Gamereactor spoke at length with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer about first-party software, monetisation, and what The Initiative is actually doing.
The legendary composer celebrates forty years of game composing with a new collection.
Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida claims PlayStation still believes Xbox is their only true competitor, not Nintendo.
True, they have pretty different audiences..and some People just have both at home or a PS and a PC that emulates more or less everything from Nintendo.
Xbox hasn't been a competitor since the XB360. Last generation and this generation Sony has been running circles around Xbox. As for Sony vs Nintendo Sony runs circles yes but I don't really see Nintendo as competition. Nintendo does their own thing and it works.
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Details are important. Console sales yes. Overall games Xbox seems to be doing fairly well in that department.
MS were doing so well that they had to start selling their games on their main competitors system which in turn results in around 30% of each sale going to Sony as the platform holder.
I do think tjat MS' fortunes will improve now that they are actually selling games rather than giving them away for pennies on the dollar.
Something that occurs to me is that the more success MS published games have elsewhere, the more stark it will become that selling games is much more profitable than renting them. If that becomes highly noticable, I wonder what the shareholders (who ultimately run the show) will make of a service which has stagnated for years?
PlayStation doesn't compete with third party games, they compete on consoles. They profit from third party games. If you're not comparing consoles there's no point in comparing.
I think it's all PS fans have left at this point. Console wars were always a competition for fourth place behind Nintendo, PC and mobile. If Xbox evaporates into a hybrid virtual platform, then PS will be perennially left in last place.
Strange, I recall all those FCC documents and witness testimonies saying the exact opposite... Guess Microsoft doesn't know what it's talking about?
Great analysis. Just joking.
Pretending like companies give a f about where they “rank” against each other is just super retarded. This isn’t the World Cup.
Tell me, how does “PC” compete against a brand like PlayStation? It just doesn’t make sense at all. What you just said, is complete and utter nonsense
I don't think PS cares about being in this so-called "last place" you came up with when they're making profits hand over fist.
microsoft wanted to crush sony into dust and they had the money to do it, but with such weak leadership it was always going to fail
Had the money? They still have the money but the industry has changed since xbox 360. Microsoft is the number one publisher in gaming. I'd hardly call that failing.
The industry hasn't changed though, just ms, Microsoft was the no1 publisher for a month in december 2024, the actual no1 for fy2024 was tencent if game sales are all that's being counted.
Money doesn't mean you'll be successful large corporations have entered and failed before like Nec
Game Rant interviews Plants vs. Zombies composer Peter McConnell about honoring the series’ quirky roots, adapting its themes, and now going vinyl.
The score for the first Plants Vs Zombies is such great, iconic music that it has a timeless quality. Not quite the level of Minecraft, but wonderful in its own right.
"First of all, I would like to say that we haven't acquired ZeniMax. We have announced our intention to acquire ZeniMax. It is going through regulatory approval and we don't see any issues there. We expect early in 2021 the deal will close. But I say that because I want people to know, I'm not sitting down with Todd Howard and Robert Altman and planning their future. Because I'm currently not allowed to do that, that would be illegal. Your question is completely inbound, but I get a lot of questions right now: "is this game exclusive? Is this game exclusive?" And right now, that is not my job in regards to ZeniMax. My job is not to sit down and go through their portfolio and dictate what happens.
In terms of what I want long term. I want those amazing studious to create the best games they ever created. That's when Todd and I sat down and had a discussion. Todd and I have known each other for years and years, and we talked about this partnership. We looked each other in the eyes and we said, 'okay, what are we really gonna do here?' And he said, 'I wanna build the best games that I've ever built and I want the support of Microsoft to be able to do that.' And I say the same thing about the studios at Arkane and id Software and Machine Games. I want them to do the most amazing work and support them in doing that."
It seems like he's bother by this constant question, but he had to know that this was coming. In any case, if I'm reading this correctly, it's up to Zenimax to decide where there titles go and they're just being funded by MS?
I wish he could give a straight forward answer, because he has a history of saying one thing and doing another.
I expect new games to be on GamePass: Xbox, PC, mobile and the rumored streaming stick. That's a potential audience of 300+ million.
GamePass only works if there is content to keep the end user subscribed. Exclusives as the Sony fans say. Netflix struggled in the beginning of the streaming era because they lacked high quality exclusive content. When they finally got that content and began producing their own original content their stock valuation swelled.
"You know if I rewind five years ago, I would say over and over, that we are committed to PC and then get a bunch of eye rolls, and rightfully so for we weren't doing much. But I think now when you look at what our standing is on Steam and Game Pass on PC, we have shown that our commitment over time has paid off. PC customers may or may not love what we do, but they know that when we are shipping things, we're gonna do our best effort on PC as well as on Xbox."
Definitely have to give MS props for *finally* backing PC gaming the past few years. Took too long, but seeing all these Xbox games on Steam is nice to see. As is the Game Pass for PC service.
Business and politics are the same. It's all talk to get you to buy the product and screw you over later once they own the market or just lie to you altogether.
"I'm a voter! Aren't you supposed to lie to me and kiss my butt?" - Peter Vankmann (Bill Murray) Ghostbusters 2