Sony didn't need to win Gamescom; They have already won 2014

Today I saw two different strategies when comparing Microsoft to Sony and their approach to gamescom.

Microsofts announcements were more aimed at selling more xbox ones, particularly in europe
This was done by really bringing the hype for the big guns
Fifa - Cod - Halo MCC/5 beta - Quantum Break - Fable - AC:U - Tomb Raider.

The Fifa stuff was pretty pointless because we know of legends dlc, so we didnt see much new. But fifa is a great catalyst for european sales.

Mix in Cod with exclusive cod bundles, Sunset overdrive bundles, and you're a company fighting to have a good 2014 here.
On the other hand Sony didnt need to announce bundles or such, they have the one destiny white ps4, which they know (and we all pretty much know) is going to accelerate PS4 sales healthily on the week on destiny release. Add in the fact sony have sold 10million ps4's, and they are in a comfortable position. This comfortable position allows them to announce a bunch of games, particularly new ip's.

A lot of these aren't even for 2014, they are likely 2015 releases. Sony has destiny which will do well for them, and littlebigplanet which they hope will bring in the less hardcore audience i.e. the families, the kids and the core gamers.
I think, Sony think they have the rest of 2014 in the bag. The only real threat is Halo: MCC, but that isn't going to shift 5 million xbox ones, at most, maybe 1 or 2 million, at most (not necessarily on first week)

Microsoft also didnt announce many new IP's. The only one I can think off was the game with the roller coaster. This opposes Sony's many new IP's, such as Hellblade, Wild, Alienation & the Tomorrow Children. New IP's never usually are system sellers except for a chosen few which are proven before they release (such as The last of us)

Sony are saving their big guns, the AAA titles that we gamers itch for for E3 2015. That is where we will see Uncharted 4, Santa Monica Studios, Media Molecules Play create share game and maybe even Sony Bend & Guerrilla games & Cambridge.
I say this because maybe half of those studios could easily announce their projects tomorrow, but the momentum is so strong with sony this year so far, and looks to be strong with the rest of the year. They need to challenge for 2015 where they know Microsoft will bring their big guns too.

2015 has the next AC, Evolve, Halo 5, Fable and now Tomb raider and many more in Microsofts favour. The action-type games for gamers. They will announce so much more at E3 '15 like Teasers of Gears of War & Crackdown.

A very indie and innovative centric Sony and Microsoft Gamescom for 2014 just goes to say E3 is going to be awesome. It's where the true console war begins, all this now is just prep work.
The only difference is sony is in a comfortable position where they will sell well regardless, so can show the games like Rime, Wild, HellBlade. Games that aren't necessarily megatons so much as Tomb Raider, but add to a pile of games that can fill the lineup for spaces in 2015 between the huge games like batman and bloodbourne.

Microsoft on the other hand have to increase sales, and they need to do it soon. I can just imagine investors looking the weeks where PS4 is outselling xbox one 7:1 in europe or 2:1 in America and screaming at the lovely Phil Spencer, where words like Kando are being thrown around Sony CEI corporate offices with cheesy smiles.

Here's to a great 2015.

[DonDon]

See that's fanboy talk...who cares who "won" when both MS and Sony had crappiest showings I ever seen (aside from Bloodborne).

I, as a gamer, want to win. And so far this gen feels like the top 3 manufacturers were unprepared. 2015 is the year that matters. I wanna forget 2014 ever happened.

[caseh]

"And so far this gen feels like the top 3 manufacturers were unprepared."

Boom! I was saying that within 3 months of buying my PS4. I get the whole launch window isn't the greatest but by this point on PS3 I was balls deep in MGS4. My equivalent this time around was an extended MGS5 demo.

At the moment my PS4 has been shelved for a few months in favour of a modded Xbox360.

[NewMonday]

Destiny will get the ball rolling and then it will be non-stop big budget games all the way until next summer.

[BiggCMan]

"I get the whole launch window isn't the greatest but by this point on PS3 I was balls deep in MGS4."

Wanna bet? You need to do research before you talk nonsense. MGS4 came out June 2008. 1 year and 7 months after PS3 came out.

PS4 is currently at 9 months after release, and ALREADY has major titles like Killzone and inFamous.

Not to mention plenty of awesome multiplatform games that weren't even there when PS3 was still 9 months young.

Those are still viable games for your PS4 collection, like Black Flag, Watch Dogs and Ground Zeroes.

At 9 months for PS3, it had Heavenly Sword, Stardust HD and Motorstorm, and some pretty lackluster multiplatform titles. Uncharted wasn't even out yet.

I'm sorry but the first 12 months of this generation have been some of the best 12 months of any new generation launch. People just have terrible memories and don't realize how lucky we are and forget that multiplatform titles still count.

Go do your research on last gen and other gens, and you'll see that the new one is up there as one of the best starts.

[tlougotg]

Funny how things are so subjective lol I came away gamescon happy as hell and texting my friend that i was so happy bcus all the cool stuff coming. Bloodbourne is my most anticipated, then they hit me "Wild" (loving it), then the shareplay info that its incoming, hellblade, day z announcment on ps4, No mans Sky, tear away and few other things. Sorry if it isnt big if it isnt a AAA FPS shooter or whatever your into but damn im happy as hell.

But then again thats all subjective!

[NewMonday]

I thought GC was the best games conference Sony had in years

- announcing Share-play
- great trailers for the Order, Bloodborne and Tearaway
- Hellblade and the Vanishing of Ethan Carter making people re-think the term "indy"
- like they did with Driveclub, they turned Until Dawn into an anticipated game.
- Rime, WiLD and Tomorrow Children simply the best in the show

[nX]

Yes Sony definately had a great Gamescom, they even streamed their 2014 lineup on Twitch during the last few days.

I also agree with the blog until halfway through, Sony's in a good position right now to really have an impact next year.

[Christopher]

***2015 is the year that matters. I wanna forget 2014 ever happened.***

Pretty much the exact same thing every first year of a console's release.

I think people expect way too much. Even if MS and Sony delayed their console releases by a year, all those games that are in development now would have just been done on 7th gen consoles or delayed to work on games that would be released on 7th gen consoles.

No matter what happens, people aren't going to start working on new titles for new hardware without a ton of money funded from the console makers. And that means they'll start making games for it when they see that they have the market share potential. Before that, they'll work on the largest market share potential, and that was 7th gen consoles in 2013, not next gen hardware. Bump it up a year, they would have spent 2014 focused on 7th gen consoles as well.

[Reddzfoxx]

People forget that new consoles always have a lack of games... If anything playing the waiting game benefits consumers with more games to choose from and a lower buy in price. Both consoles are experiencing trickle sales as people slowly grow irritated thinking they are missing out on something then realizing both catalogs are still lacking.

[TekoIie]

"See that's fanboy talk..."

Not necessarily. I like duscussing who wins and loses... Because I like arguing or debating... (Whichever term floats your boat).

"2015 is the year that matters. I wanna forget 2014 ever happened."

That I can agree with. This year has just been delay after delay coupled with a lot of underwhelming games. Lucky I have a large backlog to keep me busy :/

@Reddzfoxx

"People forget that new consoles always have a lack of games"

Actually the year was looking pretty good before The Witcher 3, Arkham Knight, Evolve, Dying Light, Quantum Break and The Order 1886 got pushed to 2015

These games were announced for 2014 and all got delayed.

[TransientDreamer]

Gamers win. That's all that matters.

[Software_Lover]

Oh Gawd!!!!!!

[Agent_hitman]

lol this kind of blog and articles here on N4G makes this site to have bias and one sided image.

Like I said in my previous comments here at N4G. If you post criticism against sony, even if its constructive, you will get disagrees until your bubble goes low.. But if the hot topic is against MS, Im sure you will get agrees and well-said bubbles if you criticize MS or nintendo and even Pc gaming.

For this site, Sony is everything, they can re-release remastered games from ND and they will worship it and thank ND with their whole heart and life.. One perfect example was the TLOU remastered that gained a lot of hype again because of these fanboys.
But remember when SE and Edios announced the Tomb Raider definitive at $60 price, most of the fanboys felt disappointed and some were rage cause for them its not necessar..oh and Sleeping Dogs remastered was also slammed by these rabid fanboys too.. Makes me want to puke and throw my console out of the window.. Very intoxicated community like Dota 2 (Oh btw I love Dota 2, just sayin, I play it everyday)..

And another factor, these fanboys rely too much on bubble system, so for example, you post comment with only one bubble. they will automatically push that disagree button on your comment without any valid reasons. Even if your comment is not offensive, that's N4G for you guys...
You just can't tell them why you got only one bubble, because you wouldn't be able to reply back.

They worship and praise ND too much and Sony's several IPs like those are the most beautiful games in this world and everyone else are on the niche market.

To sum this up:
ND re-re-released TLOU remastered = Sony Fanboys rejoiced!
SE re-released TR definitive = Sony fanboys slammed it! http://n4g.com/news/1562653...
Sleeping dogs HD was just announced = They say that it wont be necessary..

In the near future:
ND/Sony would re-release Uncharted trilogy and expect that these fanboys will definitely approve it.. And if the 3rd party joined the bandwagon of remasters of course some (not all) Sony fanboy wouldn't be pleased..

Forgive me for posting this constructive criticism. I just can't help it..

[Pillsbury1]

Someone's mad he only has one bubble.

On topic: I have seen this site transform from one that likes ms to one that despises it. It isn't the people it's the what kind of company ms is. They have tried shoving DRM and always online and gamers stood together against it. It's not only that there are more playstation gamers here it's that those that used to like ms have awoken and now despise their evil.

Don't like it? Go to polygon or some other ms focused site.

[rdgneoz3]

Yep, last gen the site had a lot Sony bashing and MS praising, nit picking every single game to compare the two (even magnifying the tiniest of things to see AA). And in the beginning, not many devs actually knew how to use the cell (PS3) so pretty much all multiplats looked better on the 360.

This gen started with the fun DRM / no used games /always online, which pissed many off. Telling people if they want an "offline" console to buy a 360 didn't help, nor did the "deal with it" or "we can't just flip a switch." MS only reversed a lot of it's policies (not all like the lovely parity clause which many devs still hate and neither Sony or Nintendo have) because of preorder numbers. They then said they couldn't unbundle it from kinect, which was later reverse because of sales. Most of MS' changes have been because of sales and the competition, not because they care about their customers.

Sony on the other hand learned from the PS3, and made their console affordable and easier to develop for. And with the hardware putting out better multiplats, a lot of people are liking it. The only policy they have that's a little annoying is PS+ for multiplayer, though seeing as last month I got 5 free games with one being $50 on the PSN store (Dragon's Crown - about $30 with tax on Amazon) it's not a bad deal. Also, F2P and MMOs do not need PS+ to use.

[Pillsbury1]

They haven't won 2014, they have won this generation. They have also won gamers hearts and minds. They know how to treat a gamer.

[Brettman2008]

Great blog. I think Sony are playing the long game. 2014 is sewn up by PS4 even with limited exclusives. Destiny will drive PS4 sales and having the best version of multi plat games will also help. Love games like WiLD, Sony is really encouraging the development of innovative new games so PS4 will have the best variety of games as well as the most games. The icing on the cake for Sony, in my view, is SOE. They have confirmed Planetside 2 and H1Z1 for PS4 and Everquest Next will inevitably follow. Agree, this is all a warm-up for E3 2015 where Sony will unveil the big guns. Great hardware, and Sony are unveiling an awesome roadmap of the future for the console.

[DarXyde]

If a "winner" had to be decided between these companies, I would call it a toss.

On one hand, I liked the games Microsoft showed a lot more...or rather, I liked the games Sony showed a lot less (with the exception of P.T.; that piqued my curiosity and now I can't wait for Silent Hills--show stealer for me). Upon further consideration, Sony showed a lot of newer, unannounced stuff while Microsoft tried harder to sell what we already knew about.

The quantity coming to PS4 seems to be a force to behold, but XBOX One looks more AAA-focused, at least right now. I won't say quality versus quantity because we have no idea how good anyone's announced titles are, but I guess we'll see.

[Brettman2008]

Will be interesting to see which approach works better later in the year but Sony has so much momentum right now I think they will continue to lead in sales. In saying that, Microsoft can build some momentum of their own as the Xbox 360 used to sell a lot of consoles Oct-Dec each year and Microsoft should bring on a marketing blitz for their exclusives.

[KevinRHG]

What worries me is that I see Sony focusing on smaller titles like indies when I am hoping they start pulling out some Sony classics like Crash, Wild Arms etc.

Indies are great but I want to see them compliment more AAA titles. Now I am not saying the ps4 has no games because that is just a fallacy used by trolls. I just want to see more because I know Sony can bring it.

[Brettman2008]

I'd argue that titles like No Man's Sky and WiLD are not indies, they are open world games by smaller developers with smaller budgets. These games are blurring the lines between AAA and Indy. But in sheer size and scope I would argue that they are bigger than many AAA titles. There is plenty of AAA titles coming, its just that Sony are holding back information, probably for E3 next year.

[Tetsdah]

What I loved about this year's Gamescom is how much it resembled ps2 days and the later half of ps3's era. So much variety and so much promise. If you want innovation and charm, you have Tomorrow Children, Rime, Wild, LBP 3(Know it's a sequel, but still adorable), and Tearaway Unfolded(According to recent article, 50% of the game is new content, and also essentially new title for those who didn't own a vita or play the game). Your big budget releases such as the Order 1886, and BloodBorne. And a number of indie titles, namely Hell's Blade and DayZ. All we need from Sony are more Japanese centric games which hopefully will be announced at TGS, and it looks like they'll have an explosive gen.

[Tetsdah]

Lol, I forgot Driveclub and Until Dawn for the bigger budget releases.

[KevinRHG]

I think this is more fanboy chest pumping. Instead of relying on sales numbers as determining what wins we the consumers should focus on what these companies provide to us. If you think Sony won because you love the games on ps4 then more power to you.

The Wii sold more than the 360 and PS3 last gen and I would have to say that I preferred it the least but was glad that I the consumer owned all 3 consoles because that let me escape the console war BS and focus on what matters the most to me, the games.

I give kudos to MS for paying for TR because I like to see them fight for my support and in no way does that detract from my excitement to play BloodBorne and LBP3. Wild is now on my radar too.