Fitch Ratings (a company that assesses the risk level of debt) announced today that they have downgraded several types of Sony debt to "BBB+" (the debt is still three notches above the dreaded "junk" moniker, however). Fitch also slapped a "negative" outlook on the debt, indicating that future debt downgrades are possible as "Sony's financial profile [continues] to weaken in the next one to two years."
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 of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.
And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.
They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -
Gary Green said: We have a juxtaposition of 2D and 3D visuals, flashy turn-based combat, quirky anime characters with cheeky dialogue with plenty of partial nudity; Yes, this is a Compile Heart JRPG. Whilst the engine is borrowed from Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, Mugen Souls is more of a Disgaea spin-off. It’s not a strategy RPG as such, it merely sits within Disgaea’s ever-expanding universe (Multiverse? Netherverse? Your guess is as good as mine). You won’t find cameos though, since Mugen Souls is a franchise which aims to stand on its own two feet.
At Sony's last 12 months. Here is where its profits came from (in millions):
Electronics (262.1)
Games 74.1
Pictures 232.5
Financial Services 1,596.1
Other 137.2
Corporate (156.8)
Total: 1,620.9
98.5% of Sony's profits come from financial services. That's right. Sony isn't an electronics company. It's a financial services company that sells electronics.
Huh. That's uhh...they're a financial services company?! I don't think anyone ever realized that. Where'd you find this crazy info?
I read their quarterly financial reports for the last 12 months (4 quarters). I know they fashion themselves as an electronics company, but the source of their profits reveals a different story.
Financial Services segment engages in life and non-life insurance, Internet-based banking, and leasing and credit financing businesses. This segment also offers various financial services, including savings and loans.
Lot's of financing of their audio/video stuff probably in shops. So one can't do without the other I guess. Credit financing&leasing stuff.
But still. A junk bond it became almost dropping from 160 alltime high to 120, to under 40 dollars...