Excluding Nintendo, Microsoft and clearly won 2008 by delivering Blockbusters like Gears of War 2 and Fable 2. But how can continue this success?
Nirav from GL writes: "If the makers of a GOTY competitor that outdid sales and Game Pass expectations and owned by the richest company in the world cannot stay open - what hope is there for everyone else?"
***If the makers of a GOTY competitor that outdid sales and Game Pass expectations and owned by the richest company in the world cannot stay open - what hope is there for everyone else?***
None if you stay in an arena of corporate driven metrics. And this is what happens when you allow publishers to buy up massive amounts of studios and IPs. There's only so much internal competition and the focus in the end will remain on those who look best on a spreadsheet.
Players can be so driven by what is best for them and only see what is put right in front of them. But that's not what is best for them. They are being lied to constantly, as seen by Microsoft's ridiculous praise for Hi-Fi Rush and Phil's lies about Redfall prior to release and how big of a supporter of both studios he has been. But, instead of thinking "wait, this corporation wants me to think this way, should I be listening to them and believing them?" players eat it up and go "OMG, did you hear what they said! They're just like us and they know what's best for the industry."
And because of this single-mindedness of the majority of gamers, we are where we are now. Massive layoffs. Massive studio closures. Games that we were told were representative of the core values of said corporations shelved and studios behind them shuttered. The truth is coming to bear because the truth all along was only what the numbers in an excel spreadsheet told the corporate suits.
If you truly want what is best for the industry, what is best for developers, then you need to support Indie games, support developers that maintain control over their IPs and direction, support boutique publishers who only exist to help Indies make it out the door and don't own the IP. Stop supporting major corporations with your money or you devotion. Stop playing their games, and I don't mean video games, but their marketing, their double speak, their guy without a tie who says things you want to hear PR, their future of video gaming concepts as if we were hurting for new ways to play games other than installing/downloading and playing them, and especially any slogan from them that gives the impression that they are for you, the consumer. They are not. You're merely a value on a spreadsheet.
This should not be surprising to any of you. We have been saying for MONTHS that Game Pass is not sustainable and that these acquisitions will come at a massive cost to the industry. People refused to grasp the difference between buying and investing in a developer like Insomniac or Housemarque, and buying the entire publisher. People refused to accept that spending billions to acquire the biggest publishers in gaming means you have to RECOUP those costs, and you aren't going to do it without consolidation, focusing on core IP that sells, creating revenue streams via ownership and releasing on other platforms, and closing down studios that are superfluous to the budget requirements. You will not recoup those costs by investing in risky new IP or creative new games and studios.
No, people cheered Microsoft on like they were delivering GOTY titles to their door and pouring money into the industry to grow Indies and triple A projects.
You are getting what you deserve. You take the consequences of the practices you supported.
Layoffs happen. Some games don't succeed. Everyone has seen it happen. Happens even to the winners.
This, however, is goddamn shambolic and if you can't see it now then there's no helping you and you should keep enjoying the "value" of Game Pass while contributing nothing to this industry.
I've never seen the developer of one of the best games of the year get axed before.
Ninja Theory is next after Hellblade 2, I can see them going independent again. There's more to come from MS.
The latest round of Xbox studio closures has further revealed Microsoft’s inability to be proactive and responsive in its communication.
There's a pattern. It seems like in May every year there's some blunder. Last year Phil was crying and mad at ABK possibly not going through and how Redfall sucked. Year before that Redfall and Sf getting delayed.
Next months all will be forgiven by Xbox fanboys because they put on a great show or whatever. Then come next year MS creates more fires in their house rinse and repeat. This happens every year don't fall for this trap this year.
Microsoft have no idea what they are doing in gaming. It's time for them to just leave the gaming scene.
It would be better if some other company took their place as the third console developer, beside Sony and Nintendo.
Mark my words... If Hellblade 2 flops in sales, Ninja Theory will be killed off.
XB fans better buy those digital only copies of Hellblade 2 instead of renting the game through GP otherwise Ninja Theory will be next.
Twisted Voxel writes: "We've almost reached the end of the 1st half of 2024, and Xbox has had more studio closures than first party game releases in the year so far."
Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones, Avowed, Towerborne, and Call of Duty are still to be released this year. Marcus Fenix collection to be added to the list with the Xbox showcase, hopefully.
Sony doesn't have to bother fighting the next Microsoft acquisition. The massive layoff by themselves should be enough to get the next big buy blocked.
So if MS hadn't spent $80 billion consolidating the industry just think of all the games and jobs that would have saved.
MS is a drain on gaming and have been nothing but a negative.
i agree ms is gonna surpise people in 09 they won 08 well sales wise hardware wise wii is the king
Its all about E3 09 I believe, at least in my books.
I support my 360, but any person can see that the PS3 has some great exclusives in 09, unless your just an ignorant idiot.
can't wait ms gonna is prevail and do the same thing this year with awesome games.Incoming sonylocust five o clock ms games can't compare with blah blah blah man ms is gonna own 09 just like the did this year.
I don't like crystal balling like this. They don't know more than the rest of us. Just wait and see what happens.
sure the ps3 has great games we all know that..
the problem is that these great games dont go any farther then the store shelf..