cragis0001

@Fiendish-Beaver to be fair I have been here with a few Microsoft consumer products. The minute Microsoft plays nice to the competition & shares. It tends to be GAME OVER!!! to there hardware specially with Nadella at the helm.

@OldGamer999 they are indeed & with all the products they've produced over the years an advertising team firing on full cylinders would pay for themselves & give them more. As a lot of products were better than the competition. But then Microsoft never really recovered after there antitrust case plus other legal fights in the US & EU in the 80/90's

@OldGamer999 that's why I laugh when Sataya Nadella complains about abandoning mobile. They never learn. All there consumer products fail as they never advertise. Zune, Windows Phone, Windows VR & now Xbox. Most were descent products but the lack of advertising compared to there competitors sank them all.

If it was just the change to Unreal 5? I'd say no. But the whole studio has been been rebranded to Halo Studio. Which if it was just for the benefit of Xbox users would be pointless as we all know that was 343. So makes sense it's been rebranded for a multiplatform release in the future.
Halo CE remake could be the first Playstation game while Xbox/PC gets Halo 7 as exclusive till the rest are remade.

I wonder if Nintendo will look into Astro Bot next.

If anything. The PlayStation Pro is probably £699 because of Microsoft. They probably added an extra 1TB SSD to compete with the new Xbox Series X & reconned if Microsoft can price it £599 with nothing new. Then we will get away with a refresh for £699.

Aye if the PS5 Pro & the 2tb Xbox Series X are at £600-800 full spec of course. What will the biggest tech leap be for the next Xbox cost. Looks like I'll be a PC gamer next gen if the Xbox handheld isn't £499. PS5 will be my last PlayStation as even with the odd 1st/3rd party games that I've bought. It hasn't really been worth it.

@elpardo1984 your probably correct. But I suspect Microsoft would want one the latest big Final Fantasy titles in Games Pass & Pixel collection would be the cheapest. But im sure we will learn more at the Tokyo Gameshow.

I could see Square Enix seeking Games Pass funding for smaller budget titles like Dragon Quest Builders, FF Pixel Remaster collection, Tactics Ogre Reborn, Valkyrie Elysium, Star Ocean the Second Story etc. Which would give Games Pass a steady stream of japanese games.
But sell heavy hitters like Final Fantasy 7 remake, 16 & future titles at full price.

@Banjo- it be interesting to see what Ghostwire Tokyo's director Ikumi Nakamura new studio is making also. As if both Mikami & Nakamura make similar games to what they did at Tango. It would prove they left due to both Bethesda & Microsoft involvement.

Like I said before I think Microsoft were excited at the prospect of owning a Japanese studio. They said it many times. But once the Bethesda acquisition was announced. The only Bethesda studio to not put out a statement that they looked forward to being part of the family was...Tango Gameworks. Then the producer of Ghostwire Tokyo who Mikami said would be perfect to run the studio when he retires leaves. To be fair I said it be a hard studio to manage due to Xbox's niche popularity in Japan. The original prospect of your games being exclusive to less than 1% of your home audience always made it a hard sell to its workers. I guess by the time Microsoft decided to go 3rd party with certain titles it was to late. Good people were gone. Mikami even said it himself that he thought they'd be safe making HiFi Rush sequels. I don't believe he believes that. He may have got assurance from Phil before Microsoft fully took over. But he also made it clear he was leaving to retire but is creating a new studio.

@Sol4ris I'm sure we will get more news to this ongoing saga.
As for Concords failure. Will it lead to another shift in policy within PlayStation when it comes to 1st/3rd party exclusives.

@Mustoe all that means nothing if the bulk of the PlayStation community don't buy it.

@FatalBubbles all they said was that the Xbox series of consoles version requires further optimisation. Which would be true if they did a deal with Sony to prioritize the PS5 version. As they'd halt work on the Xbox port. Or there is a memory leak which would effect both consoles. Your the one blaming the Series S.

@NostromoXP me too. I've enjoyed having a good selection of japanese titles on Xbox again 👍

@andrewsqual you talk about exclusive deals from scummy Sony but call Phil slimy 😅😅😅. I don't know what the hold up is? ask Square Enix 😅😅😅.
Crisis Core Reunion sold like ass on Nintendo Switch as well. But again like I said before. Who is gonna buy a prequel to the FF7 trilogy on Xbox/Switch if you need a PS5 to finish it 😅😅😅. So it was obvious it was gonna sell on PlayStation.

I expect we may see Square Enix's multiplatform Xbox strategy unfold 😀. A few surprises would be nice. As hiring Mena Sato Kato could be a stroke of genius.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner probably till someone else claims something else I guess 😂😂. Let's see what next week brings lol.

@FatalBubbles to be fair there whole strategy has changed since Jim Ryan got the boot. So why that wouldn't mean the way they do exclusive deals wouldn't change either. Specially after the exposure the deals got during the ABK trails. But Like I said before Sony has invested a lot lately into the Chinese market. Microsoft got a foothold owning Blizzard. It's a relatively new market with lots of potential for growth. But then others have just said the sources are pulling back. Now saying it's not the case so who knows.

@FatalBubbles if they can stay quiet about buying content exclusively when before they used to weaponise it. Then why would they not do the same with games. Specifically if they get them to sign a deal to say otherwise. Maybe what Game Science said isn't wrong that the game needs extra optimisation as they had to push the Xbox version to aside while they prioritize the PlayStation due to the deal they signed.

@Mustoe the old Sony. Pre ABK deal would. But now after it's exclusive deals came under scrutiny during the FTC, CMA trails. I can see them being a bit more secretive about it to avoid getting pulled up by regulators themselves. As even American Congress questioned it's dominance in Asia.

@FatalBubbles they have kept quiet about have exclusive content to Sonic X Shadow Generations. Sega responded to a rumour. They confirmed PlayStation versions would come with an exclusive prequel anime.

@themightyant depends on when Sony did the deal I guess. Plus people aren't looking at the bigger picture as the Chinese market to outside competition is relatively a new market. A ban was lifted in 2015. So the prospect for growth is huge. But also competition started evenly for Nintendo, Sony & Microsoft. It's estimated worth is $42.6 billion. Sony has also pledged aggressive growth in entertainment in the region. It has exclusive deals with publishers like Genshin Impacts MiHoYo Co Ltd. Stellar Blade also this year. It also has China Hero Project & regularly shows up at Chinese game events. So Sony has invested a lot in the region. Another thing people forget is the ABK deal. Blizzard games are extremely popular in China. Add all Xbox/PC Blizzard games into Games Pass now they have returned to the region. It's a win for Microsoft. We also have Playstation pivot in strategy since the ABK deal. I didn't see Sony scream from the rooftops it has exclusive content for the new Sonic X Shadow Generations. I haven't seen any Sony advertising also but Sega confirmed Playstation versions have an exclusive anime. So maybe a new strategy after the attention it received from the ABK trails. As the American government questioned there dominance. So buying up exclusive rites last minute to a potential game changer in China isn't out of the question.

Oh dear. The Xbox don't buy JRPG crowd will be disappointed that Naoki Yoshida hints in his Eurogamer interview that Square Enix are happy with the really strong reception" the Xbox port has received. & Want to build on it.

@andrewsqual when Square Enix announce that the FF7 remake trilogy hits Switch/Xbox id expect Crisis Core to sell better on both systems. But don't blame people skipping it on Xbox if you need a PS5 to complete the trilogy.

Both Powerstone games would make it day 1 for me. Come on Microsoft make it happen or it's a PS5 purchase.

@InvaderFromSpace no they've not stopped supporting Xbox. It has an Xbox insider program for the same reason as what there doing on Steam.

Towerborne has an Xbox insider program like Sea of Thieves. Wonder if that's another reason why it's Steam first.

@andrewsqual so future Playstation titles releasing on PC, cloud, mobile with the odd Switch & Xbox release isn't Sony going 3rd party 😅😅😅.

@Banjo- exactly. Why is it so hard to believe that like Microsoft. Sony & Nintendo will follow where the money is.

@BacklogBrad funny how people forget that it's not just Xbox that's going 3rd party. I agree with you. With Hiroki Totoki pulling the strings & Microsoft showing there is money to be made being everywhere. It's only a matter of time before Sony will follow.

@Ilyn people didn't think Xbox games like Sea of Thieves would sell well on Playstation because fanboys say Xbox games suck & Rare hasn't made a good game since there Nintendo days. But a 7 year old Xbox One game is selling as well as brand new titles on PS5.
I think it depends on Microsofts future plans. As Playstation games apart from a select few aren't gonna hit Xbox anytime soon. One area that could help is Nvidia's Geforce now integration, there future handheld plan & allowing all games in a users library rather than just Games Pass titles to be played via cloud. If they can get the later to work. It could grow the community enough to make it worthwhile for Sony. As we have already seen expansion to smart TVs, Amazon Firesticks for Games Pass.

@Ilyn but do Playstation have better sales. The bulk of the Playstation 5 sales are made of casuals playing EA Soccer, Fortnite, COD, Minecraft & Roblox. Only Helldivers 2 has been a major hit to be fair this year. But other high hitters like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Blue Fantasy & Stellar Blade have shifted 1-3 million units each. With 60 million+ consoles in the wild. That's not great.
You need to give Sony's franchises more credit. The like of the Last of Us, Horizon, Spiderman Helldivers plus more would sell well on Xbox. Id buy several even though I own them on Playstation 5.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Yes Microsoft priority is Games Pass. But Microsoft revenue when it comes to software which includes games has grown each quarter even without ABK. So even though Xbox is a smaller community they spend cash. I like many use the money Games Pass saves me to buy 3rd party games not in the service but also buy season passes & the odd microtransaction for games I play within the service to support the devs.
What audience would Sony cater for? The same that Microsoft are aiming for I guess. People who won't buy a Playstation/Xbox for a handful of titles. Diehards. Casual gamers that will play popular GaaS/ multiplayer titles.
The Last of Us: Factions & Concords failure. Plus add Sea of Thieves success could make Sony aware of how important it is to look after there GaaS successes like Helldivers 2. So who's to say in time we won't see IOS/Android, Xbox & Switch 2 ports.
I can't see the Series S being a problem if there happy to make Switch titles. But also with Microsoft next gen system releasing in 2026.

If you think Sony is gonna sit back & watch Microsoft expand to a multiplatform strategy while still being a platform holder. Think again. They'll be studying there PSN figures, watching for Microsoft's financial reports etc. They'll adapt accordingly or be left behind.
There PC strategy was the first step. They are now pushing day & date. They have mobile, cloud as another. When PS6 comes out. Then what happens when the previous avenue has no growth.

Bring to Xbox please. Day 1 for me!!!!

Final Fantasy 14 & Genshin Impact in the same year. Wow Xbox team you've done well 😊.

@TheSimulator it probably was the goal. Spencer said several times that Tango Gameworks & owning a Japanese studio was a priority. But if the people in the studio don't want to be a part of Microsoft. Then what are they meant to do. As pretty much from when it was announced key players left. Producer of Ghostwire Tokyo who Mikami said could be a potential leader when he steps down. Then left. The only studio that didn't put out a warm statement when Microsoft acquired Bethesda. I'm sure others did as well at the thought of being an Xbox exclusive studio in a land that has less than 1% market share. I heard Xbox fans on Japan are a passionate group. But a small one. Mikami & others even left to form a new studio.

@Jenkinss but my original answer wasn't meant to be comparable to Xbox going fully 3rd party. But Sony's current strategy is similar to Microsoft's during the Xbox One. My point is that the way costs are spiraling out of control it may get to the point that Xbox gets the odd title. Helldivers 2 & Concord come to mind.

@Jenkinss to say that Sony had no say in either matter is laughable. Sony could have said no to MLB & found another purpose for the studio. Sony also could have said no to Bungie & found another studio to acquire.

If you said 5 years ago that Playstation games would be day & date on PC & that the Switch would get a Lego Horizon titles with gorilla games being involved. You'd have said the same "no chance" so anything is possible going forward.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I said maybe & in the future. As if you said 5 years ago what Sony is doing today you'd be laughed at.
People say it was MLB that stipulated it to go multiplatform because Sony doesn't publish it. Horizon Lego Adventure isn't published by Sony on Switch & we know that Gorilla Games was heavily involved.

@Jenkinss not technically true. We have MLB Show, Destiny 2 & Marathon has been announced. So we may get more in the future.

@JH64 why buy an Xbox or Playstation when you can play there exclusives on PC?
I don't get these people saying I'm ditching Xbox for PlayStation. When Sony are slowly doing the same thing.

@lechugajr it will. Plus it benefits all. As if HiFi Rush 2 doesn't do well. Both Tango & Krafton can turn to Microsoft as they can fund future Evil Within & Ghostwire Tokyo titles. But if not they can put source them to other Japanese teams. Could you imagine Kojima making a future Evil Within or Ghostwire Tokyo as an example.

@RiverGenie there is a big difference this time though. I bet a Krafton got offered a similar deal to which Toys for Bob got offered. The Microsoft partnership allows future investment & expansion of Tango Gameworks for future Ghostwire Tokyo & Evil Within 3 titles which will benefit future Krafton Tango projects also.

@GamingFan4Lyf there was a rumor that Microsoft got pitched three projects before they announced Tango's closure. HiFi Rush 2, a new IP which was meant to be a RPG & Ghostwire Tokyo 2.

I wonder if the future partnership is similar to Toys for Bobs. Which will allow Microsoft funding for Ghostwire Tokyo 2 & Evil within 3.

@trev666 that was before Xbox purchased ABK. Now they own a ton of dormant franchises that people have want to see revived. But not enough studios to make them.

@101Force reports were saying that Microsoft was interested in WB studios. Maybe if true they'd be able to make a few?

Maybe Square Enix is waiting to see how Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D does first?
Square Enix & Xbox is at Gamescon. So we may get some news maybe? 16 sounds like it's nearly ready for PC release with Nvidia driver update.

@Friendly I'm sure Xbox would just make an official controller attachment for your mobile phone than a Sony Portal device.