I've been saying this (and asking this) ever since Spencer made the announcement, @OldGamer999. When they say the PlayStation logo will be on the trailer, do they mean for games that release day and date on both platforms? Do they intend the logo to be there for games releasing 6 months later? 12 months? Or does the absence of a logo mean it will never, ever be ported?
When you consider what Spencer said, he will left themselves will a huge amount of wiggle room, and left us gamers with a huge number of unanswered questions, which, of course, is what Microsoft do all the blasted time. How are you supposed to make an informed decision when you don't have all the answers...?
Really looking forward to RE9. I do like that they keep changing the formula and trying different things, so I am eager to see what they come up with...
Really looking forward to RE9. For me, they Summer Game Fest was bookended by two games that I particularly want (Mortal Shell 2 and RE9). Other than that, it was a pretty so-so effort with just a couple of highlights; Code Vein 2 is another one that I am looking forward too, as well as the Lies of P DLC (which I shall buy tomorrow) and Dying Light: The Beast, and of course Mindseye, which I already have on pre-order. Atomic Heart 2 looked pretty bonkers, so I must get round to playing the first game...
I wasn't talking about exclusives, @UltimateOtaku91, as you will see if you re-read my comments. I was talking about output, and indeed, what that output consisted of.
Microsoft are now basically a fully third-party publisher with a side-line in consoles (which they have little regard for now). I expect pretty much every game they show at their showcase to also have the PlayStation logo on it.
Regardless, that was not the point of what I was saying. What I was saying is that Sony's output is about half what it was during the PS3 era, and that most of that output has not actually been original / new games. I didn't mention Microsoft or Xbox, However, seems as you bring them up (for whatever reason) what I would say is that I expect 90% of what Microsoft show at their showcase to consist of new games, not remasters or re-releases. I also expect to see Microsoft release far more games that Sony, albeit that they do obviously have more studios, but less of a tendency to work with outside studios so in that respect it's half a dozen of one, and six of the other...
Sony released around 80 first-party games on the PS3, @ChrisDeku. They were of varying scales, but all first party, how many of them released within the first 5 years, I don't know, but if you average that over the 7 years that's roughly 11 games a year.
There have been around 30 exclusive games thus far in the first nigh on 5 years of the PS5, but not all them have been first-party, and a fair few of them have either been PS5 upgrades (4 games), or a remaster (8 games). Oh, and I include Concord and All Stars in that 30. There have been 18 new Sony games since the PS5 came out, and I include each iteration of MLB The Show, which accounts for 5 of the games. Regardless, with around 30 games, Sony are currently averaging 6 games a year, which by my reckoning means they are putting out about half as much as they used to.
That list includes:
New Games
Astro Bot
Firewall Ultra
God of War: Ragnarök
Gran Turismo 7
Helldivers 2
Horizon Forbidden West
Lego Horizon Adventures
Spiderman 2
Spiderman: Miles Morales (an expansion really)
MLB: The Show x 5
Nioh 2
Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart
Returnal
Ruse if the Ronin
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Re-releases
Death Stranding Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
The Nioh Collection
Uncharted Collection
Remasters
Days Gone
Demon Souls
Horizon Zero Dawn
Spiderman: Remastered
The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us Part 2
Until Dawn
Cancelled:
Concord
Destruction AllStars
Thus, you can be a defensive as you like over Sony's output, that is your right, but they are not providing the same sort of games, nor the at the same cadence as they used to.
Yes, they release some absolute bangers, but many of the games we enjoy as exclusive are not actually made by Sony, but published by them having been bought as exclusives...
I think from a standpoint of these are the games coming to the PlayStation, then yes, this was a decent showcase. However, this may as well have been a third-party showcase because there were very, very few actual PlayStation first-party games on show here. If you view it as a State of PlayStation then you would have to admit that it is in fact in a bit of a state!
Sony's push into Live Service content has allowed the well of first-party content to run dry. And to cap it off, Sony have then cancelled the vast, vast majority of those Live Service games too. Thus, even if Sony switched emphasis once again to non-Live Service games a couple of years ago, with games now taking 5-7 years to make, it is still going to be 3 or 4 years before we see the regular first-party drops that we were used to during the PS3 and PS4 eras.
Tis a bit of a sad state of affairs, truth be told, though at least I think we will be back on track (more or less) when the PS6 releases...
My biggest prediction is that pretty much everything shown or announced at the Xbox Showcase will also release on the PlayStation at the same time. Expect to see lots of those PlayStation logos on the Xbox games...
The showcase that I am most looking forward to is the PlayStation showcase on Sunday the 8th. It'll be presented by Phil Spencer, but regardless, you know we'll be getting all the games on the PlayStation day one too... 😉
It's a little unclear above, @AaronBayne. You talk about solo people queuing in order to play as a threesome, but can the game actually be played solo start to finish? Thanks...
You obviously don't read what I write very often then, @Titntin. 😉 I will always pick up on things like this when I see them, whether it is in the article or the responses. I always seek to correct what I believe to be wrong. In this instance, it is not the comparison alone, it is the missing context, that irks me...
Not a question of being defensive, @Titntin. I have stood up for fairness my entire life. It's what I did until I retired! Comparing this game to Doom on Steam, was not a fair comparison simply because of Game Pass. Had the article gone on to say that Doom had also released on Game Pass, I would have let it slide, but then the author would not have done that because then it would have shown it to be an unfair comparison, and the real point of that comment was to bash Doom or (more likely) Microsoft, because that plays to the crowd here on Push.
So am I alright? Absolutely! However, I will always stand up for truth and fairness, without that, the world descends into a free-for-all. And whilst someone putting up some kind of reasoning that actually gives clarity to the situation may not be the most popular thing to do on this site, as the saying goes, for evil to prevail it only takes the good to turn a blind eye... 😉
If you call an 8 out of 10 garbage, @PlatinumMikey, with a score of 85 on Metacritic, then I can only assume you barely play anything. Even on this site, 60% of people rated the game as 8 or above, and if you include the 7s (which consider the game to be Great) then that rises to 75% of people. And then on Steam the game is rated as Very Positive from 86% of over 12,000 reviews.
So it would seem that the game is far from garbage, but hey, you can dislike Microsoft as much as you like, and you are entirely within your rights to think that Doom: TDA is garbage, and I'm not going to tell you to think otherwise. However, the stats do tend to suggest otherwise... 😉
That's all true, @UltimateOtaku91. However, PC Game Pass has been growing steadily since Call of Duty arrived there last year. Indeed, it is the only part of the Service that is growing, but that is a whole other matter.
What we have seen is a steady influx of high quality games on the Game Pass since CoD last year, and this has drawn in a lot of new subscribers to the Service, particularly on PC. That is why so many more are playing Doom on Game Pass.
When Palworld, etc. released, PC Game Pass was not as popular as it is today. It is as simple as that...
It's a very disingenuous comparison to make between this and Doom, @get2sammyb. Doom is on Game Pass and that is where the vast majority of people played it, meaning that it was never going to do as well in the Steam charts. Had the game not been on the Game Pass, it would have likely figured far, far higher, and as a games journalist, I'm pretty sure you would know this. I get you want to play to the crowd, and that bashing Microsoft always plays well here, but it is a false comparison, and I'm sure you know it... 😉
Thank you, @LiamCroft! I was so disappointed when I missed out on the initial Collector's Edition for this game. So, I am immensely grateful to you for bringing to my attention that it is available to order once again. I have duly done so, am absolutely delighted... 😊
Looking forward to seeing what this is like as I have over 2000 hours in Horde on Gears 5 alone! That said, none of my mates have bought this game, so it looks like I'll be utilising the bots instead...
I guess the proof in the pudding, @lazarus11, is whether we see another Doom game. If it did too poorly to warrant another game, then we'll know soon enough.
Regardless, there are about 30 million Game Pass subscribers (not 35 million - and that number is falling on console (but that is a whole other story!)), and even if 2 million played it on Game Pass, that's still, at a lot of money made from subscribers. And this is just the first week.
Plus many people on the Xbox bought the Premium add-on, or outright bought the game (as I did), and yet more will play the game via Game Pass in the months and years to come. That's all money coming in, no matter what way you paint it. Without Game Pass, it would undoubtedly have sold more copies, but to dismiss the revenue that Game Pass brings in is an unwise thing to do. Game Pass has the tendency to suck people into it too; with people joining to play one game, and then continuing to subscribe to play something else. It's all revenue for Microsoft at the end of the day...
And what this means is that if three million people have played it, and two million of those played it on the Xbox, then it has sold at least one million copies, which is not to be sniffed at. Bear in mind also that those playing on the Xbox are also paying for Game Pass, so money will be earned that way, together with those that paid for the Premium Upgrade, and also those, like myself, who bought it on the Xbox (I bought the Collector's Edition).
All told, I would say that it has done pretty well thus far...
You could argue that it will come at the expense of single player games, @get2sammyb, if teams like Bend are taken off making single player games in order to make Live Service games...
Japan is one of those few countries that I have not been to that I would dearly have loved to. I once had a Japanese meal prepared for me in the Maldives (of all places!), and I forever fell in love with the cuisine. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever get to go now, and it is truly one of the biggest regrets of my life...
It honestly shocks me how surprised Ubisoft were that a game that releases in a good state, with few bugs, is something that will sell better than a game rushed out, bug laden and clearly in need of more time in the developmental oven. How can a company as big as Ubisoft not already know this? How can they possibly expect to realise decent profits on a game that ends up with rubbish reviews, and with people openly warning others off from buying it? That they were shocked when a game that receives good reviews and positive word of mouth, after having been delayed until it was in a good state, says all that is (was) wrong with Ubisoft and the games industry in general.
All we can hope it that all publishers see the difference that more time can make to their profits, and that they allow developers the necessary time to get their games right.
Personally, I really enjoyed the second game, and have played through it a few times now. That said, I said as soon as Ramsey was announced as Ellie that she was the wrong actress, and to me, there is no getting away from that. I thought she did a reasonable job in the first season (I don't think she is a bad actress), but not excellent, and whilst she looked the right age for the first game in the first season, she is far from right for the second. How the producers could not have foreseen this, I don't know.
I've said many times now that that when it came to the second season (and possibly the third) that there should have been brand new content separate from the game. This would have given more content for us to watch, and also allowed time for Ramsey to age (hopefully) so that in the third (or preferably fourth) season she looked old enough to represent the time jump more accurately. Why the producers felt the need to dive straight into making the second game, I have no idea. They have brought much of this criticism upon themselves both with their choice of actresses, and also their basically rushing through the game content. They could easily have had 5 or 6 seasons, but now they are more likely to be done in 3...
If the rumours are true, @LogicStrikesAgain, and Microsoft are in the process of making a high-end PC-lite console that could easily cost around £1000, I think it would make it such a niche product that there is no exclusive in the world that could make people choose to buy it for that reason alone.
No. I am 100% convinced that Microsoft are seeking the profits, and are now well aware that the biggest profits are to be made on the PlayStation. Yes, they are handing 30% to Sony, but better to have 70% than nothing from their own console except falling subscription numbers.
Let's face it, the only reason we are seeing one time Xbox exclusives on the PlayStation is because Microsoft are not making sufficient money through sales on the Xbox and PC via either direct game sales or subscription fees. If profits were healthy, they would have no need to look elsewhere.
Now you could argue that selling games on the PlayStation is extra profit, but then why not have a period of exclusivity on the Xbox first? Why port your games really quickly, or day one? Doom could have been a timed-exclusive, and the period of exclusivity for Indiana Jones could have been longer or permenant, but no, they want that profit now, not in a year or twos time. Clearly the way things are going on the Xbox is unsustainable, hence their rapid push into PlayStation territory...
Nope, @DzarkGaz. Not going to happen. Microsoft are making so much money from the PlayStation, that they have moved into overdrive with putting their games here. The Genie is out of the bottle, and it is not going back in.
Microsoft have found that there is much, much, much more money to be made on PlayStation than on their own platform, and with sales of their console being so weak, they won't look to change their current strategy now.
Next generation (if there is one) will see every single game that Microsoft release coming to the PlayStation, with most, if not all, games coming day and date too.
Why would Microsoft turn their back on easy money? They didn't get to be a trillion dollar company by making stupid decisions, and to try and put the exclusivity barrier around their console now would be a monumentally stupid decision....
Come on, @Titntin. You know me, and you know I was not bragging. However, that said, Diablo and CoD are now owned by Microsoft, and regardless of how they obtained them, it is Microsoft that are reaping the rewards from the sales, so I do not accept that point.
It was just a fun little comment because Xbox has historically been accused of having no games, so to be honest, to see even one in the 60 is still an achievement when you consider the thousands of games that are available to play.
Thus, from the following, when bought, the proceeds go to Microsoft:
1. Call of Duty: Vanguard
2. Crash Bandicoot
3. Diablo 2
4. Diablo 4
5. Dishonoured
6. Grounded
7. Pentiment
8. Psychonauts
9. Spyro
10. The Outer World
That, by my reckoning accounts for 16.6% of the games listed, which is pretty good for Microsoft, I would suggest.
It was meant as a light-hearted jest, not a brag, because as you well know, because we speak often, I think Microsoft have done the dirty on Xbox, and it won't be long before their consoles (and probably Game Pass) are but a distant memory. To my mind, Microsoft have absolutely nothing to brag about...
And you know what will happen, @Northern_munkey, everyone is saying I cannot play this game, or that game, because it runs at 30fps, and then GTA6 arrives at 30fps and they'll buy it regardless.
Any game that announces that it runs at 30fps, you see people left and right saying how they will not play it, but the truth is, they probably wouldn't have been playing the game anyway, yet the moment a game they really want to play rolls up, 30fps is suddenly no problem.
Something like this just exemplifies gamers double standards...
I disagree, @LifeGirl. It is dead as far as Xbox is concerned because they have surrendered, Their games have been on the PC day and date for years, and now they are putting them on the PlayStation too, and soon all their games from this generation will make the transition to the PS, and all their games will be day and date on the PS too. It's just a matter of time before that happens.
As for PlayStation, they will still pursue at the very least timed exclusivity. Xbox has only had one AAA timed exclusive this generation in S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2. In that same time, the PlayStation has had numerous third-party exclusives and timed exclusives.
PlayStation is hands down winning the console sales race this generation (as they did last generation), and so they can pursue third-party exclusives, whereas Microsoft cannot for the Xbox. Clearly the practice is working for Sony, and so they will double down on this in the future. Of this I have absolutely no doubt. Will they be timed-exclusives as opposed to wholly exclusive? Yes, most likely because game development is so expensive these days and those costs need to be recouped. However, I would be utterly gobsmacked it Sony gave up on having at least timed-exclusives...
They've done just the first game, @rjejr, so as to milk the franchise for everything it is worth on the PlayStation. In 4 to 6 months time, we will see Gears of War 2: Remastered, and then 4 or 6 months after that, the third game.
In August 2026 or August 2027, we will be getting Gears of War: E-Day too...
Not possible, @aj21009! No way could Microsoft sell more games because for years we have heard that Xbox has no games. How can they possibly sell what they do not have...? 😉
I'll be killing freakers by the dozen in Days Gone: Remastered. Loving the game just as I did back when it originally released back in 2019, and although I have not played it since, I seem to remember much of the story, which is striking to me because I have a terrible memory...
I appreciate that you want to show off the best of the best images, @get2sammy, and that they come with the Pro, but bearing in mind that the vast majority of us have a base model, wouldn't it be more relevant to more of us to show the sort of images most of us will see...?
I'm not sure eventually is the word I would use, @Neither_scene. I think Microsoft are already heading in that direction. Right now, in many Countries, you cannot even buy a new Xbox console, and although Microsoft have said their will be another generation to follow the Series, I'm starting to have my doubts, as everything is beginning to point in the direction of them leaving consoles in the dust, and becoming just a publisher...
This is the issue for me, @Medic_alert. What this video does, to my mind, is demonstrate that Microsoft is more interested in making advance to the PlayStation gamer, than they are the loyal Xbox gamer. This just feels like this Microsoft taking a further step away from the Xbox platform, and though it might be just a small step, it will eventually see them leave the Xbox console in the past, and Game Pass, as we know it will cease to exist, likely morphing into a first-party only service that may well find it huge market on the PlayStation...
Thank you, @ShogunRok. Do you continue playing the game (and thus review them) at home, or is it strictly a workplace thing? Or, does that also depend on how much you are enjoying the game? And, can you claim overtime if you continue working on your review by playing a game at home? 😂
Understood, @ShogunRok. Thank you. I'm always curious as to how a reviewer plays a game they are reviewing; do they play it as they would if they were playing the game for their own enjoyment at home, or do they rush through it and potentially miss much that a game has to offer...?
Really looking forward to this, and hoping it is up to the standards of the Reboot but better than Eternal, which was, for me, simply too frantic with too much platforming involved. Dark Ages looks far more like the type of Doom I will enjoy.
I have the Collector's Edition, and both the Elite and Standard Limited Edition controllers on pre-order, so to say that I am a fan of Doom is an understatement. I cannot wait to get by grubby mitts on it...
Comments 1,611
Re: Reminder: Look Out for PS5 Logos in Today's Xbox Showcase
I've been saying this (and asking this) ever since Spencer made the announcement, @OldGamer999. When they say the PlayStation logo will be on the trailer, do they mean for games that release day and date on both platforms? Do they intend the logo to be there for games releasing 6 months later? 12 months? Or does the absence of a logo mean it will never, ever be ported?
When you consider what Spencer said, he will left themselves will a huge amount of wiggle room, and left us gamers with a huge number of unanswered questions, which, of course, is what Microsoft do all the blasted time. How are you supposed to make an informed decision when you don't have all the answers...?
Re: Directive 8020 Will Let You Fix Your Bad Decisions with Turning Points on PS5
Really looking forward to this game. I thought the trailer was pretty decent...
Re: Resident Evil Requiem Revealed, Out on 27th February 2026
Really looking forward to RE9. I do like that they keep changing the formula and trying different things, so I am eager to see what they come up with...
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced at Summer Game Fest 2025?
Really looking forward to RE9. For me, they Summer Game Fest was bookended by two games that I particularly want (Mortal Shell 2 and RE9). Other than that, it was a pretty so-so effort with just a couple of highlights; Code Vein 2 is another one that I am looking forward too, as well as the Lies of P DLC (which I shall buy tomorrow) and Dying Light: The Beast, and of course Mindseye, which I already have on pre-order. Atomic Heart 2 looked pretty bonkers, so I must get round to playing the first game...
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced During Sony's State of Play Livestream for June 2025?
I wasn't talking about exclusives, @UltimateOtaku91, as you will see if you re-read my comments. I was talking about output, and indeed, what that output consisted of.
Microsoft are now basically a fully third-party publisher with a side-line in consoles (which they have little regard for now). I expect pretty much every game they show at their showcase to also have the PlayStation logo on it.
Regardless, that was not the point of what I was saying. What I was saying is that Sony's output is about half what it was during the PS3 era, and that most of that output has not actually been original / new games. I didn't mention Microsoft or Xbox, However, seems as you bring them up (for whatever reason) what I would say is that I expect 90% of what Microsoft show at their showcase to consist of new games, not remasters or re-releases. I also expect to see Microsoft release far more games that Sony, albeit that they do obviously have more studios, but less of a tendency to work with outside studios so in that respect it's half a dozen of one, and six of the other...
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced During Sony's State of Play Livestream for June 2025?
Sony released around 80 first-party games on the PS3, @ChrisDeku. They were of varying scales, but all first party, how many of them released within the first 5 years, I don't know, but if you average that over the 7 years that's roughly 11 games a year.
There have been around 30 exclusive games thus far in the first nigh on 5 years of the PS5, but not all them have been first-party, and a fair few of them have either been PS5 upgrades (4 games), or a remaster (8 games). Oh, and I include Concord and All Stars in that 30. There have been 18 new Sony games since the PS5 came out, and I include each iteration of MLB The Show, which accounts for 5 of the games. Regardless, with around 30 games, Sony are currently averaging 6 games a year, which by my reckoning means they are putting out about half as much as they used to.
That list includes:
New Games
Astro Bot
Firewall Ultra
God of War: Ragnarök
Gran Turismo 7
Helldivers 2
Horizon Forbidden West
Lego Horizon Adventures
Spiderman 2
Spiderman: Miles Morales (an expansion really)
MLB: The Show x 5
Nioh 2
Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart
Returnal
Ruse if the Ronin
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Re-releases
Death Stranding Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
The Nioh Collection
Uncharted Collection
Remasters
Days Gone
Demon Souls
Horizon Zero Dawn
Spiderman: Remastered
The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us Part 2
Until Dawn
Cancelled:
Concord
Destruction AllStars
Thus, you can be a defensive as you like over Sony's output, that is your right, but they are not providing the same sort of games, nor the at the same cadence as they used to.
Yes, they release some absolute bangers, but many of the games we enjoy as exclusive are not actually made by Sony, but published by them having been bought as exclusives...
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced During Sony's State of Play Livestream for June 2025?
I think from a standpoint of these are the games coming to the PlayStation, then yes, this was a decent showcase. However, this may as well have been a third-party showcase because there were very, very few actual PlayStation first-party games on show here. If you view it as a State of PlayStation then you would have to admit that it is in fact in a bit of a state!
Sony's push into Live Service content has allowed the well of first-party content to run dry. And to cap it off, Sony have then cancelled the vast, vast majority of those Live Service games too. Thus, even if Sony switched emphasis once again to non-Live Service games a couple of years ago, with games now taking 5-7 years to make, it is still going to be 3 or 4 years before we see the regular first-party drops that we were used to during the PS3 and PS4 eras.
Tis a bit of a sad state of affairs, truth be told, though at least I think we will be back on track (more or less) when the PS6 releases...
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your PS5 Predictions for Summer Game Fest 2025?
My biggest prediction is that pretty much everything shown or announced at the Xbox Showcase will also release on the PlayStation at the same time. Expect to see lots of those PlayStation logos on the Xbox games...
Re: When Is Summer Game Fest 2025?
The showcase that I am most looking forward to is the PlayStation showcase on Sunday the 8th. It'll be presented by Phil Spencer, but regardless, you know we'll be getting all the games on the PlayStation day one too... 😉
Re: Elden Ring Nightreign (PS5) - A Ruthless Roguelike Reinvention of the Lands Between
It's a little unclear above, @AaronBayne. You talk about solo people queuing in order to play as a threesome, but can the game actually be played solo start to finish? Thanks...
Re: Hundreds of Thousands Living a Fantasy Life in Level-5's Grand Return
You obviously don't read what I write very often then, @Titntin. 😉 I will always pick up on things like this when I see them, whether it is in the article or the responses. I always seek to correct what I believe to be wrong. In this instance, it is not the comparison alone, it is the missing context, that irks me...
Re: Hundreds of Thousands Living a Fantasy Life in Level-5's Grand Return
Not a question of being defensive, @Titntin. I have stood up for fairness my entire life. It's what I did until I retired! Comparing this game to Doom on Steam, was not a fair comparison simply because of Game Pass. Had the article gone on to say that Doom had also released on Game Pass, I would have let it slide, but then the author would not have done that because then it would have shown it to be an unfair comparison, and the real point of that comment was to bash Doom or (more likely) Microsoft, because that plays to the crowd here on Push.
So am I alright? Absolutely! However, I will always stand up for truth and fairness, without that, the world descends into a free-for-all. And whilst someone putting up some kind of reasoning that actually gives clarity to the situation may not be the most popular thing to do on this site, as the saying goes, for evil to prevail it only takes the good to turn a blind eye... 😉
Re: Hundreds of Thousands Living a Fantasy Life in Level-5's Grand Return
If you call an 8 out of 10 garbage, @PlatinumMikey, with a score of 85 on Metacritic, then I can only assume you barely play anything. Even on this site, 60% of people rated the game as 8 or above, and if you include the 7s (which consider the game to be Great) then that rises to 75% of people. And then on Steam the game is rated as Very Positive from 86% of over 12,000 reviews.
So it would seem that the game is far from garbage, but hey, you can dislike Microsoft as much as you like, and you are entirely within your rights to think that Doom: TDA is garbage, and I'm not going to tell you to think otherwise. However, the stats do tend to suggest otherwise... 😉
Re: Hundreds of Thousands Living a Fantasy Life in Level-5's Grand Return
That's all true, @UltimateOtaku91. However, PC Game Pass has been growing steadily since Call of Duty arrived there last year. Indeed, it is the only part of the Service that is growing, but that is a whole other matter.
What we have seen is a steady influx of high quality games on the Game Pass since CoD last year, and this has drawn in a lot of new subscribers to the Service, particularly on PC. That is why so many more are playing Doom on Game Pass.
When Palworld, etc. released, PC Game Pass was not as popular as it is today. It is as simple as that...
Re: Hundreds of Thousands Living a Fantasy Life in Level-5's Grand Return
It's a very disingenuous comparison to make between this and Doom, @get2sammyb. Doom is on Game Pass and that is where the vast majority of people played it, meaning that it was never going to do as well in the Steam charts. Had the game not been on the Game Pass, it would have likely figured far, far higher, and as a games journalist, I'm pretty sure you would know this. I get you want to play to the crowd, and that bashing Microsoft always plays well here, but it is a false comparison, and I'm sure you know it... 😉
Re: Mortal Kombat 1 Dev Finished with PS5 Fighter, Moving to Next Project
You have a typo in the final paragraph, @get2sammyb. FRUSTRATING instead of FRUSTRATED... 👍
Re: After Pre-Launch Sellout, Expedition 33 Offers Collector's Edition Content Standalone
Thank you, @LiamCroft! I was so disappointed when I missed out on the initial Collector's Edition for this game. So, I am immensely grateful to you for bringing to my attention that it is available to order once again. I have duly done so, am absolutely delighted... 😊
Re: Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2's Free Horde Mode Deploys in June
Looking forward to seeing what this is like as I have over 2000 hours in Horde on Gears 5 alone! That said, none of my mates have bought this game, so it looks like I'll be utilising the bots instead...
Re: DOOM: The Dark Ages Attracts 3 Million Players, Over 2 Million Estimated on Xbox
I guess the proof in the pudding, @lazarus11, is whether we see another Doom game. If it did too poorly to warrant another game, then we'll know soon enough.
Regardless, there are about 30 million Game Pass subscribers (not 35 million - and that number is falling on console (but that is a whole other story!)), and even if 2 million played it on Game Pass, that's still, at a lot of money made from subscribers. And this is just the first week.
Plus many people on the Xbox bought the Premium add-on, or outright bought the game (as I did), and yet more will play the game via Game Pass in the months and years to come. That's all money coming in, no matter what way you paint it. Without Game Pass, it would undoubtedly have sold more copies, but to dismiss the revenue that Game Pass brings in is an unwise thing to do. Game Pass has the tendency to suck people into it too; with people joining to play one game, and then continuing to subscribe to play something else. It's all revenue for Microsoft at the end of the day...
Re: DOOM: The Dark Ages Attracts 3 Million Players, Over 2 Million Estimated on Xbox
In one week when it is also available on Game Pass where most people will play it, @lazarus11. Yes, I do...
Re: DOOM: The Dark Ages Attracts 3 Million Players, Over 2 Million Estimated on Xbox
And what this means is that if three million people have played it, and two million of those played it on the Xbox, then it has sold at least one million copies, which is not to be sniffed at. Bear in mind also that those playing on the Xbox are also paying for Game Pass, so money will be earned that way, together with those that paid for the Premium Upgrade, and also those, like myself, who bought it on the Xbox (I bought the Collector's Edition).
All told, I would say that it has done pretty well thus far...
Re: Beloved Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes $70, $80 Games Are a Steal
Enough with the sensible comments, @UltimateOtaku91. You know how I love to disagree with you... 😂
Re: Like It or Loathe It, This Is Why Sony Won't Stop Trying to Make Live Service Games for PS5
You could argue that it will come at the expense of single player games, @get2sammyb, if teams like Bend are taken off making single player games in order to make Live Service games...
Re: Ghost of Yotei Dev: As Americans, We Knew How Ignorant We Were of Japanese Culture
Japan is one of those few countries that I have not been to that I would dearly have loved to. I once had a Japanese meal prepared for me in the Maldives (of all places!), and I forever fell in love with the cuisine. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever get to go now, and it is truly one of the biggest regrets of my life...
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Can't Stop the Ubisoft Rot of Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant
It honestly shocks me how surprised Ubisoft were that a game that releases in a good state, with few bugs, is something that will sell better than a game rushed out, bug laden and clearly in need of more time in the developmental oven. How can a company as big as Ubisoft not already know this? How can they possibly expect to realise decent profits on a game that ends up with rubbish reviews, and with people openly warning others off from buying it? That they were shocked when a game that receives good reviews and positive word of mouth, after having been delayed until it was in a good state, says all that is (was) wrong with Ubisoft and the games industry in general.
All we can hope it that all publishers see the difference that more time can make to their profits, and that they allow developers the necessary time to get their games right.
That said, I won't hold my breath...
Re: The Precinct (PS5) - GTA-Style Sandbox Is a Dynamic, Addictive Cop Movie Homage
Every patrol is different, and although tedium does start to set in as the campaign approaches its conclusion
As a retired cop myself, @ShogunRok, this sounds like most shifts I worked!
Really looking forward to playing this. See if I feel like I'm recapturing some of my past glories... 😂
Re: Just Like the Game, The Last of Us 2's TV Adaptation Is Getting Review Bombed
Personally, I really enjoyed the second game, and have played through it a few times now. That said, I said as soon as Ramsey was announced as Ellie that she was the wrong actress, and to me, there is no getting away from that. I thought she did a reasonable job in the first season (I don't think she is a bad actress), but not excellent, and whilst she looked the right age for the first game in the first season, she is far from right for the second. How the producers could not have foreseen this, I don't know.
I've said many times now that that when it came to the second season (and possibly the third) that there should have been brand new content separate from the game. This would have given more content for us to watch, and also allowed time for Ramsey to age (hopefully) so that in the third (or preferably fourth) season she looked old enough to represent the time jump more accurately. Why the producers felt the need to dive straight into making the second game, I have no idea. They have brought much of this criticism upon themselves both with their choice of actresses, and also their basically rushing through the game content. They could easily have had 5 or 6 seasons, but now they are more likely to be done in 3...
Re: The FTC Is Still Fighting Microsoft's Activision Buyout, and It's Not Going Well
If the rumours are true, @LogicStrikesAgain, and Microsoft are in the process of making a high-end PC-lite console that could easily cost around £1000, I think it would make it such a niche product that there is no exclusive in the world that could make people choose to buy it for that reason alone.
No. I am 100% convinced that Microsoft are seeking the profits, and are now well aware that the biggest profits are to be made on the PlayStation. Yes, they are handing 30% to Sony, but better to have 70% than nothing from their own console except falling subscription numbers.
Let's face it, the only reason we are seeing one time Xbox exclusives on the PlayStation is because Microsoft are not making sufficient money through sales on the Xbox and PC via either direct game sales or subscription fees. If profits were healthy, they would have no need to look elsewhere.
Now you could argue that selling games on the PlayStation is extra profit, but then why not have a period of exclusivity on the Xbox first? Why port your games really quickly, or day one? Doom could have been a timed-exclusive, and the period of exclusivity for Indiana Jones could have been longer or permenant, but no, they want that profit now, not in a year or twos time. Clearly the way things are going on the Xbox is unsustainable, hence their rapid push into PlayStation territory...
Re: The FTC Is Still Fighting Microsoft's Activision Buyout, and It's Not Going Well
Nope, @DzarkGaz. Not going to happen. Microsoft are making so much money from the PlayStation, that they have moved into overdrive with putting their games here. The Genie is out of the bottle, and it is not going back in.
Microsoft have found that there is much, much, much more money to be made on PlayStation than on their own platform, and with sales of their console being so weak, they won't look to change their current strategy now.
Next generation (if there is one) will see every single game that Microsoft release coming to the PlayStation, with most, if not all, games coming day and date too.
Why would Microsoft turn their back on easy money? They didn't get to be a trillion dollar company by making stupid decisions, and to try and put the exclusivity barrier around their console now would be a monumentally stupid decision....
Re: 60+ PS5, PS4 Games You Should Buy in PS Store's Next Level Savings Sale
Come on, @Titntin. You know me, and you know I was not bragging. However, that said, Diablo and CoD are now owned by Microsoft, and regardless of how they obtained them, it is Microsoft that are reaping the rewards from the sales, so I do not accept that point.
It was just a fun little comment because Xbox has historically been accused of having no games, so to be honest, to see even one in the 60 is still an achievement when you consider the thousands of games that are available to play.
Thus, from the following, when bought, the proceeds go to Microsoft:
1. Call of Duty: Vanguard
2. Crash Bandicoot
3. Diablo 2
4. Diablo 4
5. Dishonoured
6. Grounded
7. Pentiment
8. Psychonauts
9. Spyro
10. The Outer World
That, by my reckoning accounts for 16.6% of the games listed, which is pretty good for Microsoft, I would suggest.
It was meant as a light-hearted jest, not a brag, because as you well know, because we speak often, I think Microsoft have done the dirty on Xbox, and it won't be long before their consoles (and probably Game Pass) are but a distant memory. To my mind, Microsoft have absolutely nothing to brag about...
Re: Rockstar Silences the Sceptics, Confirms GTA 6 Trailer Was a Mix of Gameplay and Cutscenes on Base PS5
And you know what will happen, @Northern_munkey, everyone is saying I cannot play this game, or that game, because it runs at 30fps, and then GTA6 arrives at 30fps and they'll buy it regardless.
Any game that announces that it runs at 30fps, you see people left and right saying how they will not play it, but the truth is, they probably wouldn't have been playing the game anyway, yet the moment a game they really want to play rolls up, 30fps is suddenly no problem.
Something like this just exemplifies gamers double standards...
Re: 60+ PS5, PS4 Games You Should Buy in PS Store's Next Level Savings Sale
Removed
Re: Unsurprisingly, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Future May Not Be PS5 Exclusive
I agree with everything you say, @Rich33...
Re: Unsurprisingly, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Future May Not Be PS5 Exclusive
I disagree, @LifeGirl. It is dead as far as Xbox is concerned because they have surrendered, Their games have been on the PC day and date for years, and now they are putting them on the PlayStation too, and soon all their games from this generation will make the transition to the PS, and all their games will be day and date on the PS too. It's just a matter of time before that happens.
As for PlayStation, they will still pursue at the very least timed exclusivity. Xbox has only had one AAA timed exclusive this generation in S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2. In that same time, the PlayStation has had numerous third-party exclusives and timed exclusives.
PlayStation is hands down winning the console sales race this generation (as they did last generation), and so they can pursue third-party exclusives, whereas Microsoft cannot for the Xbox. Clearly the practice is working for Sony, and so they will double down on this in the future. Of this I have absolutely no doubt. Will they be timed-exclusives as opposed to wholly exclusive? Yes, most likely because game development is so expensive these days and those costs need to be recouped. However, I would be utterly gobsmacked it Sony gave up on having at least timed-exclusives...
Re: Gears of War: Reloaded Remasters the Original Game This August, Confirmed for PS5
They've done just the first game, @rjejr, so as to milk the franchise for everything it is worth on the PlayStation. In 4 to 6 months time, we will see Gears of War 2: Remastered, and then 4 or 6 months after that, the third game.
In August 2026 or August 2027, we will be getting Gears of War: E-Day too...
Re: Gears of War: Reloaded Remasters the Original Game This August, Confirmed for PS5
Not possible, @aj21009! No way could Microsoft sell more games because for years we have heard that Xbox has no games. How can they possibly sell what they do not have...? 😉
Re: Expedition 33 Is Increasing in Popularity with Each Successive Week
Really looking forward to playing this. Just need to finish Days Gone: Remastered first...
Re: PS5 Exclusive Ghost of Yotei Rockets Right to the Top of PS Store Pre-Order Charts
I've managed to pre-order the Collector's Edition. Really looking forward to playing this...
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 579
I'll be killing freakers by the dozen in Days Gone: Remastered. Loving the game just as I did back when it originally released back in 2019, and although I have not played it since, I seem to remember much of the story, which is striking to me because I have a terrible memory...
Re: Days Gone PS5 Is a 'Really Good Piece of Work', Say Tech Experts
Thank you, @get2sammyb. I meant no malice in my comment...
Re: Days Gone PS5 Is a 'Really Good Piece of Work', Say Tech Experts
I appreciate that you want to show off the best of the best images, @get2sammy, and that they come with the Pro, but bearing in mind that the vast majority of us have a base model, wouldn't it be more relevant to more of us to show the sort of images most of us will see...?
Re: UK Sales Charts: Expedition 33 Debuts in Second Place, Almost All Sales for PS5 Version
I'm not sure eventually is the word I would use, @Neither_scene. I think Microsoft are already heading in that direction. Right now, in many Countries, you cannot even buy a new Xbox console, and although Microsoft have said their will be another generation to follow the Series, I'm starting to have my doubts, as everything is beginning to point in the direction of them leaving consoles in the dust, and becoming just a publisher...
Re: A PS5 Exclusive DOOM: The Dark Ages Trailer Isn't Sitting Well with Xbox Fans
This is the issue for me, @Medic_alert. What this video does, to my mind, is demonstrate that Microsoft is more interested in making advance to the PlayStation gamer, than they are the loyal Xbox gamer. This just feels like this Microsoft taking a further step away from the Xbox platform, and though it might be just a small step, it will eventually see them leave the Xbox console in the past, and Game Pass, as we know it will cease to exist, likely morphing into a first-party only service that may well find it huge market on the PlayStation...
Re: Oblivion Remastered: Everything New and All Changes Compared to the Original Oblivion
Thank you, @ShogunRok. Do you continue playing the game (and thus review them) at home, or is it strictly a workplace thing? Or, does that also depend on how much you are enjoying the game? And, can you claim overtime if you continue working on your review by playing a game at home? 😂
Re: Oblivion Remastered: Everything New and All Changes Compared to the Original Oblivion
Understood, @ShogunRok. Thank you. I'm always curious as to how a reviewer plays a game they are reviewing; do they play it as they would if they were playing the game for their own enjoyment at home, or do they rush through it and potentially miss much that a game has to offer...?
Re: Oblivion Remastered: Everything New and All Changes Compared to the Original Oblivion
Have you had a review copy for long, @ShogunRok? Or are you starting today like the rest of us...?
Re: DOOM: The Dark Ages Doubles Down on Story in Badass New Gameplay Trailer
Really looking forward to this, and hoping it is up to the standards of the Reboot but better than Eternal, which was, for me, simply too frantic with too much platforming involved. Dark Ages looks far more like the type of Doom I will enjoy.
I have the Collector's Edition, and both the Elite and Standard Limited Edition controllers on pre-order, so to say that I am a fan of Doom is an understatement. I cannot wait to get by grubby mitts on it...
Re: Star Wars Zero Company Is XCOM Meets Clone Wars, Comes to PS5 in 2026
Very much my type of game. Really looking forward to this one...
Re: Stellar Blade's Hyper-Realistic $3,600 Statues Sold Out in Minutes
Thank you, @REALAIS...
Re: Stellar Blade's Hyper-Realistic $3,600 Statues Sold Out in Minutes
How tall are they?