360 Magazine: Sony’s loss is Microsoft’s gain as Insomniac Games finally goes multiplatform. Insomniac has revealed that it’s first major new IP for years will be bucking the trend of Sony exclusivity and making its way to the Xbox 360.
For Xbox’s hugely expanded gaming division, anything that isn’t Call of Duty is now a failure, and that’s a problem
Honestly, If I worked presently for Microsoft's gaming division, I would update my CV and look for work elsewhere...
"Now"?
How about "ever"?
They closed so many of their dev teams during the second half of the Xbox 360 era. Have we forgotten history so quickly?
Dummy fake journalists acting so surprised over these recent closures, when this is something that's been going on for well over a decade now with MS.
"The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn’t finished.
This week, Xbox began offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax, which it purchased in 2020 for $7.5 billion, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. Others across the Xbox organization have been told that more cuts are on the way.
Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said.
Game Pass has not seen the massive growth that Xbox boss Phil Spencer may have been hoping for."
"Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said"
So what you're saying is...you bought all these studios and you guys can't run them.
Jesus.
Reports are suggesting that Game Pass will be getting a price hike soon and that Call of Duty may not be added to the day one offering. I honestly have a hard time believing this but it does beg the question why exactly did GP fail? I think the answer is that it just didn't get the growth that it anticipated. Jim was right but I wish he wasn't because at the end of the day, its gamers, devs and other front-line workers who have to absorb the blow for Spencer and team's miscalculations.
For all the armchair executives who were calling for Sony to release its big-budget AAA games on PS+, the same exact thing would have happened at PlayStation. Game Pass has killed Xbox. Congrats.
Twisted Voxel writes: "We've almost reached the end of the 1st half of 2024, and Xbox has had more studio closures than first party game releases in the year so far."
Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones, Avowed, Towerborne, and Call of Duty are still to be released this year. Marcus Fenix collection to be added to the list with the Xbox showcase, hopefully.
Sony doesn't have to bother fighting the next Microsoft acquisition. The massive layoff by themselves should be enough to get the next big buy blocked.
So if MS hadn't spent $80 billion consolidating the industry just think of all the games and jobs that would have saved.
MS is a drain on gaming and have been nothing but a negative.
'Insomniac Proves Exclusives Are Dead'
really?...ok....got it!
EDIT
@Dailynch
'No, it means they are making less and they are becoming less important to the industry as a whole.'
No what it is is that the goalposts have been moved in order to make people now think they are dead. Sorry mate you're fooling nobody. Look at how many articles are popping up about ms's lack of exclusives and shift towards the casuals, couple that with a 7 month gap in a retail exclusive that isnt kinect....Just add 3rd party exclusives to the 'title' and all is fixed.
With a game we've yet to really see, much less play or get sale numbers on.
There are swarm of first part exclusive that say other wise and along with a few good third parties. Title should add Third Party.
Insomniac Proves Sony 3rd Party Exclusives Are Dead
FIXED
@Fobia
Those would be 1st and 2nd party exclusives :)
Any remaining Sony 3rd party exclusives (games not published by Sony) will be making the jump to 360 in the coming months.
Insomniac doesn't prove anything by making the multiplatform game besides making more money. There will still be Insomniac exclusive games on the PS3. They now have two development houses; one is working on Resistance 3 while the other is working on the Overstrike. I highly doubt that Sony will not receive any more exclusives from Insomniac with their 17 years of history. Will Insomniac also make multiplatform games? I am sure they will; but we also still have Resistance 3 and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One this year.