fatpunkslim

@Fiendish-Beaver
"All of that suggests to me lower quality games, and games that take fewer risks."
You’ll have to explain how making lower-quality games is supposed to lead to more sales…
And let’s be real — you can’t seriously say Xbox isn’t taking risks, when it’s the publisher that’s launched the most new IPs and the most diverse lineup lately, with games like Keeper, Grounded, Pentiment, and more.

Also, not taking risks has nothing to do with a game's quality — those are two completely different things. By that logic, Spider-Man 2 or God of War would be trash, along with pretty much everything PlayStation has released in recent years, since when it comes to risk-taking, they’re actually the most conservative.

"Microsoft are pushing for smaller scale games that can be made quickly"
The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed each took 6 or 7 years to develop — if you’d read the article, you’d know that. So the fact that they didn’t meet sales expectations has nothing to do with development time or budget.

"It sounds like Microsoft are now pushing for is cookie-cutter games that can be rushed out the door, score 6s and 7s at best, and be ignored by the majority"

You’ll have to explain how that logic holds up when we’re talking about games like Indiana Jones, Doom: The Dark Ages, Black Ops 6, Forza Horizon 5, Hellblade II, South of Midnight, and upcoming titles like Fable, Gears E-Day, Elder Scrolls VI, State of Decay 3, or Clockwork Revolution (which is inXile’s most ambitious project to date). These aren’t small-scale games — they’re major productions that have been in development for over five years.

On top of that, your argument contradicts Xbox’s multiplatform strategy. If the goal were just to flood Game Pass with quantity over quality, how exactly would they expect to sell these games on other platforms? At some point, you need to be consistent with your own narrative.

Once again, your relentless urge to bash Xbox leads you to say anything — even if it means contradicting yourself completely.

Obsidian’s situation is specific to Obsidian. It’s not about making “small, low-quality games.” Quite the opposite — their issue lies in design choices that are more or less accessible to a broader audience. And let’s be clear: you can absolutely make high-quality, popular games without spending six or seven years in development. Elden Ring took five years, Spider-Man 2 four, God of War four, Forza Horizon 5 around three to four.

The heavy RPG focus in Obsidian’s games is expensive and time-consuming, and I don’t think most players are necessarily drawn to that — especially when it comes at the cost of cinematics, gameplay fluidity, animations, visuals, and so on.

So no, it’s not about budget or dev time. Baldur’s Gate 3, for instance, had a relatively modest budget (around $100 million) and reached early access in just three years — even if the final release came three years later. Starfield, on the other hand, had a $300 million budget and eight years of development. Strategic choices and creative direction matter far more than raw time or money — and they don’t always correlate with quality or popularity.

@Aniscape Peter Molyneux: "hardcore" RPG mechanics toward an action-adventure focus to increase accessibility and sales, aiming for a 30% increase over Fable II."

That’s exactly what I’m trying to say in terms of boosting sales. I’m not saying they should completely abandon the RPG side — just that it shouldn’t come at the expense of the action-adventure aspect, which is far more accessible.

Of course, there’s always the risk of disappointing purists, but they’re not the ones driving the bulk of sales.

@Jordan1278 When I say "technical," I’m not just talking about the game engine or performance — I mean the whole package. The combat, while improved compared to the first game, still could’ve used more polish. The world feels a bit lifeless at times. And purely on the technical side, at least early on, there were issues like frame rate drops and texture problems — if you remember.

Just to be clear — I really enjoyed Avowed, and The Outer Worlds 2 a bit less, personally. I just couldn’t quite get into it.

@CallMeDuraSouka That’s just my opinion, and I’d appreciate it if you respected it — just like yours is your own. Obsidian are undeniably great writers; they excel at building lore, crafting narratives, and designing branching storylines — I don’t think any serious observer would argue otherwise. But I also pointed out that this often comes at the expense of other key aspects like gameplay, visuals, technical polish, animations, and combat — and those elements matter a lot when it comes to winning over a broader player base.

Obsidian definitely has a bit of an old-school vibe, and their games lean heavily into the RPG side of things. They’re brilliant writers, no doubt, but they tend to lag behind technically — and let’s be honest, most players today focus first on visuals, animations, gameplay, and combat. That’s what’s holding their games back from reaching full AAA status. The thing is, the RPG depth in titles like Avowed or The Outer Worlds 2 is often very ambitious, which probably explains the long dev cycles — and that eats into time and budget for polishing other aspects. It’s part of their identity, sure, but if they want to appeal to a broader audience, they might need to dial back the hardcore RPG elements a bit and lean more into action-adventure, which is more accessible.

Obsidian’s style clearly isn’t very mainstream — let’s not kid ourselves. It’s a type of game design that can be quite polarizing. For an action-RPG fan, Avowed is a solid title, but it sits somewhere between a true RPG and an action-adventure game. It doesn’t have the same level of polish as an action-RPG like The Witcher 3, which, to be fair, leans more toward action-adventure and less RPG anyway. Avowed offers more player choice, which brings it closer to the RPG side.

What I’m getting at is this: Obsidian needs to make a choice. If they lean more toward action-adventure, they’ll appeal to a broader audience. Going full RPG is more niche and demands a higher production cost — massive dialogue trees, branching narratives, and all that.

I totally missed the addition of Kingdom Come: Deliverance! Looks like it’s going to be a solid lineup with High on Life 2 and Kingdom Come locked in — might even give Avatar a shot, especially since I’m a big fan of the movies. Game Pass just keeps delivering heavy hitters month after month lately.

@Fiendish-Beaver It’s an article about Microsoft Rewards, so maybe show a bit of respect for the author and the readers by sticking to the actual topic. That’s all.

Your obsessions and far-fetched assumptions — especially when you still don’t seem to grasp that an Xbox account is unique regardless of platform — are just irrelevant here

@Fiendish-Beaver But what does that have to do with anything? Who told you that MAUs are counted multiple times based on the platform? That’s yet another one of your assumptions you’re turning into a categorical statement. When does the article even mention MAUs? A Game Pass user is easily identifiable — it’s a single Microsoft account tied to the subscription, regardless of the device. It’s really not that hard to grasp.

Once again, before diving headfirst into saying something negative, maybe take a moment to think it through. You don’t have to say “this is amazing” all the time, but you also don’t have to say “this sucks” every time either.

Interesting move — tying Microsoft Rewards more directly to Game Pass engagement is a smart way to boost retention and discoverability. If the monthly quest system is well-balanced and transparent, it could become a real incentive for casual players to explore more titles

@Fiendish-Beaver Off topic and trolling ! What does that have to do with the topic? All I see is one person regurgitating those numbers just to say how bad Microsoft are doing.

Oh , and another categorical statement "Microsoft will claim a surge in Cloud numbers too", oh you see the future now ! going from a simple update about Microsoft Rewards to that? Honestly, the ability to twist everything into negativity is pretty mind-blowing.

@Fiendish-Beaver lool, Everything I say, you feel the irresistible need to contradict me. You claim that “Sony will continue to bolster their own exclusive games with AA and AAA third-party exclusives.” But that’s not up to Sony — that’s the problem. Just look at Square Enix, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Konami, and others: all the major studios no longer want to make PlayStation exclusives, for obvious reasons — production costs and the simple fact that it’s not worth it anymore, given the low sales on PlayStation. All the Resident Evils, Final Fantasies, and many more are multiplatform now. There’s no need to defend your beloved PlayStation — this is just the raw reality. Everyone has noticed, except you, that Sony has fewer and fewer exclusives, whether first-party or third-party. No need to invent a parallel reality.

So no, even if PlayStation wanted to, Sony is not going to keep pushing for AA and AAA third-party exclusives like before, and inevitably much less than before.

Third-party publishers are increasingly reluctant, and it’s getting more and more expensive for Sony. Case in point: 6-month exclusivity deals. It’s ridiculous that Sony is still wasting money for just 6 months of exclusivity.

It’s just the reality of the video game industry, bro.

Not interested in this series, but it's yet another franchise that will no longer be exclusive to PlayStation, among many others. All third-party publishers are releasing their games on multiple platforms now — the era of exclusives is over.

Very solid !I spent over 40 hours on it and finished the game. The dialogue is impressively rich, with some very funny moments, and you really get attached to the characters’ stories. If I hadn’t been hooked, there’s no way I would’ve spent that much time on it.

I played in FPS mode, but the TPS mode could’ve used a bit more polish, even though the game is still perfectly playable in third‑person. Overall, it has everything I expect from a good RPG. I just feel like it was missing that little ‘je ne sais quoi’ to truly become a great game.

Too many games I still need to play Resident Evil Village and Star Wars Outlaws, but the next one for sure is High on Life 2—I loved the first one.

@Weebleman Okay, not everything—but still way more than on consoles, especially considering that 40% of PC games don’t even exist on consoles

I can see you're always trying to downplay any argument that challenges your PlayStation, but let’s be real—it’s not a long list, it’s a short one. Nearly all major PlayStation titles are on Steam now: from God of War to Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, Uncharted, spiderman, Stellar Blade, and more. And for those not yet on PC, it’s either temporary or they’re minor titles with no real potential on PC. Gran Turismo, for example, would flop on PC given the competition from serious racing sims that consoles simply don’t have.

As for the player base, you’re missing the bigger picture: Xbox already has twice as many active users as PlayStation, and their potential reach is nearly unlimited. They’re not just targeting console gamers—they’re going after PC players, cloud users, smart TVs, handhelds… There are over 800 million active PC gamers out there. Compare that to the 120 million active PSN users—it’s not even close.

But hey, fair enough—let’s wait and see. But if you spend any time browsing PC forums, it’s clear that a large part of the community is genuinely interested in a machine that offers the freedom of a PC with the experience of a console. The price is still a question mark, of course—we’ll see. But in any case, PlayStation will not likely be much cheaper given their pricing strategy (They’re not exactly known for being generous). Just look at the PS5 Pro

Why own both a PC and a PS6 when a single device—the next Xbox—could let you play everything? Sure, Windows 11 is bloated, but the version they'll use in the next console will likely be a streamlined build, stripped of anything unnecessary for gaming. That’s exactly the direction Xbox Full Experience is heading, even if it’s still early in its roadmap.

Honestly, I’m reassured by how the upcoming interface—already visible in xCloud Gaming—feels very close to a true console experience. There’s still work to be done, but if they manage to deliver the freedom of a PC (playing absolutely everything: Steam, PlayStation, Epic, GOG—knowing that 40% of games are PC-only) with the simplicity and experience of a console, that’s a winning bet.

@NattyKing It’s true that some blockbuster titles still perform better on consoles, but the broader trend is hard to ignore. PC gaming now boasts over 800 million monthly active users, dwarfing PlayStation Network’s ~119 million MAU and Xbox’s ~300 million MAU (excluding mobile).

Game Pass for PC grew over 30% YoY, and xCloud usage nearly doubled in 2025, especially in emerging markets. Xbox is building a platform that scales across mutiples devices: PC, cloud, TV, handled, ...

Around 40% of games are available only on PC and not on consoles. The reverse is true as well, but it's closer to just 5%. The next generation of Xbox is expected to be a hybrid PC, which will make development for Xbox much easier—if a dev builds a game for Steam, it's very straightforward to bring it to Xbox too. Not to mention that a third-party publisher keeps 85% of the revenue from their game on the Xbox Store for PC, compared to only 70% on Steam

Console ports, on the other hand, tend to be more complex and costly, and given the relatively limited install base (whether Xbox or PlayStation), it's not always worth the effort. Just look at the latest Game Awards—plenty of titles were PC-only

The future isn’t about where you play, but how accessible and scalable the platform is.

I finally finished Clair Obscur, which I had put aside for way too long. Now I'm diving into Star Wars Outlaws and Resident Evil Village, thanks to Game Pass.

@TheGameThrifter This is just one example among many, but anyway we all know — and you should know — that the PC market is bigger than the console market. You should also know that PC player growth is in double digits, while the console market is declining. I’m not saying anything ridiculous here, right? These are just established facts. It’s no coincidence that even Sony’s CEO said the future is multiplatform. Still not too “ridiculous” ?

Everyone knows that all publishers and platform holders (except Nintendo) are moving toward multiplatform. It’s an open secret. GTA 6 is really the exception that proves the rule — and from what I know, there’s a marketing deal between GTA 6 and Sony, which pretty much breaks your argument. I wouldn’t call your argument ridiculous, just… simplistic.

Once again, this is proof that the PC market is more than twice as big as the console market. That’s why both Xbox and PlayStation release all their games on Steam. It also explains why developers mainly focus on PC, even if it means abandoning consoles altogether. More and more games are PC‑only. And it also explains why the next Xbox will essentially be a PC — able to play absolutely everything (Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Epic, GoG) instead of being a closed ecosystem cut off from the rest (the rest = a huge catalog of games available only on PC)

The remaining challenge is convincing publishers to develop for Xbox PC — and that’s already happening more and more. With a 12% commission vs Steam’s 30%, an Xbox community that will migrate to the next Xbox console / PC, and the fact that Xbox games can be played across multiple devices (PC, Xbox console, handheld, cloud, TV, etc.), giving developers access to a massive potential player base, I have no doubt this trend will continue.

@Weebleman You’re focusing on the wrong metric, and it's +1 % for ps5 YoY, And the 14% drop for Xbox. This is also because developers already know — long before the public — that the next Xbox will essentially be a PC, which means they’ll be developing directly for Windows rather than for a traditional console.

No, The real KPI here You seem to avoid is the fact that 40% interest is extremely low given the PS5’s installed base. If the platform were as healthy for third‑party devs as you imply, that number would be far higher.

As for the rest, I think you’re overthinking things just to downplay what is clearly very bad news for your PS5. lol.

And of course this survey is positive for Xbox — take a step back instead of criticizing Xbox in every comment. The fact that Xbox’s strategy is perfectly aligned with the trends shown in this survey is very good news for the next Xbox, which is a PC, and for players as well.

You should be happy about that instead of constantly showing cynicism and bad faith.

@FraserG Another angle we can take on this survey is that 80% of game devs plan to target Windows PC in survey — with only 40% for PS5.

40% really isn’t much when you look at the PS5’s massive installed base — and there’s a good reason for that. What publishers care about isn’t raw console sales, it’s engagement and ARPU (Average Revenue Per User). And on those metrics, PlayStation is far behind both PC players and Xbox players.

When 80% of developers say they’re targeting Windows while console interest keeps slipping, Microsoft is simply embracing reality: the future is PC‑centric, not locked down in closed ecosystems. And that’s exactly where PlayStation shows its cracks. Their store is notorious for burying third‑party games unless studios pay absurd fees for visibility. If you’re not a Sony blockbuster, good luck getting discovered. It’s a system that actively works against smaller teams.

Xbox, meanwhile, has a huge advantage almost nobody talks about: a 12% revenue cut, compared to Steam’s 30%. That alone is a massive incentive for developers.

In short, Xbox is positioning itself smartly: embrace PC, lower barriers for devs, improve discovery, and break away from the 30% tax model. It will be much easier for developers to build for Xbox inside a PC‑based ecosystem.

And it will be better for players too — an open ecosystem where they can centralize their library, play and buy from any store, and pay less for games (PC titles are often cheaper than console versions). Basically, you get the freedom of PC gaming while still enjoying the convenience of a console‑like experience.

@Coletrain @Fiendish-Beaver Come on guys, try to keep up — Xbox already planned default games profiles for games (see xbox full experience roadmap), that automatically applies optimized settings — kind of like GeForce Now, I guess — so players don’t have to configure everything manually

I bought Final Fantasy VII Remake — I’m still at the beginning, but it runs super smoothly on my Xbox Series X, my ROG Ally X, and even on PC. Gotta love Xbox Play Anywhere.

It’s fresh, fresh… Fresh as a summer breeze...

Oh yeah, so many good memories — I love it

@Decoy_Snake You’re making claims you can’t back up. Before saying that, I checked my facts, and yes — most people do play on multiple platforms, that’s just a fact. The fact that you’re not part of that group is one thing, but don’t take your personal case as a general rule.

@AccessibleDaydream Seriously don't buy a steam machine. Too expensive for what it is, especially with the new Xbox coming out next year — it’ll do far more than a Steam machine. And above all, you’re taking a big risk that steam machine won’t be supported anymore, Some time later, and that it ends up being a huge flop like their last attempt ten years ago.

It’s definitely an important factor when I decide whether to buy a game on Steam or the Xbox Store. Especially when you have Game Pass (even Game Pass Essential), since you can also use cloud gaming, on top of PC and your Xbox console — not to mention the Windows handhelds like the Xbox ROG Ally (with full compatibility, not like games on steam deck). That’s not the case with Steam games.
On top of that, Xbox Play Anywhere now extends to ARM PCs, where Xbox games can also run natively, unlike Steam titles.

It wasn’t a sure thing at first, but you can clearly see more and more publishers supporting Xbox Play Anywhere.

And besides, the time when games were cheaper on Steam is long gone. I don’t really see a difference anymore, and I often see better deals on Xbox — not to mention the sites that offer promo codes.

@Fishmasterflex96 Lol, that’s a joke. Hellblade 2 has an 84 Metacritic score on PS5 and win several awards, South of Midnight won an award at the last Game Awards. You’re also forgetting games like Black Ops 6, Indiana Jones, Doom: The Dark Ages, Sea of Thieves (which also won an award), Avowed — which, despite a mixed reception, sold very well and got polished over time, etc.
Overall, Xbox is the publisher with the most‑played games on Steam, so unless players suddenly have terrible taste, I don’t see your point.

And yes, Xbox releases a lot of games, including niche titles like Keeper or Pentiment and don' sell always well (but don' cost much too). But that diversity is also one of Xbox’s strengths; there’s something for everyone. As for the Activision acquisition, I think Xbox did a great job turning things around considering the issues Activision had before the buyout.

Of course, not everything is perfect, but saying their studio management is ‘horrible’ is just false. They didn’t cancel 11 games, they don’t have flops on the level of Concord or Forspoken — you have to keep things in perspective. At least they actually make games, good ones and sometimes take risks.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner “Yeah, true — that was only the first week. I went a bit too fast, it wasn’t the best example. But whatever, it doesn’t change my point. What I was saying from the start is that Xbox‑published games sell generally better on PC and Xbox. And in any case, PC sales absolutely crush PS5 sales — often three or four times higher. The PS5 player market isn’t that big; it’s actually pretty small in reality

@PsBoxSwitchOwner It’s exhausting, seriously — do your research! Ask Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, whatever… you’ll see for yourself.

@acmiguens “What I mean is that it’s Xbox who decides whether the game will have an optimized version for each console. Fable will almost certainly get an optimized version for the next Xbox, but on PS6 there’s no guarantee at all. Where I agree with you is that the PS6 will of course be backward compatible with PS5. But for PS4, that’s already much less certain — I wouldn’t bet on it. Sony is far less advanced than Xbox when it comes to game preservation and backward compatibility, that’s well known.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner All Xbox game ports, yes. And generally speaking, all games sell more on PC. And sometimes, even certain third‑party games sell better on Xbox — like Arc Raiders. Is that clearer now?

To be fair, every PlayStation video gets about twice the views of Xbox, so there’s nothing surprising there — their channel has twice as many subscribers. And the people watching videos on the PlayStation channel aren’t necessarily PlayStation players, far from it. Even on this site, articles sometimes embed trailers from the PlayStation channel for games that are also available on Xbox. It’s just the default channel, not a gathering place for PlayStation fans.

@acmiguens So on PS5, no Play Anywhere, no option to play in the cloud, no PC play, no guarantee of multi‑generation backwards compatibility, no day‑one Game Pass, and probably a less optimized version anyway? Yeah… no. Definitely not. But nice try.

That said, I don’t doubt it’ll sell well on PS5, even though I’m convinced it will sell much better on PC and Xbox, like every other games

@IOI I don’t really care that much — what matters to me is that Xbox keeps making games and continues building a gamer-friendly ecosystem. And on that front, Xbox is absolutely killing it. If more people get to enjoy the games, all the better — better for game quality, better for Game Pass which can grow with more high-quality titles, and ultimately better for the Xbox ecosystem itself, which can keep evolving. In the end, it benefits Xbox players first — and then all gamers in general.

On the hardware side, I do think keeping some level of timed exclusivity would’ve been an extra advantage — but it’s not the only one they have. And like you said, the era of exclusives is over. Whether it’s Xbox or PlayStation, everything ends up on PC anyway — and therefore on Xbox. We’re in the era of ecosystems now, and that’s what really matters.

What also stands out from that interview is that Xbox can do whatever it wants — and for them, whether a game is day one on other platforms or not isn’t a core issue. They can change their mind whenever they want.

And as for Fable, I think it could actually be a good thing for Xbox’s image. If Fable lives up to its promises, it showcases the quality of Xbox games and the strength of the Xbox ecosystem — and that’s always better for attracting more players than the opposite.

@IOI He said: "So yeah, I think it won't ALWAYS be the same".

So even if they try to be more consistent, the reality is that there will always be case-by-case situations depending on the game. It’s funny to see how everyone interprets things differently — each person sees what they want to see. But that last sentence seemed very clear to me

@themightyant I understand there will always be case-by-case situations. What’s surprising is the level of freedom Xbox gives its studios — from what I understand, they pretty much do what they want, even if the reality behind the scenes is probably a bit more nuanced.

Either way, whether it’s Xbox or PlayStation, no one is making truly permanent exclusives anymore — except for Nintendo. We’ve entered the era of ecosystems, and that’s where the real difference lies.

@TDHorizon Yes, I agree — like with everything, you’ll always find players who don’t care about any of this and just want to play FIFA on their PlayStation. Clearly, they’re not the target here. But the majority of players do care about game preservation and being able to play their older titles on new hardware. Most gamers today play across multiple platforms.

As for mods — sure, it’s a niche — but I know plenty of PC players who’d be willing to buy a console if it offered the flexibility of a PC with the ease of a console. Most players want a centralized game library and the freedom to buy and play their games from any store.

On performance, I don’t think we can compare with the current gen — the next generation seems to be shifting paradigms entirely, with a different hardware approach.

Regarding exclusives, Nintendo is clearly a special case. But for PlayStation and Xbox, permanent exclusives are basically gone. At best, we’re talking timed exclusives — and even that’s fading. PlayStation has fewer and fewer first-party titles, and third-party publishers are increasingly reluctant to sign exclusivity deals. And if you look at sales data, it’s clear: exclusives aren’t the top sellers anymore — far from it (Nintendo being the exception, of course).

The exclusivity war is over. We’re entering the era of ecosystems. On paper, Xbox has far more advantages. That said, it’s not the only factor — marketing plays a huge role. And on that front, we all know PlayStation invests massively, far more than Xbox.

As for the idea that PlayStation might launch its own store and pull its games from Steam — I don’t really buy it, for several reasons. Removing their games from Steam would mean a massive loss in revenue, not to mention no more PlayStation games on Steam Deck either. The PC gaming world isn’t exactly aligned with PlayStation’s ecosystem — far from it. Trying to launch a new store, especially with all the issues we’ve seen with PSN, would be an uphill battle.

Honestly, the PS6 makes no sense when the next Xbox offers:

A clearly superior Game Pass service with day-one titles — and not just Game Pass Ultimate, but also PC Game Pass, Game Pass Core, Premium, etc.

Xbox Play Anywhere: the ability to play on PC, Xbox console, cloud, smart TVs, handhelds… versus being locked to a single PlayStation console — which matters even more in a world where most gamers play across multiple devices.

True, native backward compatibility

Access to all games: Xbox console titles, Steam (including PlayStation games), Epic, GOG… versus only console games. And let’s not forget Steam has way more games than any console library, plus a massive catalog of Xbox exclusives only playable on Xbox.

The flexibility of Windows: install mods, apps, tools — versus a very limited OS

And likely better performance and graphics on the next Xbox

Price is the only remaining question, but given Sony’s pricing strategy, they’ll likely match the price of more powerful machines — even if their hardware costs less to produce and offers fewer features.

Exclusives aren’t even a real differentiator anymore, since Sony now releases everything on Steam — and therefore on Xbox. The real difference lies elsewhere now: ecosystem.

@FraserG "The problem with Game Pass is that you only get the Standard version included"

Only ? That’s already not bad, right? “DLCs have always been optional. But to be fair, the DLC price is just outrageous

@themightyant Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying — they’re making the same mistake, just in the opposite direction, by assuming there’s a clear logic behind all of this. And yes, you’re right to focus on what Xbox is actually doing, even if you’re exaggerating a bit. For the four games, they explicitly said it was a test with only four titles for now. They never said it would always be only those four forever — that’s different, but whatever.

So yes, we agree: it’s case by case. And that matches what they’re doing in the end. Fable is day one, but FH6 isn’t, for example. And the Playground Games founder, Ryan Fulton, confirmed that these are indeed two separate decisions for the two games, I quote :

"Within Playground, we have two projects which have made slightly different decisions, although the endpoint is the same."

So yes, these are indeed different decisions being made, even if the end goal is still to reach as many players as possible. Whether it’s day one or a timed exclusive, both approaches serve that purpose — the only difference is the timing.

Case by Case

@themightyant Just to wrap up this whole side discussion about Fable once and for all. I agree with you — the mistake I made was believing there was a clear logic behind Xbox’s decisions. And for the past three years, that logic seemed to hold: all new franchises and sequels were temporarily exclusive. But with Fable, that pattern is broken.

However, @Fiendish-Beaver and others are making the same mistake: assuming there is a consistent logic. The mistake of thinking that what they did in the past (with this game) will apply in the future. Up until now, they were always wrong to believe that every Xbox game would be day one on all platforms, and they kept finding excuses like “the porting started too late,” etc. That’s simply not true. A game is planned years in advance. Fable has been in development for at least five years — it even started before Avowed — and yet Avowed gets a one‑year exclusivity window while Fable doesn’t. What he’s saying doesn’t make sense, and neither does Xbox’s strategy from that perspective. There is no overarching logic.

It’s just case by case. Exactly what Phil Spencer said from the very beginning. And it’s being confirmed again: Forza Horizon 6 has a temporary exclusivity, Fable doesn’t. Case by case.

@Fiendish-Beaver Or maybe there’s simply no real logic behind it — it’s just case‑by‑case. I don’t think it has anything to do with development delays or a strategy decided at the last minute. I honestly don’t think there’s a long‑term plan here; it’s just decisions made individually. And for Fable, they probably just said, ‘Okay, let’s launch it day one on all consoles.’ But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything for the future, given how little consistency there is in their decisions.

But let’s do Playground Games and players a favor and close that parenthesis, if you don’t mind — let’s talk about the game itself, which looks absolutely exceptional.

@Weebleman I already commented on the other article. Yeah, I was wrong — I didn’t expect it to launch day one on PS5. But honestly, it feels like a bad idea, because that’s what some people and the media are going to focus on instead of the actual game. And here’s the proof: it’s troll central. You and your friend are talking about everything except the game itself.

Strategically, I think it’s a mistake from Xbox, even if the Xbox ecosystem still keeps the advantage with Play Anywhere and day‑one Game Pass.

On the contrary, building anticipation actually benefits the Xbox community and boosts the appeal of their hardware. It can push some players to buy an Xbox, or at least move into the Xbox ecosystem through PC, Game Pass, or the cloud. And it also creates envy among PlayStation players. The fact that Forza Horizon 5 launched on PS5 four years later didn’t stop it from selling 5 million copies there.

I really don’t understand what Xbox leadership is thinking. They had every reason to keep a one‑year exclusivity window — it would’ve been consistent. Until now, all the games had a one‑year exclusivity period (except remakes or already‑multiplatform titles from acquisitions): Avowed, Hellblade 2, South of Midnight, etc. all have a one‑year exclusivity. If Gears E‑Day also launches day one on other consoles, that would be a huge mistake — especially for the release of their new console and on the symbolic 25th anniversary of Xbox. For such a major franchise, it almost feels like a slap in the face to long‑time fans.

Of course, the next Xbox still keeps advantages like multi‑store support, Play Anywhere, day‑one Game Pass, and raw power. But having temporary exclusives wouldn’t hurt either. If they want to climb back up in hardware sales, they should be stacking every advantage they can. And right now, they’ve just thrown one away — IF this is confirmed for the upcoming games, since there’s no clear logic behind their decisions.

But anyway, closing that parenthesis — I really can’t wait to play it, and I’m glad everyone will get to enjoy it. Fable looks fantastic, and Playground Games is really delivering.

@Questionable_Duck Yeah, I was wrong — I didn’t expect it to launch day one on PS5. But honestly, it feels like a bad idea, because that’s some people and media are going to talk about instead of the actual game itself.

Strategically, I think it’s a mistake from Xbox, even if the Xbox ecosystem still keeps the advantage with Play Anywhere and day‑one Game Pass.

But anyway, closing that parenthesis — I really can’t wait to play it, and I’m glad everyone will get to enjoy it.

Fable looks really promising. Playground Games is absolutely delivering, and for a first open‑world RPG, it’s incredible.

And Forza horizon 6 looks very cool too

@Fiendish-Beaver "Make that make sense, @fatpunkslim! How can it be that if 55% of console gamers play on PC, and yet only 42% of PC gamers play on console? Surely the figures would be exactly the same?" lool, Serously, There’s nothing I can do for you here — of course those two numbers can be different. If you don’t get that, I’m not about to give you a math lesson. I didn’t catch the rest, sorry — given the level, not much I can do.