theduckofdeath

@armondo36 Sony is bringing their games to PC like a kid forced to take Castor oil.

Yes, they let Xbox go ahead and try things while they sit back and watch. It is a benefit of their market share as well as having a well-funded competitor.

MS also thought they knew what they were doing in 2013. The made numerous mistakes simultaneously (ultimately leading them to tomorrow's announcement).

Let's take a lot at the competition:

Nintendo #1 - an ardently exclusive library
Sony #2 - stubbornly exclusive despite PC being a reasonable compromise and potential sales boost
MS/Xbox #3 - apparently plotting self-sabotage (again)

Xbox games are already on PC. ABK has been assumed to remain 3rd party since the trial. Apparently, that is not enough.

Xbox 1st party currently has home court advantage and only a subset of third-party games as competition. On PS5, they will (presumably) be a year late, and go up against PS5 1st party and all of the industry's 3rd party output. If sales are good, they may be encouraged to put more games and more popular games on PS5 sooner and sooner. If sales don't go well, they may come to the same conclusion.

Xbox is not going away tomorrow. However, they may embark on a course that will impede console sales and Game Pass subscriber growth further and further. There are allegedly plans for new hardware now, but as we have been reminded, "things change."

@RonF I think it is a bad move. They could have come to this conclusion before OG Xbox. Instead, the created their own console and produced exclusives.

@Darylb88 For me either. However, it will likely have a negative effect on how I feel about Xbox as a device, brand/company, and ecosystem.

@Cikajovazmaj The media is saying this another example of Xbox bad message, when the situation is pretty complicated. For whatever reason, they are making what will be an unpopular opinion. They care trying to figure out how to express it. Who will do it. In the meantime, vague news of it leaked.

The specifics may not be set in stone. This may be forcing them to make rigid distinctions. For example; "all Xbox Studios games are exclusive, all Bethesda are timed-exclusive, all ABK games are multi-plat." MS may desire something more granular, which would result in uncertain exclusivity.

@BaldBelper78 That will just make the situation worse.

"Xbox On" never worked for me. That undermined the entire experience.

Honestly, how can they be surprised? You let slip that you have intent to send multiple exclusives to competing consoles. People will speculate what will go and when will it end. There is a whole cottage industry on YT, built on speculation, rumors, and "leaks." Then you put the lid on the pressure cooker by not responding for a couple weeks.

ABK will largely remain multi-plat. Fine.

Otherwise, nothing should go — not one port. In this climate, as soon as you engage in porting Xbox to PS, you eradicate confidence in your commitment to the platform.

@BRT15 Well, you're being hyperbolic on one hand, and I guess insinuating Turn 10 was too slow developing the game on the other. I chose not the address the latter.

@Ashadelo It is not worth it. I completed GoW 2018 on PC, the best version. As a result, I have no interest in playing Ragnarok. People do accept that exclusivity can promote the perception of an air of superiority and desirability. Rarity versus abundance.

@BRT15 FM came out in October, right. How the hell is that 6 months ago?

@Ashadelo Regulators are not going to stand by while MS makes another large acquisition. They will hesitate to even a smaller studio right now. They need to get the current stable in order. There is little sense in acquiring more before stabilizing and integrating ABK.

Consoles will be around for another couple of generations, at least. They fill a gap and create a bridge to tens of millions of customers. I've had broadband in the northeast for 20+ years and there are still areas of America with shotty internet service. People want dedicated hardware at an affordable price.

To set the house on fire now is a colossal mistake. We don't have official word, but let's be real.

What do I hope to see:

Nothing changes for the worse, nothing goes to other consoles.

The bludgeoning of the platform gets softer, though significant damage has been done. Appearances from the Xbox public facing team become incredibly awkward going forward.

What do I expect to see (as of today):

At minimum a few titles are going multiplatform. Game Pass will be reconfigured to a negative effect in the eyes of most customers.

Even a few titles going to PS, coupled with the rumor plague going around, will crush interest in the platform. Cultivated goodwill would evaporate. Connections to the platform will be severed or impaired for many. Those who unfortunately frequent comment sections or view game content on YT will have a hard time.

The Xbox figures who have worked so hard over the past few years to connect with the community will slink into the dark recesses where Nintendo and Sony execs reside. Some may resign or be removed.

I truly hope the latter prediction does not transpire.

Xbox may be forced to reveal hardware plans (controller, revision) early in an attempt to demonstrate commitment to the platform.

@smokes70 I'm still cleaning up on MS Reward Points. G.P.U. expires July 27, 2026. Already 3 free years on top of the original 3 years converted. That is with redeeming for multiple $25 and $50 gift cards last year.

The 1k monthly is easier for February. Thirty-six dailies needed versus forty-five.

Bing search was slowed down and that is understandable. You must wait 5 seconds between searches. Same on mobile. The reward of 30 points daily for reading news articles has been eliminated. Xbox App reward goals & point totals remain the same (Play Jewel 2, play a PC G.P. game, use the mobile app).

@JustinSane The problem is those may have been Xbox's plans before Microsoft higher ups arbitrarily step in a screw everything up. If it seems nonsensical for Xbox, it is probably because it is not their doing. Why would any games be ported to PS at all? If not ever, at this time?

@Enigk The troubling thing is that it was thrown together or moved up because of what is happening, but still a week away.

@FatGuyInLilCoat I know they patched the final boss in Lies of P quite literally the day before I beat him, thus tainting my victory. LOL

@Shushibda Then they are tone deaf, as the internet says.

It is not "spin," it is the facts of the matter.

@Shushibda I don't get the emphasis on Xbox being last place (1-2-3). If another company makes a console, even a FAANG company, they will be in 4th place and stay there until they quit. Xbox is always going to be in third place. To what degree is the question. More realistically, Xbox could take the lead in NA next gen if they would stop doing stuff like what is rumored.

Xbox had their best run with 360 because they were aggressive and launch great hardware a year ahead of Sony. That not only gave them a install base boost & lead, but the third-party support that comes with it.

I'm dubious about the inclusion of Nintendo because they lost and sidestepped Sony to refocus on children. Sony and MS target the same demographic. Nintendo targets the base of the user age pyramid. To call it a pyramid is being generous — it maybe more like an upside-down wine glass.

@Kaloudz That is too bad — Lies of P was fantastic. Many of the bosses were crazy tough. I took breaks and would leave it for a day or two then come back. Excellent game, almost like a fighting game; it gave me that rush.

I still need to go back and complete Wo Long. I believe there are DLC campaigns, too.

@Shushibda Overall, I don't think MS will get out of the hardware market intentionally. MS might steer Xbox hardware into an early grave or near irrelevancy due to meddling. After this they will ask, "Why are sales declining further?"

We are a long, long way from a suitable cloud solution or other hardware (phone, TV, etc.) replacing consoles. Dedicated hardware remains essential to success (physical, digital, Game Pass media). MS would also want a level of control over their platform's primary interface with customers.

@Widey85 The rumors were dismissible for some time as they were farfetched, going by Xbox's truly positive (finally) outlook. I was firmly in the camp of "shut up" and no doom & gloom...until Phil's tweet. I don't want anything Xbox going anywhere else. That does not seem likely from his words.

MS/Xbox let this situation devolve and need another week to respond. If there wasn't at least a kernel of truth, a tweet or tweet could dispel the rumors. IMO, they are trying break something negative to the fanbase and do not know how to do it.

@IronMan30 Their behavior is erratic and self-destructive. Nothing should be ported. After the way the rumors got out of control, anything being ported will worsen the bleeding of confidence in the platform. Damage has been done and it can get worse.

I they were going to port a few games, better that they got them out the door in surprise betrayal. Then they could get a backlash, apologize or whatever, and backtrack. The negativity has become insidious at this point and they're like, "Hmmm...Let's give it another week to fester." LOL

@Rmg0731 Even before the deal closed, I had (and still have) strong doubts about new CoD launching into Game Pass. MS will want to recoup that $75 million as soon as possible. Then the real profit starts.

Consider that the previous year CoD maintains strong sales through the release of the subsequent CoD. Top 10 if not Top 5 each month. Got to wonder if MS/Xbox wants to roll the dice on puting that one in GP as well.

@Deityjester Callisto was $17.99 on Steam last week.

Yes. A lot of games came out last year and I don't just blow through games. I've completed one series and I'm about to complete the first Builder's Cup series.

@bpomber Current ABK games were never reported to be going exclusive. We know CoD was remaining multi-plat. We could assume that Diablo and maybe Overwatch would as well. King is mobile and not relevant to this situation. The income from those companies is what justified the price MS paid for ABK (plus a premium). Keeping things the same should recoup the cost in 5-10 years.

New IPs or revivals would be case by case.

@Mephisto2869 Why did MS get into the console market in the first place? The doc said the tipping reason was so Sony would not go unchallenged.

If MS doesn't want to create expensive consoles anymore, Sony sure as hell should want to get out of the business, too. The PS5 is cheaper than the Series X, however, the report is that 3x more have been sold. That is a crazy expense and Sony doesn't have a couple hundred billion cash like MS. The Insomniac leak showed Sony is struggling and bending.

I don't see Sony being OK with Game Pass on PS, regardless. People are assuming they will be all cool with Xbox becoming a PS developer.

@bpomber No. Sony PS and Nintendo don't do this for a reason. Sony is a little too stubborn and releases on PC kicking & screaming. Xbox already goes to PC day & date. That should be enough of a "secondary" market. The PC is the DMZ.

Without console subscribers Game Pass numbers will plummet. MS built a console for a reason. Releasing Xbox games on PS would ultimately be a poor decision.

@Fenbops I don't know...I wouldn't assume that. He was obviously bothered by the Redfall debacle and these rumors are waaaaaaay worse for Xbox than Redfall.

@BANJO Yeah, my GPU is all rewards points now. Good through 7/26 and climbing.

Depending on the severity of the news, it could castrate the console and the basis for customer support. People won't be able to trust them not to go further in the future.

@Fenbops Could be Phil and his crew trying to talk Satya and the pure shirts out of it. Someone(s) may have leaked info as a cry for help; rabble rousing to put the kibosh on it going any further. Phil is trying to talk Satya down like he's Ellis in Diehard.

If this is true, even if it is a few games, it is a misstep that may surpass that on XB1. Almost like movie-level scripted never-happen misstep.

At this point, Phil would have to pull a Wolf of Wall Street speech to turn it around.

@BANJO "Utter madness to let everyone stew over this for another week..."

Better than rumor #47 (2024) "Sarah Bond is going to address this in the Spring."

@MrN0vmbr You should worry about other platforms getting Xbox games, because that will bring about all the other negatives we are trying to avoid.

@Widey85 That is just the thing — rumors could be anything. YTbers and game sites profit from clicks/traffic so they will run away speculating about every negative possibility. You notice how it is never anything positive?

Maybe they will swap Hi-Fi Rush for a Bloodborne remake.

@OrfeasDourvas A company does not keep people on the payroll that it does not have work for. Plain and simple. That would be a bad business move.

Many tech companies staffed up to excess going into the pandemic lockdowns. They don't need as many people anymore. Could be too much money was burned. Regardless, those people had employment that they otherwise would have found, for years. Somehow that is overlooked in all this.

@OldGamer999 Are they really going to send Phil out into the line of fire on this one? LOL.

We will learn to what degree the rumors are true. At this point, just Sea of Thieves or Hi-Fi Rush would be a relief.

@GamingSince84 Well Sony and Nintendo certainly did not get the memo on plastic boxes. Sony pays millions every year to block third party games from plastic Xboxes (look at their 2024 lineup alone). That is a low market share move committed by the market leader. When they don't have 1st party titles, they continue to heavily leverage 3rd party.

When Nintendo jerked Sony around, they created their own plastic box. Exclusives of any origin tip the hand of the consumer. Sony learned that from Nintendo. A console is a trojan horse that the platform holder controls. An installed base can be wielded as a weapon.

Destroying relationships with loyal customers in the hopes of selling a few extra copies on the competition's platform is a fool's journey. They will lose further ground and risk becoming reviled by alienating their fanbase. Why did they make an Xbox in the first place? Satya said, "let us compete." If the rumors are true, he sure has a funny way of going about it.

Game Pass certainly is not everywhere, and consoles are a long way from being irrelevant. Look at how much of the U.S. is still without Gigabit broadband.

"Millions of players will get to access some of Xbox's biggest and best games"

I don't get this argument. Who cares about these people? How is that a benefit to XBox customers in the slightest? Sony doesn't think like this; Nintendo doesn't think like this; both have greater market share than Xbox.

If you want to play Xbox games, buy an Xbox. Or buy the game on PC. Or pay for GP and play on the XCloud. MS already gives potential customers multiple avenues to play games from different publishers.

Sony keeps their 1st party games exclusive to PS. That is fine, console-wise. I would like them (all publishers, really) to release on PC. That would be ideal in my eyes.

The bulk of people don't have massive disposable incomes to spend on games. So, hypothetically putting more and more games on your direct competitor could do more harm than good (profit). Why did MS make a console in the first place? Why did they continue? If third party is the move now, it was always the correct move. More correct. From jump. Something does not add up.

I know these are still just rumors. The idea that Phil and others on the Xbox team are OK with this is tough to swallow. If true, God help the individual who has to announce this.

I'm not conflicted. Don't do it. Ever.

Xbox keep your games. PS keep your 1st party games (have to specify with Sony). Nintendo keep your games.

Well, Xbox and PS, put your games on PC. Otherwise, console games should be exclusive.

These are unsubstantiated rumors backed up by unsubstantiated rumors.

If it is true or being discussed, I wonder if it is Satya driving it. This would be disastrous to the console and Game Pass. That will impact the ecosystem. Why did they make a console in the first place?

@Sakai That depends on the OS. Windows on RoG Ally can't compare to a tailored portable OS like on Steam Deck. An Xbox portable could run a stripped-down version of Windows, or Xbox OS, or both. The Xbox and Xbox Game Pass libraries are different than their PC counterparts.

@CharlieChooChoo I never had a portable (console-type) until Steam Deck and I have to admit, it is pretty cool. There is a utility that it provides. I can freely admit that I am an engineer and into gadgetry. This is not something I use everyday, but something that changes how I play.

@JokerBoy422 Turn on your flashlight.

@JayJ I should not have bought it for reasons 1, and somewhat 2 & 3. In Nov-Dec. MS points knocked $25 off of Inf. Wealth.

I completed Yak6 and Man With No Name. So starting Inf. Wealth is fine for continuity. I completed 1-3 and the first half of 4 over a decade ago.

@evan23 Well the game released in September. The dev team probably took a vacation after years of pressure. Then came the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's). Word on the internet street is that people are vehemently opposed to AI in development, so human effort is a necessity.

The official word is that in February 2024, patches will start to roll out in a 6-week cadence.

@Kaloudz I've been playing Gotham Knights on GP lately. It is good for rewards points due to predictable Achievements.

During the 360 era, I bought 100+ physical discs. About 15-20 PS3 discs. On XB1, that number drops to 10 or so. For Series X, I've bought 4 discs. Each has wound up on Game Pass. On PC, well, I have hundreds of digital games dating back over a decade.

Virtually all of my physical games are boxed up and stowed away.

@xeofate Be sure to take advantage of XP boost drinks constantly in Like a Dragon.

Tekken 8, Palworld, Gotham Knights, Diablo IV, Starfield.

I will try to fit in some Halo and Baldur's Gate.

I'm also think of redeeming some points and buying Infinite Wealth.