The free-to-play model has developed into one of the most dominant demographics in gaming, and it may be powerful enough to swallow the console industry whole if they do not change.
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" -
Video games are no longer just a simple past time. Today's games are evolving into true works of art. Offering intriguing narratives, cinematic setpieces, and profound messages, games can entertain us for hundreds of hours.
I never got around to mass effect - I’m skeptical that it would hold up if I were to try it now
"The free-to-play model has developed into one of the most dominant demographics in gaming..."
LOLOLOLOLOL Oh Examiner! Where's the money to be made in free-to-play? In microtransactions? In advertisement?
Free-to-play doesn't even dominate on PC gaming (where it originated), so why in the would would it be essential for console gaming?
If this were the last generation it wouldn't be due to Free to play. It would be because of the high cost of AAA games and the rate of which developers and publishers are closing their doors.
why would anyone want cloud gaming,????!! we work too hard to be settled with cloud merchandise we cant touch and value, ?? thats just dumb, i and the rest of the world want pysyical copies we can touch and keep for years and years, consoles will never go away, never.
I've been playing the beta for dust 514 the new FTP game on ps3. The menus and how to buy things for your epuiptment are very confusing and you have to spend real money to use voice chat. Its actually kind of annoying because you have to replenish inventory items and dropsuits and all kinds of stuff. Most can be done with in game credit but I would rather just play socom or call of duty i think.
Free to play has been happening for years now. I don't see it replacing consoles.