Llamageddon

@anoyonmus Tuesday 27/01/26 talking about 1348 ex voto and Nickelodeon splat pack.

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/01/two-games-have-quietly-been-cancelled-for-xbox-over-the-past-week

@fatpunkslim you're right that some of the biggest Devs like square have said they won't be doing exclusives, but it was literally last Tuesday that this very website had an article talking about games that been cancelled for Xbox.
So playstation might not be getting big hitters like ff anymore but they are getting exclusives now without spending a penny because of their install base. Some of the playstation exclusives are also coming from their own initiatives like china hero project (phantom blade zero) which I personally am fully behind. Would love to see Xbox do something similar.
So it's very much a case of yes and no dependant on the semantics chosen.

@Fiendish-Beaver I read enough of your comments to know that you are an exception to my commentary, it was not meant to offend. I'll admit the language I chose was somewhat vitriolic
I'm sure you're aware that there is plenty of toxicity in our shared past time and there are those who need their choice of ecosystem validated.
I agree that competition is important in gaming as it is in any industry from a consumer perspective, I'm hoping the steam box might give a shot in the arm to both PS and Xbox.
Personally I am keeping my options open on where to place my money on the next Gen. I am assuming there will be an extensive cross-gen period so I am confident I can make an informed decision without missing out much in the way of software exclusives. I think gaming is at a very intriguing juncture and I hope its for the best. Time will tell, I guess.

Doesn't really tell us that much, I think most expected it to be smaller than a horizon game. Would have been nice if they gave an RPG example it was comparable in size to.

Doesn't change the fact fable has rocketed to the top of my wishlist this year.

@HonestHick many thanks and I agree we seem to have similar gaming sensibilities. As for playstation/Xbox controllers we're the same yet opposite, I could never get on with offset analogue sticks but have always respected the 'to each their own' mentality because at the end of the day we all enjoy the same hobby.
Happy gaming to you good sir for 2026, it's looking to be another great year.

@HonestHick to be fair you get this with so many aspects of gaming. You are right that the only reason they don't want ps games on Xbox is to feel a sense of superiority in their chosen console, same was true vice versa when Xbox had more exclusives in their ecosystem.
You can extend this way of thinking to difficulty options in games, people who push back are preserving their feelings of superiority knowing full well having options doesn't really affect them.
All hobbies have fans and people often forget that is short for fanatic which are rarely a good thing.
Having said all that, I gave the showcase a B with Kiln dropping it down from an A for me.

@Timppis I think you'll find most of those commentators don't have humility in their reportoire. They will largely stay silent and pretend they didn't say anything at all.

@SigmaTheDJ really appreciate the info, gives me a clearer view of things. Might get FH5 in a sale to see how I get on with it.
Happy gaming for 2026!

@themightyant you're absolutely right, the multiplayer part practically demands it to be day and date (especially as it seems quite niche to begin with).
I started the hobby late last year with my wife and we are in the middle of an advanced course ATM as well as booking a 2 week residency in India for later this year (my wife doesn't half commit to things lucky for me!).
With South of Midnight releasing in PS5, I have some confidence keeper will do the same at some point.
On a separate note, it's been a while since I have felt as hyped for upcoming games, beast. Fable, horizon. Thoroughly enjoyed that developer direct, hats off to Xbox.

@themightyant personally I would much prefer Keeper on PS5, how can Double fine go from such an endearing, beautiful art style on keeper to whatever that was in Kiln. I know, I know these things are subjective but I'm not sure I've ever seen an art direction I've disliked more.
This is coming from someone who's other hobby is pottery so it piqued my interest and the fact I am already a big fan of Double fine.
I hope it does well enough for the Devs sake but all in all ...oof

As someone who is interested in FH6 but doesn't care for arcade racers being open world, do you have to drive between events or can you quick select in a menu?

Thanks in advance to whomever answers!

I have a handful of games I will regularly dip into for a quick session (like Hades) which I keep downloaded. Otherwise I almost never have more than 3 games 'I'm currently playing' and as such have never needed extra storage.
To each their own though and I will admit there have been a couple of occasions in my relative youth when I gamed alot more that external storage would have been useful.

Nothing that particularly appeals to me, but I just see that as good news for the backlog

@Jenkinss yes, we do enjoy our football.

Burnout 3 is my favourite racing game ever and the only other racer that gets close is revenge.

Shocked to see ssx3 get such a high score when in my opinion it wasn't a patch on tricky.

For me, both of these series got worse for going 'open world'.

@oopsiezz I am sure that detail was left out intentionally to get more clicks and comments, let's be honest it has worked a charm. I've got no problem with it though, push is more than happy to phrase their articles in the same manner for the same reasons.
GoY and Forza 5 have both been successful on PS so who really cares. If GoY hadn't made the list at all, it may have actually been 'newsworthy'.

@TheGameThrifter never said I was a fan just that it is my preferred platform. Competition is obviously good for consumers, maybe the steam box can do something in the console space, but who knows.

As for Sony first party games, I enjoy them when they do come out generally and 3rd party AAA, AA and indie are all in a pretty good place so I'm never lacking for quality games to play.

Really not looking for a confrontation bud.

@TheGameThrifter you may well be right, it's just that particular article didn't explicitly back up your statement.

Personally I would like to see all the upcoming Microsoft games to come day and date as playstation is my preferred platform.

@TheGameThrifter I just read the article and all it is says is that all future halo games will be on playstation. Nothing about day and date I'm afraid. Not console warring, just pointing it out.

@fatpunkslim Fair enough, I had only been looking at 2025 tbh. So that clarifies things, thanks

@fatpunkslim You mentioned 1800 job cuts for PS but I can't find that information anywhere. I've looked at a few different sources and I'm struggling to get over 1000 job cuts.
Which source did you use out of interest?

@Chip-Douglas keeper is part of the main 5 highlighted games

@kelomaniack I'm hopeful this game is different as the Devs said multiple difficulty options. Black myth didn't have difficulty settings and though I persevered to the end (still couldn't beat the final, final boss Erlang) it was through clenched teeth and balled fists at times.
Lies of p's easy setting was far from easy though so I do understand your concerns

@Chip-Douglas no worries bud and I agree Sony could be spending their money more wisely elsewhere given the current direction of platform holders.
Anyway, hope your Monday improves and happy gaming 😁

@Chip-Douglas saying there's no positive for the company doing it is pure conjecture as we simply don't know what Sony have provided in return. Maybe it was just financial but other Devs have mentioned how Sony will send people to help them in development as well.
Just saying timed exclusivity isn't as a big as deal as it used to be given the current cadence of big game releases.

(Edit)Think I might have misread your comment slightly. The positive for Sony doing this is the same as it's always been, getting people into their ecosystem.

@kelomaniack it's a character action game with multiple difficulty settings. The Devs themselves have pushed back against the souls like tag even if game journalists are seemingly calling all action games soulslikes now

It is what it is, I'm waiting for Hades 2 patiently like an adult (it's really not that difficult). Luckily there is an endless stream of games being released and most people on these sites talk about their massive backlogs, so this really shouldn't be a big deal.
Look at it this way guys, when it comes to Xbox it will be the most complete, bug free version of the game.

@Chip-Douglas given the massive success of the very fan servicey Stellar Blade I doubt they will change anything even if there is some boycotting/outrage.
Most Devs have cottoned on to the fact that most boycotts are a small group being very loud and they don't actually have to kowtow to them.
Don't get me wrong I understand/appreciate your point of view but I'm more interested in how engaging the story is and how well the game plays from moment to moment. The size of her bust is little more than a distraction in my opinion and certainly not a reason to boycott.

@RBRTMNZ fair enough, thank you for the polite and reasoned response

@RBRTMNZ I may be being stupid/naive but what incentive would Sony have to make native Xbox versions of their games (which I assume would cost them money) if they know Xbox players will just be able to purchase them through Steam?

@DaPrince because it also released on playstation. Why wouldn't a ps website review a game that is on their platform? Have you been living under a rock?

I'm surprised people have time to play games given how much time they spend whining about review scores on a different website. It's so very tedious, you'd think push had given it a 5.

I don't get why people say that now they won't buy this game if it ever comes to Xbox (or in more extreme versions won't buy any the devs future games).
Why deny yourself a quality game experience out of a warped sense of brand loyalty, seems petulant at best.
What if it comes to game pass, do 'ethics' suddenly go out the window will they justify playing it because it's 'free'.

@VeganH They might not have all the business details but they can almost certainly see the last and next delivery of stock. Which is more than you and I know on the particular matter, so maybe get off your high horse and stop being so condescending. Entirely unnecessary.

@cburg I get your point but it really is a false equivalence.
A mobile phone is nigh on indispensable nowadays, a games console not so much.
I got my last my last 2 generations of console (before the current gen) as a 'free' gift with my phone contract.

Given that black myth printed money when it came out, I'm sure game science couldn't care less about conspiracy theorists and console warriors. They have moved on, maybe 'fans' should as well.

Surely keeper is dropping on game pass as well given it's an Xbox published game.

So it's going €100 more despite the $ being less value. If that's true then they officially don't care about European market share.

@BacklogBrad Absolutely no chance of that happening. $5 million revenue really doesn't tell us anything and through it's vague nature it only serves to increase the discourse.
Best to just ignore it and enjoy the hobby

@FraserG I do agree it would be less likely now but with gamepass having the majority of users on console it would be a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Gamepass obviously being a pillar of this gen and apparently being profitable (though we'll never know as Microsoft won't give us stats). In my opinion Gamepass is the sole reason there will be more hardware from Xbox until cloud takes over (they hope).
Anyway good chat, have a great day

@FraserG I get what you're saying, though I personally think Microsoft (or any other gargantuan capitalist machine) would only have spent that money then or now if they believed it would eventually lead to profit.
Microsoft has always thought they can dominate any sector they enter but history has shown us wildly varying results.
All these decisions are gambles, just like the acquisitions. I'm sure there are a handful of people in the company specifically employed to calculate these risks.

Weird that he almost frames it as a choice. Obviously they had to fix their broken product.
Could you imagine the uproar from consumers if they gave up and exited.
It's also crazy that the generation heiled as their greatest had such a massive hardware flaw hanging over it. I'm glad they came out the other side though and gave Sony the competition they needed to keep high standards and competitive pricing.

@Kaloudz that does clear it up, yes.

Every workspace and team are different so I guess we'll see who did/didn't pull their socks up when the inevitable next round of layoffs happen (hopefully not too soon)

This definitely reads as a template where they just switch out the names of games/studios to suit the latest round of layoffs.
Your employees are smart enough to not believe these empty words.

@Kaloudz I largely agree with what you're saying but the main point I was making is that the remaining workers aren't going to be buckling down or 'laser focused'.
It will be more of a damned if we do, damned if we don't mentality.
I am basing this off my experience of working for companies that 'restructured'. My colleagues and I certainly weren't buoyed by this and the negativity it bred actually led to it impacting the quality of the work being done.
Like I said though, this is just my point of view based on my experience. I am more than happy to be wrong and I hope it doesn't affect the devs this way because it's a mentally exhausting position to be in.

@Kaloudz you mention the remaining Devs will have laser focus as a result of these layoffs but I don't believe that to be the case.
Rare was mismanaged and got layoffs (somewhat understandable)
Turn 10 makes a popular tent pole title for Xbox and got
layoffs.
Tango gameworks makes a creative critically acclaimed AA and gets shut down.
Success doesn't seem to be much of a factor as to whether you face the chopping block at Xbox.
This suggests to me the remaining Devs will be either anxious or complacent about their employment, neither of which are conducive to creativity or productivity.
Just offering an alternative point of view.

So like the handheld that they've been parading. It's someone else's tech with a couple of tweaks and Xbox branding.

@Lup didn't you here the goalposts have been moved now. It's now either 'xbox has no exclusive games' or 'xbox has no goty contenders'.
Just like publishing a game is now first party dependant on which platform you prefer.

@LogicStrikesAgain they also have the china and India hero projects, which I think is great a initiative to help Devs in up and coming regions.

So happy this has turned out well. I was hooked on the art style and setting from the first reveal.