9/10 for me. Very few games do I get so involved with the world, that I purposely walk slowly just to take it all in. Can’t wait to see with they did with a bigger game and bigger budget.
I am well aware that people losing jobs isn’t a good thing. I have been there myself. That will never ever change the simple fact that the industry grew too big too fast from the COVID years and that a correction needed to be made, industry wide, in order to keep studios healthy and profitable.
What do you expect, studios just to keep people on they can’t afford, keep projects going they can’t afford, all so they don’t have to lay people off. That would only be worse as in all likelihood, many studios would just go under and then everyone loses their job.
So yes, it may sound callous, but if some people need to lose their jobs to get this industry back to a healthier position, then so be it. People get laid off all the time, in pretty much every industry that exists. They will find new jobs, new studios will pop up where old ones went under. So goes the cycle of gaming.
And I never said anything about a surplus of talent. Now you’re just assuming ***** regarding what I was saying. If you think the overall gaming industry is in a healthy position right now, you have been living under a rock. Lots of games are underperforming sales wise across the industry. Growth in the console market is completely stagnate. Hell, even amazing AAA games like Alan Wake 2 aren’t profitable yet and even Sony, who is leading Xbox by a country mile, isn’t seeing enough profit from their big AAA titles.
I’m not gonna go into it any more than that as there is a wealth of quality articles on the internet regarding why the industry is laying people off. I’ll even recommend one. An article entitled “ Why is the $180bn games industry shedding thousands of staff?” over at The Guardian. Do a Google search, find that article and read it. And there are plenty more out there as well.
It would be fantastic if we lived in a world where people didn’t get laid off and there were rainbows and sunshine everywhere. Unfortunately, that isnt the world we live in and sometimes companies need to lay people off to get back to a healthier state. That’s the real world.
My biggest issue is Phil not saying a word. This is twice now in the last couple months that Xbox’s PR was pure dogsh*t. And I mean runny, smelly, and left on the sidewalk to bake dogsh*t.
I have always had a lot of respect for Phil. He was in a very tough position when he took over for Mattrick and he did a good job saving Xbox at that point. He has done an exceptional job making Xbox the best BC console on the market. The number of first party studios Xbox owns has grown dramatically under his tenure. And I can’t prove it, but I suspect these decisions are not being made by him and likely bother him as much as many of us, BUT his lack of transparency and the fact he basically seems to hide when what we really need is him coming out and explaining what’s up is a HUGE check in the negative column for me lately. It might be time for Phil to step aside and let someone new take the reins.
All that said, I will still support Xbox. These layoffs are an industry wide problem atm and not just an Xbox problem. I have a massive digital library on Xbox that I am not about to let go, and I am still a HUGE fan of Game Pass and couldn’t imagine going back to gaming without it. Not to mention, Xbox now owns a significant number of IP’s that I love, many of which are some of my favorite of all time. So I’ll do what I have always done with Xbox, play all 3rd party on it and hope that things finally turn around for Xbox first party. I’m not going anywhere, at least not yet.
TV focused consoles are already here. More time is spent on watching tv through consoles now than is spent playing games. The mistake MS made with the Xbox One was focusing on it so heavily.
And digital now makes up roughly 90% of all game sales. Last Black Friday, digital accounted for roughly 93% of all sales. And the Series S is outselling the Series X by a large margin.
MS has had its hits and misses in regards to the future of this market. Tv through a console and digital games were certainly not 2 misses. If anything, they were just a generation ahead of their time.
Because that’s what COD gamers do. They don’t play the older titles when a new one just released because they already played the older title. They want something new. I have a couple buddies that are huge COD players and the idea of not buying a new release is absurd to them. It wouldn’t matter if every single COD ever made was available for free on Game Pass. They would still be buying the new one day 1.
That’s not to say that having a bunch of COD on Game Pass isn’t going to affect new sales at all, but it’s not going to cause a significant decline. COD players want new games and most will absolutely buy a new release over playing an older game they have already played.
That’s such a naive article. Here is the original quote:
“The philosophy of a great video game platform holder is that it makes money in order to make more consoles and more games. The philosophy of Microsoft - and by dint of that, Xbox - is evidently that it only makes consoles and games in order to make money. ”
Here is how it should read:
“The philosophy of a great video game platform holder is that it makes money in order to make more consoles and more games, in order to make even more money. The philosophy of Microsoft - and by dint of that, Xbox - is evidently that it only makes consoles and games in order to make money, so really no difference between the two”
Sony isn’t making money just so it can keep making great games for the sake of making games. They are making games to make money, period. Same can be said of Nintendo. They are making games to make money so they can make even more money on more games and hardware…. None of these companies are making video games because it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The bottom line is money. That’s as true for Xbox as it is with PlayStation as it is for The Switch, and whatever comes next.
That original quote is one of the most singularly biased quotes I have heard in gaming in a LONG LONG time.
It’s such an easy solution in my opinion. Put all the older COD on Game Pass immediately. New COD games get added at the 6 month mark. You are adding older COD for people on Game Pass and still making a lot of revenue off of new COD game sales by keeping new releases off of Game Pass until the 6 month mark. It’s a middle ground that services both sides and I guarantee that will still make MS a ton of money with COD given how well it sells on other platforms. Win win…
And in all honesty, I don’t need day 1 games on Game Pass. If the model is struggling due to putting expensive AAA on the service day 1, then don’t. Keep day 1 for AA and indies and bring on AAA at the 6 month mark. I would be totally fine with that.
Pricing hasn’t stayed the same forever. There was literally just a price increase not too long ago. And generally speaking, I have no problem with price increases if there is a legitimate reason for doing so. I do however have a problem with raising the sub price for every single member because of 1 single game, which many people will never play.
Over 10,000 jobs lost in 2023 and already over 9500 lost in 2024 and were only into May and yet people are running around acting like this is a consolidation problem or just a MS problem, lol. Yeah, no. This is a COVID problem and even if no acquisitions were made at all the last few years, we would still be seeing massive layoffs industry wide. I honestly can’t think of a better example in regards to people seeing what they want to see.
Naiveté is absolutely not an attractive character trait.
All good brother. And my initial comment was a tad over the top and antagonistic as well. We can agree to disagree on topics and just leave it at that. No hard feelings.
Don’t be raising my Game Pass sub because of a game I don’t even play. Better to not make it a day 1 Game Pass release than make everyone pay for it, even those who don’t actually play it.
Not what any of us were hoping for, but I’ll still take this over a console market with no Xbox any day of the week. A console market with no serious competition for Sony is about the worst thing I can imagine for the console market. And make no mistake about it, had MS not made some big moves, this could very well have been the final generation for Xbox.
So if it takes layoffs to get the industry in general to a much healthier position and if it takes layoffs to get MS to a more competitive position, then so be it. The entire industry shoulders a lot of blame for thinking the rapid expansion during COVID was gonna last. It never was and companies across the industry should have been much better prepared for that.
The gaming industry is seeing seismic changes and a new equilibrium needs to be found. Hopefully it doesn’t take too much more reshuffling throughout the industry to reach that equilibrium.
Yet another person who thinks MS somehow needs to pay for the ABK deal, as if it was a debt. These comment sections would be a lot better if at least some of the people in them understood anything about business.
MS is already seeing significant profits on ABK. The closing of these studios had absolutely nothing to do with ABK.
Sorry brother, but just not that simple. The industry grew significantly during COVID and there was bound to be a pullback. There have been countless articles discussing how the industry grew too big too fast and once life went back to normal post COVID, there just wasn’t enough consumer support to keep that level of development up. You have no idea what moves Bethesda’s would have done if left to their own devices. We are seeing significant layoffs across the entire industry, even with studios and publishers that were not involved in acquisitions and consolidation. To chalk this up as just a consequence of consolidation alone is incredibly naive.
And even with the loss of these studios, MS is still in a much more competitive position in both the console market and mobile market, which will still be very good for both markets long term. The console market is in a far better position with MS being more competitive than it would be with a much weaker MS or a MS that is out of the picture entirely in the console market. I can’t even imagine how bad things would get with no legitimate competition for Sony. I would likely leave the console market entirely and just game on PC 100% of the time.
Already covered that. The MS you’re referring to doesn’t even exist anymore as the people working there during the period you’re referring to are gone. It’s only the same MS in name. That’s like saying Germans today suck because a generation ago, they followed Hitler and started WWII.
And anyone in here that doesn’t understand that every single mega corporation the planet over ONLY cares about stock price, shareholders, revenue, and profits are living in la la land.
Again, you’re entitled to your opinion. You want to think MS is the big bad wolf and all of the other mega corporations the world over are better in some way, by all means believe away. I almost always respect other people’s opinions even when I disagree with them, but that viewpoint I can’t even begin to take seriously.
You do realize that MS no longer exists right? The people in charge then likely don’t even work for the company anymore. And you’re entitled to your opinion. If I were you, I would literally stop typing, hit the nearest GameStop, and sell your Xbox asap. Put it in the rear view mirror. You can then continue supporting all of the other mega corporations the world over thinking you’re making a better choice. Why wait? You never have to give MS another penny ever again. If you feel that strongly about it, seems like an easy choice at this point.
I think that kind of opinion is incredibly misguided, thinking MS is soooo much worse than any of the other big companies out there. All any of them care about is stock price, shareholders, and overall revenues and profits. They don’t give a flying rats fart about any of us beyond those figures, but that’s just my opinion.
Wow, the sheer amount of hyperbole in here is pretty staggering. Most of these moves make sense to me. The only one that didn’t was Tango, but who knows what was going on behind the scenes. We know key talent had already left. I feel bad for the developers, but this is happening industry wide right now. To single out Xbox at this time is kinda comical. And I can promise you, these won’t be the last layoffs we see industry wide.
The gaming market has changed, quite dramatically in recent years. Not even Sony, who is leading by a country mile, can continue on as they have been. Their big AAA titles just aren’t making enough money.
I am bummed about Tango, and I am bummed the entire market is on a downward spiral right now as everyone is shuffling to find the new center, but life will go on. The developers laid off will get new jobs, new studios will open where old ones close. New games will be made and people will continue gaming.
If people are this fed up with gaming then take a break or quit. If they are fed up with MS, stop typing, hit GameStop and sell your Xbox. Buy another system. This is crappy news, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m gonna continue gaming on Xbox as I always have and will continue to look forward to better news, hopefully come the summer showcase. To each their own.
Oh please… this can be said of every single major corporation on the planet. Same can be said of Sony, Nintendo, and the list goes on and on and on and on. I’m as bummed about Tango going down as anyone, but let’s stop with the hyperbole. Anyone who thinks big corporations care for them are beyond ignorant. This announcement changes nothing, absolutely nothing, on that front.
I can’t wait for the summer showcase and this interview. I have always liked Phil. He has been with Xbox since day 1 and is actually a gamer. I understand that he can’t be as forthcoming as some may want a lot of the time. That’s just the job. I also understand he doesn’t have the power to simple do as he pleases with the brand.
He may still be in 3rd hardware wise, but only looking at hardware sales in todays market doesn’t even begin to give one a whole picture. Xbox is now 2nd in overall revenue, 1st in sub services, 1st in number of first party studios, and Xbox gamers are spending more on average than both Sony and Nintendo gamers. Phil has done a spectacular job with the BC program for Xbox, which is now the best BC console of the 3. He has prioritized PC gaming right alongside Xbox gaming and literally saved the brand from the days of Don Mattrick. He gets nothing but respect from me and I can’t wait for the show and his interview. I still don’t buy for a second that MS is bringing its big AAA exclusives to PlayStation.
Honestly, all of the games I play that support it. I am the kind of gamer that jumps in and out of a handful of games at any given time. I never just play 1 game at a time. So generally speaking, I love this feature with any of the games I am currently playing. By far my favorite new feature this generation. It was a game changer for me.
Yeah, unfortunately that seems to be happening more and more these days. I learned that lesson with Cyberpunk. Bought it at launch and actually just got around to playing it like 4 months back due to waiting for the game to be properly fixed. And while I played Starfield and enjoyed it thoroughly, it will be a better game when the DLC launches than when I played it. Unfortunately, I think it’s best to just wait and buy games a few months down the road, at least, to see what state the game is in at launch. Patience seems to reward gamers more and more these days.
Not gonna comment on the state of the game as haven’t played it, but a game being added to Game Pass after having purchased it is always a risk when you sub to Game Pass and continue buying games. I still buy plenty of games and have subbed to Game Pass 3 years running and it’s happened to me on many occasions. It just is what it is.
If it replaced a traditional console, yes I would mind it. I would be downright pissed off. If they added a portable alongside a traditional console, I would absolutely love it and I would buy both. I do not want one to replace the other.
Oh, I get having doubts when it comes to Xbox. Anyone who has been with the brand long enough knows that keeping their expectations in check is always a smart move with Xbox shows. Still, they have a ton of studios now and it really was only a matter of time before things really started to get rolling. And many of their developers are solid developers. I think the next year or two things are going to change considerably on the Xbox first party front. Time will tell…
I’ll give EA credit, they usually have killer sales on titles that are over a year old. One of the only big AAA studios that I regularly see 90% off on. Have picked up quite a few of their games just because they were so damn cheap.
Tomb Raider Legend. While I enjoyed all of the 360 releases, Legend is head and shoulders above the rest with the overall handling of the character. Still one of my favorite TR games.
PlayStation can’t say that. It’s already been confirmed by Sony that there will be no big 1st party titles dropped in 2024. Investing as big as they did in live service had a price.
I have a good feeling about this showcase. It was only a matter of time before MS started clicking on all cylinders in regards to all of the acquisitions they have made the last few years. Sure, there have been some foul ups, like Redfall, but I blame Arkane and Bethesda for that one FAR more so than MS. Arkane never should have strayed from single player games and you can see by the games design they just couldn’t quite figure out what they wanted that game to be.
MS has plenty coming down the pipeline that I am super pumped about. Should be a great show. Hopefully we start getting that ABK library dropped on Game Pass as well. It’s time!!
I have been playing it again and if anything, the fact that there really isn’t much of a difference is a real testament to Xbox’s BC program with things like FPS Boost. Still a great game through and through imo and I have been thoroughly enjoying my time with it again. Love the Fallout universe and I’ll be diving back into New Vegas again after this. Got the Fallout bug like many since Amazon’s tv show dropped. Just cant seem to get enough atm.
I’ll definitely be going back for another full play through, but I’ll wait till the DLC drops later this year to do so. It’s a no brainer for me. One of my favorite games of 2023.
I love them all including Underworld, which a lot of people didn’t seem to like. in regards to the most recent trilogy, I really don’t have a favorite. I think they were all great. I don’t go into tomb raider games hoping for this or hoping for that. I just take what I am given and enjoy the ride. Didn’t finish any of them thinking, I wish this had been different. One of my favorite series in gaming.
Still hoping for a game like Blood Wake for the OG Xbox. Hasn’t been a boating combat game like it since. Absolutely loved that game. Boat to boat combat in super stormy seas was just so much fun. Been hoping for something like it ever since.
Honestly just don’t care about backgrounds and this kind of stuff. I boot up my console to get to the games I want to play. Have had the same background since I bought my series X and have never once even thought about wanting to change it. I totally get that some people do and the more options the better for those people. I myself just don’t care.
The UI is what I care about and in all honesty, I have no complaints with any of them. I prefer Xbox’s UI but the other ones are just fine as well. Guess I’m just easy to please on this front.
Just depends on what it is and what it can do. They could make an amazing handheld if they really wanted to give you all of the options available. If that winds up being the handheld they make, I’m in day 1.
A little late, but still very good news for Starfield. Bethesda games simply have much much longer legs than most games and that will be the case with Starfield as well. It may have had some features brought in late, but at least they got addressed. It’s no Skyrim, but it’s still a Bethesda game and people will still be playing it for years to come.
As for a PS5 release, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Sure one can argue that, but that doesn’t change the reality of the situation regarding Sony first party. It’s hands down the worst 2 year period in Sony history. I can’t think of another 2 year period that even came close. And for all we know, it could extend beyond 2 years. Sony signing 3rd party exclusivity contracts doesn’t change that.
So to continue to see the usual suspects rip Xbox first party and praise PS first party at this point is just kinda funny. Those people just aren’t paying attention atm.
Show us on the doll where MS management touched you. Honestly, all you have done on this site to date is bitch and moan about MS management. One comment after another after another. Talk to someone. It can help.
What a difference to Sony’s 2024 with not a single major 1st party release. And only 1 major release in 2023. Of course, the usual pundits will bitch about Xbox and praise PlayStation, not realizing that the last 2 years the script has completely flipped. The worst 2 year output for Sony first party in history and a damn good year for Xbox first party. Oh how the tables turn….
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Re: Poll: As Hellblade 2 Draws Near, What Do You Think Of The First Game?
9/10 for me. Very few games do I get so involved with the world, that I purposely walk slowly just to take it all in. Can’t wait to see with they did with a bigger game and bigger budget.
Re: Report Claims Xbox Is Planning More Cuts Following Studio Closures
@Lanmanna
I am well aware that people losing jobs isn’t a good thing. I have been there myself. That will never ever change the simple fact that the industry grew too big too fast from the COVID years and that a correction needed to be made, industry wide, in order to keep studios healthy and profitable.
What do you expect, studios just to keep people on they can’t afford, keep projects going they can’t afford, all so they don’t have to lay people off. That would only be worse as in all likelihood, many studios would just go under and then everyone loses their job.
So yes, it may sound callous, but if some people need to lose their jobs to get this industry back to a healthier position, then so be it. People get laid off all the time, in pretty much every industry that exists. They will find new jobs, new studios will pop up where old ones went under. So goes the cycle of gaming.
And I never said anything about a surplus of talent. Now you’re just assuming ***** regarding what I was saying. If you think the overall gaming industry is in a healthy position right now, you have been living under a rock. Lots of games are underperforming sales wise across the industry. Growth in the console market is completely stagnate. Hell, even amazing AAA games like Alan Wake 2 aren’t profitable yet and even Sony, who is leading Xbox by a country mile, isn’t seeing enough profit from their big AAA titles.
I’m not gonna go into it any more than that as there is a wealth of quality articles on the internet regarding why the industry is laying people off. I’ll even recommend one. An article entitled “ Why is the $180bn games industry shedding thousands of staff?” over at The Guardian. Do a Google search, find that article and read it. And there are plenty more out there as well.
It would be fantastic if we lived in a world where people didn’t get laid off and there were rainbows and sunshine everywhere. Unfortunately, that isnt the world we live in and sometimes companies need to lay people off to get back to a healthier state. That’s the real world.
Re: Recent Studio Closures Tied To 'Long Term' Health Of The Business, Claims Xbox President
My biggest issue is Phil not saying a word. This is twice now in the last couple months that Xbox’s PR was pure dogsh*t. And I mean runny, smelly, and left on the sidewalk to bake dogsh*t.
I have always had a lot of respect for Phil. He was in a very tough position when he took over for Mattrick and he did a good job saving Xbox at that point. He has done an exceptional job making Xbox the best BC console on the market. The number of first party studios Xbox owns has grown dramatically under his tenure. And I can’t prove it, but I suspect these decisions are not being made by him and likely bother him as much as many of us, BUT his lack of transparency and the fact he basically seems to hide when what we really need is him coming out and explaining what’s up is a HUGE check in the negative column for me lately. It might be time for Phil to step aside and let someone new take the reins.
All that said, I will still support Xbox. These layoffs are an industry wide problem atm and not just an Xbox problem. I have a massive digital library on Xbox that I am not about to let go, and I am still a HUGE fan of Game Pass and couldn’t imagine going back to gaming without it. Not to mention, Xbox now owns a significant number of IP’s that I love, many of which are some of my favorite of all time. So I’ll do what I have always done with Xbox, play all 3rd party on it and hope that things finally turn around for Xbox first party. I’m not going anywhere, at least not yet.
Re: Recent Studio Closures Tied To 'Long Term' Health Of The Business, Claims Xbox President
@BrilliantBill
TV focused consoles are already here. More time is spent on watching tv through consoles now than is spent playing games. The mistake MS made with the Xbox One was focusing on it so heavily.
And digital now makes up roughly 90% of all game sales. Last Black Friday, digital accounted for roughly 93% of all sales. And the Series S is outselling the Series X by a large margin.
MS has had its hits and misses in regards to the future of this market. Tv through a console and digital games were certainly not 2 misses. If anything, they were just a generation ahead of their time.
Re: Xbox Is Continuing To Make UI Improvements For Handheld Devices
@IOI
Got a link??
Re: Former Microsoft Exec Gives 'Two Reasons' Why Xbox Closed Bethesda Teams
@CallMeDuraSouka
“… why spend 70-100.”
Because that’s what COD gamers do. They don’t play the older titles when a new one just released because they already played the older title. They want something new. I have a couple buddies that are huge COD players and the idea of not buying a new release is absurd to them. It wouldn’t matter if every single COD ever made was available for free on Game Pass. They would still be buying the new one day 1.
That’s not to say that having a bunch of COD on Game Pass isn’t going to affect new sales at all, but it’s not going to cause a significant decline. COD players want new games and most will absolutely buy a new release over playing an older game they have already played.
Re: Xbox Is Continuing To Make UI Improvements For Handheld Devices
@IOI
Now? Did I miss the news article today saying Xbox has closed up shop and is done?
Re: Former Microsoft Exec Gives 'Two Reasons' Why Xbox Closed Bethesda Teams
@OldGamer999
That’s such a naive article. Here is the original quote:
“The philosophy of a great video game platform holder is that it makes money in order to make more consoles and more games. The philosophy of Microsoft - and by dint of that, Xbox - is evidently that it only makes consoles and games in order to make money. ”
Here is how it should read:
“The philosophy of a great video game platform holder is that it makes money in order to make more consoles and more games, in order to make even more money. The philosophy of Microsoft - and by dint of that, Xbox - is evidently that it only makes consoles and games in order to make money, so really no difference between the two”
Sony isn’t making money just so it can keep making great games for the sake of making games. They are making games to make money, period. Same can be said of Nintendo. They are making games to make money so they can make even more money on more games and hardware…. None of these companies are making video games because it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The bottom line is money. That’s as true for Xbox as it is with PlayStation as it is for The Switch, and whatever comes next.
That original quote is one of the most singularly biased quotes I have heard in gaming in a LONG LONG time.
Re: Former Microsoft Exec Gives 'Two Reasons' Why Xbox Closed Bethesda Teams
It’s such an easy solution in my opinion. Put all the older COD on Game Pass immediately. New COD games get added at the 6 month mark. You are adding older COD for people on Game Pass and still making a lot of revenue off of new COD game sales by keeping new releases off of Game Pass until the 6 month mark. It’s a middle ground that services both sides and I guarantee that will still make MS a ton of money with COD given how well it sells on other platforms. Win win…
And in all honesty, I don’t need day 1 games on Game Pass. If the model is struggling due to putting expensive AAA on the service day 1, then don’t. Keep day 1 for AA and indies and bring on AAA at the 6 month mark. I would be totally fine with that.
Re: Xbox Reportedly Considering Game Pass Price Hike To Accommodate Call Of Duty
@Secryt
Pricing hasn’t stayed the same forever. There was literally just a price increase not too long ago. And generally speaking, I have no problem with price increases if there is a legitimate reason for doing so. I do however have a problem with raising the sub price for every single member because of 1 single game, which many people will never play.
Re: Report Claims Xbox Is Planning More Cuts Following Studio Closures
@Nancyboy
Over 10,000 jobs lost in 2023 and already over 9500 lost in 2024 and were only into May and yet people are running around acting like this is a consolidation problem or just a MS problem, lol. Yeah, no. This is a COVID problem and even if no acquisitions were made at all the last few years, we would still be seeing massive layoffs industry wide. I honestly can’t think of a better example in regards to people seeing what they want to see.
Naiveté is absolutely not an attractive character trait.
Re: Report Claims Xbox Is Planning More Cuts Following Studio Closures
@GrailUK
You do you brother. I’m going to keep supporting Xbox as I always have. This is an industry wide problem atm, not just an Xbox problem.
Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
@GeeEssEff
All good brother. And my initial comment was a tad over the top and antagonistic as well. We can agree to disagree on topics and just leave it at that. No hard feelings.
Re: Xbox Reportedly Considering Game Pass Price Hike To Accommodate Call Of Duty
Don’t be raising my Game Pass sub because of a game I don’t even play. Better to not make it a day 1 Game Pass release than make everyone pay for it, even those who don’t actually play it.
Re: Report Claims Xbox Is Planning More Cuts Following Studio Closures
Not what any of us were hoping for, but I’ll still take this over a console market with no Xbox any day of the week. A console market with no serious competition for Sony is about the worst thing I can imagine for the console market. And make no mistake about it, had MS not made some big moves, this could very well have been the final generation for Xbox.
So if it takes layoffs to get the industry in general to a much healthier position and if it takes layoffs to get MS to a more competitive position, then so be it. The entire industry shoulders a lot of blame for thinking the rapid expansion during COVID was gonna last. It never was and companies across the industry should have been much better prepared for that.
The gaming industry is seeing seismic changes and a new equilibrium needs to be found. Hopefully it doesn’t take too much more reshuffling throughout the industry to reach that equilibrium.
Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
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Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
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Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
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Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
@GeeEssEff
Yet another person who thinks MS somehow needs to pay for the ABK deal, as if it was a debt. These comment sections would be a lot better if at least some of the people in them understood anything about business.
MS is already seeing significant profits on ABK. The closing of these studios had absolutely nothing to do with ABK.
Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
Wow, and I thought the hyperbole was bad yesterday. Too funny.
Re: Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
@RicebinBernacky
Sorry brother, but just not that simple. The industry grew significantly during COVID and there was bound to be a pullback. There have been countless articles discussing how the industry grew too big too fast and once life went back to normal post COVID, there just wasn’t enough consumer support to keep that level of development up. You have no idea what moves Bethesda’s would have done if left to their own devices. We are seeing significant layoffs across the entire industry, even with studios and publishers that were not involved in acquisitions and consolidation. To chalk this up as just a consequence of consolidation alone is incredibly naive.
And even with the loss of these studios, MS is still in a much more competitive position in both the console market and mobile market, which will still be very good for both markets long term. The console market is in a far better position with MS being more competitive than it would be with a much weaker MS or a MS that is out of the picture entirely in the console market. I can’t even imagine how bad things would get with no legitimate competition for Sony. I would likely leave the console market entirely and just game on PC 100% of the time.
Re: Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
@UnlimitedSevens
Already covered that. The MS you’re referring to doesn’t even exist anymore as the people working there during the period you’re referring to are gone. It’s only the same MS in name. That’s like saying Germans today suck because a generation ago, they followed Hitler and started WWII.
And anyone in here that doesn’t understand that every single mega corporation the planet over ONLY cares about stock price, shareholders, revenue, and profits are living in la la land.
Again, you’re entitled to your opinion. You want to think MS is the big bad wolf and all of the other mega corporations the world over are better in some way, by all means believe away. I almost always respect other people’s opinions even when I disagree with them, but that viewpoint I can’t even begin to take seriously.
Re: Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
@Titntin
Buying Avowed is just gonna give MS more money. List it today and walk away.
Re: Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
@Titntin
You do realize that MS no longer exists right? The people in charge then likely don’t even work for the company anymore. And you’re entitled to your opinion. If I were you, I would literally stop typing, hit the nearest GameStop, and sell your Xbox asap. Put it in the rear view mirror. You can then continue supporting all of the other mega corporations the world over thinking you’re making a better choice. Why wait? You never have to give MS another penny ever again. If you feel that strongly about it, seems like an easy choice at this point.
I think that kind of opinion is incredibly misguided, thinking MS is soooo much worse than any of the other big companies out there. All any of them care about is stock price, shareholders, and overall revenues and profits. They don’t give a flying rats fart about any of us beyond those figures, but that’s just my opinion.
Re: Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
Wow, the sheer amount of hyperbole in here is pretty staggering. Most of these moves make sense to me. The only one that didn’t was Tango, but who knows what was going on behind the scenes. We know key talent had already left. I feel bad for the developers, but this is happening industry wide right now. To single out Xbox at this time is kinda comical. And I can promise you, these won’t be the last layoffs we see industry wide.
The gaming market has changed, quite dramatically in recent years. Not even Sony, who is leading by a country mile, can continue on as they have been. Their big AAA titles just aren’t making enough money.
I am bummed about Tango, and I am bummed the entire market is on a downward spiral right now as everyone is shuffling to find the new center, but life will go on. The developers laid off will get new jobs, new studios will open where old ones close. New games will be made and people will continue gaming.
If people are this fed up with gaming then take a break or quit. If they are fed up with MS, stop typing, hit GameStop and sell your Xbox. Buy another system. This is crappy news, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m gonna continue gaming on Xbox as I always have and will continue to look forward to better news, hopefully come the summer showcase. To each their own.
Re: Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
@Titntin
Oh please… this can be said of every single major corporation on the planet. Same can be said of Sony, Nintendo, and the list goes on and on and on and on. I’m as bummed about Tango going down as anyone, but let’s stop with the hyperbole. Anyone who thinks big corporations care for them are beyond ignorant. This announcement changes nothing, absolutely nothing, on that front.
Re: Phil Spencer Set To Take Part In Big Interview After 2024 Xbox Games Showcase
I can’t wait for the summer showcase and this interview. I have always liked Phil. He has been with Xbox since day 1 and is actually a gamer. I understand that he can’t be as forthcoming as some may want a lot of the time. That’s just the job. I also understand he doesn’t have the power to simple do as he pleases with the brand.
He may still be in 3rd hardware wise, but only looking at hardware sales in todays market doesn’t even begin to give one a whole picture. Xbox is now 2nd in overall revenue, 1st in sub services, 1st in number of first party studios, and Xbox gamers are spending more on average than both Sony and Nintendo gamers. Phil has done a spectacular job with the BC program for Xbox, which is now the best BC console of the 3. He has prioritized PC gaming right alongside Xbox gaming and literally saved the brand from the days of Don Mattrick. He gets nothing but respect from me and I can’t wait for the show and his interview. I still don’t buy for a second that MS is bringing its big AAA exclusives to PlayStation.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Favourite Quick Resume Games On Xbox Series X|S?
Honestly, all of the games I play that support it. I am the kind of gamer that jumps in and out of a handful of games at any given time. I never just play 1 game at a time. So generally speaking, I love this feature with any of the games I am currently playing. By far my favorite new feature this generation. It was a game changer for me.
Re: Microsoft & CI Games Strike Deal For Two New Xbox Game Pass Additions
@Cakefish
Yeah, unfortunately that seems to be happening more and more these days. I learned that lesson with Cyberpunk. Bought it at launch and actually just got around to playing it like 4 months back due to waiting for the game to be properly fixed. And while I played Starfield and enjoyed it thoroughly, it will be a better game when the DLC launches than when I played it. Unfortunately, I think it’s best to just wait and buy games a few months down the road, at least, to see what state the game is in at launch. Patience seems to reward gamers more and more these days.
Re: Microsoft & CI Games Strike Deal For Two New Xbox Game Pass Additions
@Cakefish
Not gonna comment on the state of the game as haven’t played it, but a game being added to Game Pass after having purchased it is always a risk when you sub to Game Pass and continue buying games. I still buy plenty of games and have subbed to Game Pass 3 years running and it’s happened to me on many occasions. It just is what it is.
Re: Talking Point: Would You Mind If The Next Xbox Was A Portable Console?
If it replaced a traditional console, yes I would mind it. I would be downright pissed off. If they added a portable alongside a traditional console, I would absolutely love it and I would buy both. I do not want one to replace the other.
Re: Xbox Is Apparently 'Very Confident' In Its 2024 Summer Showcase Lineup
@somnambulance
Oh, I get having doubts when it comes to Xbox. Anyone who has been with the brand long enough knows that keeping their expectations in check is always a smart move with Xbox shows. Still, they have a ton of studios now and it really was only a matter of time before things really started to get rolling. And many of their developers are solid developers. I think the next year or two things are going to change considerably on the Xbox first party front. Time will tell…
Re: A Few Star Wars Games Are Reduced By 90-95% On Xbox This Week
I’ll give EA credit, they usually have killer sales on titles that are over a year old. One of the only big AAA studios that I regularly see 90% off on. Have picked up quite a few of their games just because they were so damn cheap.
Re: Pick One: Which Of These Xbox 360 Tomb Raider Games Is The Best?
Tomb Raider Legend. While I enjoyed all of the 360 releases, Legend is head and shoulders above the rest with the overall handling of the character. Still one of my favorite TR games.
Re: Xbox Is Apparently 'Very Confident' In Its 2024 Summer Showcase Lineup
@somnambulance
PlayStation can’t say that. It’s already been confirmed by Sony that there will be no big 1st party titles dropped in 2024. Investing as big as they did in live service had a price.
Re: Xbox Is Apparently 'Very Confident' In Its 2024 Summer Showcase Lineup
I have a good feeling about this showcase. It was only a matter of time before MS started clicking on all cylinders in regards to all of the acquisitions they have made the last few years. Sure, there have been some foul ups, like Redfall, but I blame Arkane and Bethesda for that one FAR more so than MS. Arkane never should have strayed from single player games and you can see by the games design they just couldn’t quite figure out what they wanted that game to be.
MS has plenty coming down the pipeline that I am super pumped about. Should be a great show. Hopefully we start getting that ABK library dropped on Game Pass as well. It’s time!!
Re: Fallout 4's Next-Gen Update 'Weirdly Undercooked', Says Digital Foundry
I have been playing it again and if anything, the fact that there really isn’t much of a difference is a real testament to Xbox’s BC program with things like FPS Boost. Still a great game through and through imo and I have been thoroughly enjoying my time with it again. Love the Fallout universe and I’ll be diving back into New Vegas again after this. Got the Fallout bug like many since Amazon’s tv show dropped. Just cant seem to get enough atm.
Re: TopSpin 2K25 Has A New Xbox Rival As 'Tennis Elbow 4' Makes Console Debut
Can never get enough tennis. I’ll definitely be giving it a go.
Re: Talking Point: Will You Be Playing Through Starfield Again At 60FPS On Xbox Series X?
I’ll definitely be going back for another full play through, but I’ll wait till the DLC drops later this year to do so. It’s a no brainer for me. One of my favorite games of 2023.
Re: Soapbox: The Best Modern Tomb Raider Is Well Worth Your Time On Xbox Game Pass
I love them all including Underworld, which a lot of people didn’t seem to like. in regards to the most recent trilogy, I really don’t have a favorite. I think they were all great. I don’t go into tomb raider games hoping for this or hoping for that. I just take what I am given and enjoy the ride. Didn’t finish any of them thinking, I wish this had been different. One of my favorite series in gaming.
Re: 'Age Of Water' Is One Of Multiple New Games In The Xbox Charts This Week
Still hoping for a game like Blood Wake for the OG Xbox. Hasn’t been a boating combat game like it since. Absolutely loved that game. Boat to boat combat in super stormy seas was just so much fun. Been hoping for something like it ever since.
Re: Xbox Is Testing A New Dashboard Feature To Improve Backgrounds
Honestly just don’t care about backgrounds and this kind of stuff. I boot up my console to get to the games I want to play. Have had the same background since I bought my series X and have never once even thought about wanting to change it. I totally get that some people do and the more options the better for those people. I myself just don’t care.
The UI is what I care about and in all honesty, I have no complaints with any of them. I prefer Xbox’s UI but the other ones are just fine as well. Guess I’m just easy to please on this front.
Re: Microsoft Gauges Interest In 'Handheld Gaming' Devices With New Survey
Just depends on what it is and what it can do. They could make an amazing handheld if they really wanted to give you all of the options available. If that winds up being the handheld they make, I’m in day 1.
Re: Starfield Is Getting A 60FPS Performance Mode On Xbox Series X
A little late, but still very good news for Starfield. Bethesda games simply have much much longer legs than most games and that will be the case with Starfield as well. It may have had some features brought in late, but at least they got addressed. It’s no Skyrim, but it’s still a Bethesda game and people will still be playing it for years to come.
As for a PS5 release, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Re: Rumoured Xbox Release Dates For 2024 Hint At Big End To The Year
@RentedPanda
Last year was just Spider-Man 2. So basically Sony 1st party will have Spider-Man 2 for the entirely of 2023 and 2024. As for 2025…guess we will see.
Re: Rumoured Xbox Release Dates For 2024 Hint At Big End To The Year
@RentedPanda
Sure one can argue that, but that doesn’t change the reality of the situation regarding Sony first party. It’s hands down the worst 2 year period in Sony history. I can’t think of another 2 year period that even came close. And for all we know, it could extend beyond 2 years. Sony signing 3rd party exclusivity contracts doesn’t change that.
So to continue to see the usual suspects rip Xbox first party and praise PS first party at this point is just kinda funny. Those people just aren’t paying attention atm.
Re: 'Funko Fusion' Is Bringing Loads Of Licensed IP To Xbox In September 2024
Oh god, I really hate Funko Pops. Easy pass…
Re: Team Behind Former Xbox Game Pass Title 'Deliver Us The Moon' Lays Off Staff
It is tough all over out there in the gaming world. More layoffs….
Re: Xbox Confirms Exactly How The 360 Store Closure Will Affect Players This July
@Kooky_Geezer
Show us on the doll where MS management touched you. Honestly, all you have done on this site to date is bitch and moan about MS management. One comment after another after another. Talk to someone. It can help.
Re: Rumoured Xbox Release Dates For 2024 Hint At Big End To The Year
What a difference to Sony’s 2024 with not a single major 1st party release. And only 1 major release in 2023. Of course, the usual pundits will bitch about Xbox and praise PlayStation, not realizing that the last 2 years the script has completely flipped. The worst 2 year output for Sony first party in history and a damn good year for Xbox first party. Oh how the tables turn….