250°

Next Gen to Respawn Exclusive Deals, PS4 and Xbox 720 Industry Pains

The next generation is almost here, but with both the PS4 and the next Xbox thought to release within weeks of each other, every exclusive will count. The Daily Reaction duo of Seb and Dan discuss which console will receive more launch exclusives, why Microsoft is pursuing 3rd party exclusives and why that hurts everyone. - PSLS

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playstationlifestyle.net
GameNameFame4006d ago

PS4 is permanent exclusives.

and Next box 3rd party exclusives will come to PS4 after a year.

GalacticEmpire4006d ago

There really is something unnervingly shady about third party exclusive deals. I always imagine a backroom with loads of goons playing poker where money changes hands and 'things get done'.

MikeMyers4006d ago

Like Virtua Fighter 5 and Final Fantasy XIII? The damage is already done after a year. Sony did this with Grand Theft Auto on the PS2. I think it's pretty safe to say that was a smart move. It also came out later on the Xbox.

I don't see why so many have issues when Microsoft does it other than they hate Microsoft and love Sony.

showtimefolks4006d ago

let's see E3 will be a lot of fun to watch, also ms should show few new games on may 21st to give a taste of whats to come at E3

i would be really surprised if EA let respwan go to MS, they have a contract and even if their partners program ends, they will still finish the games in development. Also EA went through legal trouble for respwan because Activision accused EA of stealing away their talent so it will be very hard to imagine EA saying go ahead

we are excited about a new IP we know next to nothing about, also i would much rather MS invest that money into small development teams and let them work on some new Ip's

sooner or later 3rd party exclusives end up on other consoles

GameNameFame4006d ago (Edited 4006d ago )

They just dont blindly love MS like you do.

I can afford to wait a year for more patched balanced DLCs included version of Next box's 3rd party exclusive on PS4.

MikeMyers4006d ago (Edited 4006d ago )

I blindly love Microsoft? If you're going to make wild accusations please show me where that's what I do.

It does make good business sense to have timed exclusives. I never said i prefer it. Most game sales happen in the beginning. How well did Oblivion sell on the PS3 compared to the Xbox 360? How about Bioshock? How well did GTA sell on the PS2? Now look at how GTA sells on the PS3 and Xbox 360. That isn't blind love towards Microsoft, it's what we call reality.

I also imagine Battlefield sells better on the PS3 in comparison to how well Call of Duty does compared to the Xbox 360. Both are shooters but Call of Duty is heavily marketed on the Xbox 360 and they also got timed exclusive DLC. Is saying that mean I'm blindingly loving Microsoft? Just because you can't say two good words about Microsoft doesn't mean everyone else has to be like that. It's called being rational.

DOMination-4005d ago

Nobody on this site had a problem with Ni No Kuni being a third party party exclusive. where were the articles then saying how bad it was for the industry?

I think more exclusives are better. For each console. This gen they had an identidy crisis, a few games aside they were pretty much the same. This time around id like to see them more defined.

Oh_Yeah4005d ago (Edited 4005d ago )

@MikeMyers the difference is while Sony does get 3 party exclusives from time to time, they also have plenty of their own 1st party exclusives... Something Microsoft does not, that is their problem.

MikeMyers4005d ago (Edited 4005d ago )

"MikeMyers the difference is while Sony does get 3 party exclusives from time to time, they also have plenty of their own 1st party exclusives... Something Microsoft does not, that is their problem."

Fair enough but again why is it a problem when Microsoft gets 3rd party timed exclusive deals and not for Sony and Nintendo? Obviously Microsoft is trying to be more attractive in comparison by telling people this is the console you should get the game on. It's no different than Sony getting GTA on the PS2 or Virtua Fighter on the PS3. Resident Evil on the Gamecube as well. If 1st party games are more important to you then support the system that you like those games on. This isn't about 1st party exclusives.

I myself don't think any 3rd party developer should be favoring one system over the other. They should do away with exclusive deals and let the 1st party games sell the hardware. Unless those 3rd party titles were made solely for that unique hardware like Wii motion controls at the time. However there has always been 3rd party deals and there likely always will be. People cannot pick and choose what they think is more 'ethical' just because they like one company more than the other or one has a better 1st party library.

shadow27974005d ago

The only third party exclusives I don't like are ones that happen during already an established series. Like Splinter Cell Conviction or Resident Evil 4. Fans of the series can't play the game on hardware that lets them play the other games in the series.

If it's a new IP, it's less of a deal to me.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4005d ago

@GameNameFame
lol PS4 gets extra Destiny content day 1!!

But the game look kinda ok so far.

GameNameFame4005d ago (Edited 4005d ago )

I just heard sales talk too many times and stereotype people.If i am wrong, my mistake.

As for sales, I dont care.

As I said, I can afford to wait 1 year for DLC included plus patched version of the game. Not to mention cheaper prob.

Also, I never said it wasnt a problem when Sony and Nintendo do this crap 3rd party exclusives.

@Shutupandtakemoney

I dont care for extra content unless its essential.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 4005d ago
Aceman184006d ago

for me this is not a big deal i know what games i'll be getting for PS4. as for 720/whatever its called i won't be buying it as i won't pay to play online.

plus Respawn one game wouldn't be enough for me to shell out $400-500 for it, and im not going to pay full price for half a game.

JeffGUNZ4005d ago

Dude, buy whatever you want, but don't kid yourself. PSN+ was nothing more then Sony testing the waters of a paid subscription base to it's users. Their is nothing wrong with a paid subscription as long as the price justifies the content you receive. That being said, all those features we saw at the 02/20/2013 Sony reveal, Cloud based storage, Gaiki, sharing features, and all the other cool stuff they will show is going to cost us. Companies can't continue to provide more technological features and cool add-ons at no charge.

Aceman184005d ago

@Jeff

i said "pay to play online" this i refuse to do period. yes i subscribe to PS+ but i can still play online for FREE, and besides PS+ is optional i don't need it to play online

zeal0us4006d ago

Doubt it, if anything it will be quite the opposite. MS gaining Respawn exclusive won't hurt Sony since Sony already got a portfolio of exclusives.

Gaining Respawn exclusive really won't do anything to MS market they're a billion dollar corporation. One single game can't mass enough damage to half their market.

3 party exclusives doesn't ruin it for anyone. It's one of the driving factors when some consumer buys a new consoles.

jutt4005d ago

"Respawn is developing a multi-platform product based on new video game IP and funded through its publishing deal with Electronic Arts"

source :- http://www.respawn.com/game...

MYSTERIO3604005d ago

it seems we may have a lot more timed exclusivity deals from MS

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4005d ago
TrendyGamers4006d ago

DLC exclusivity is pretty much a given for Ghosts.

doctorstrange4006d ago

Exclusivity that doesn't actually take advantage of the single hardware just sucks. That counts for all platforms, mind, as they all do it (just MS usually more often).

I want my exclusives to make use of the console's particular specialties.

Utalkin2me4006d ago

That's why i have nor will buy any DLC from Activision published game, period.

Wedge194006d ago

The fact the Ghosts is being featured at the 'Box' event on the 21st pretty much assures that exclusivity content will be prevalent next gen, stronger than ever.

JeffGUNZ4005d ago

and it also shows me that the nextbox will release no later then 11/05/2013.

Jek_Porkins4006d ago

So PlayStation Life Magazine takes issue if Microsoft has the money to buy third party exclusivity? That is shocking /s

They are also going on and on about more rumors from Kotaku of all places, not sure I'd buy into Microsoft having so many issues internally that they wont have any games to launch with.

DragonKnight4006d ago

The fact that you couldn't see that the article was pretty fair and well thought out before you made your comment shows where your mind was and that it wouldn't matter what they said. You apparently completely missed the point.

Jek_Porkins4006d ago

Actually I didn't miss the point, I read the entire thing. I would agree that from a standpoint of Respawn Entertainment they'd take a loss from a market, but the rest was speculation over rumors.

If it hadn't mattered, I wouldn't have bothered to click on the article in the first place.

DragonKnight4006d ago

The first part of your comment attempt to discredit the article based on the name of the site. This leads people to believe one, or all, of 3 things. First, you're a fanboy. Second, you didn't read the article. Third, you read the article and didn't get it. That's all on you.

The second part of the article merely reinforced the first part of your comment and what it means. They were clear to state that these are rumours coming from a site they don't exactly hold in the best regards. They only included the rumours for the sake of discussion, not because they believe the rumours or are endorsing negative Xbox 720 rumours. The article had no bias present in it and yet your comment reeks of the implication that it does based solely on the name of the site.

JeffGUNZ4005d ago

@ Jek_Porkins.

Actually, Respawn will not lose money in the market being exclusive to MS. The amount of money MS probably threw at them will more then likely cover that loss. Plus, MS has backed COD so much that a lot of non-hardcore gamers who don't know any better would think COD is only for the xbox, since MS backs their advertising. Respawn comes from IW, they know MS is a horse that is going to bring them places.

hazardman4006d ago

I was thinking same thing it don't make sense. I mean they got the reveal date out and then said that Full launch lineup will be shown at E3.

jeffgoldwin4006d ago Show
DragonKnight4006d ago

@jeffgoldwin: Yay, I have another fan. Seems that you have some reading problems though as I never said the author's opinion was fact (go ahead and read my comments and you won't find that at all) or that the rumours were legitimate (that's an oxymoron), and the "no bias" part is accurate. Try to find blatant Playstation fanboyism in the article and quote it, I'll wait.... none? Thought so.

And finally, I find it hilarious that you accuse me of being a fanboy despite your clear focus on me and your personal attack on me even though you got all of your facts wrong and I in no way made a positive or negative statement towards any platform.

Thanks for being a fan. Ciao.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4005d ago
Evil_Ryu4006d ago

Those guys at respawn entertainment are extremely talented they were the brains behind the first modern warfare before the franchise went down the toilet.

dalibor4005d ago

That is true and people should not forget that. But you have to remember this industry is always ever changing. People jump boat and sometimes just sometimes... developers do lose their charm that made them well liked and all. Lets see what Respawn does and hopefully things turn out for the better.

Show all comments (63)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

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?"

purple1016d ago

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 ☝️

Zeref5d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde5d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19725d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville5d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21835d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos4d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
isarai6d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref5d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan5d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19725d ago

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.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref5d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde5d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19725d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier5d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto5d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21835d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto4d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d ago

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?

crazyCoconuts5d ago

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.

Xeofate5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts4d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies15d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken15d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga15d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken15d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6415d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long14d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197214d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic14d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 14d ago
DivineHand12515d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91315d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer15d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91314d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit14d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 14d ago
Christopher15d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6914d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit14d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher15d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken15d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197214d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic14d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2315d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218314d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder15d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts15d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

Show all comments (43)
370°

Could Xbox Soon Become The Next Dreamcast?

Microsoft's future in the video game space is murky right now, so let's break it all down.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
ApocalypseShadow18d ago (Edited 18d ago )

Not anytime soon. But they're on that path.

One thing not mentioned in the article is Microsoft's money bags. If Sega had Microsoft's money, they would have still been around as a hardware manufacturer. Xbox as a platform only survives because of the money bags. They can continue making consoles for the core and port to PC.

The multiplatform strategy is only the result of arrogance and misguided leadership that blew up in their face. They thought gamers would jump on Xbox in droves if they knew that many of their favorite games would be only on Xbox. But that's not happening at all. Sales didn't increase. They decreased. Why? Because the dumb asses thought giving away these expensively made games in a cheap service would also turn the tide.

Gamers on other platforms are willing to buy quality. They don't need to be handed nearly free games in a service that aren't even finished and sometimes average in their development. Gamers buy Nintendo games. They buy Sony games. Microsoft groomed their base to not buy games. Even the quality ones. It has always been their plan to go digital. But most gamers still like single player gaming. Still like physical releases.

Microsoft's problem has always been that they don't produce high quality games at the same output as Nintendo and Sony. Actually, they should be producing quite a lot more because they're worth over 2 TRILLION. How they don't have more is ridiculous and no excuse. Buying publishers to take away from competition only backfired. Because it still takes millions of dollars to continue to make those games from the publishers they snatched. Their only choice was to crawl back to their competitors to help sustain those developers because Nintendo and Sony platforms were the ones buying games.

Am I sorry for Microsoft? Hell no! They deserved last place for putting in the least effort. They deserved the fallout for buying up the industry and didn't make a single blip on the radar against their competitors where they now need those same gamers they took away games from to support them. Part of it may have been to cash in on their competition. But the result is the slow death of their platform. They may go 3rd party. They may keep making hardware. I don't give a shit about them to worry about it. I only give a shit about the destructive nature of their industry moves that only negatively affect gamers. They could sell and drop out of the industry and I wouldn't blink. Probably laugh. But not blink. They deserve whatever comes to them. At least Sega put in the effort when it came to games. They just had poor leadership. Microsoft has poor leadership and barely makes memorable games. That's a killer combination. And not in a good way.

Cacabunga17d ago

That would be an insult to Dreamcast.. it had a crazy line up of legendary critically acclaimed games.

Crows9017d ago

I was thinking the same. Dreamcast had incredible games in such a short amount of time. It was truly exceptional.

darthv7217d ago

...and yet all those great games were not enough to sway people from the looming release of the PS2 at the time. Sony just has that kind of brand loyalty.

Cacabunga17d ago

Darth

I do not agree.. Sony had even better games thanks to an unprecedented 3rd party support..
DC had amazing lineup but 90% were arcade games..

88317d ago

@darth:
And Sony showed off "The Emotion Engine" and their real time demos that made everyone think they would miss out on REAL next gen 128bit magic if they jumped in before PS2s polygon pushing monster (and early lack of anti-aliasing with a healthy heap of shimmer + DVD playback) stepped up. PS2 was a fantastic system though with amazing games.

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blacktiger17d ago

That's not true. Just because Microsoft has the money doesn't mean Microsoft can allow xbox to bleed entire Microsoft money. It doesn't work like they. Also SEC will be watching and investor won't allow it. Lot of reasons why Microsoft can not continue even if they wanted to. SEC regulations is expensive.

fr0sty17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Exactly this... Microsoft is a publicly traded company, mostly owned by their shareholders (Approximately 59.24% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 33.03% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.). Their shareholders call the shots on the business decisions, and their shareholders want one thing and one thing only, for their stock price to go up. Losses do not make stock prices go up... so if the division continually posts losses on hardware, but shows profits on software and services (which has been the case with Xbox its entire lifespan, for over 20 years now), the shareholders are going to grow impatient and demand they stop making hardware and focus on the only thing that has ever made them money, software and services.

When Microsoft bought Blizzard and Activision for almost 100 billion, I knew that was the nail in the coffin for Xbox as a console... as the shareholders were going to expect a quick return on that investment, and when it didn't materialize, they were going to be out for blood... out to force Xbox to sell those games on as many consoles as possible, "and while you're at it, sell those first party exclusives that aren't selling well on other consoles as well... hell, just stop making consoles and sell games."

If there is another Xbox console generation, it will definitely be the last, but I doubt there even will be one at this point. I think the Xbox division planning on it just in case, but I don't think the project has been greenlit from Microsoft itself. The rumors that they have not yet even secured the chips needed from the chip fabrication facilities ties into this.

shinoff218317d ago

While I usually agree with you . Alot of what was said can just also be asked before any of that.

How long will the shareholders wait? It doesn't appear long at all

Babadook716d ago

I think I get your point. Like just because MS has money does not mean they are content to throw it away on a dying ecosystem. Xbox has to be profitable or “what’s the point?”

ifinitygamer17d ago

Money bags, yes, but are we ignoring that Xbox actually makes a profit on games and GamePass? Hardware is often a loss leader, and they're probably making profit 4 years into the life cycle, but games and services revenue have been very profitable while other parts of Microsoft's business is struggling. Say what you will about the quality of those games, of course, but this is kind of a reverse Dreamcast situation, where the console was dragging down the company and put it at risk of shuttering entirely. Killing that console saved the business and allowed it to continue to make games on multiple platforms. In this case, the service is very profitable, as are the games, and they're also double-dipping into Multiplatform to extend this further, while their hardware is just sort of what they believe to be the best for gamers and their own titles (whether that is the case or not...)

fr0sty17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

The issue is, they aren't selling enough hardware to make their exclusives profitable, and now that they've bought half the gaming publisher/dev industry, they have no choice but to go third party to make a profit... and that is making their shareholders take a real close look at their hardware division under the microscope... why keep making the hardware if the software is all that is making them money, and they continually, generation after generation come in dead last with hardware sales?

Look at a game like Spiderman 2... if it had been an Xbox exclusive, with the amount it cost to develop, it would have been a huge failure... simply not enough consoles out there to sell it on. They would have been lucky to break even.

ifinitygamer17d ago

@fr0sty agreed completely, which is why they're hedging by releasing other games to multiplatform, plus they have PC to make up for the difference in a lot of ways, which is why their games are not complete money pits. It brings up the question of whether or not those exclusives would drive sales of consoles, though. Let's say Spiderman 2 was an Xbox exclusive, it would certainly have pushed console sales, though who's to say how much is anyone's guess.

fr0sty17d ago

That's why you can't rely on just one exclusive, Sony has always delivered on a wide range of solid exclusives, even this generation (even if they haven't been strong on the first party exclusives, they've made up for it with third party). They don't rely on just one "system seller", they have a portfolio of them.

17d ago
JBlaze22617d ago

ApocalypseShadow To be honest Sony has more of a chance to go 3rd party because like you said Microsoft has money, Sony does not. Sony does not have games, Only games they have come from 3rd party. Sony has been losing money for years and you. Saying Microsoft has been putting the least effort just proves you have no idea what's been going on. All Sony has done is repeat and recycle, never innovating or doing something new. All Sony has is brand loyalty nothing else and it shows.

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LG_Fox_Brazil18d ago

Not sure about that. It's been two decades and I still think about Power Stone, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman and others, but I'm not sure I'll remember Xbox Series X/S games in a few years from now... Maybe I'll remember about the franchises that the Xbox brand spawned, but I don't believe that the Xbox Series lives up to the late Dreamcast or even to the Xbox name itself. I do have great memories about the 360 with Blue Dragon, Gears 2 and Lost Odyssey though

isarai18d ago

Nah, sega actually makes good games

Becuzisaid17d ago

No, Dreamcast was ahead of it's time and most still have very fond memories of it that had one. It also had some good games on it even in it's short lifespan. Xbox has none of these qualities.

Profchaos17d ago

I remember it coming out at the time in a really bad place they hit the market before the PS2 but it was during this transitional time when Sony was promoting the power of the PS2 and so many of the Dreamcast games were awesome but often third parties simply ported the PS1 version increased resolution and performance but rarely fully utilise the capabilities of the console.

I think in the end bad marketing done it in and like the GameCube so many people are fond of it now but at the time it was looked at in the lense of the day and it didn't stack up.

Personally I miss Sega in hardware they took risks that many companies won't

Becuzisaid17d ago

I never owned it, and got the PS2 right when it launched. But there were certain games it had that I was always jealous of that I didn't have access to - Sonic adventure, crazy taxi, power Stone, code Veronica, shenmue, skies of Arcadia. I always thought it was a really cool machine though. I've never heard a bad thing about it though from those that had it.

FinalFantasyFanatic17d ago

I only ever saw one Dreamcast, and that was one my friend owned, pity I never got to play it, I wonder what games he had for it?

It would be nice if some of those games got ported to modern systems.

Profchaos17d ago

Oh man sonic adventure on the Dreamcast made me so jealous as a huge sonic fan on the mega drive who also moved to PlayStation 2 I never got the chance to play it back in the day either. The Dreamcast in Australia where I am was always relegated to the smallest corner of EB Games it was kind of a strong first indicator that things were not going well at the time.

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