What would an Always Online Xbox requirement mean to Microsoft gaming? Would it help Microsoft fight piracy or keep honest users from spending their hard-earned money on the next-generation console?
Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.
Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.
Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.
"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."
That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.
As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people
Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much
Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region
Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.
I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games
Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo
The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.
Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"
Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”
Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever
Nice one ☝️
This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.
No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.
Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.
Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?
Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.
More 720 articles incoming.
Edit: @ the choonsenone - Yes that true but have you been living under a rock for the last few days?
This topic has been discussed millions of times since the Adam Ortha tweet and I think people are tired of seeing these types of articles.
Go look at the top page on N4G on tell whats on top?
Deal with it people that have 360 s now will buy the next one same goes for ps3 to ps4
It's 2 day old news move on
Always on doesn't bother me ! But if its offically true , the gaming world will go berserk
Always online will be devastating for Microsoft.
I really hope so....but somehow I think MS fanboys are soooo dumb, they will still buy 720 in droves.
They supported them by paying to have the internet TWICE,......they supported them & kept buying new arcade consoles & swapping out the HDD's, when there old ones suffered the RROD, & they supported them when they shut down inhouse studios before said inhouse studios had even released there games, thus not allowing these developers to prove themselves & there product, with sales (see Halo Wars & it's developers (whose name eludes me at present) for the best example).
So, I will certainly not be buying a 720 at this point, & unless this always having to be online to play any of it's games STRONG "RUMOUR" turns out to be BS, I won't EVER buy a 720.
Then there is the whole fact that MS are getting even more rushed by Sony's imminent console release, than they were with 360, & MS don't have a good track record with rushed hardware, but, on that whole RROD fiasco, at least 720's failure rate couldn't be any worse, as a little talked about fact is that the failure rate for AT LEAST, the 1st 2 yrs worth of 360's manufactured WAS WITHOUT DOUBT 100%. So, that being said, the only way it could be worse is if this time when they overheat, they burn your house down, & this time, instead of getting anywhere from 2weeks to 18months from your machine, you get 1hr before your machine makes a loud snap, crackle & pop noise & smoke arises from your new shiny MS Windows 8 badged lump of melting plastic.
This always on crap, blocking of used games & such, is a huge step in the wrong direction for gamers......& I think that if things keep going that way & MS win with this crap, then the console & gaming industry in general, is going to suffer a 1980's meltdown. As, I am already being scared off by $100 digital download versions of games....I mean, if these bastards are trying to con us out of $100Au for a digital version of a game, when it's still competing with a retail copy with cover, instructions & disk that is going for $89 or $79, then what the hell are we going to be charged for a game, when there is no longer any such thing as hardcopies of games anymore? We are gonna have our bum holes raped HARD.
So, I will do everything I can to ensure hardcopies stay around for AS LONG as possible. I have a Wii-U already (hey, I wanted Zombi-U, leave me alone, as I now know it wasn't worth it for that one game, although I didn't expect I'd still be waiting for something else), & I know Nintendo won't be in any hurry to throw away hardcopies of games just yet, as they realize that, casual sales is where it's at for them, & casuals don't buy digital download games.......I mean, most casuals aren't even getting online with there machines, & don't care to, so, they are not going to be stupid enough to throw away THE MAJORITY of there sales numbers that Wii proved they were capable of getting, to go the whole digital distribution ONLY route. That would be dumb, & financial suicide for a company like Nintendo.
Anyway, I will have a PS4 to go alongside my Wii-U, PS3 & 360, but I think MS's 720 will have to be overlooked this time around.