I still haven't resubscribed since the huge price hike back in 2023 after being a subscriber since the days of the PS3. I don't play online anymore but don't really miss it.
Wasn't it only a few years back that Plus only cost £29.99? Then it jumped a tenner and now it's jumped £20. I'm out I'm afraid as I've got bills and a family to take care of first. I was planning on getting a PS5 bit I'm just going to stick with PS4 and get my games cheap in eBay etc. Maybe I'll get a PS5 when it's near the end of its life and it's games get cheap 2nd hand
Spencer is still being obtuse about whether Elder Scrolls is going to be exclusive or not. The guy is a total fraud. They may not have said implicitly that all games would by multiformat but they certainly tried to give that impression so much so that those at Bethesda were clearly surprised when ordered to make everything Xbox exclusive going forward.
I've nothing against exclusives as they give a console an identity and are a good way of a giving a console maker opportunities to supplement any genre of games that 3rd parties are neglecting. MS and most of the rest were saying single player, story driven games and certainly there were far fewer of the games on the market - Sony picked up the kind of games that were being neglected and the masses showed they wanted those games.
MS have been in the gaming industry for years now they should have a plethora of top gaming studios that they built up and nourished themselves. They've failed to do that so they have decided to go the pay to win route and buy up the biggest 3rd party gaming studios for the sole purpose of depriving gamers on other platforms. It's sad that you seem to approve of this.
The case revealed numerous interesting details about what’s been going on behind the scenes in the industry over the last few years, with Microsoft’s public proclamations about the exclusivity of Bethesda games bearing no resemblance to what they’d actually decided to do about it behind the scenes.
Their pretence that they haven’t decided about the exclusivity of The Elder Scrolls 6 appeared to be patently untrue and made Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s suggestion that the company would like to put an end to exclusives seem even more disingenuous.
Not only that but, according to Sony, Xbox pays for games to be kept off PlayStation Plus. At the same time, Microsoft’s claim that the CMA is the only worldwide regulator to have an issue with the deal had to be corrected by the CMA’s Canadian equivalent.
During the inquiries into Microsoft buying ZeniMax Phil Spencer said MS had no incentive to withhold games from the PlayStation platform. As soon as the deal went through he told Bethesda all games moving forward with be Xbox exclusive even to their surprise. This is proof the man and his company are liars. He truly is the biggest fraud in gaming with his I'm your best pal act. Remember he was as much to blame as Don Mattrick for the anti consumer moves with the Xbox one launch.
MS have already stated they want to outspend Sony out of business. Just look back at this immoral companies history where they have broken every anticompetitive law going back in the 90's & 00's where the slogan Microsoft is evil came part of everyday language.
The Activision buyout is bad for gaming and needs to be stopped and Micro$ofts bullying and play to win approach halted.
Arguably the biggest revelation of the week was an email from Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines, which revealed that the decision to make all new Bethesda games Xbox exclusives was one that was forced upon the publisher by Microsoft.
Now we know exactly who made the decision and when: Phil Spencer eight months after Microsoft completed their acquisition. We also know it includes all Bethesda games too, not just new IP.
The revelation came from messages between Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart and Xbox Games Studio head Matt Booty in November 2021, talking about a monthly business review meeting with Xbox and ZeniMax.
During this meeting, Xbox boss Phil Spencer had apparently decided to make all ZeniMax games exclusive and not just new IP.
Stuart was clearly surprised by this and says, ‘All games going forward? Not just new IP but all games going forward? Wow.’
Booty then replies: ‘Phil told them all titles going forward, Xbox exclusive.’
Stuart’s surprise is no doubt because this means that The Elder Scrolls and Fallout will also now become Xbox console exclusives.
Being the money guy, he then voices concern that this will eat into their profits, since it’s apparently not how the deal was originally planned.
@Godot25 There was no economic sense in making the Bethesda titles Xbox only but they still did it. If you follow the link you will see Bethesda were none to happy about it as it went against what they were lead to believe. News came out today that Phil Spencer told them not long after the deal had gone through all upcoming titles would be xbox only. Spencer is surely the biggest fraud in gaming.
@themightyant They didn't abandon the plan to outspend Sony though. The email is dated not long before the ZeniMax purchase. They actually acted on the suggestion in the email.
Remember, when the ZeniMax deal was being scrutinized by antitrust bodies MS said they had no incentive to withhold games from PlayStation but as soon as the deal was done they immediately ordered Bethesda to make all its upcoming games Xbox exclusive including Starfield which they already had running on PlayStation hardware. Bethesda are apparently not to happy about it either. People need to realise Microsoft are liars and Phil Spencer's I'm your pal act is totally fake.
@Godot25 Sony knows that deal is only being offered to appease the regulators. Microsoft are playing the long game and at the first chance they get of pulling games from PlayStation they will.
Remember when the ZeniMax deal was being scrutinized Microsoft said they had no motivation to deprive gamers from PlayStation. As soon as the deal went through Redfall & Starfield were announced as Xbox exclusive when Starfield at least was already running on PlayStation hardware.
Bethesda are none to happy that MS has made them go Xbox exclusive either by the sounds of it
@Fiendish-Beaver We have antitrust bodies to stop unfair business practices - they need to start doing their jobs.
If MS managed to get Activision following on from Bethesda and were then to somehow acquire EA & Rockstar they'd have every major 3rd party title pretty much sewn up.
It would be completely unfair but it would be the end of Playstation if that happened.
@Jay429 And you don't see Gamepass at current prices is unsustainable? Microsoft are playing the long game and with Sony out of the way they can charge what they like for Gamepass.
I honestly don't see MS allowing COD on PlayStation unless Sony allow GamePass and I'm not sure that would be a good move in the long run.
MS have given up trying to compete fairly & creatively with Sony and decided on the brute force approach of just hoovering up already established ip's by throwing money around.
I sincerely hope PlayStation continues to thrive because I think the epic single player games we see on the platform will disappear in a MS dominated gaming world.
Worrying times for anyone who truly loves games & I just hope MS don't buy EA as with FIFA & Madden alongside COD they would have the casual gaming market totally sewn up.
I'm just firing up the PS3 as I'm typing this and playing RE Code Veronica X. Much better than playing the PS2 port on my PS4. I still have loads of games to get through on PS3.
@NEStalgia Game Pass and/or PS Now just doesn't work for me. My most precious commodity is time and I'm not playing through a series of average games just because they're part of my subscription. I'd much rather play games I like enough to buy and buying games has never been cheaper if you wait a few months after release. A Netflix style sub for gaming just doesn't work for me or I suspect many others.
@Tharsman Music streaming services are still not profitable and Netflix has more subscribers than PSN and Xbox live members combined.
The gamepass model will see lots of multiplayer focussed titles with long lifespans like the upcoming halo Infinite. There's no way big budget single player games will get a look in with such a business model as it's not financially viable.
Also, looking at gamepass most of the games are cheap filler or oldies that can be picked up new or second hand for barely nothing. Most gamers have a backlog of games I sure know I do and I don't have time to waste playing average titles I'd rather spend my time playing games I really want to experience.
Why are you here on a gaming site when you could be out collecting trash and saving the dolphins?! No, you choose to sit on your ass and chat about games. I hope you won't be buying a next gen console and will instead give that money to Greenpeace if you don't than that's absolutely appalling. Are you for real mate?!
And Game Pass does affect the future if gaming if it's the business model of the future. You're gonna see games like the 10 year long Halo Infinite with developers making money from selling expansions and cosmetic items to boost profit. And single player blockbusters will be a thing of the past as they won't make financial sense. That's something that concerns all gamers.
Game pass is currently good value but people need to understand there is no way a Netflix style gaming service offering AAA titles is going to be financially viable at current prices.
The service at best must break even financially although I suspect they lose money on it, but what happens if this service becomes the business model going forward after enough gamers are signed up?
Either prices steeply rise or as I suspect Xbox goes down the games as a service model with gamers paying for add on's and upgrades etc. And you can count out epic story driven campaigns with cutting edge visuals as that goes against the whole premise of games as a service.
Is this the future gamers want?! I certainly don't!
I think there's a good case for MS and Sony coming together and putting their console releases back 12 months. Lot's of people are going to be skint this year and have other thing on their minds. It gives both companies time to work on getting any little kinks ironed out
I'm definitely up for a Code Veronica remake. RE4 has been ported to most platforms and still holds up and looks good so I don't think a remake is needed for a few years
@Gamer83 The main people complaining about it were Resi veterans like me! I like exploring every inch of the map and with him constantly chasing you that was no longer a possibility. After a while it stopped being exciting and just became annoying
The fact that Nemesis isn't constantly chasing you is a major plus for me as Mr X pretty much ruined RE2 in my opinion. The original RE2 is my favourite game of all time so I was so disappointed with the remake.
The fact that many areas of the original game have been cut however is a deal breaker for me and means I will be waiting for it to his the £15 mark
@Robocod Good point. Sony need to figure out how to support PS3 games on future consoles. I have loads of digital PS3 games and will be very pissed off if I can't play them again. Until you offer backwards compatibility PS3 support must be offered Sony
Sony absolutely needs to continue to support the PS3 especially until they can offer full backwards compatibility on the PS5. I have a lot of great PS3 titles I regularly play in spite of owning a PS4. My PS3 won't be going anywhere until there's another way for me to play the systems many great games.
How on earth did the bug ridden catastrophe that is State Of Decay 2 outsell so many great games?! Do Xbox owners actually like crap games or something?!
Me too. Colin Moriarty(formerly of IGN & Kinda Funny Games) wrote about the bizarre and unfair persecution of David Cage from certain elements of the gaming press. Some how they seem to think his games are not politically correct enough with Kotaku writing quite a vicious and completely unfair article about the representation of women in his games. I think his female characters are great so have no idea what they are babbling on about.
Anyways I'm glad gamers have supported his work with their wallets.
One of the best games I've ever played. Certainly the most emotional. When Kara and Alice got shot in my first playthrough I felt I really had let them down 😢
Comments 37
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for December 2024 Announced
I still haven't resubscribed since the huge price hike back in 2023 after being a subscriber since the days of the PS3. I don't play online anymore but don't really miss it.
Re: PS5, PS4 Owners Are Understandably Irate with PS Plus Price Hike
Wasn't it only a few years back that Plus only cost £29.99? Then it jumped a tenner and now it's jumped £20. I'm out I'm afraid as I've got bills and a family to take care of first. I was planning on getting a PS5 bit I'm just going to stick with PS4 and get my games cheap in eBay etc. Maybe I'll get a PS5 when it's near the end of its life and it's games get cheap 2nd hand
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Godot25
Spencer is still being obtuse about whether Elder Scrolls is going to be exclusive or not. The guy is a total fraud. They may not have said implicitly that all games would by multiformat but they certainly tried to give that impression so much so that those at Bethesda were clearly surprised when ordered to make everything Xbox exclusive going forward.
I've nothing against exclusives as they give a console an identity and are a good way of a giving a console maker opportunities to supplement any genre of games that 3rd parties are neglecting. MS and most of the rest were saying single player, story driven games and certainly there were far fewer of the games on the market - Sony picked up the kind of games that were being neglected and the masses showed they wanted those games.
MS have been in the gaming industry for years now they should have a plethora of top gaming studios that they built up and nourished themselves. They've failed to do that so they have decided to go the pay to win route and buy up the biggest 3rd party gaming studios for the sole purpose of depriving gamers on other platforms. It's sad that you seem to approve of this.
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Godot25
Phil, is that you?!
The case revealed numerous interesting details about what’s been going on behind the scenes in the industry over the last few years, with Microsoft’s public proclamations about the exclusivity of Bethesda games bearing no resemblance to what they’d actually decided to do about it behind the scenes.
Their pretence that they haven’t decided about the exclusivity of The Elder Scrolls 6 appeared to be patently untrue and made Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s suggestion that the company would like to put an end to exclusives seem even more disingenuous.
Not only that but, according to Sony, Xbox pays for games to be kept off PlayStation Plus. At the same time, Microsoft’s claim that the CMA is the only worldwide regulator to have an issue with the deal had to be corrected by the CMA’s Canadian equivalent.
Re: Canada Joins UK, US in Questioning Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Buyout
@UltimateOtaku91 No, this deal shouldn't go through and M$ and their bullying tactics need to be out an end to.
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Godot25
During the inquiries into Microsoft buying ZeniMax Phil Spencer said MS had no incentive to withhold games from the PlayStation platform. As soon as the deal went through he told Bethesda all games moving forward with be Xbox exclusive even to their surprise. This is proof the man and his company are liars. He truly is the biggest fraud in gaming with his I'm your best pal act. Remember he was as much to blame as Don Mattrick for the anti consumer moves with the Xbox one launch.
MS have already stated they want to outspend Sony out of business. Just look back at this immoral companies history where they have broken every anticompetitive law going back in the 90's & 00's where the slogan Microsoft is evil came part of everyday language.
The Activision buyout is bad for gaming and needs to be stopped and Micro$ofts bullying and play to win approach halted.
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Godot25
Arguably the biggest revelation of the week was an email from Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines, which revealed that the decision to make all new Bethesda games Xbox exclusives was one that was forced upon the publisher by Microsoft.
Now we know exactly who made the decision and when: Phil Spencer eight months after Microsoft completed their acquisition. We also know it includes all Bethesda games too, not just new IP.
The revelation came from messages between Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart and Xbox Games Studio head Matt Booty in November 2021, talking about a monthly business review meeting with Xbox and ZeniMax.
During this meeting, Xbox boss Phil Spencer had apparently decided to make all ZeniMax games exclusive and not just new IP.
Stuart was clearly surprised by this and says, ‘All games going forward? Not just new IP but all games going forward? Wow.’
Booty then replies: ‘Phil told them all titles going forward, Xbox exclusive.’
Stuart’s surprise is no doubt because this means that The Elder Scrolls and Fallout will also now become Xbox console exclusives.
Being the money guy, he then voices concern that this will eat into their profits, since it’s apparently not how the deal was originally planned.
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Godot25 There was no economic sense in making the Bethesda titles Xbox only but they still did it. If you follow the link you will see Bethesda were none to happy about it as it went against what they were lead to believe. News came out today that Phil Spencer told them not long after the deal had gone through all upcoming titles would be xbox only. Spencer is surely the biggest fraud in gaming.
https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/29/phil-spencer-made-elder-scrolls-6-fallout-5-xbox-exclusives-in-2021-19041140/?ico=mosaic_gaming
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
@themightyant They didn't abandon the plan to outspend Sony though. The email is dated not long before the ZeniMax purchase. They actually acted on the suggestion in the email.
Remember, when the ZeniMax deal was being scrutinized by antitrust bodies MS said they had no incentive to withhold games from PlayStation but as soon as the deal was done they immediately ordered Bethesda to make all its upcoming games Xbox exclusive including Starfield which they already had running on PlayStation hardware. Bethesda are apparently not to happy about it either. People need to realise Microsoft are liars and Phil Spencer's I'm your pal act is totally fake.
https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/27/microsoft-forced-bethesda-to-do-xbox-exclusives-and-theyre-not-happy-19024969/
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Godot25 Sony knows that deal is only being offered to appease the regulators. Microsoft are playing the long game and at the first chance they get of pulling games from PlayStation they will.
Remember when the ZeniMax deal was being scrutinized Microsoft said they had no motivation to deprive gamers from PlayStation. As soon as the deal went through Redfall & Starfield were announced as Xbox exclusive when Starfield at least was already running on PlayStation hardware.
Bethesda are none to happy that MS has made them go Xbox exclusive either by the sounds of it
https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/27/microsoft-forced-bethesda-to-do-xbox-exclusives-and-theyre-not-happy-19024969/
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
@Fiendish-Beaver We have antitrust bodies to stop unfair business practices - they need to start doing their jobs.
If MS managed to get Activision following on from Bethesda and were then to somehow acquire EA & Rockstar they'd have every major 3rd party title pretty much sewn up.
It would be completely unfair but it would be the end of Playstation if that happened.
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
@Rangers420 Anyone who believes that is unfamiliar with Microsoft's past business activities. They are a monstrous company.
Re: 38.4 Million PS5 Systems Sold as Sony Records Its Best Q4 Results
It really is beginning to look like Xbox is going to be outside massively once again.
Re: PS5, PS4 Finally Go Portable with Officially Licensed PlayStation Backbone One
The left stick is in the wrong place
Re: Xbox Boss Expresses Desire to 'Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation' After Activision Buyout Is Complete
@Jay429 And you don't see Gamepass at current prices is unsustainable? Microsoft are playing the long game and with Sony out of the way they can charge what they like for Gamepass.
Re: Xbox Boss Expresses Desire to 'Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation' After Activision Buyout Is Complete
@Uncharted2007
I hope you're wrong but you're probably not 👍
Re: Xbox Boss Expresses Desire to 'Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation' After Activision Buyout Is Complete
I honestly don't see MS allowing COD on PlayStation unless Sony allow GamePass and I'm not sure that would be a good move in the long run.
MS have given up trying to compete fairly & creatively with Sony and decided on the brute force approach of just hoovering up already established ip's by throwing money around.
I sincerely hope PlayStation continues to thrive because I think the epic single player games we see on the platform will disappear in a MS dominated gaming world.
Worrying times for anyone who truly loves games & I just hope MS don't buy EA as with FIFA & Madden alongside COD they would have the casual gaming market totally sewn up.
Re: Xbox Boss Expresses Desire to 'Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation' After Activision Buyout Is Complete
@Rural-Bandit
You really are a sad case. Get a life and quit trolling
Re: PS3 Received a New Firmware Update, By the Way
I'm just firing up the PS3 as I'm typing this and playing RE Code Veronica X. Much better than playing the PS2 port on my PS4. I still have loads of games to get through on PS3.
Re: PS Plus Collection Announced for PS5 Launch, Subscribers Get Access to Blockbuster PS4 Games
@joey302 PS4 games will run on PS5
Re: Reaction: Why Hasn't PS5's Price and Release Date Been Revealed Yet?
@NEStalgia Game Pass and/or PS Now just doesn't work for me. My most precious commodity is time and I'm not playing through a series of average games just because they're part of my subscription. I'd much rather play games I like enough to buy and buying games has never been cheaper if you wait a few months after release. A Netflix style sub for gaming just doesn't work for me or I suspect many others.
Re: Reaction: Why Hasn't PS5's Price and Release Date Been Revealed Yet?
@Zeldafan79 I'm pretty confident it won't cost that much. That would be suicide
Re: Tormented Souls Is the Survival Horror Game of Our Dreams
Looks very promising
Re: Soapbox: Sony's Next PS5 Showcase Needs to Be a Scorcher
@Tharsman
Music streaming services are still not profitable and Netflix has more subscribers than PSN and Xbox live members combined.
The gamepass model will see lots of multiplayer focussed titles with long lifespans like the upcoming halo Infinite. There's no way big budget single player games will get a look in with such a business model as it's not financially viable.
Also, looking at gamepass most of the games are cheap filler or oldies that can be picked up new or second hand for barely nothing. Most gamers have a backlog of games I sure know I do and I don't have time to waste playing average titles I'd rather spend my time playing games I really want to experience.
Re: Soapbox: Sony's Next PS5 Showcase Needs to Be a Scorcher
@KratosMD
Why are you here on a gaming site when you could be out collecting trash and saving the dolphins?! No, you choose to sit on your ass and chat about games. I hope you won't be buying a next gen console and will instead give that money to Greenpeace if you don't than that's absolutely appalling. Are you for real mate?!
And Game Pass does affect the future if gaming if it's the business model of the future. You're gonna see games like the 10 year long Halo Infinite with developers making money from selling expansions and cosmetic items to boost profit. And single player blockbusters will be a thing of the past as they won't make financial sense. That's something that concerns all gamers.
An interesting upload on the subject here
https://youtu.be/K2HSnhEP7GA
Re: Soapbox: Sony's Next PS5 Showcase Needs to Be a Scorcher
@KratosMD
Game pass is currently good value but people need to understand there is no way a Netflix style gaming service offering AAA titles is going to be financially viable at current prices.
The service at best must break even financially although I suspect they lose money on it, but what happens if this service becomes the business model going forward after enough gamers are signed up?
Either prices steeply rise or as I suspect Xbox goes down the games as a service model with gamers paying for add on's and upgrades etc. And you can count out epic story driven campaigns with cutting edge visuals as that goes against the whole premise of games as a service.
Is this the future gamers want?! I certainly don't!
Re: Reaction: Sony Needs to Show Us a True, Next-Gen PS5 Exclusive After Lukewarm Inside Xbox
I think there's a good case for MS and Sony coming together and putting their console releases back 12 months. Lot's of people are going to be skint this year and have other thing on their minds. It gives both companies time to work on getting any little kinks ironed out
Re: Capcom Wants to Know if You're Up for Another Resident Evil Remake
I'm definitely up for a Code Veronica remake. RE4 has been ported to most platforms and still holds up and looks good so I don't think a remake is needed for a few years
Re: Resident Evil 3 - Competent Remake Feels Like a Misfire
@Gamer83 The main people complaining about it were Resi veterans like me! I like exploring every inch of the map and with him constantly chasing you that was no longer a possibility. After a while it stopped being exciting and just became annoying
Re: Resident Evil 3 - Competent Remake Feels Like a Misfire
The fact that Nemesis isn't constantly chasing you is a major plus for me as Mr X pretty much ruined RE2 in my opinion. The original RE2 is my favourite game of all time so I was so disappointed with the remake.
The fact that many areas of the original game have been cut however is a deal breaker for me and means I will be waiting for it to his the £15 mark
Re: PS3 Says Goodbye to Messages from Other PlayStation Consoles This June
@Robocod Good point. Sony need to figure out how to support PS3 games on future consoles. I have loads of digital PS3 games and will be very pissed off if I can't play them again. Until you offer backwards compatibility PS3 support must be offered Sony
Re: PS3 Says Goodbye to Messages from Other PlayStation Consoles This June
Sony absolutely needs to continue to support the PS3 especially until they can offer full backwards compatibility on the PS5. I have a lot of great PS3 titles I regularly play in spite of owning a PS4. My PS3 won't be going anywhere until there's another way for me to play the systems many great games.
Re: May 2018 NPD: PS4 on Top Yet Again, Detroit Starts Strong
How on earth did the bug ridden catastrophe that is State Of Decay 2 outsell so many great games?! Do Xbox owners actually like crap games or something?!
Re: Detroit: Become Human Surpasses One Million Units in Two Weeks
@PS_Nation
Me too. Colin Moriarty(formerly of IGN & Kinda Funny Games) wrote about the bizarre and unfair persecution of David Cage from certain elements of the gaming press. Some how they seem to think his games are not politically correct enough with Kotaku writing quite a vicious and completely unfair article about the representation of women in his games. I think his female characters are great so have no idea what they are babbling on about.
Anyways I'm glad gamers have supported his work with their wallets.
Re: Soapbox: E3 2018 Demonstrates the Disconnect Between Gamer Demands and Development Realities
Good article.
I think most gamers understand you have to give the Devs time if you want a game to be the best it can be.
Re: Detroit: Become Human Is Quantic Dream's 'Most Successful' Game So Far
@PS4fan They got shot at border control. I got them all safe as well as Luther in my second playthrough though 👍
Re: Detroit: Become Human Is Quantic Dream's 'Most Successful' Game So Far
One of the best games I've ever played. Certainly the most emotional. When Kara and Alice got shot in my first playthrough I felt I really had let them down 😢