Topic: PlayStation 5 --OT--

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Unless I spend a LOT of time trying to find the 'size' of each company - in terms of their studio count, Ubisoft are probably the biggest - even after this deal with Microsoft and Bethesda - not that it matters as it really comes down to whether or not the games you want to play are accessible on the platform(s) you want to play them on. It doesn't matter if Nintendo has more studio's than Sony for example if Sony is outputting more games a year you actually want to play.

The main difference between Sony/Nintendo and Microsoft - certainly since MS have appointed Phil Spencer - is that if you want to play Sony/Nintendo games, you also have to buy the hardware - but with MS, you don't need a 'Console', you just need a Microsoft account. I know some games you may not even need that, but if you don't want an Xbox, you can still play the games on PC and on Mobile. Xbox isn't the Console, its the entire Microsoft gaming division and as such, some Xbox Studio games may not actually come to the Console at all. Gears Pop is a Mobile game and I am sure that Alpha Dog (one of the new studios in the Bethesda deal) has only made Mobile games.

Many thought Playground were already a Microsoft Studio - if they even had heard of them as it seems a lot think Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon are the same as you often hear MS has relied on 'Forza' (as well as Halo and Gears despite Halo Wars being a very different Genre let alone the couple of 'arcade' twin stick shooters in the Halo franchise and now Gears too has Tactics and Pop which are different games to Gears 1-5 and Judgement. So that acquisition would be like Sony acquiring Kojima or Housemarque - its not a 'loss' to the other side because they weren't (or haven't) made games for them anyway. It just looks 'better' on the portfolio. Its the same with Undead Labs (State of Decay series) as they have only made games for Xbox - these to me are portfolio studio's - add to the number of studios without really having an impact on the fans of the other - unless they had some 'hope' that one day, these studio's may make a game on their platform of choice.

I do wonder though if Sony were to purchase a group of studio's known for multiplatform releases, whether they too would consider releasing games on Xbox for example on a 'game by game' basis. I am not talking about honouring contracts - like Deathloop or Ghostwire, but unannounced games - Like Wolfenstein '3', a Sequel to Doom Eternal, Fallout 5 or even Elder Scrolls 6. Starfield is slightly different as it is a 'new' IP - but even if you don't want an Xbox, you could still play on other platforms in the MS ecosystem. Mojang have continued to support Minecraft and even the spin-off, Minecraft Dungeons as released on Playstation and Switch.

I don't agree with exclusivity - timed or otherwise regardless. I know 'why' it exists and I know that many people want exclusives - even though it only matters to the Platform maker in reality. It doesn't really matter if Xbox gamers could also play Uncharted or Horizon for example as it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of playing that game. You could argue that the quality 'could' be compromised by introducing more platforms to the development but you could also argue that the extra revenue potential could well be put to good use to ensure that the game still meets, if not exceeds the same level we saw. It shouldn't matter that a sector of other gamers you don't know also get to play and enjoy the same games as you can on your platform of choice. If ALL games released on ALL hardware that can run it at an acceptable standard, it benefits ALL gamers and can significantly increase the revenue from sales making the development less of a risk. Of course, if you don't have 'confidence' in your platform, that you may lose some sales to the competition and of course, some of the profits sales of that game going to the competition (no more than EA, Ubisoft, Activision etc lose to Sony/MS - but you still get the profit as a publisher on those platforms), then you can understand why they make Exclusives to 'force' you to buy their hardware and any other games/peripherals too. It doesn't 'really' benefit gamers and actually divides them, ends up being another area that fanboys can use to sling at the other fanboys but really, it doesn't matte that as a gamer, you and every other gamer gets to enjoy the same games on the platform they prefer.

None of us yet know what this deal will mean in the long term - especially for those established franchises. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if these studios do make 'exclusives' - much like Grounded and Avowed by Obsidian, but those are 'new' IP's built specifically for MS. Whether Obsidian make another Outer Worlds and release on PS or not, we really don't know. We can say the same about another Wastelands (4) and, it seems, it made sense for MS to release Minecraft Dungeons on PS too. Its difficult to assess whether 'history' will play a part in the decision or what control/say Bethesda has as well. Maybe Game Pass too will be a factor - if the vast majority of Xbox owners use Game Pass to play these games, then 'selling' them on other platforms may make sense. If you are investing $100m+ on a new Elder Scrolls for example and not getting much back in terms of sale revenue (although would be getting a BIG monthly income from Game Pass Subscriptions) then selling games on PS5 will help. Again this goes back to my argument about exclusives and that they only really benefit the Manufacturer and whether or not its financially better in the long term to entice people to buy into your ecosystem or get the 'extra' revenue from selling to a much larger install base and MS will no doubt factor that in on a 'game by game' basis.

Sony will be publishing games on PC - Horizon: Zero Dawn is perhaps a 'test' to see whether or not it generates enough of an income to counter the cost of porting and supporting the title. Its too late in its cycle to have much impact on hardware sales as the game wasn't really selling much on console and people were not going to buy a PS4 to play it if they hadn't already. That does also throw up some hypocrisy I see a lot, MS has 'NO' exclusives because they are all on PC, yet when a LOT of Sony's exclusives also on PC, that doesn't matter because they are 'Console' exclusives. Admittedly, there are a lot fewer first party exclusive from Sony on PC but a lot of the 'exclusives' are Microsoft exclusives (only available through MS on the Windows store - not Steam or Epic or battlenet or EA Access...) and the hypocrisy about MS releasing games on both gens - even though Nintendo did with Zelda and now Sony are with Spider-Man.

I am not criticising either side - I don't care as long as I get to play the games I want to play and at the best level that suits my gaming preference (ie on Console). I would prefer to be able to get away with just 1 console and play ALL games at the best level - although with the design differences this time around, the best level is likely to be split between preferences and game design. Some game that requires massive data throughput for certain aspects, those aspects should be better on PS5 but maybe lack in aspects that require sheer GPU power - Not saying GPU is 'weak on PS5 at all but it does have far fewer cores and therefore Shaders and Texture Mapping Units. With Cores being used for Ray Tracing, what 'could' mean is that Xbox can allocate more cores for more RT applications (like reflections, shadows/Ambient Occlusion, Global Illumination etc so Xbox could have more of these or just a greater number of rays) and because Sony's GPU has a faster clock speed it has more bounces maybe 10 bounces versus 8/9 for example. The 'feedback' through the controller too could enhance the experience more on PS5 than just rumble triggers. Point is, the different approach will lead to a more 'complicated' choice as to which is the 'best' platform to buy a game for. Its not going to be as easy as XB1S vs PS4 or Pro vs X because it was more obvious which had the more strengths.

Anyway, getting back to the topic I started talking about, we really don't know what this Zenimax deal means for Playstation, whether Sony should look at expanding their portfolio - even if its just a 'portfolio' addition etc. Even if the worst case scenario does happen and all those big Franchises do become Microsoft exclusives (I say MS exclusives to avoid the confusion between Xbox the Console and Xbox - MS's entire gaming ecosystem), you are not forced into buying an Xbox console if you already have or would prefer to have a PC or maybe have an Android tablet/phone to play on as both will also work with your PS4/5 controllers too. If owning an Xbox isn't a big issue to you, the £250 Series S (which could well be cheaper by the time any 'Exclusive' from these studio's release) and a Game Pass Ultimate subscription so you don't have to buy ANY games and get Games with Gold free as well, and can play games from the OG and 360 Xbox era if you wanted as well for a '2nd' or even 3rd choice if you have a switch, is an attractive option. With just Game Pass, you could just play all of them on your Android phone and your PS4/5 controller too so I don't think its 'bad' for gamers even if its not 'ideal' for Playstation.

I am looking forward to the future but purely as a Gamer and (will be) owner of both the PS5 and Series X so it wouldn't matter to me IF Sony does retaliate and buy up more studios (not that they need to just because MS has) or MS does decide that the vast majority of games long term are MS exclusives because I will have the option to play if I want to. If its exclusive on MS, I just play on my Series X, if its exclusive to Sony, play on my PS5 and with any Multi-platform releases, I have the difficult job of trying to decide which platform to buy for based on the comparison between both - Graphical presentation, Frame Rate consistency, bonus/timed content, controller feedback/latency, which friends on which platform owns it etc etc...

I really don't think its worth worrying about just yet and it could be years before we see anything that releases exclusively for MS and will see more releases for Playstation - the same games that were in place to release first before (ie Deathloop and Ghostwire - neither were on my radar personally). The one thing it has made me do is really think about the value in purchasing Game Pass now - especially with game prices appearing to be higher at launch...

The fact that Sony fanboys can potentially see the value in Xbox (the entire ecosystem) and potentially opting to add Game Pass or purchase an S/X as a 2nd Console isn't a bad thing either - I doubt many would be willing to give up their PS libraries and Trophy score and jump across with both feet, foregoing access to any Sony exclusives and from my perspective, I hope we get to see a LOT of great games from both publishers as they 'compete; against each other to win Game of the Year. Sony hasn't had much (if any) from Xbox studio's in the past few years and the last thing any of us want is complacency. If you don't have much competition, then there isn't much to push against...

I would rather see a celebration of gaming and gamers than constant bickering about what the competition has or doesn't have, what the competition can or cannot offer and why one is 'better/worse' when a lot of it is just preference..

Anyway, I know this is an Essay - lets ALL look forward to the next generation and its games. If you can't play the games you want because of the platform they are on, surely its better to find a way to get one and then to express your joy in playing those games rather than waste your time dwelling on it, becoming bitter and angry. And yes I would say the same on Pure Xbox too btw...

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@Col_McCafferty First off, Exclusives are there to benefit the Company - not the gamer. They are there to make you buy that hardware and in doing so, generate income from all sales - inc 3rd party games for that manufacturer. Sony will take some money from every game because its on their platform so to make sure you buy a Playstation, they make 'games' exclusive for it. Even with new generation hardware, they can make games exclusive to the 'new' generation, even if they can scale down to their older generation - just to make you buy a 'new' console.

There is nothing stopping Sony (or MS for that matter) releasing games on other platforms. Its a 'business' decision - not a Gamers decision. Selling a game on Xbox for example would also give MS some money for every sale - even if Sony would generate a LOT more because the game now has a much larger potential sales. If MS has better hardware, Sony games could theoretically look and/or run better too and, even if the Devs decided to make the games the 'same' on both, the chances are, their console sales would plummet - which in turn would see their finances plummet because they would also lose out on the percentage of revenue from ALL game sales drop - fewer consoles, fewer people to buy games meaning lower revenue - therefore, they need Exclusives to make people buy their hardware.

It really doesn't matter whether you and all Sony gamers get to enjoy a game or you and ALL gamers get to enjoy a game. It doesn't make the game any more or less enjoyable whether its 'just' on a Sony platform or available to millions of others. It can actually unite gamers as they can discuss their opinions, experiences etc on the same games. Does it really matter if 10's of millions of people you don't know can enjoy the same game whether they are all on PS or on whatever platform they prefer? As long as you can play it and enjoy it, that's ALL that should matter.

I am certainly not 'moaning' about Sony withholding games from other platforms at all - I understand WHY they and why others do it, why MS, Nintendo and even Epic, Steam or any other option will do it - its purely for the Company - not the gamer at all. Its to make people buy into their ecosystem rather than give the gamer the choice to decide which platform may provide them the features and hardware specs they actually want/prefer.

As for why MS hasn't built their 'Last of Us pt 2' or 'God of War', Prior to adding studios in 2018, they had 5 Studio's - 343 (Halo), Turn 10 (Forza Motorsport), the Coalition (Gears), Rare (Viva Pinata, Sea of Thieves, Kinect) and Mojang (Minecraft - who joined in 2014). That's not a 'lot' of Studio's and so they have invested in the formation of a couple of Studio's (the Initiative in 2018 and Worlds Edge in 2019 who will be doing Age of Empires and acquired numerous others. In 2018 they acquired Obsidian (Grounded, Avowed), inXile (just finished Wasteland 3 so haven't yet announced what's next - Xbox Exclusive?), Compulsion Games (not announced their next project after We Happy Few), Undead Labs (State of Decay series - all exclusives), Playground Games (Forza Horizon series and upcoming Fable - all exclusives), Ninja Theory (Bleeding Edge, Hellblade II, Project Mara - all Exclusives), in 2019 added Double Fine (Psychonauts 2 in development so haven't yet announced an Exclusive) and now in 2020 have had Zenimax Media which has 8 Studios which include Bethesda Game Studios, Arkane Studios, id Software, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, ZeniMax Online Studios, Alpha Dog Games and newly formed Roundhouse Studio's.

Other than 'buying' Exclusives or contracting outside studio's to make an Exclusive for MS, they really didn't have the Studio's to make games - even if they had the money. Therefore your statement is wrong - they didn't have the Studios and therefore couldn't make those type of games. That's why they have invested in building up their Studio count to make more games. The Studio's they did have were invested in making games like Halo MCC Halo 5, Halo Wars 2 and a couple of Twin Stick arcade shooters set in the Halo universe, Gears 1 Ultimate, Gears 4, Gears 5, Gears Tactics, Forza Motorsport 5, 6 and 7, Kinect Sports, Killer Instinct, Rare Replay, Sea of Thieves, Minecraft updates, Minecraft Dungeons - all released this gen. Playground and Undead Labs also made Forza Horizon 2, 3 and 4, State of Decay 1 & 2 before officially becoming part of the Xbox family. The other 'Exclusives' were timed from independent studio's - like Ori or Cuphead, bought exclusives like Titanfall, Sunset Overdrive or contracted out - Crackdown 3.

Gears of War inspired Uncharted - According to former Naughty Dog developer, Lucas Pope, the franchise drew inspiration from the Gears of War series, with the first Uncharted game being delayed after the first Gears of War game released in order for various core gameplay and technical elements to more resemble and feel like that of the latter - obviously drew inspiration elsewhere for story and Characters but from a Game-play perspective, Gears was inspirational and both Gears games on XB1 are great visually and from a gameplay perspective too - maybe a bit too safe from a story perspective and for a 'new' studio with a fresh slate. Forza series almost always wins the best racing game every year with FM7 beating GTSport when they went head to head.

Point is, MS hasn't had the Studio's to 'compete' with the amount of titles and variety on Playstation - that's why they have invested heavily on building up their studio count in the past 2yrs. Before MS bought Zenimax, the Studio count was pretty even - although you could say that Sony had 'more' established AAA studio's as MS bought a few that had only made a couple of smaller 'indie' games. Also, a number of Studio's had existing games in development for multiple platforms - The Outer Worlds, Wasteland 3, Psychonauts 2 so they had to finish those before they can even begin making Exclusives. Big Games take time to develop - especially if starting from scratch so you cannot expect to see the fruits of these acquisitions within such a short time.

Anyway, getting back to it, I would not be upset IF MS opted to publish ALL their games on Playstation. It wouldn't matter to me at all - same as it wouldn't matter of Sony published all theirs on Xbox or Nintendo publishing ALL their games on Xbox/PS/PC too. The only thing that matters to me is being able to access ALL the games I want to play and it really doesn't matter to me IF everyone else can also get to play the same Library as me if they want. It ONLY matters to the manufacturer because they make more/less money based on which platform you buy it on and potentially give money to their rivals. If Sony released God of War on Xbox, they would get money from sales as developers and publishers but MS would get money because its on their platform too - money that if it was on Sony's system, they would also get as well as money from making you buy their platform and any games you buy on that, any subscriptions you buy etc. That is why Exclusives exist - not for the 'gamers' as a whole, but to make you join their ecosystem and make you spend money there...

I don't expect it to change at all. It seems that the practice too has been spun round to make it look as though its 'good' for their fanbase but the reality is that its actually done for the benefit of the Manufacturers and is more 'anti-consumer'. The whole thing with Apple and Epic games is exactly the same principal as Apple wants you to buy through them so they get their 30% and won't allow other stores/options to compete with them on their hardware. That's also going affect those who buy All Digital consoles as they can only buy from Sony/MS stores and without competition, can essentially charge RRP because you don't have the option of going to others stores to find it cheaper. They are not competing with GAME, with SimplyGame, with SmythToys, with Supermarkets, with Amazon etc because you cannot go to Amazon and buy the game on Disc instead of paying £70 for the Digital version. Amazon can charge less because they want the sales instead of you going to GAME. They are prepared to lose more on their profit margin on selling you the game instead of going elsewhere. GAME also buys up exclusive rights to certain editions and charge RRP because if you want that Edition, you cannot go elsewhere.

Exclusives are not Consumer friendly at all - no matter how you, how manufacturers or how the Press want to spin it. They matter to the Manufacturer to make you join their Ecosystem - whether you would (because it has the best specs, preferred controller layout, features you want etc etc) or not. It would be like LG having Exclusive rights to BBC channels and Samsung having the rights to ITV channels to make you buy their TV's instead of BOTH having ALL the channels so you can choose which TV suits you best - whether its OLED for PQ but maybe a risk of Burn-In and not the 'best' Colour Volume on the market or QLED because there is no risk of Burn-in and it has the best colour volume but PQ isn't quite as good because it relies on backlighting and local dimming.

Again, I have typed a LOT but to explain and educate with little room to misconstrue or allow for misinterpretation, as well as provide examples, a simile or two etc to explain the situation with Exclusives, why they are used by manufacturers, why they are anti-consumer (not that I expect to see them change) and why MS hasn't been able to compete this generation. We really don't know whether we could see a 'reversal' in terms of 'quantity' of Exclusives or whether MS will be challenging for Game of the Year titles in the 'near' future yet. I don't expect Sony's studio's to drop in either quantity or quality and they do have their own history to compete with too. Their PS5 output will be compared to PS4 and their new games with the old so they are 'competing' with themselves as much as anything. ALL games, exclusive or not will be compared to each other for sales. Whether you 'prefer' the majority of games that Sony Studio's make compared to those coming out of Xbox Studio's is a separate thing altogether. Even if you don't like the characters or setting of Gears of War for example, doesn't mean that the developers didn't make a great game with great visuals and game-play mechanics that could 'rival' some of Sony's best.

As I have stated, it doesn't matter to me whether Sony or MS have hundreds of exclusives or none because they release on PC and/or other consoles, doesn't matter if they make no 3rd party exclusive deals or a lot. What matters is whether I can play the games and as I will own BOTH a Series X and PS5, I can play ALL the exclusives and take advantage of any 3rd Party deals too!!

Exclusivity deals on 3rd Party multi-platform releases - like access to DLC 1 month earlier, extra content etc is totally wrong and should be banned in my opinion - that is again about making you buy the game on that platform so they get a 'chunk' of the profits from the publishers and developers and potentially more money because you will buy more games on that platform. It only divides and annoys gamers. At least with full exclusivity like first party games, you are not being charged the same to have less content or to 'wait' longer for some content - but its all about what's best for the manufacturer and not the gamer!!