CielloArc

PS4 is finally riding into the sunset, not sure if I should be sad or happy its finally hapenning.

@Max_the_German
At least for now, right?

Please June or July, that way I can get this game as my anniversary bonus game.

We all know exclusives sell if they are in the right platform at the right time. But honestly Square strategy is all over the place.

I can understand if they wanted to release Braverly Default, DQM, DQT and other titles as a Switch temporary exclusive, these are titles that would sell like hotcakes on a platform like Switch.

But saying you're going multiplat and then skipping Playstation, which is literally the second biggest playerbase when it comes to consoles, to favor Xbox, which is sitting at the dead last place with half the playerbase when compared to Playstation and around 1/4 of the Switch playerbase? Yeah, people are going to call your BS. Either commit fully to the strategy or be transparent to why you are skipping platforms.

@Anke
Easy? Yeah, probably, its a PS2 port.
Free money? Idk boss, porting is somewhat expensive nowadays for some reason and it doesn't always pay out the investment.

But, and that's a huge but, its a good and "cheap" way to see if an old IP still has some good demand for games.

@Enuo
Well, I wouldn't say garbage, but it was indeed one of the most underwhelming works I've read... until MHA took that spot.

I don't know if SDS is strong enough as an IP to keep this game going, but then again some gacha games are made already knowing how many players they'll get in the long run.

Gotcha, you can only like games, you can't hate those, devs can only make good stuff. Look, I know Europe is all against freedom of opinion but this is getting silly now.

@Oram77
First Descendant didn't have a heavy marketing effort behind it, it could come and go and no one would notice it, just like many dead service games.
In truth, most dead service games come and go quietly into the sunset and you don't even hear about them, people only get angry when gaming media starts shoving a bad dead service game it into our faces saying "THIS IS THE BEST NEXT THING AND YOU MUST BUY IT", not only that but they get even madder when the media also say "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE A NEGATIVE OPINION ABOUT THIS GAME".
So you guys not only want to shove this thing down my throat but you also want me to speak my piece? This is the point where most neutral consumers will tell them to f-off, those people will not only not buy this game, they'll actively work to bring it down.

That seems fine, but they pretty sure know the reason why PS5 doesn't sell in Japan is because:
1 - The system is bulky, even the slim version.
2 - Not so many japanese developers making japanese games for the japanese audience.

Basically the same problem PS3 had.
Hopefully PS6 can fix that, but I don't see a future for PS5 there.

@rjejr
Highguard was free while Marathon has an entry fee.

Honestly, Highguard had better chances just because it was a free game when compared to Marathon and Concord and it still failed.

I mean, Square is in dire need of money apparently.
You won't see this on gaming news, but they made another deal with cryptocoins, this time they are going to be a node validator on the Tezos blockchain.

Most japanese companies dropped the crypto thing three years ago, guess Square didn't get the memo.

And now ther are sitting there, just waiting for Marathon, Horizon Hunters something something, FairGame$ and many more.

@Globo
"Deals for you" is dynamic pricing though, targeted but still dynamic pricing.
That's why I said every store has dynamic pricing in one way or another.

People always think dynamic pricing means a product will raise above the usual MSRP, but most countries have pro consumer rules that prevent that kind of behaviour. That and supply and demand on the go would screw logistics and finances for most stores.

Dynamic pricing just means that some people will get a targeted discount while others won't, that itself isn't a crime but the criteria needs to be clear on why those people are getting a discount.

@Globo
Almost all stores have it in some shape or form.

@zidane4028
They went british because SAG-AFTRA strike made companies look outside US for english dubs, and UK has a nice assortment of VAs.

The funny thing is most companies will probably stick with UK dubs since the public reception was positive and the amount of BS they have to deal with is also minimal.

I don't really care as long as they are clear about it: "Hey, this a targeted offer just for you".

I think almost anything is fair game as long as the criteria is clear enough for you to understand why you're not making the quota.

I mean, people can scream on twitter as much as they can, it won't change reality.

I've been asking some devs that went to GDC their opinions on Project Helix, honestly the picture ain't a good one.
The consensus has been leaning towards "not impressive enough for me to care about a port"

@RoomWithaMoose
There's also the fact SAG-AFTRA says the union is fighting against AI while doing deals with AI companies behind the back of VAs, which totally undermines their whole initiative to begin with.

Not only that but if MiHoYo accepted the terms other VA's who weren't SAG-AFTRA would be forced to join this stupid union or be blacklisted from the project, giving the union a complete monopoly over VA jobs.

I'm not fully against unions, but I'm against unions with mob like behaviour like SAG-AFTRA.

@RoomWithaMoose
I could explain but my comment explaining the whole affair would probably be longer than this article, just google SAG-AFTRA and MiHoYo and you'll get a better picture.

I mean, people have been burned this gen thanks to UE5 being the """only""" engine this gen and the worst one to work with.

Its understandable that we would be skeptical about anything RT related, but hey, if you can show and tell you'll probably get more customers than your predictions just because this is a game that runs quite nice on PS5.

As I said in other comment section:
Kudos to Capcom for not bending the knee.

Screw SAG-AFTRA and anyone who support them.

So, another dead service dev telling people numbers aren't everything despite many dead service games data showing otherwise?
I get it, dead service devs can't handle criticism, but this is getting ridiculous.

I mean, this isn't even a problem right?
They just have to allow those keys to be sold elsewhere.

It had a good release, but they couldn't keep the momentum going some odd decisions also pushed the players away.

But I might point out that they only laid off employees once the player count hit the same numbers as Marathon is having right now.

While the monetisation is a problem given people already paid an entry fee, I don't think its a major one.
Same for difficulty, I don't think its what is pushing people away.

So far, from what I've gathered, people don't like:

• The aesthetic, most people find it way too noisy and disorienting
• The gameplay, they find it too much geared towards sweaty players
• The content, or better, the lack of any content at all, no alternative game modes, no story mode, on paper PvPvE sounds good but it gets boring after a while.

You can fix the gameplay and the content, but people who dislike the aesthetic will still not flock towards your game.

Yeah, D1 multiplat release works if you're a third party developer, not as much if you're a first party one.

On other news, the sky is blue.
Being honest though, I think this is a smart decision from Sony, PC isn't known for being a single-player platform, makes no sense to release your single-player games there.

I'm not against targeted sales as long they say its targeted sales.

The game is already out, they are charging people for it now, why not review it as it is now and then publish another review later when the new content comes?

This being announced in random tweet on a thursday just proves even Microsoft thinks this thing is DOA.

Yeah, Steam is only one piece of puzzle, but depending on the genre its the most obvious piece.
PC is THE shooter platform, if you don't break it there then you'll probably fail.

Nixxes also work as a support studio mainly handling UX and accessibility, they probably won't be going away since Sony is also all in in that stuff.

@JB_Whiting
I get it, but even desk jockeys have field training because sometimes they have to go out and collect data. You're right about the partner thing though, agents don't ever go alone, always in pairs or with a group.

I think Riot spoiled me on this kind of stuff, because I find this clip lacking in so many areas.

I mean, there's always an opportunity.
Just pray people don't remember the old games based on the Street Fighter movies, like Street Fighter: The Movie - The Game.

I just wish Grace was a better character.
Yeah, yeah, I get it, PTSD and all that bs, but it will never get in my mind that a trained FBI agent would act like a shy cave dweller getting outside for the first time.

@themightyant
Honestly, most of those games are sports games, brand name even, that kind of game would sell regardless of live service elements being present or not because it has a captive audience.

EA hit the jackpot when it acquired those licenses decades ago.

So live and let die.

@CRASH64
Nah, you're alive
Can't say the same about Highguard though

Wow, how nice of Highguard to make way for Marathon.
Good to see that flop seat on rotation.

My bet is a new Tales game

I'm on the side that thinks some works in God of War universe are better suited for other formats, mainly because while players love God of War, they love Kratos and the power fantasy that comes with him.

They thought they could make a breakthrough on PC market, they didn't and now they are scaling back.

Tbh I think consoles excel at singleplayer experiences while PC is the king for multiplayer, makes sense to publish your multiplayer/live service titles on PC.

Funny because FromSoftware already said multiple times the ball was on Sony's court for that remake/remaster to happen. Someone is lying then, but I guess the truth lies in the middle, while a remaster by Bluepoint would be beautiful, one by FromSoft would sell just for the FromSoft brand alone.

SoTC could have been done with a simple patch since the game is already beautiful, no need for an elaborate update. While a Ghost of Tsushima spin off would be nice, I wonder how that would work.

As for the GoW game, how would Atreus fall to Hades if the greek underworld was destroyed in God of War 3?

Now, for my personal opinion, they should have pitched some other small projects instead of a big one, Sony has a lot of old IPs that could use a touch up. Games like Sly Cooper, Jak and Dexter, Syphon Filter and so on.

Did I time travel or something? I swear we already had an article about this deluxe edition.

Nope, needle stayed where it was last time.
All Marathon is showing is that they still don't have an answer for this simple question: who is the target audience and why should they drop their current live service to play Marathon.

I would be worried if Playstation would have no competition, but Steam Machine is right around the corner and Switch 2 is still a thing.

Great, but releasing within the same window as Phantom Blade 0, another game with Sony marketing, seem a little bit weird.

Maybe they'll change the date.

@Grumblevolcano
One site called Loaded is apparently listing GTA6 at $120.

Now we need a better search, maybe even one with tags like Steam does.
Also, bring back gifting games to a friend.

So, on the same timeframe as Marathon and RE9?
Yeah, maybe those 5 people playing Marathon this weekend might find some time to play Horizon Something Something.

The fact they chose another game and not Marathon which has an upcoming stress test and is posed to be their next big launch already tells a whole lot.

@Titntin
Honestly, I think people don't know those studios enough to feel any kind of attachment, that's why nobody is talking about it. Also I think there's even a joke about closing studios in Montréal because it happens way too much.