothold. Sad to see it going...
I'll be dropping to Essential next year when my Ultimate runs out in June, @Llamageddon, so I too don't have much skin in the game, and like you, I just want Xbox back on top form, properly competing with PlayStation, which has become completely complacent in the face of limited competition.
Personally, I much prefer to buy my games, including first-party games because I prefer to own the top version with all the DLC and I don't like the idea of buying just the Premium Upgrade. I would prefer to own the entire game, not just part of it (and not the main game at that!).
I only need to have online access for when I am playing with my mates, and so had hoped that Helix would not only drop the need for paying for online but would actually release next year meaning I might not even need Essential. Unfortunately, that is beginning to appear increasingly unlikely now, and so I will probably need at least a years worth of Essential, which is somewhat annoying...
That's exactly what I have been saying for years, @Llamageddon. Game Pass is such a good deal for us because that is how Microsoft designed it, but they did so with a view that it would attract 100 million subscribers by 2030. The idea being that the service would move from loss making, to breaking even, to making a huge profit. Problem is, not only did Game Pass plateau somewhere around 30-35 million subscribers, but it has since contracted to a rumoured 25 million. Even at 35 million, I highly doubt that the service had moved into the 'breaking even' stage. I doubt it had reached that tipping point where enough subscribers had joined to enable it to bring the kind of money that Microsoft envisaged. And now, with it having fallen by 5 to 10 million users the service is in significant trouble. Something drastic needs to change, and change soon...
None of that would shock me, @Grumblevolcano. It is just a matter of time before we see what devastation befalls The Coalition. Whatever happens, I don't think it'll be pretty...
I honestly don't know, @AI-Generation. I seem to recall a report that suggested that Microsoft spent up to $50 million on some games. If you think about it though, $50 million to secure a big AAA game is just 10% of what E-Day apparently cost, albeit that is on the extreme end of development costs, but if a AAA first-party game costs $200 million to make, then spending $50 million on a big draw to Game Pass instead of putting first-party games on there, makes far more sense. First-party games have far more difficulty in recouping their development costs when Game Pass is involved...
I have 54 Mythic Achievements, however I rarely pursue Achievements other than in games I am really enjoying, and never bother with Multiplayer Achievements...
I currently replaying Othercide, but this time on my Pro. I loved the game when it first came out in 2020, and played it through on my Series X where I earned all the Achievements. Now I find myself playing through many of my favourite games again, but this time on PlayStation. Obviously, my aim this time is the get the Platinum Trophy... 😉
Xbox is my home, and has been since day one, however right now, I have moved into temporary accommodation at PlayStation whilst renovations continue at Xbox. When Helix releases, I shall move back home. Have to say though, I am greatly disappointed by the rumours that Helix won't release until 2028, because I had hoped to move back home well before that...
I totally understand your maths, @BAMozzy, but E-Day is just one game. There are around 500 on Game Pass.
Also, you say this:
I'm pointing out that Game Pass revenue EXISTS and that brings in a MASSIVE revenue every month - enough to keep ALL the Studios open and employed.
At a time that Xbox is closing studios, selling studios, cancelling games, and making 3200 people redundant. If Game Pass was making sufficient revenue to employ these people, and keep the studios open and within Xbox, why are they doing this...?
Maybe not, @AverageGamer, but in fairness, we were of the belief that another Mass Effect game was in production. Why would people campaign to have a game made that was already being made?
Also, have you seen how many people have voted in the (pointless!) poll to save Mass Effect? I've just checked it, and it currently stands at a not insignificant 286,452 votes. I honestly do not think that would have happened with Battlefront 3...
Yes, @AI-Generation. I fully expect E-Day to release on PlayStation this time next year, or maybe the start of 2027.
I think we will see two things happen over the course of the next 6 to 12 months:
Firstly, we will see Sharma announce that first-party games will no longer release day and date on Game Pass. The service is hurting Xbox far too much for the practice to continue. Fable will either be the first game not to release day and date on Game Pass, or (because it has already been announced as being available on the service) it will be the last to do so.
Second, Sharma will announce that Xbox will not be continuing with full exclusives. Xbox will instead have timed exclusives until such time as Xbox is profitable to an acceptable degree (which may not actually happen). I think Sharma is more likely to announce games as being timed-exclusives rather than completely abandoning the idea because from a PR perspective, the former is preferable to the latter. However, if timed-exclusives don't work either, then I think she will completely reverse course and just release all first-party games everywhere on the same day.
I think these two changes are absolutely inevitable. In the case of E-Day, having a game that is all but finished for PlayStation sat doing nothing on some hard drive when it could be earning some reasonable money, is going to prove too hard to resist, and if the game takes off on PlayStation, then it will be all the evidence Sharma needs to rip the band aid off and go fully multiplatform...
I totally agree with you, @strzelec. Personally, I bought the Collector's Edition, so I feel like I played my part. However, I whilst I cannot blame people for looking for the cheap option when it comes to playing games on Game Pass, it is also my view that people cannot wonder why Xbox is struggling, why games get cancelled and why studios get closed, when playing games via Game Pass is clearly an issue when it comes to first party games. I agree that if people want to see games be exclusive to Xbox, that they do need to show up and buy the games, and to that end, I really hope that Game Pass is fundamentally changed very soon, and that day one first-party games become a thing of the past. Xbox needs to take a leaf out of Sony's book, and only put first-party games on the service some years after their initial release. Game Pass is quite literally killing Xbox, its studios and its future games so it needs to change and soon.
As I say, particularly in these difficult times, I totally understand why people would play a game on Game Pass rather than buy it outright, but if you can afford it, you should show your support and buy the games because only that way can we hope to see things improve at Xbox...
E-Day is definitely in trouble if you just look at Steam. Its peak high for the past 24 hours is just 7,565, which for a game of its scale, that cost so much, and which only came out a couple of weeks ago is truly terrible. Oh, and just by way of comparison, Helldivers 2 had a peak high of 46,648 over the same period, and that game came to Steam February 2024, added to which, that 24 hour peak high is 15,000 higher than E-Day managed at its peak! So yes, E-Day is in significant trouble, and I say that as someone that absolutely loved the Campaign, and also bought the Collector's Edition.
Obviously Game Pass could well be a factor on both PC and Xbox, but I imagine that even with that, the drop off will be similar to that seen on Steam where it started with a peak high of about 31,500. In other words, Steam has seen something like 75% fewer people playing the game now than occurred when the game first released just two weeks ago, and I imagine that it will be much the same among those of us that bought the game on Xbox, and also Game Pass on PC and Xbox.
Losing 75% of your gamers in the space of 2 weeks is not good.
As for The Coalition, bearing in mind that Sharma still needs to find over 1000 job cuts, I think they will suffer badly, and go someway to addressing her redundancy problem.
I expect The Coalition to be cut to the bare minimum, with just enough people to do a year of seasons for the game (which will then just be repeated every 3 months just as happened with Gears 5, which is still having seasons to this day). Once work on any DLC and the seasonal work is complete, I expect them to switch to finishing the PlayStation version, where it will likely release either the end of next year, or the beginning of 2027. Basically, I think The Coalition will become a zombie studio, mortally wounded, and probably done for within 2 years. E-Day could easily be the last game we get. I know that sounds totally apocalyptic, but you cannot make a game costing upwards of half a billion, and sell so few copies, and have a 75% drop off of players within the first 2 weeks. Whether the existing community will hang around and keep playing, and crucially, keep spending in the game, I'm not sure. When you see such a significant drop in player numbers so quickly after release, it does not usually bode well for a game (or a studio)...
That's an interesting notion, @Millionski. You'd think AI could do wonders with older games without too much work by humans (and it would obviously be cheaper and quicker too).
As for The Coalition, bearing in mind that Sharma still needs to find over 1000 job cuts, I think they will suffer badly, and go someway to sorting her redundancy problem.
I expect The Coalition to be cut to the bare minimum, with just enough people to do a year of seasons for the game (which will then just be repeated every 3 months just as happened with Gears 5, which is still having seasons to this day). Once work on any DLC and the seasonal work is complete, I expect them to switch to finishing the PlayStation version, where it will likely release either the end of next year, or the beginning of 2027. Basically, I think The Coalition will become a zombie studio, mortally wounded, and probably done for within 2 years. E-Day could easily be the last game we get. I know that sounds totally apocalyptic, but you cannot make a game costing upwards of half a billion, and sell so few copies, and have a 75% drop off of players within the first 2 weeks. Whether the existing community will hang around and keep playing, and crucially, keep spending in the game, I'm not sure. When you see such a significant drop in player numbers so quickly after release, it does not usually bode well for a game (or a studio)...
Comments 6,241
Re: Talking Point: How Often Do You Buy The Games Leaving Xbox Game Pass?
In all honesty, I tend to pre-order any game that I want, and if I do buy a game in a sale whether or not it is about to leave Game Pass is irrelevant to me; if it's on sale and I want it, I just buy it...
Re: Here's Another 30+ New GTA 6 Screenshots To Drool Over
I'm not intending to buy the game, but the screenshots are very impressive. My son absolutely loved GTA 5, so I imagine that he will get it, and as we game share on the Xbox I will have the opportunity to play it should I be persuaded to do so.
I do have to say, I wonder whether it will live up to the hype, and also whether it will get fantastic 10/10 reviews whilst at the same time numerous issues with the game are pointed out? I wonder whether professional reviewers will feel compelled to give the game 10/10s, or whether it will deserve them, and whether those same issues in another game would see it marked down? In other words, is the game too big to be critiqued properly?
I'm sure the game will be good, but will it be as good as we will be led to believe? I hope that it is for the sake of all those that are really looking forward to it, but as someone on the outside of the hype, the excitement is kind of bewildering. To me, it's a bit like everyone raving about the latest Artic Monkeys album, when I just don't like their music and I cannot understand how anyone does... 😉
Re: Halo Infinite Adds 10 New Maps In Surprise November 2026 Update
Not suggesting this is the case, @themightyant, but just as with the Campaigns in Gears of War, I think people often think back to when the games first released and how much they enjoyed the games at that time, yet have not played them since. So they look back through rose-tinted glasses, whereas if they were to play them through one after the other today (as I do) then maybe their opinions would change. Basically, what was great for the time in which the games were made, does not feel so great by modern standards.
I totally understand what you mean about O.D.S.T. though, because it does not really feel like a Halo game except for the enemies. The structure, and the fact that you are not a Spartan, does go against what all the other Halo games are. I just love the way the game plays out, and played solo on Legendary, that game sparkles!
Also, just as an aside, my order of Gears of War Campaigns will probably raise a few eyebrows too...!:
1. E-Day
2. Gears 5
3. GoW4
4. Judgement
5. GoW3
6. GoW2
7. GoW
If we were to include Tactics, then I would probably slot that in at #3.
As you say, opinions, eh...
Re: 'I'm Telling You This Because It's True' - Reporter On Xbox's Release Window For The Elder Scrolls 6
I agree with you, @ilyn. I think the reason that E-Day is subject to such high speculation is for three reasons; first, the eye-watering claims about it having cost $500 million to make (personally, I don't believe that, I think between $200 and $300 is more likely). Secondly, the impact that Game Pass has had on the revenue take for the game, something that I think Xbox needs to look into because in all honesty I cannot see Nadella tolerating the loses that E-Day has apparently had. I get that the idea of these exclusives is Xbox playing the long game, with the idea being that they grow Xbox to a sustainable level. Problem is I don't think Nadella will give Xbox 5 to 10 years to turn things round. I reckon he's going to have Sharma drop the axe again next year cutting away just as much as she has this year, if not more (and still you will see people on here saying it's just Xbox 'trimming the fat', which always makes me wonder just how fat Xbox could possibly be!). And thirdly, E-Day is getting a lot of attention because Sharma decided, at the last minute, to make the game an exclusive, something that a lot of people, myself included, think was a mistake. I fully understand the need for exclusives, but you need a lot of them to make Xbox attractive, and other games could have been included straight away (Halo, FH6 and Fable), and those games together with E-Day and Clockwork Revolution would make it 5 reasons to own an Xbox, whereas just pulling E-Day, but giving PlayStation 3 of the others, just begs the question; how serious is Sharma about pursuing an exclusives strategy? If she intends to make Fallout or Elder Scrolls exclusive, then those games could be 4 or 5 years away, and without any big hitters in between then making E-Day an exclusive would have been all but pointless, and when you see the 24 hour peak high for E-Day on Steam sitting at just 6,911 you have to wonder whether E-Day even has the legs to get to the New Year, what with GTA 6 out this month as well. And just to put that figure into perspective, Helldivers 2's peak high for the past 24 hours is 43,125, and that game has been out for over 2 years.
Anyway, I think those are the reasons why there is so much interest in E-Day. There is a lot riding on the game being seen as a success, and whilst there are probably a lot of salty people wanting the game to fail (and I am most certainly not one of them as I am frankly devastated at the idea there might not be another game in the franchise if E-Day is not seen as a success), I think most people are seeing the game through the lens that it cost a lot of money to make, and won't be making even a fraction of it back...
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
Yeah, er... about that, @mbro444444. I bought the DLC but haven't even played the base game, so I cannot tell you how good it is. It's a terrible habit of mine; I buy games all the time but don't actually play them.
My resolution for 2027 is to do as Mr Ant suggested, which is to only buy a game once I have completed a game. Probably won't happen, but I'm definitely going to try...
Re: 'I'm Telling You This Because It's True' - Reporter On Xbox's Release Window For The Elder Scrolls 6
I get what you are saying, @themightyant, but Schreier did not say 'The Coalition spent $500 million' he said, 'E-Day cost $500 million'. That's like me saying I spent £100 on my shopping, and only suggesting I spent that on one sandwich!
Maybe I am being a little harsh on Schreier, and maybe he is right more often that a little over half, but he does most certainly get things wrong and yet he never retracts what he previously said. I'm sure he does have some reliable and trustworthy sources (and possibly more than some out there), but I still think he throws out statements that are either so blindingly obvious to a short-sighted man that will always be right, or he throws out ball-park 'facts', which he can then claim changed since he first reported them.
Don't misunderstand me, I am more inclined to listen to what he has to say than not, but I always like to have what he says backed up by others before I completely trust him...
Re: 'I'm Telling You This Because It's True' - Reporter On Xbox's Release Window For The Elder Scrolls 6
For me, Schreier is wrong almost as often as he is right, and sometimes I feel that he is spit-balling rather than speaking facts (as he asserts here). That said, I do think the game is more than 2 years away (my guess would be 2029 or maybe 30), but whether he knows when Bethesda are targeting, or whether he knows how far into development the game is, or indeed how much more work is required, I'm not so sure. The truth is that if you follow the games industry for long enough, you can start to make educated guesses yourself (as I do all the time), so does Schreier have inside knowledge, or is he simply putting bits and pieces together to form a picture? Who knows.
I mean, it was Schreier that was reporting that E-Day cost $500 million to make, which is a number vastly inflated from the initial reports that it cost between $200 million and $300 million, and which has since been refuted by someone you would think better placed to know the truth. Obviously none of us know the true figure when it comes to costs of making E-Day, but it could be argued that Schreier was potentially wrong in his claims about the game (and from what I can understand, he stands by)...
Re: Halo Infinite Adds 10 New Maps In Surprise November 2026 Update
I'm well aware that it has been back on track for a few years, @fatpunkslim, but that does change what I said at all; had these maps and modes features been present upon release the game would have reviewed and faired better. With the addition of these maps, the game will be better still, that I accept, but I was specifically talking about when the game launched. It has nothing to do with any narrative as I was there day one having bought the Collector's Edition with the energy sword. I loved the Campaign, so I'm not knocking the game at all, just the decision to release it barebones...
Re: Halo Infinite Adds 10 New Maps In Surprise November 2026 Update
Indeed they did botch it, @FarmDog08. I know my views won't be the same as probably anyone else's, but I would put my enjoyment of the Campaigns only, as follows:
1. Halo O.D.S.T.
2. Halo Infinite
3. Halo Reach
4. Halo 4
5. Halo 3
6. Halo 2
7. Halo: Combat Evolved
8. Halo 5
I actually really enjoyed Infinite, and I played through all the games at the beginning of this year. I tend to play them all again every year or so, and have managed to get the Legendary Achievement in each of them whilst playing solo...
Re: Halo Infinite Adds 10 New Maps In Surprise November 2026 Update
Talk about leaving things too late! Had all this stuff been in the game at the start, the 💩 would never have hit the fan and the game would have been viewed as a resounding success. I never understand why studios do not keep their games in the oven for an extra 6 months, or even a year, when they can turn a game from a review score of 6 or 7 into a 9 or 10 by doing so.
The reviews for a game such as Halo do not just impact the studio, but also Xbox, and really impact gamers. Just imagine how many more copies of the game would have sold had the game received a smattering of 10s, and how many more people would have bought an Xbox and entered the ecosystem. Someone within the leadership needs to look beyond how much money a game can make by releasing too early, and instead look at it by how much it could make if it released feature complete...
Re: Report: Xbox Has Had Multiple Offers For Arkane Studios, Marvel's Blade Close To Completion
Sharma quite literally said that Xbox could not simply rely on their established franchises, @Tasuki . Yes, she said they need to keep making their staple games, but she also said that she wanted to see studios making new IPs too. They are unlikely to be the small games like Double Fine make, and they are unlikely to be passion projects like Hellblade, but they will be new games and new IPs...
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
That sounds like the way I should do things, @themightyant. I think starting next year (because I don't think there is anything else I want this year), I will have a one in one out policy. I am weak willed, it has to be said, but genuinely, I will try this. Thanks for the tip...! 😉👌
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
I've no idea what the compulsion is to buy as many games as I do, @Glassneedles. I'm like a kiddie in a sweetshop! I just cannot help myself, I just want everything. You'd think I'd know better at my age too... 🤣
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
I have a fair few games on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam, @Glassneedles. All of the Mass Effect games, al of the Resident Evil games (except Requiem, which I only own on PlayStation and was actually the reason I ended up buying a Pro), the Witcher 3, and each of the Dead Space games. There will be several from the list that I have rebought on PlayStation this year too, but without checking, I cannot be sure which ones (and I cannot be bothered to look! 😂).
Funny thing is, I've never been disciplined when it comes to my gaming habit. As an example, I bought GTA5 on the 360, then on Steam, and then on the Xbox One, and yet I have never even played it once! Go figure... 🤣
Re: Xbox's New 25 Years Bundle Retails For $569.99, And Here's The Full List Of Games
I think I already own 14 of them, so I'll pass...
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
It's not the first time I have had a spree of double-dipping either, @RTGX. At the start of the Xbox One debacle my two best mates convinced me to buy a PC (although unlike them, I pre-ordered a One too), and on seeing everything really cheap on Steam, I splurged several hundred buying games that I had previously bought on Xbox. When I found that PC gaming was not really for me, I then went fully Xbox again, and bought some of the newer games that I had bought on Steam for my Xbox instead.
I'm not gonna lie, I am terrible when it comes to impulse buying too. Sometimes I say to myself, 'Will I even play this? Probably not!', and then still buy the game just in case I will... 😂
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
I haven't played it before, @Balaam_, I only got into Souls-likes in recent years, and it's only now that I have bought the game. I have played 3 or 4 games from the genre this year already, and it is the next one I play, although it will probably be early next years now because I have so many brand new games that I really want to get finished before the onslaught begins again in the new year...
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
I've always done so, @tornster, and no, I cannot play them all immediately. Most often you get bits of DLC with a pre-order, and it is mainly that that keeps me pre-ordering games. It is true though, that every now and again, I will pre-order a game, and never end up playing it.
I have done better in recent years, spending around £1300 in 2024, and £1500 in 2025, but this year has been particularly bad, not aided by all the Collector's Editions and rebuying games on PlayStation, a fair few of which I have already replayed, although that then sets me further back with my new releases.
I do try to do better. I'm just particularly good when it comes to self-control...
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
Unfortunately not, @RiverGenie! All I ever do is add to my already substantial backlog. Every now and then I make some inroads, and then a month like September or October rocks up, and I fall further behind. I cannot seem to help myself, I like to buy the games I want to play, even though I may never end up doing so. It is a truly terrible habit...
Re: Xbox Set A New Record For Game Releases In October, With Extremely Impressive Support For Play Anywhere
My wallet was crying after both September and October in particular. This has been my worst (or best, depending on which way you look at it!) year for spending on gaming.
These are the games that I have bought this year:
XBOX:
Xbox - Shadow Tactics DLC £8.12
Xbox - Avatar DLC - 8.75
Xbox - Echoes Of The End Enhanced Edition £16.49
Xbox - Disciples Domination - £49.49
Xbox - Lego Batman - £59.99
Xbox - The Outer Worlds: Spacers Choice DLC - £8.74
Total = £135.09
PLAYSTATION:
PS5 - Final Fantasy Rebirth - £42.49
PS5 - Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade - £74.99
PS5 - Resident Evil: Requiem - £74.99
PS5 - Greedfall: The Dying World - £59.99
PS5 - Crimson Desert - £64.99
PS5 - Gran Turismo - £37.79
PS5 - Bloodborne £14.99
PS5 - Pragmata - £59.99
PS5 - Star trek: Resurgence - £19.99
PS5 - Saros - £79.99
PS5 - Forespoken - £26.99
PS5 - Age Of Wonders - £15.89
PS5 - 007 James Bond: Last Light - £59.99
PS5 - Steel Seed - £18.49
PS5 - Mortal Shell 2 Devout Edition - £49.99
PS5 - Wolverine Deluxe Edition - £79.99
PS5 - The Expanse: Founders Edition** - £60
PS5 - Control: Resonant - £54.99
PS5 - End Of Abyss - £22.49
PS5 - God Of War: Laufey** - £79.99
PS5 - Phantom Blade Zero: Deluxe Edition - £64.99
Total = £1,064.00
Bought for PlayStation that were previously owned on Xbox:
PS5 - XCOM 2* - War Of The Chosen - £11.82
PS5 - Mass Effect Legendary Edition* - £5.99
PS5 - Control* - £5.24
PS5 - Metro Saga Bundle* - £7.49
PS5 - Cronos: The New Dawn* - £35.74
PS5 - Talos Principle: Reawakened* - £15.74
PS5 - Talos Principle 2* - £15.48
PS5 - Bioshock: The Collection - £8.99
PS5 - Mass Effect: Andromeda* - £6.99
PS5 - Resident Evil 4* - £23.47
PS5 - Steel Seed - £18.49
PS5 - Mortal Shell* - £2.49
PS5 - Resident Evil 7 & Resident Evil Village* - £16.24
PS5 - Resident Evil 6* - £3.99
PS5 - Resident Evil 5* - £3.99
PS5 - Resident Evil Revelations* - £3.99
PS5 - Baldur's Gate 3 Deluxe Edition* - £46.19
PS5 - Middle Earth Shadow Of War Definitive Edition* - £5.99
PS5 - Darksiders: Fury Collection* - £11.48
PS5 - Othercide* £3.74
PS5 - Defence Grid 2* - £5.99
PS5 - Hell Is Us* - £16.24
PS5 - Witcher 3: Remastered* - £17.49
Total: £293.26
COLLECTOR'S EDITIONS:
Steam - Halo 2 Collector's Edition** - £224.74
Xbox - Gears of War: E-Day Collector's Edition £291.15
PS5 - Gothic Collector's Edition £169.99
PS5 - Fable Collector's Edition - £227.57
PS5 - Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Resynced Collector's Edition £205.00
PS5 - The Blood Of Dawnwalker Collector's Edition - £174.85
Total for Collector's Editions = £1353.30
Total = £2,770.46 (including Collector's Editions)
Other game related items (not included in above total):
Gears Of War: E-day Controller £84.99
Gears Of War: E-Day Lancer Chainsaw Model - £318.91
*I have spent a fair bit rebuying my favourite games for PlayStation after originally buying them on Xbox.
**Pre-orders. Not out until next year.
***I was unable the get the Halo Collector's Edition for either Xbox or PlayStation, so had to get it for Steam as that was the only one still available.
So yes, I have spent a fair bit on my favourite hobby (and it does not include the £500 plus I spent upgrading my PC!). However, I don't drink, do drugs, or smoke, and I rarely go out (too busy gaming, obviously!), so don't judge me... 😉
Re: Xbox Black Friday Sale 2026 Leaks Early, Thousands Of Games Set To Be Included
Just trawling through the deals now, @white_henk. It looks pretty good. Thank you...
Re: OG Xbox Game 'Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee' Gets Remastered, But What Do The Critics Think?
Where abouts in Cornwall do you reside, @HelloCraigo? I live in Plymouth myself...
Re: Former Xbox COO Issues Lengthy Departure Statement To 'Set The Record Straight'
I have no idea of what is going on behind the scenes that led to Chiang's departure. Who or whether anyone was at fault, I do not know. What I can tell from all this is that not everything is going well at Xbox HQ. The fact that Chiang felt the need to speak out is both telling and sad. It is clear that she is unhappy with the rumours circulating, however, she has not cleared everything up with her statement and has left several questions unanswered. Good for her that she had the courage to defend herself, and I wish her well for the future, but it is still sad that it has come to this...
Re: All New Games Coming To Xbox In November 2026
Nothing for me, which after the past couple of months is somewhat of a relief.
Whilst everyone else is knee-deep in GTA 6, I'll be catching up on my backlog of recently bought games...
Re: 25 Years Later, How Many Of These Original Xbox Launch Titles Have You Played?
Strictly speaking just 2, for me; Halo: Combat Evolved and Project Gotham Racing, as I played Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee on PlayStation. I did try Fuzion Frenzy, but didn't like it, only playing it for a couple of hours. I think the reason I played Oddworld on PlayStation was because I bought it for my children, to whom I had given my PlayStation, but it was too difficult for them. They did like it whenever Abe farted though...! 🤣
Re: Former Xbox Manager Explains Why $500M Cost For Gears: E-Day Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
I think we do hear fairly often what the budget for a game is, @Rimebreaker. It comes out in one way or another, but it is not the norm, that is true.
The problem here is a matter of optics. Right now the rumours doing the rounds are that E-Day cost $500 million to make, (and that apparently does not include publicity). We are also led to believe that is has sold really poorly (around 411,000 copies), but are told that it sold something like 700,000 Premium Upgrades for Game Pass. We know for a fact that it is performing badly on Steam, where the peak high yesterday (a Sunday) was just 7883, which is truly poor for a game that has been out for about 3 weeks.
The narrative is that the game has performed badly, and will in no way recoup its development costs. Compared to $500 million, it obviously has no chance, and no game, except perhaps GTA 6 would ever get near to making that kind of money.
Now we have exec's coming forward and saying, 'no, no, that's not the case', but what does that mean? It didn't cost 500,000,000 but it did cost 499,999,999? Obviously I am being facetious, but if an exec is going to take the time to come out and deny a rumour, why not properly set the record straight? So long as there is wriggle room for people wanting to make the picture look as bad as possible, then people will.
As I keep saying, I don't believe that the game cost $500 million to make, but I cannot believe for one moment that the leadership at Xbox do not know what it cost to make, and surely it is better to end a harmful rumour than it is to be so vague with your argument that you may as well not have said anything in the first place...?
Re: Former Xbox Manager Explains Why $500M Cost For Gears: E-Day Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
To be honest what surprises me most about the $500 million dollar rumour was the lack of specificity as to exactly what the budget was if only to counter the rumour.
Quotes about some of that money began circulating last week (or maybe the week before, I forget exactly when), and it makes sense that E-Day did not cost that. However, someone somewhere in a position of leadership at Xbox should know what the game did cost to make, and you'd think they would be quick to refute the $500 million rumour and counter it with a more precise figure.
I have said often now that I think the budget on display is far more likely to fall somewhere between $200 million and $300 million. The game oozes quality, and that will not have come cheap.
I'd also like to see addressed the (frankly ridiculous) rumour that a further $500 million spent on publicity for the game. If it is true that the original rumour (of $500 million) did not include publicity, then that does mean more still will have been spent on it (although I do not believe the $500 million rumour that was circulating last week).
The one thing I would say is that even if the budget is a 'low' as $200 million (including publicity), there is no way the game managed to recoup very much of it at all, and it does lead me to fear both for the future of The Coalition and for the Gears of War Franchise. I foresee Sharma taking a chainsaw to The Coalition in March or April next year, and it's not going to be pretty...
Re: Xbox Black Friday Sale 2026 Leaks Early, Thousands Of Games Set To Be Included
Absolutely it is the same games time and time again, @themightyant, just as it is the same on all store fronts. Tis very frustrating...
Re: Xbox Black Friday Sale 2026 Leaks Early, Thousands Of Games Set To Be Included
I have to be honest, I really dislike these huge sales. There are simply too many games to trawl through.
One of the things I really wish that Microsoft would include with the Store is the ability to hide any games that you own, or are not interested in. When I buy a game, I invariably buy the best version, thus if I own the Premium version of the game, then not only do I not want to buy it again, but I don't want the Deluxe or Standard versions either. I honestly believe that if I were just able to hide the games that I already own (or iterations of them) then I would probably be able to reduce the list of games in this years sale down from 3519 to something like half as many. Then with the ability to hide from that half games that I will never be interested in and never have been from when they were previously on sale, I could probably get the list down to a far more manageable 200 or so (and maybe not even as many as that).
Why I have to trawl through the same games week in week out, games I own and games I am not interested in, I do not know. The net result is that when I see there are 3519 games on sale, I don't bother to look at all. It will literally take over an hour to look through the entire list, and honestly, I have much better things to do. If it were just 200, I would look and maybe buy something, so by not enabling me to curate the games within the Xbox Store, they actually lose a potential sale because I cannot be bothered to look through 3519 games.
Anyway rant over, sorry...
Re: Xbox Black Friday Sale 2026 Leaks Early, Thousands Of Games Set To Be Included
As I recall, Microsoft did not include consoles at all on the last Black Friday, @FraserG. I'm not hopeful that they will do this time either (albeit I don't need one anyway)...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I think it cannot be overstated how popular this title is in China, @RTGX. Just as Wu Kong was before it.
However, I would not be surprised at all if E-Day had been available on both PS5 and not been on Game Pass, that E-Day would have sold at least 2 million. It is a quality title.
When it comes to PC, the title is too demanding for the majority of PCs, which really seems to be an oversight on the part of The Coalition. It is all well and good making one of the most technically beautiful games, but if you are limiting how many gamers can play it on your biggest buying platform, then you are (in my opinion) making a mistake.
I do, however, take your point that if you make a quality title, and sell it where people actually buy games, then you can expect good results...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I pre-ordered Phantom Blade Zero, @RTGX. It'll probably be the next game I play, although I might play Blood of Dawnwalker (I bought the Collector's Edition, but have been too busy with other games to play it).
Has to be said, this year is probably the best we have ever had for games. It has cost me an absolute fortune...! 🤪
And yes, I don't think things are looking to good for The Coalition, although I would be delighted if all those that think Microsoft will absorb the loses for the sake of Xbox and its future are right. Unfortunately, I think Nadella will only tolerate so much, and I'd be surprised if he's prepared to give Xbox the time it needs...
Re: Blizzard Is Getting Our Hopes Up Again For World Of Warcraft On Xbox
My only fear when it comes to WoW, @HonestHick, is that I might lose 6 months of my life to it, and at my age, that's a bit percentage...! 🤣
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I mean, some would have you believe that Wolverine has been a total flop, @RTGX, but E-Day would have killed for the more than 2 million that Wolverine has sold... 😉
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I think it will be PlayStation's best year this generation, @Llamageddon. Another God of War game, Intergalactic and a game rumoured to be releasing from Bend studio. As you say, it would be just like Sony to do this right at the end of a generation to persuade you that it is indeed worth investing in the next generation console...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I was well aware of the comment by Reese, and it has been mentioned by a few others, @fatpunkslim, so I most certainly am not speaking from a position of ignorance. The truth is we will never know precisely how much the game cost (or indeed how much it makes and loses), but you only have to look at the product we are presented with to know that we are looking at a game that easily cost $200 million to make, and probably more than $300 million. You simply cannot make a game of the quality of E-Day for anything less than that.
Equally, we can look at Steam to see that E-Day dropped to just 6,832 24 hour peak high on a Saturday night, down from a peak high of 31,000 in just two weeks. That is a drop off of 78%, which is not good. Not good at all. And yes, I am still not ignorant to the demanding nature of the game on PC.
Neither a budget that is north of $200 million, nor the poor sales on PC, will save The Coalition now. It has not made anywhere near enough revenue to prevent large scale job loses at the studio, which is something I really, really do not want to happen. I may not be a fan of what The Coalition have done with "Horde", but I still want them to make another game (and the rumoured single player content that they have in the works, and also the rumoured game based on the Pendulum Wars, albeit how a game without Locust will fare, I'm not too sure).
What I will say is that I know full well that we are being told that the $500 million is not correct, but we are also led to believe that this $500 million does not include the publicity and advertising that the game received, which has been spoken about in terms of a frankly unbelievable further $500 million (and I used the word 'unbelievable' advisedly because I quite literally do not believe it). However, the point remains that we are led to believe that the rumoured $500 developmental costs do not include the games publicity, though of course (as is usual with Xbox and Microsoft) we will never know any facts because it does not suit them to tell us.
Regardless, no one can paint E-Day as a success other than in terms of its quality, and that alone will not save it. My only hope in all this is that The Coalition survives and is able to make another game in the franchise, and do so within a timely manner. If the axe falls too heavily, it will trim the studio to the bone, leaving them just enough staff to make the seasonal content (and probably finish the PS5 version! 😉), but incapable of getting another game out the door for many years if at all...
Re: Three Xbox Games Are Shutting Down Their Servers In November & December 2026
I really absolutely loved playing New World: Aternum. I never interacted with anyone in the game other than the occasional big PvE battle. I managed to do 900 hours completely solo, and had to prise myself away from the game as my I played it for 6 months and was still buying new games and simply adding them to my backlog. I actually have enough in game coins to buy another Season Pass, so I might just hop back in for a month. It is such a good game, and a real shame to see that it didn't manage to find a better foothold. Sad to see it going...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I'll be dropping to Essential next year when my Ultimate runs out in June, @Llamageddon, so I too don't have much skin in the game, and like you, I just want Xbox back on top form, properly competing with PlayStation, which has become completely complacent in the face of limited competition.
Personally, I much prefer to buy my games, including first-party games because I prefer to own the top version with all the DLC and I don't like the idea of buying just the Premium Upgrade. I would prefer to own the entire game, not just part of it (and not the main game at that!).
I only need to have online access for when I am playing with my mates, and so had hoped that Helix would not only drop the need for paying for online but would actually release next year meaning I might not even need Essential. Unfortunately, that is beginning to appear increasingly unlikely now, and so I will probably need at least a years worth of Essential, which is somewhat annoying...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
That's exactly what I have been saying for years, @Llamageddon. Game Pass is such a good deal for us because that is how Microsoft designed it, but they did so with a view that it would attract 100 million subscribers by 2030. The idea being that the service would move from loss making, to breaking even, to making a huge profit. Problem is, not only did Game Pass plateau somewhere around 30-35 million subscribers, but it has since contracted to a rumoured 25 million. Even at 35 million, I highly doubt that the service had moved into the 'breaking even' stage. I doubt it had reached that tipping point where enough subscribers had joined to enable it to bring the kind of money that Microsoft envisaged. And now, with it having fallen by 5 to 10 million users the service is in significant trouble. Something drastic needs to change, and change soon...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
None of that would shock me, @Grumblevolcano. It is just a matter of time before we see what devastation befalls The Coalition. Whatever happens, I don't think it'll be pretty...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I honestly don't know, @AI-Generation. I seem to recall a report that suggested that Microsoft spent up to $50 million on some games. If you think about it though, $50 million to secure a big AAA game is just 10% of what E-Day apparently cost, albeit that is on the extreme end of development costs, but if a AAA first-party game costs $200 million to make, then spending $50 million on a big draw to Game Pass instead of putting first-party games on there, makes far more sense. First-party games have far more difficulty in recouping their development costs when Game Pass is involved...
Re: Poll: So, How Many Xbox Mythic Achievements Do You Have So Far?
I have 54 Mythic Achievements, however I rarely pursue Achievements other than in games I am really enjoying, and never bother with Multiplayer Achievements...
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 31 - November 1)
I currently replaying Othercide, but this time on my Pro. I loved the game when it first came out in 2020, and played it through on my Series X where I earned all the Achievements. Now I find myself playing through many of my favourite games again, but this time on PlayStation. Obviously, my aim this time is the get the Platinum Trophy... 😉
Xbox is my home, and has been since day one, however right now, I have moved into temporary accommodation at PlayStation whilst renovations continue at Xbox. When Helix releases, I shall move back home. Have to say though, I am greatly disappointed by the rumours that Helix won't release until 2028, because I had hoped to move back home well before that...
Re: Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In November 2026
I like the look of Gravhounds, but I don't think it can be played solo, which is a real shame as it looks a lot of fun...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I totally understand your maths, @BAMozzy, but E-Day is just one game. There are around 500 on Game Pass.
Also, you say this:
I'm pointing out that Game Pass revenue EXISTS and that brings in a MASSIVE revenue every month - enough to keep ALL the Studios open and employed.
At a time that Xbox is closing studios, selling studios, cancelling games, and making 3200 people redundant. If Game Pass was making sufficient revenue to employ these people, and keep the studios open and within Xbox, why are they doing this...?
Re: Report: EA Bet On Star Wars Battlefront III Success, Cancelled Mass Effect Was Too 'Risky'
Maybe not, @AverageGamer, but in fairness, we were of the belief that another Mass Effect game was in production. Why would people campaign to have a game made that was already being made?
Also, have you seen how many people have voted in the (pointless!) poll to save Mass Effect? I've just checked it, and it currently stands at a not insignificant 286,452 votes. I honestly do not think that would have happened with Battlefront 3...
Re: Here's What The Metro Redux Next-Gen Upgrades Look Like On Xbox Series X|S
Yes, @AI-Generation. I fully expect E-Day to release on PlayStation this time next year, or maybe the start of 2027.
I think we will see two things happen over the course of the next 6 to 12 months:
Firstly, we will see Sharma announce that first-party games will no longer release day and date on Game Pass. The service is hurting Xbox far too much for the practice to continue. Fable will either be the first game not to release day and date on Game Pass, or (because it has already been announced as being available on the service) it will be the last to do so.
Second, Sharma will announce that Xbox will not be continuing with full exclusives. Xbox will instead have timed exclusives until such time as Xbox is profitable to an acceptable degree (which may not actually happen). I think Sharma is more likely to announce games as being timed-exclusives rather than completely abandoning the idea because from a PR perspective, the former is preferable to the latter. However, if timed-exclusives don't work either, then I think she will completely reverse course and just release all first-party games everywhere on the same day.
I think these two changes are absolutely inevitable. In the case of E-Day, having a game that is all but finished for PlayStation sat doing nothing on some hard drive when it could be earning some reasonable money, is going to prove too hard to resist, and if the game takes off on PlayStation, then it will be all the evidence Sharma needs to rip the band aid off and go fully multiplatform...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I totally agree with you, @strzelec. Personally, I bought the Collector's Edition, so I feel like I played my part. However, I whilst I cannot blame people for looking for the cheap option when it comes to playing games on Game Pass, it is also my view that people cannot wonder why Xbox is struggling, why games get cancelled and why studios get closed, when playing games via Game Pass is clearly an issue when it comes to first party games. I agree that if people want to see games be exclusive to Xbox, that they do need to show up and buy the games, and to that end, I really hope that Game Pass is fundamentally changed very soon, and that day one first-party games become a thing of the past. Xbox needs to take a leaf out of Sony's book, and only put first-party games on the service some years after their initial release. Game Pass is quite literally killing Xbox, its studios and its future games so it needs to change and soon.
As I say, particularly in these difficult times, I totally understand why people would play a game on Game Pass rather than buy it outright, but if you can afford it, you should show your support and buy the games because only that way can we hope to see things improve at Xbox...
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
I'll copy my comments from other articles here:
E-Day is definitely in trouble if you just look at Steam. Its peak high for the past 24 hours is just 7,565, which for a game of its scale, that cost so much, and which only came out a couple of weeks ago is truly terrible. Oh, and just by way of comparison, Helldivers 2 had a peak high of 46,648 over the same period, and that game came to Steam February 2024, added to which, that 24 hour peak high is 15,000 higher than E-Day managed at its peak! So yes, E-Day is in significant trouble, and I say that as someone that absolutely loved the Campaign, and also bought the Collector's Edition.
Obviously Game Pass could well be a factor on both PC and Xbox, but I imagine that even with that, the drop off will be similar to that seen on Steam where it started with a peak high of about 31,500. In other words, Steam has seen something like 75% fewer people playing the game now than occurred when the game first released just two weeks ago, and I imagine that it will be much the same among those of us that bought the game on Xbox, and also Game Pass on PC and Xbox.
Losing 75% of your gamers in the space of 2 weeks is not good.
As for The Coalition, bearing in mind that Sharma still needs to find over 1000 job cuts, I think they will suffer badly, and go someway to addressing her redundancy problem.
I expect The Coalition to be cut to the bare minimum, with just enough people to do a year of seasons for the game (which will then just be repeated every 3 months just as happened with Gears 5, which is still having seasons to this day). Once work on any DLC and the seasonal work is complete, I expect them to switch to finishing the PlayStation version, where it will likely release either the end of next year, or the beginning of 2027. Basically, I think The Coalition will become a zombie studio, mortally wounded, and probably done for within 2 years. E-Day could easily be the last game we get. I know that sounds totally apocalyptic, but you cannot make a game costing upwards of half a billion, and sell so few copies, and have a 75% drop off of players within the first 2 weeks. Whether the existing community will hang around and keep playing, and crucially, keep spending in the game, I'm not sure. When you see such a significant drop in player numbers so quickly after release, it does not usually bode well for a game (or a studio)...
Re: Here's What The Metro Redux Next-Gen Upgrades Look Like On Xbox Series X|S
That's an interesting notion, @Millionski. You'd think AI could do wonders with older games without too much work by humans (and it would obviously be cheaper and quicker too).
As for The Coalition, bearing in mind that Sharma still needs to find over 1000 job cuts, I think they will suffer badly, and go someway to sorting her redundancy problem.
I expect The Coalition to be cut to the bare minimum, with just enough people to do a year of seasons for the game (which will then just be repeated every 3 months just as happened with Gears 5, which is still having seasons to this day). Once work on any DLC and the seasonal work is complete, I expect them to switch to finishing the PlayStation version, where it will likely release either the end of next year, or the beginning of 2027. Basically, I think The Coalition will become a zombie studio, mortally wounded, and probably done for within 2 years. E-Day could easily be the last game we get. I know that sounds totally apocalyptic, but you cannot make a game costing upwards of half a billion, and sell so few copies, and have a 75% drop off of players within the first 2 weeks. Whether the existing community will hang around and keep playing, and crucially, keep spending in the game, I'm not sure. When you see such a significant drop in player numbers so quickly after release, it does not usually bode well for a game (or a studio)...