Microsoft consolidating the video game industry is bad for everyone

It was cute at first. When Xbox head Phil Spencer took the stage at E3 2018 and announced the acquisition of five notable studios – Undead Labs, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games and The Initiative – the air inside the Microsoft Theatre turned electric. It felt like the company was righting a wrong in its business plan and finally building an internal roster of exciting games that it could offer exclusively on Xbox platforms. You know, a few friends to keep Master Chief company.

Today’s announcement that Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard, the largest third-party publisher in the video game industry, doesn’t feel as harmless. Four years on and numerous acquisitions later, the Activision Blizzard deal feels like an extreme escalation of Microsoft’s plans, and it could mark a turning point in the video game industry as a whole, with negative consequences for both players and developers.

[zsquaresoff]

Completely agree, I saw a screenshot of all the studios Microsoft now owns, colossal is one way to describe it. Some of the industry's biggest names and games are featured on that list.

As big and bright they might be, one can't help but wonder how will they manage those games and studios?

Money can't fix everything and some of those studios have major problems that need fixing.

[Obscure_Observer]

"As big and bright they might be, one can't help but wonder how will they manage those games and studios?

Money can't fix everything and some of those studios have major problems that need fixing."

Herculean task, I agree. However, the way the market reacted after Activision´s acquisition was announced, speaks for itself.

https://finance.yahoo.com/n...

People are confident that Activision will be in a much better place that they were in the future, under Phil Spencer and his Team of Studios in contrast with Kotick´s tenure.

[CrimsonIdol]

I think people are confident in a big pay-out from owning Blizzard Activision shares. Microsoft's shares dropped.

[Crows90]

Microsoft has never proved itself capable of handling new or popular IP in any substantial way.

Even their biggest IP halo was released incomplete and with a horrible monetization scheme. And that's after a really long delay.

I'm not confident at all in Microsofts ability to handle just a few studios let alone so many right now.

[Obscure_Observer]

@Crows90

"I'm not confident at all in Microsofts ability to handle just a few studios let alone so many right now."

Who cares what you believe? Numbers don´t lie and can speak for itself.

Xbox Studios scores on Metacritic in 2021:

Forza Horizon 5 - 92
Microsoft Flight Simulator - 90
Halo Infinite - 87
Age of Empires IV - 81

That´s Studios management under Phil Spencer for you! Feel free to take your "concerns" elsewhere, because you can´t fool anyone here with some fabricated FUD BS.

[TheGoodestBoi]

If you had any financial or trading background you'd know It's completely normal for a stock to go up straight after a merger talk. It almost doesn't matter what the fundamentals are of the company that is being purchased

[SurgicalMenace]

@Obscure

Flight, Age, Halo, Forza, and Gears were established long before Phil stepped on the scene. What are you going on about? You're attempting to give credit where it's not due.

Scores are fine, but they can also be bought, which appears to be MS's way. Halo's online support is down 41%, coming behind a 75% drop with Forza. Does Phil get the credit for that, too? Furthermore, there are plenty of games that are critical successes but commercial failures.

The XB community is so desperate for a victory that they don't care what means are used to gain it. Don't celebrate too soon, though, as Sony has been very silent during all of this. Anyone who knows Sony knows they stay silent for a reason; they've gained their victories through silence. MS has the grandest gestures but the worst results, and I can see that changing now. The greatest gestures often aim to mask the largest insecurities. Stay tuned.

[RauLeCreuset]

@Surgical

"What are you going on about?"

What indeed. Responding with news of a stock bump for the company being acquired in no way addresses the OP's point that money can't fix everything. What it did achieve was latching onto the first comment here to maximize visibility for a pro MS counter narrative.

I don't KNOW who, if anyone, is a reputation manager. I do know reputation managers exist, and I do question some regulars when they consistently behave in a way I would expect from a reputation manager.

[Obscure_Observer]

"Flight, Age, Halo, Forza, and Gears were established long before Phil stepped on the scene. What are you going on about? You're attempting to give credit where it's not due."

What? We´re talking about bad management of studios here! Doesn´t matter how established a franchise or game is, it´ll fall and be forgotten under bad management. Look no further than COD and Battlefield. 72 and 68 on Metacritic. You can´t spin that no matter how hard you try.

"Scores are fine, but they can also be bought, which appears to be MS's way."

Bring me proof I´ll wait.

"The XB community is so desperate for a victory that they don't care what means are used to gain it. Don't celebrate too soon, though, as Sony has been very silent during all of this. Anyone who knows Sony knows they stay silent for a reason; they've gained their victories through silence"

Yeah? They better act quick, because their silence cost them 20 Billion in less than 24 hours. That´s almost 3 Bethesda worth. It´s all over the news:

https://www.bloombergquint....

[CaptainHenry916]

This comment didn't age that well😁😂

[F0XH0UND922]

I think you're confusing people's desire to capitalize on an investment with supposed consumer faith in Microsoft. Two entirely different things and latter is, in fact, not true.

[Mr_cheese]

@obscure

Your points come across as somebody in distress.

Relax fella

[Babadook7]

Microsoft got rich by ripping off the Mac. Then Sun Microsystems and Netscape etc. They also pioneered astroturfing. Now they feel like they can buy any industry. Shitty company through and through.

[Joe913]

I get what he is saying in 3 to 5 years Xbox should have like 40 to 50 exclusive games lol. They don't really need 3rd party anymore but great for gamepass. This model is tricky and I give it to MS for giving it a go. At some point I don't think there will be an xbox and gamepass will be on PS console we will see though.

[frostypants]

Is that why Activisions stock closed today nearly 15% less than what MS is slated to pay? That is the opposite of "confidence".

[DigitalDaniel]

How they will manage it? They don't micro manage it. That's the whole point.
After Bethesda/Zenimax got acquired the still operate on their own, but with more financial and technological support. I can see Microsoft making more changes in Activision though because of the lawsuits etc. And hopefully make the decision not to have all Activision studios working solely on Call of Duty. And hopefully also give the Blizzard studios freedom to make some new IP's or spin-offs on existing IP's (like they tried with Starcraft Ghosts).
But overall when it's restructured, they will operate as their own company without micro managing from Phil. Let them do what they do best, make games.

Also, fact is that someone would pick up Activision. Bobby already said in an interview that they couldn't compete alone anymore against trillion dollar companies. And we should be glad Tencent didn't snag it.

[TheGoodestBoi]

My big question is how is gamepass going to remain sustainable with all those big budget titles going on there day 1 (as if the existing wasn't too much already). A few possible outcomes if no dramatic increase in regular subscribers: They increase the price of the subscription or shortcuts in game development to cut costs

[itsmebryan]

You have to remember Gamepass is more than just Xbox. It's PC , mobile, cloud, tablets, etc... With must have games subscriptions will grow and people forget physical copies will continue to sell. They have many streams to make money.

With the subscriptions they have now they could make about $4 billion a year.

MS has been a huge company that knows how to generate income for years. I'm sure they have a plan.

[Petebloodyonion]

Gamepass goal is to create recurrent revenue that is predictable
example Gamepass total is 25 million subscribers let's say the average price paid by users is 5$ (to account for all the 1$)
So that means MS can count on a 125 million monthly income to invest into future titles
Also, MS collect data for 25 million users (again money)
that is not counting games sales, Mts, etc.

[JEECE]

1. Gamepass is going to see massive subscriber increases when big Bethesda games start coming out and then when COD starts coming to Gamepass Day 1. That is one component of it.

2. They are going to cut costs by bringing publishers and studios in house. That's what these purchases are about. It's the Netflix model. Like Netflix, Gamepass has at first relied in large part on paying third parties large amounts to get their IP on the service (think back to how Netflix was a few years ago when it was loaded with great shows from the 90s and 2000s), but they understand that for the service to be profitable long-term, they need their own IP to make up a much larger percentage of the catalog (think Netflix now; there are still good shows and movies from other IP holders, but they are focusing much more on what they own). By cutting back reliance on third parties, they will get to keep far more of the subscription payments that are coming in.

[TheGoodestBoi]

All the above is speculation, not only do they need to keep the 25 million existing subscribers but they need a hefty amount more to make up the 70 billion they just spent. Time will tell

[glennhkboy]

@TheGoodestBoi So you really don't understand what makes MS the 2nd (or the 1st depend on the share price) richest entity in the world!!!!! MS now offers ALL OF THEIR hottest software thru different subscriptions: Office, Teams, Outlook, Project, SQL database, and of cause, games. Are all those subscriptions sustainable for MS. That is a Trillion Dollar YES.

[SenorFartCushion]

I’m heartened to actually see articles criticising this buyout. It’s too much. Disney buying Fox was an example of this being too much as well and no one was there to even criticise, never mind prevent any kind of transaction.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I really think a regulatory body should have stepped in to prevent Disney for buying everyone up, I think we should consider the same for gaming at this point.

[Bathyj]

Today is the day I realised this is probably my last gen. After 40 years of gaming and previously owning every console it's dawned on me I really don't like the direction gaming is being dragged.

Only one platform is still doing things the way I like and they like everyone else will eventually be forced to live on crumbs. Sad day. The fact the usual Xbox cronies are just celebrating and don't even question what this means for gaming is the worse bit and why were on a course to ruin.

I remember the last crash. I honestly would prefer it happen again and everything reset rather than Microsoft just own it all. They've created very little. They just bought everything they have like a spoilt rich kid. Even Halo.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

"The fact the usual Xbox cronies are just celebrating and don't even question what this means for gaming is the worse bit and why were on a course to ruin."

Yep guys like gaz/septic who claim to be "objective" are doing backflips and cheering "RIP Sony" after this move. . . lol

[SenorFartCushion]

No need to bring in other fanboys. (I’m calling you a fanboy too.)

They’re just customers, regardless of how they exert themselves. Your problem is with the billion dollar companies.

[Lightning77]

All the years of saying MS should use those billions of dollars and being mocked for being the richest company to Never use their money and resources to create big games now, your in uproar when they're doing just that.

Personally, I don't care for Activision and I dont play COD and I know I'm in a vast minority considering allot of ppl play COD. In the context of your specific comment you were the one who asked for it, now you're mad they're opening up their wallet of infinite money. When Phil said he's wants to go all in on gaming you mocked it, now look what happened. Instead of trolling all these years you should been objective, now you're crying about this and leaving gaming or "leaving gaming'" Not just you but all the fanboys.

You should of considered MS moves late last gen, it's your fault you set your expectations to the ground for Xbox in the first place plus with all the outcry from everyone MS is making every single person eat their words.

Get a capable PC or Xbox if you can afford it, if you can afford it, but decide you want to "console war" instead of enjoying gaming that's on you.

[Seraphim]

and that's one of my largest issues here. "They've created very little." In just over 2 decades the XB division has shown it's ignorance or at the very least a lack of care towards building out studios and creating a compelling library of games. Now, realizing their folly they go on a spending spree snapping up MEGA 3rd party publishers and their studios? GTFO. MS/XB has the money to where they should have been creating their own studios over the years to work on IPs that bring more gamers to XB. To work with studios like PS does and then offer to buy them when these studios produce, etc, etc. To work on innovative and creative titles and show XB as a brand is worth owning to all gamers. Not this because this will inevitably be bad for gamers across the board.

For the record, yes, I haven't bought a XB since the 360 because it's been evident they didn't care about building out studios and delivering enough software each generation. Recently I've been leaning toward getting the new XB but now I'll pass. Simply put, this is not how build a brand or library of games & it's not something I'll ever support. It's lazy, pathetic and everything that is wrong with corporate America. If we fail we can just try buying our way to dominance.

[NickN]

A 1983 video game crash is in order for those who can remember it.

Atari was the only company running everything and we see how that turned out–until Nintendo saved the day.

[ANIALATOR136]

Remember what happened to Rare

[ABizzel1]

Fixing the studios is the least of the problems.

This is a huge win for Microsoft if / when it goes through. But this is setting up the industry to change that people are to narrow minded to see. Microsoft is buying up the biggest 3rd party franchises, so they can eventually put them exclusively behind their GamePass paywall. Microsoft isn't doing this to make better games, they're doing this to make another multi-billion dollar subscription service.

The thing people have to ask is are they okay with allowing the future of the gaming industry eventually turning into a $30/mo. - $60/mo. subscription service. For a lot of people that might be okay, but mega corporations are greedy always have been it's how they stay the riches industries in the world, and I see this eventually burning a lot of people if they become greedy enough to pull a Netflix and say GP is streaming only, and now you have to pay a fee per game to directly download it to your hardware.

[Zeref]

So you'd rather the developers continue to suffer, resulting in terrible games from Activision?

[CaptainHenry916]

Microsoft stocks fell down by 5% what we should ignore that 😁

[gamer7804]

Most of the time you see an absolute , it’s usually false.

[WelkinCole]

Its what people hated MS for. If they can't innvoate and compete they just buy out competition then they squander those talent/companies. We have seen this time and time again.

[sammarshall102]

I agree and people aren't even considering that MS doesn't have the best history with managing studios

Rare became a shell of their former selves after being bought by MS

[Obscure_Observer]

Poor managing of studios is long dead after Mattrick. This is Phil Spencer era.

[Crows90]

Right. Point me to a studio that has somehow been able to create a successful new IP under Microsoft...there isn't one. Wasn't rare closed during Phil era? Wasn't scalebound canceled during Phil era...oh and fable as well.... Didnt halo infinite release incomplete and with horrible monetization scheme under Phil era?

[Obscure_Observer]

@Crows90

"Right. Point me to a studio that has somehow been able to create a successful new IP under Microsoft...there isn't one."

Yeah, because Quantum Break, Ori and Sea of Thieves aren´t successful new IPs. /S

It´s easy to kick a enemy when he´s down. When Phil started Xbox had only 6-7 studios. When Bill Gates literally asked for his head telling FOX News how he wanted Xbox and Bing to be sold. Not to mention all that damage Mattrick caused to the brand.

Xbox has now 36 studios under Phil Spencer and if you think there will not be PLENTY of new and SUCCESSFUL IPs, you´re in for some major shock!

Look no further than Starfield and Redfall this year.

[itsmebryan]

@Crow
Did you read the article about the dev behind Scalebound apologize for the problem with the game and it being cancelled.
https://www.eurogamer.net/a...

So, how is that Phil's fault? Are you saying Sony never cancels games or close studios?
To have a conversation with have to deal in facts not misinformation.

[ReadyPlayer22]

Lmao, people are STILL running with this narrative. After Rare just released the most successful game in their history. Sure buddy.

[DarthMarvin]

"Most successful" by what metric exactly? Player count? The game is on GamePass, which anyone can try for free. That doesn't mean it's good. Sea of Thieves sucks.

[TricksterArrow]

I love Banjo-Kazooie too!

[SurgicalMenace]

@Ready Player

Upset? It is in no measure, a small gesture, purchasing Activision. Though, with restructures, politics, team building, lawsuits, and development constraints as factors of acquisition, MS might have bitten off far more than they can handle. What I'm seeing is a whole lot of wishful thinking going on. I also see the same with the Bethesda purchase; Sony is silent.

Silence and the lack of reaction exudes confidence and strategy; this is understood by those who actually have it. Ask yourself, when's the last time that Doom, Wolfenstein, Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero, and even Call of Duty have put up numbers like the PS3/360 generation? Basically, they spend 80 billion on Elder Scrolls, WoW, Diablo, and maybe Call of Duty. There's a reason Bethesda hasn't released a new Elder Scroll since 2012. Same with Diablo. Call of Duty has been in rapid decline year over year since BO2.

This is only what I can gather outside of the know. As it stands, Sony still has the most anticipated game releases of 2022. Over 25+ years of experience and a game catalog that speaks for itself.

Do you remember what made Sony enter the gaming industry in the first place? Nintendo dumped their disk based system in favor of Phillips. They didn't even let them know until they were on stage at E3. 25+ years later, industry leader, so adversity, is nothing to a champion of their craft. Stay tuned.

[darthv72]

Rare became a shell of their former selves 'before' being bought by MS. It's why Nintendo sold them. The originators had already left and took much of their talent with them. Hence why MS got them for a song.

As for the Rare now... they are doing quite well. Especially after they were given their freedom back (from being stuck working on Avatars and other oddball stuff). Sea of Thieves was something very ambitious they wanted to make for a long time. and Phil gave them the green light and its quite a good game now since release. you can see the amount of passion they have put into it over the years to make it better than it originally was.

[Petebloodyonion]

Rare became a shell of their former selves after being bought by MS
Really?
cause they made tons of money with Kinect Sports and Sea of thieves
don't confuse your wish to see old games from Rare and Rare financial success since MS bought them.

[Lightning77]

We all know your comment won't age well at all. I don't why ppl even bother to make a comment like this in hopes of everything to fall apart. Because that's all it is.

Any rational person knows that you're just gonna eat your words later so why set your self up for failure if a comment? It's a pattern that happens over and over.

Going back to the past as if MS can never learn from their mistakes. It's desperate reach for excuses at this point.

[Jin_Sakai]

“Microsoft consolidating the video game industry is bad for everyone“

It’s business. And I disagree. You think Activision would’ve been in a better place under Kotick or Phil Spencer and Microsoft? This seems more about PlayStation losing out than anything else.

Hopefully this massive acquisition creates a better workplace for everyone. Satya Nadella said culture is their top priority in their conference call. I’m also happy I get to play all their games day 1 on Game Pass.

[Profchaos]

The article is about a monopolization of the industry not just a Xbox v Sony article but a Xbox v Sony, Nintendo and anyone who wants to enter the space.

Microsoft has been going great with PC gaming lately since the midway point of last gen when all.games got parity releases on PC and console but they can take that away at any point.

So if ms decide they want to abandon PC and only have console games which is possible then you have zero choice but to buy a console and pay whatever they want for you to play the latest AAA title.

Monopolization is never good for the consumer look outside of the immediate Xbox v Sony mindset so many have developed.

[Crows90]

You mean gamers losing out. The only substantial IP PlayStation won't or may not get is CoD. Most of the others were mainly PC games anyways.

But this is bad for gamers overall. And I'll say it's bad also when/if Sony buys out Capcom or square or even from software.

[Teflon02]

Crash bandicoot was selling great on playstation

[SoulWarrior]

I used to enjoy your comments but you seem to have become a massive Microsoft shill recently.

MS didn't save the day, this PR disaster just timed conveniently for them, you are giving them way too much credit, this isn't good for thr industry as a whole at all.

[FlavorLav01]

I still think dudes account got hacked. Jin used to have very articulate takes on the industry as a whole but now it’s like Phil stopped by his house, gave him a series x, and they played a couple rounds of Halo and became BFFs. BIG difference in his takes these days.

[gamingtext2020]

This affects the gaming industry as a whole not just Playstation. Let this sink in for a minute, MS just purchased two of the biggest third party publishers/developers in the industry and now has them locked down exclusively to their ecosystem. If you can’t see how this is a concern to the gaming industry as whole, then you’re purposely choosing to ignore this fact.

Again, this is far bigger than some console war. If MS is allowed to keep doing these type of transactions, they will monopolize the gaming industry, which is bad.

[RauLeCreuset]

"I’m also happy I get to play all their games day 1 on Game Pass."

Also? It seems that's at the root of a lot of your takes, lately. You're falling for the old drug dealer trick of getting customers addicted by giving away the product for nothing or next to nothing — until they have the leverage to raise the price, dilute the product, or impose other conditions to scratch that itch after their customers become totally reliant on them.

Stop falling for the PR. How many times do they have to show you who they are? They're the same MS they were leading up to the Xbox One launch. The attempt to double the price of Gold to force people to GP should have reminded you how fast the "pro consumer" mask comes off when they get into a position of power. This is the stuff they try to pull having failed to dominate the console market and having never won a gen. Imagine if they reached the heights of Nintendo or Playstation.

They couldn't follow through on their Xbox One plans because they didn't have the leverage on the consumer. The consumer had options. The consumer had the competition. So Xbox put on a new face and sent the PR machine into overdrive to convince the public they're pro-consumer and to bash the competition whose presence and failure to play along halted the implementation of Xbox's anti-consumer agenda. Now they're gobbling up studios so you have either less options or those options become irrelevant. They're acquiring the leverage they didn't have to follow through on their Xbox One agenda.

[NickN]

Excellent analogy.

[BLow]

You have to look deeper into this. See when you are a fanboy you just look at things on the surface. Can you name any Executives that left MS to work at Blizzard? What about anyone who left the Coalition? You think this is all a coincidence? And of course this happens around the time where all the drama is going on at Activision. What happened to their stock price lol. You can't make this up. Now we all will forget about what happened and now they will come out like heroes and maybe fire some people(maybe) to look like the good guys.

I get it and of course you're going to say that people switch jobs all the time but this seems to convenient. I wouldn't be surprised if EA is next. They have a former executive over their as well. They also have one a Sega. Don't they have some kind of server deal with them? You have to think deeper than what's on the surface.

Now the question is, did that G4 chick know something we didn't lol. Seems that way now lol. We need that same energy when the fanboys complain about Sony buying 1 studio and having exclusives. Now what? Is it ok now?

[Magog]

Acquiring top Selling AAA titles is a good business move but it doesn't bring innovation. Show me new interesting games rather than just cookie cutter sequels if you want my money.

[sparky77]

So no HFW, GOW:R or GT7 for you then?

[Magog]

They are sequels but not cookie cutter sequels to annualized franchises. 🙄

[Crows90]

I find it hilarious that you bring up the 2nd iteration of a new IP and a rebooted IP. That's a very clear stretch on your part.

And you pretend all Sony does is sequels. But if thats the case we wouldn't have gotten ghosts of Tsushima, demon souls, spiderman, returnal, the last of us part 1, god of war would not have been rebooted to such a different type of game from what was popular and expected, and many others.

[sparky77]

COD fans will likely have a different opinion to you since they are always the top selling game every year.

[Obscure_Observer]

@Crows90

"And you pretend all Sony does is sequels. But if thats the case we wouldn't have gotten ghosts of Tsushima, demon souls, spiderman, returnal, the last of us part 1, god of war would not have been rebooted to such a different type of game from what was popular and expected, and many others."

Lol. So now rebooted games like God of War got a pass for a sequel? I´ll remember your comment next time you mention Forza Motorsport, Fable, Flight Simulator or even Perfect Dark.

Spiderman is far from a Sony new IP nor is Sony property, same goes for Wolverine. Demon Souls is nothing more than prettier graphics and better framerates. The same game. Same mechanics. Same history with no new content. Overall the same game. There´ll be 3 Horizon games by the end of 2022 counting the new VR game. 3 games in 5 years!

We´re yet to hear about a new owned IP from Sony in current generation like they did on PS4 days.

Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon, Death Stranding, Days Gone and more.

[Petebloodyonion]

I'm sorry but the majority of big companies won't take risks and that includes Sony as well. in the last 15 years how many games did Naughty Dog made that aren't a 3rd person action story telling game?
How many games did Sony made on PS4/5 that used the Ubisoft formula or Dark soul formula?
You can say that MS can only do Halo but doing Days gone / Spiderman/ Horizon Zero Dawn /Ghost of Tsushima plus financing Death Stranding = more of the same as Halo something /Halo 2/ halo the marine side story
Now ppl talk about Returnal as innovation forgetting that similar Roguelike has been done to death on Vr platform by indies Studios (Cosmodread, The persistence, Until you Fall, In death, etc)

[Teflon02]

Sony started the Dark soul formula, it's actually the demon soul formula.
The Assasin's creed formula isn't a thing. It's things that already existed, they just executed it better

[RauLeCreuset]

@Pete

The lengths some of you go to push talking points and false equivalencies...

In the past 15 years Naughty Dog created two new highly successful franchises that differed from the games they made prior to that period, including the popular Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter franchises that preceded them. They went from dropping hits with Crash and Jak to dropping hits with Uncharted and TLOU. You're trying to spin that into some "Sony too" argument?

No amount of attaching broad labels to PS games is going to put them in the same boat as MS. The vast majority of games are either going to be 1st person or 3rd person. Being 3rd person doesn't make them samey. Many games tend to have action. That doesn't make them samey. TLOU has elements of multiple genres from straight action to survival horror to stealth. What was your other one? Oh, right. OMG, both series have a narrative. This plays to the same point I made with the POV. It either has a narrative or it doesn't. There's not a broad range there, and, outside of Nintendo, there's great expectation for AAA titles to include a narrative.

"You can say that MS can only do Halo but doing Days gone / Spiderman/ Horizon Zero Dawn /Ghost of Tsushima plus financing Death Stranding = more of the same as Halo something /Halo 2/ halo the marine side story."

You do a fine enough job discrediting yourself by trying to draw that equivalency that I'm wondering why I'm bothering to reply.

[Petebloodyonion]

@ telfon02
Call them what you want it's still redoing what's popular with no innovation.
and last I check there are quite numerous articles explaining the Ubisoft formula
https://lmgtfy.app/?q=ubiso...

@Raullecreuset
Point noted ND basically done the same 2 games in 15 years so yeah for innovation!
Tell me how again they so differ in TLOU2 and Uncharted4 when you can kill all enemies with gun blazing with Ellie or go Stealth kill all ppl with Nate? they are so look alike now that Nate is lending his Journal to Ellie, some of is moveset, graphical assets, animation, etc.
As for the rest, it's funny how I don't see you defend Ubisoft when they are told that the majority of their game feels like the same thing despite 1 being a shooter, the other a 3rd person adventure, a tactical military shooter

But my initial point still stands for big AAA publishers and companies (including MS) will not go for innovation and go for the safe route.

[Crows90]

@obscure

Yes please do remember my comment.
And please be sure to improve your reading comprehension. It was rebooted and changed drastically. If perfect dark remains a 1st person shooter/stealth game...thats not the same thing as what god of war did. If fable remains similar to the first 3 fables...thats not the same as god of war. Wasnt forza motorspport always a racing game/simulator?

Do you realize how you sound and how dishonest you are?
We've yet to hear of a new IP from Sony in current gen? Returnal says hi. Not only new but massively successful.

Oh I guess you didnt think that through now did you.

Also I was referring from Demons souls form ps3 not the current gen awesome remaster. Sony funded that game which was the first souls like game to gain any traction and its what spearheaded fromsoftware's success. So yeah they really try new things and risk.