If the future is 7/10 games with no conclusion, then it might be game over for some of the uncompromising tales we've held most dear.
Dan Dawkins writes, "Ubisoft has been talking about a desire to create games that do ‘not give finite experiences’ i.e. for the game to keep going after you’ve finished it, with unlimited gameplay. “We build a strong nemesis, and the goal of the game is to kill him or free the country, we've done that a few times in our games”, explains Ubisoft’s Executive Vice President of Creative, Lionel Raynaud, whose job title is an exercise in testing finite boundaries. “But when you succeed, you have to leave the game, because there is nothing else to do. So the goal was to break this, and say that you will be the hero of a region or population many times, not just once. And if you get rid of a dictator or an oppressor, something else is going to happen in the world, and you will have a new goal”. I appreciate that life isn’t about riding into the sunset like My Darling Clementine, but I’d rather bow out like Thelma and Louise than live in a world where the clifftop never ends."
11 bit Studio, developers of The Alters, have confirmed they used generative AI in their game that appears in the background.
Former Blizzard CEO says that Xbox should ditch the console strategy and strive to be the world's largest entertainment publisher.
Their console business and GamePass go hand in hand. If they were to stop consoles, they would be, in effect, killing GamePass. The vast majoirty of GP subs are console gamers. If you remove the console, you no longer have 30 million gamers embedded in your ecosystem. The majority will never move to PC gaming and buy a $2000 PC. They will go to Playstation where there is no GamePass.
Could work... if they were publishing anything worth having. Bethesda is just making the same tired stuff over and over. Obsidian is a good studio, but they have been slipping hard. nXile isgreat,bit the last thing they even talked about was wasteland 3. Activision/blizzard is either the devil, or his closest friend.
Even if Xbox only sells 50 million consoles next generation, Microsoft still wins. Why? Because Game Pass is the foundation of their long-term strategy — and it’s working. With 35–40 million subscribers paying monthly, Xbox doesn’t need to dominate hardware to be highly profitable.
Here’s the real model:
Xbox sells a console.
Players sign up for Game Pass.
They buy accessories.
Microsoft sells games on other platforms, which ironically pushes Game Pass even more: “Why pay $80 for this game on PS5 or Switch when you could play it for $20/month on Xbox or PC — and access hundreds more?”
Let’s break that down: $80 for a single new game, or four full months of Game Pass with dozens of AAA titles, day-one launches, and rotating third-party hits. For a lot of people — especially casual gamers, families, and budget-conscious players — the choice is obvious.
Most subscribers aren’t hardcore gamers hunting for deals. They pay full price month to month, often seeing it as a low-friction, all-in-one gaming service. Microsoft is counting on that — and it’s paying off. A large percentage of users also forget to cancel subscriptions, meaning passive revenue continues to roll in until they notice. That’s the psychology behind the success of the subscription model across industries.
And don’t forget Microsoft’s first-party firepower. With all the studios they’ve acquired, they’re in a position to release at least one major exclusive every month. Combine that with partnerships to bring in second-party and third-party titles, and Game Pass becomes a constantly evolving platform — not just a library, but a service with momentum.
Bottom line: Xbox isn’t going the Sega route. They’re not stepping back — they’re going deeper. Game Pass, not hardware, is the centerpiece of their strategy. The console is just the gateway
People Can Fly cancelled Outriders 2, previously known as Project BiFrost, thanks to a lack of cash input from its publisher.
I had a blast with the first, I didn’t get to finish the dlc but I would love to go back and play again.
Outriders was one of the best hidden gems when it came out. Doing builds and playing with people was the best.
So in essence, a GaaS model. got it.
Is that what we're calling single player games now ? Finite experiences ? Wow and i thought gaas was bad
Give us another Rayman dammit
Oh so you want more GAAS?!?! No worries I have Sony, Nintendo and quite a few second and third party devs who deliver SP games so I won't miss ya!
Fuck GaaS. That is all.