That's actually smart from them.
Kadokawa has plenty of business ventures that are not exactly raking money. So selling anime and gaming business only makes absolutely no sense for them since they are biggest moneymaker. Keeping rest only and they will be left with just bad business outlook.
So it's boom or bust. On the other hand if Sony actually bought them they would likely try to get rid of those unprofitable business ventures. Which means pretty substantial layoffs. Which would be hard since Japanese labour laws are pretty unforgiving.
@ChrisDeku "and that’s the worst performing CoD in like a decade."
You have a source for that info? Because last time I checked, MW3 performed worse than MW2 (obviously, since that game broke all records), but it still sold better than Vanguard, for example. And Vanguard came out 2021 if I remember correctly.
Also, MW3 was developed in 18 months, so despite worse sales, ROI must have been pretty good for ABK. But that's besides the point.
"It’s meaningless in any wider discussion of the game." Bro, main audience for COD is US. It imperative for COD games to perform good in US, because that's literally the key to success.
@ChrisDeku BO6 is already third best selling game in 2024 in US, despite being on the market for 6 days (since chart was created at the end of october)
@themightyant Yes, BO6 is part of COD HQ, but it's dumb to think that Activision can't track number of players/playtime/number of matches in separate clients inside HQ. Since they can track...anything.
What we know
BO6 was easily best selling game in October and it already shot to third place of best selling games in 2024 (despite it releasing on 25th) just behind EA Sports College Football and Helldivers 2 (in US)
sales of BO6 were 23% higher than MW3 despite it's inclusion in Game Pass
in Europe, sales of BO6 were 6% higher than MW3, but 28% lower than MW2. But of course there is Game Pass factor to consider
BO6 created record in number of 24 hours signups to Game Pass in history of service
sub services (primarily Game Pass) grew up 16% YoY in US thanks to Black Ops 6
more than half of Xbox console users in US played Black Ops 6 during October. 38% of PS users in US played BO6 in October. According to Circana, no game usually crosses 30% mark.
Is it really that hard to think that BO6 really achieved records in number of players, played hours and number of matches based on this evidence?
@KyushuTrail It's probably the fact that core gaming community on this website (and many more) just talks about how bad COD is and how nobody is playing it. Meanwhile COD games are best sellers every year.
@MrMagic ...you (conveniently) forgot to mention that majority of those games are from 2017 or even sooner, when Steam wasn't as big as it is now. Also, I counted 7 LEGO games with 5k+ peak CCU on Steam. Which is almost 10x more than LEGO Horizon Adventures managed to pull.
Like...nobody expected game to hit Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga numbers. But I expected at least 5K CCU considering Horizon is pretty big franchise and Steam has 100+million MAU...
@PuppetMaster Pretending like PC audience don't care about LEGO games is pretty disingenuous. Especially since LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga hit 82k peak on Steam.
And even way less popular LEGO games got to 4-8k CCU range. So no matter how you slice it, 600 CCU is pitiful performance.
@colonelkilgore Considering Sony sent devkits to devs at the start of the year and AAA games takes 5-6 years to develop....you will encounter games with "PS5 Pro in mind" in time when PS6 will come out...
We are still getting games that are based on PS4. And it is year of our Lord 2024. 4 years after PS5 came out.
@bighal Maybe the problem is your thinking that reason why Microsoft bought ABK was to increase Xbox console marketshare... Especially when they offered a contract to confirm COD releases on other platforms...
It's hilarious that people think that Microsoft cares about stagnating market where even Sony can't increase their position in.
If Microsoft cared about their console marketshare, they would never started porting their games on other systems.
Well. They fired more than 1000 people and shut down one studio (London Studio, because Firewalk and Neon Koi happened in current quarter). So obviously their bottom line will look better.
There is literally no downside to make this port. RTS on console is niche genre. Nobody will buy a console brand "because they have RTS games." So it's essentially free money for Microsoft since they don't have competition in this space.
I expect Age of Empires 4 and Age of Mythology Retold to follow.
@Rob_230 How it would be better exactly?
How it would be smart for Microsoft to say "all first-party games will come to PlayStation 5 12 months after Xbox release?" What if they then decide that it won't happen? People will then bitch that they cancelled their plans.
By keeping things internal, they are allowing themselves flexibility. They can adapt to numbers and situation on the market. If you will say something definitive, people will hold you to that promise. I would argue it's dumbest thing they can do.
And if you are Xbox user (PC or console), why do you even need to know that? You are 100% getting all first-party games and into Game Pass. Xbox has no obligation towards PlayStation users. They will get games Microsoft will decide they are going to get in time Microsoft will decide is appropriate. If you are "switching platforms" you can burn yourself. But it's your problem at the end of the day.
It's same thing with Sony and PC ports. PC players expect that all games will come, but there is no 100% guarantee (like Demon's Souls for example). So they just need to wait. Sometimes it's 1 year, sometimes it's day one, sometimes it's never. Because Sony has no obligations toward PC players.
Sometimes I have a feeling that "all Xbox games will come to PlayStation" is statement that PlayStation fans are wishing into existence and projecting onto Xbox. Because Xbox have never said that. They just said "more games will come." Which is kinda huge difference.
@get2sammyb Obviously They are betting that they can get additional revenue from releasing games on other platforms while keeping their console audience at least intact. That's why ports are coming slowly. Because they need to observe and learn.
That's why you will never hear definitive "all games will sooner or later come to PlayStation," because even Microsoft doesn't know. I would not be surprised if they didn't currently know if they will release The Elder Scrolls VI on PlayStation 5 day one.
And for this exact reason I'm baffled by people who thinks that it's given that all Xbox games will come to PlayStation, like it's a sure thing.
Well. It's their choice of course. But I would rather play tight story-driven shooter with incredible atmosphere as opposed to bloated open world with bad story (i'm sorry, but Forbidden West story was just bad).
And I noticed several people doubting statement, that digital is way more prevalent on Xbox as opposed to PlayStation.
Here is your proof.
But I disagree with a statement that this is a reason why PS5 Pro is shipping without disc drive.
PS5 Pro is without disc drive because:
A: Price of console would be insane 899€ (in Europe at least). It's just easier to market 799€ console as oppose to 899€ console. Especially since Sony got a lot of ***** even for 799€.
B: Sony wants to test market reaction - how many people will actually buy a disc drive. Yes, PS5 had version without drive, but since PS5 in first few years on market was on short supply, people bought a version that they could get their hands on. Not which preference they have.
I fully expect that PS6 will be also released without BD drive, but players will be able to buy one and plug it same way as they do with PS5 Slim/PS5 Pro
It's kinda insane that people are impatient enough to wait few days. Clearly it's working and publishers are exploiting that.
It's also funny, how this is working with Microsoft and Game Pass. Yes, you get day one first-party games, but you kinda don't since several of them (like Starfield last year, Age of Mythology and Indy this year) have Early Access period tied to premium edition upgrades. So you are both paying for the game (around 30 bucks) and you are also paying for subscription. Kinda genius. But in evil way.
But it is what it is. People showed that they are willing to pay for that *****, so publishers will continue to do it. It's our fault a the end of the day.
@NattyKing I haven't bring up Xbox once time. I just said that Sony will have hard time hitting their 18 million PS5 sold guidance if sales will continue this trend.
So, I don't know if you are just dumb, or you need to talk about Xbox all the time...
@NattyKing So? I can't remember that Xbox issued a guidance about sales of hardware for fiscal year
It's hilarious that every time when people are talking about fact that PS5 is selling worse and worse than PS4, other will counter with same old "but what about Xbox muh?"
Yeah. I truly doubt Sony will hit their 18 million target for this fiscal year, unless some kind of miracle will happen. The are currently sitting at around 4,7 million console sold since april. So they need to sell more than 13 million PS5 consoles from september to march.
People who think that Sony don't need PC platform are just delusional at this point.
You know that majority of sales of fastest selling PS Studio games (Helldivers 2) were on PC, right? Yes, not every game will be hit on PC. And mainly games like Until Dawn are not exactly popular on platform. But it's still worth it.
Also. It's just math. PS5 is already selling slower than PS4. Game budgets are doubling or tripling. Where do you think Sony will find required growth? I can assure you that it won't be on consoles, because consoles are not growing.
But if you think that it's financially viable to expect polished story-driven games with 300 million development budget, which are selling to the shrinking console audience, you should maybe visit math class. If you want to have those games with same quality and without MTXs, PC release is a must.
@Fartingale It's not only a "rename" though. Whole management layer of 343 was fired in 2022 and if you checked a list of devs from Halo Infinite vs. now (in senior positions) there are only a few from "old guard" who are still there.
So it's basically a new studio. And veterans who stayed from 343 are basically guys who "saved" MCC after disastrous launch, like Hintze or Szlagor.
@Waluigi451 Well. Because like every company, Epic overstretched during pandemic. It doesn't matter if you earn 1 billion from Fortnite, if your expenses are 1,2 billion (for example).
Like. Unreal Engine and Fortnite are basically funding entire operation of Epic Games, which isn't small.
I'm pretty certain that Epic is loosing money in a big way on Epic Games Store for example.
It would be hilarious how all the people "Series S will hold generation back" will somehow be okay with PlayStation handheld holding next generation back.
Because let's be real. If Sony is making a handheld, there is no chance it would be as powerful as home console.
@UltimateOtaku91 Horizon games have benefit of being developed in Netherlands (mainly) where developer pay is way lower than in USA. According to Glassdoor, median salary for Game dev in Netherlands is 55K € per year. Average salary for game dev in Seattle (where Firewalk is located) is 134k $ per year.
And let's not forget that "balooning part" of game developer budgets happened in last 4-5 years. TLOU 2 was released in 2020 and it was part of that "old price" for development.
Main reason is delayed porting on part of Sony. Because you have waited 2 years, hype kinda vanished. Obviously. Also, Ragnarok is just "more of the same" and it isn't held in same high regard as original in hindsight. Same thing happened with Forbidden West and same thing will happen with Spider-Man 2.
62 vs 29 million is not 3:1. If my math is correct. Split seems almost the same as last gen, where Sony sold 117 million of PS4 and Xbox selling 57 million of Xbox One.
Which honestly isn't that bad for Microsoft. Especially when you consider fact that at the start of Xbox One gen they have pretty okayish first-party lineup (which they didn't have this time) and they were not releasing their games on PC day one, like today.
Xbox today is ecosystem which you can enter in different ways. Cloud, PC Game Pass, buying their games on Steam, buying a console. So still selling almost 30 mil. is okay. Not bombastic, but not terrible.
Also, I need to point out that this graph is estimates. Estimates based on hardware revenue (which Microsoft is reporting every quarter) is talking about 32 million Xbox Series consoles sold.
I tend to agree. I switched from PC to consoles in around 2015 because PC was just too time-consuming.
But. (Big but). One of the reason, was financial affordability of consoles compared to PC. But when I look at price of PS5 Pro, I really doubt that PS6 will cost less than 699€. In that price-point I'm just better with building a PC.
Do you think that sentiment around Concord wasn't positive? I mean. Sony bought entire studio for that game. Of course they evaluated that game and I'm sure they have positive sentiment around it. And how it ended up? Game that was taken offline in less than 2 weeks.
@kuu_nousee No. Because you are blabbing about blanket statement. Fact that Schreier wants one doesn't mean that Microsoft should provide one.
I will repeat. It's dumb as hell giving public blanket statements about "where you can play our games" when even Xbox currently isn't sure how extensive their port work will be.
I'm sure it would be perceived nicely if Spencer said that "every game will eventually come to PS5" and then he just pivoted away from that strategy. We saw how PlayStation peeps took nicely Starfield's exclusivity.
And mainly, general public doesn't care about any of this *****. College Football 25 came out with huge surge of new Xbox consoles sold despite fact that Microsoft started porting their games on competing platforms. So, what exactly would be the point addressing fact that Schreier and some other journos are confused?
@kuu_nousee "But it could very much be true internally at Xbox and more dire than we know" - that's just your assumption to fit your "statement"
People who predicted PS5/Switch ports of Xbox games (NateTheHate, Tom Warren etc.) are specifically talking about "some" games, not "all" games. So if I had to choose if I want to believe your assumption or guys who proved that they know more than regular Joe, you know what I would choose.
They are not in financial hole, lol. It's Microsoft for God's sake. They have more money than God. Reason why they are porting games is simple as stated by CFO of Microsoft - they want to increase profitability of Xbox division to the range of other Microsoft's division. Which is 20+%. Just to illustrate, PlayStation division had under 10% profit margins last two quarters. And since they can't grow console userbase (which also Sony can't do because console audience is stagnating for last two generations), their only options was to bet on cloud (which is currently not growing as much as they would like), or increase sales of software on other platforms. Which they are doing.
"We are continuing to learn" is pretty obvious statement. They are figuring out a way how to keep Xbox console userbase stable, while also extracting as much money as possible from other sources (like PlayStation sales). And they are currently happy, because as Phil said, they have most monthly console users in history of Xbox. But if they will find negative trends as a direct result of porting games, they can pivot their strategy. Which they can't do if they states that every game will eventually come to PlayStation. It's the reason why you will never hear blanket statement. Same as you never see blanket statements from Sony regarding porting of their games on PC. Because strategy is shifting thanks to data you receive by every game you port.
@kuu_nousee But that's just ***** statement. Because it's just plainly not true. Even people who knows (like Tom Warren from The Verge) and who informed public about Project Latitude (program to port games to other consoles) are saying that it still be "select games" going to other consoles and not "all games"
Of course, that can change in future, but currently statement you created "for Spencer" is just lies.
And that's primary reason why statements like this can't be provided in a first place. Because it's highly dynamic situation that can change in a whim. Promising "all games will eventually come" is a dumb way to put yourself in a corner.
And mainly. Why on earth would they do such a thing. They have no obligation towards PlayStation users. They are just throwing them a bone after their main audience (PC a Xbox players) are done with those games to increase margins of Xbox division. Nothing more, nothing less.
Comments 751
Re: Your 2024 PlayStation Wrap-Up Will Be Available Starting Next Week
Got mine from Xbox yesterday 607 hours spent (not bad). I wonder how many hours I spent with Helldivers 2 and few other games I played on PS5
Re: Kadokawa Wants Sony's Full Commitment with Buyout of Entire Company
That's actually smart from them.
Kadokawa has plenty of business ventures that are not exactly raking money. So selling anime and gaming business only makes absolutely no sense for them since they are biggest moneymaker. Keeping rest only and they will be left with just bad business outlook.
So it's boom or bust. On the other hand if Sony actually bought them they would likely try to get rid of those unprofitable business ventures. Which means pretty substantial layoffs. Which would be hard since Japanese labour laws are pretty unforgiving.
Re: Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
@Flaming_Kaiser Well. It was second still best selling game in 2023 after Hogwarts Legacy and it's 5th best selling game in 2024. In US of course.
Not bad for "a joke"
Re: Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
@ChrisDeku "and that’s the worst performing CoD in like a decade."
You have a source for that info? Because last time I checked, MW3 performed worse than MW2 (obviously, since that game broke all records), but it still sold better than Vanguard, for example. And Vanguard came out 2021 if I remember correctly.
Also, MW3 was developed in 18 months, so despite worse sales, ROI must have been pretty good for ABK. But that's besides the point.
"It’s meaningless in any wider discussion of the game." Bro, main audience for COD is US. It imperative for COD games to perform good in US, because that's literally the key to success.
Re: Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
@ChrisDeku BO6 is already third best selling game in 2024 in US, despite being on the market for 6 days (since chart was created at the end of october)
I'm sure that's comparable to Hi-Fi Rush
Re: Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
@themightyant Yes, BO6 is part of COD HQ, but it's dumb to think that Activision can't track number of players/playtime/number of matches in separate clients inside HQ. Since they can track...anything.
What we know
Is it really that hard to think that BO6 really achieved records in number of players, played hours and number of matches based on this evidence?
Re: Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
@KyushuTrail It's probably the fact that core gaming community on this website (and many more) just talks about how bad COD is and how nobody is playing it.
Meanwhile COD games are best sellers every year.
Re: Black Ops 6 Is the 'Biggest Call of Duty Ever', Player Engagement Through the Roof
@OldGamer999 I didn't know that paying 19,99$ per month is free...
Re: Sony's Latest First-Party Release Is Struggling to Do Concord Numbers on PC
@MrMagic ...you (conveniently) forgot to mention that majority of those games are from 2017 or even sooner, when Steam wasn't as big as it is now.
Also, I counted 7 LEGO games with 5k+ peak CCU on Steam. Which is almost 10x more than LEGO Horizon Adventures managed to pull.
Like...nobody expected game to hit Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga numbers. But I expected at least 5K CCU considering Horizon is pretty big franchise and Steam has 100+million MAU...
Re: Sony's Latest First-Party Release Is Struggling to Do Concord Numbers on PC
@PuppetMaster Pretending like PC audience don't care about LEGO games is pretty disingenuous. Especially since LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga hit 82k peak on Steam.
And even way less popular LEGO games got to 4-8k CCU range. So no matter how you slice it, 600 CCU is pitiful performance.
Re: Review: PS5 Pro - An Impressive Yet Inconsistent Upgrade
@colonelkilgore Considering Sony sent devkits to devs at the start of the year and AAA games takes 5-6 years to develop....you will encounter games with "PS5 Pro in mind" in time when PS6 will come out...
We are still getting games that are based on PS4. And it is year of our Lord 2024. 4 years after PS5 came out.
Re: Black Ops 6 Drives Monthly PS5 Sales Growth in the UK, 75% of Players Purchase on PlayStation
@bighal Maybe the problem is your thinking that reason why Microsoft bought ABK was to increase Xbox console marketshare... Especially when they offered a contract to confirm COD releases on other platforms...
It's hilarious that people think that Microsoft cares about stagnating market where even Sony can't increase their position in.
If Microsoft cared about their console marketshare, they would never started porting their games on other systems.
Re: Black Ops 6 Drives Monthly PS5 Sales Growth in the UK, 75% of Players Purchase on PlayStation
Definition of a win win
Re: PlayStation Has Swiftly Solved Its Profitability Problem
Well. They fired more than 1000 people and shut down one studio (London Studio, because Firewalk and Neon Koi happened in current quarter). So obviously their bottom line will look better.
It's not rocket science.
Re: Hands On: The Last of Us 2 Marries Visuals and Frame Rate in PS5 Pro Game Changer
I honestly think that we have different expectations when someone is talking about "game changer"
Re: PS5 Pro Pre-Orders Are Stronger Than PS4 Pro, But Scalpers Are Losing Money
Are you really expecting Totoki to say anything else?
Re: Hands On: $700 Later and Dragon's Dogma 2 PS5 Pro Performance Is Still Far from Perfect
So much for "PS5 Pro will be only console able to run GTA VI at 60FPS"
It's pretty clear that keeping same CPU will be main bottleneck for games like GTA VI, DD2 etc.
Re: Death Stranding Gets a Surprise Xbox Series X|S Port, Out Now
So second game coming to Xbox is question of "when" not "if"
Not expecting day one launch though. But maybe one year PS5 exclusive.
Re: Looks Like Xbox Is Readying More Releases for PS5
There is literally no downside to make this port.
RTS on console is niche genre. Nobody will buy a console brand "because they have RTS games." So it's essentially free money for Microsoft since they don't have competition in this space.
I expect Age of Empires 4 and Age of Mythology Retold to follow.
Re: Microsoft CEO Says More Xbox Games Will Come to PS5, Hours After Rumours Said Porting Project Was Paused
@Rob_230 How it would be better exactly?
How it would be smart for Microsoft to say "all first-party games will come to PlayStation 5 12 months after Xbox release?" What if they then decide that it won't happen? People will then bitch that they cancelled their plans.
By keeping things internal, they are allowing themselves flexibility. They can adapt to numbers and situation on the market. If you will say something definitive, people will hold you to that promise. I would argue it's dumbest thing they can do.
And if you are Xbox user (PC or console), why do you even need to know that? You are 100% getting all first-party games and into Game Pass. Xbox has no obligation towards PlayStation users. They will get games Microsoft will decide they are going to get in time Microsoft will decide is appropriate. If you are "switching platforms" you can burn yourself. But it's your problem at the end of the day.
It's same thing with Sony and PC ports. PC players expect that all games will come, but there is no 100% guarantee (like Demon's Souls for example). So they just need to wait. Sometimes it's 1 year, sometimes it's day one, sometimes it's never. Because Sony has no obligations toward PC players.
Sometimes I have a feeling that "all Xbox games will come to PlayStation" is statement that PlayStation fans are wishing into existence and projecting onto Xbox. Because Xbox have never said that. They just said "more games will come." Which is kinda huge difference.
Re: Microsoft CEO Says More Xbox Games Will Come to PS5, Hours After Rumours Said Porting Project Was Paused
@get2sammyb Obviously
They are betting that they can get additional revenue from releasing games on other platforms while keeping their console audience at least intact. That's why ports are coming slowly. Because they need to observe and learn.
That's why you will never hear definitive "all games will sooner or later come to PlayStation," because even Microsoft doesn't know. I would not be surprised if they didn't currently know if they will release The Elder Scrolls VI on PlayStation 5 day one.
And for this exact reason I'm baffled by people who thinks that it's given that all Xbox games will come to PlayStation, like it's a sure thing.
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Offers $20 Premium 'Pay-to-Hear' Audio Tech
@Enuo Yeah. Sure it's a "cost of Game Pass"
Especially since Cyberpunk and Final Fantasy XIV have this paid tech too
Re: Sony's Guerrilla Sounds Completely Done with the Killzone Series
Well. It's their choice of course.
But I would rather play tight story-driven shooter with incredible atmosphere as opposed to bloated open world with bad story (i'm sorry, but Forbidden West story was just bad).
Re: Like It or Not, This Is Why PS5 Pro Doesn't Have a Disc Drive
And I noticed several people doubting statement, that digital is way more prevalent on Xbox as opposed to PlayStation.
Here is your proof.
But I disagree with a statement that this is a reason why PS5 Pro is shipping without disc drive.
PS5 Pro is without disc drive because:
A: Price of console would be insane 899€ (in Europe at least). It's just easier to market 799€ console as oppose to 899€ console. Especially since Sony got a lot of ***** even for 799€.
B: Sony wants to test market reaction - how many people will actually buy a disc drive. Yes, PS5 had version without drive, but since PS5 in first few years on market was on short supply, people bought a version that they could get their hands on. Not which preference they have.
I fully expect that PS6 will be also released without BD drive, but players will be able to buy one and plug it same way as they do with PS5 Slim/PS5 Pro
Re: Opinion: The Price of Playing PS5 Games Day One Is Getting Higher and Higher
It's kinda insane that people are impatient enough to wait few days. Clearly it's working and publishers are exploiting that.
It's also funny, how this is working with Microsoft and Game Pass. Yes, you get day one first-party games, but you kinda don't since several of them (like Starfield last year, Age of Mythology and Indy this year) have Early Access period tied to premium edition upgrades. So you are both paying for the game (around 30 bucks) and you are also paying for subscription. Kinda genius. But in evil way.
But it is what it is. People showed that they are willing to pay for that *****, so publishers will continue to do it. It's our fault a the end of the day.
Re: Aug 2024 USA Sales: Console Sales Take a Sharp Decline, But PS5 Is Still King
@NattyKing I haven't bring up Xbox once time.
I just said that Sony will have hard time hitting their 18 million PS5 sold guidance if sales will continue this trend.
So, I don't know if you are just dumb, or you need to talk about Xbox all the time...
Re: Aug 2024 USA Sales: Console Sales Take a Sharp Decline, But PS5 Is Still King
@NattyKing So? I can't remember that Xbox issued a guidance about sales of hardware for fiscal year
It's hilarious that every time when people are talking about fact that PS5 is selling worse and worse than PS4, other will counter with same old "but what about Xbox muh?"
Re: Aug 2024 USA Sales: Console Sales Take a Sharp Decline, But PS5 Is Still King
Yeah. I truly doubt Sony will hit their 18 million target for this fiscal year, unless some kind of miracle will happen. The are currently sitting at around 4,7 million console sold since april. So they need to sell more than 13 million PS5 consoles from september to march.
Re: Until Dawn Is One of Sony's Worst Performing PC Ports to Date
People who think that Sony don't need PC platform are just delusional at this point.
You know that majority of sales of fastest selling PS Studio games (Helldivers 2) were on PC, right? Yes, not every game will be hit on PC. And mainly games like Until Dawn are not exactly popular on platform. But it's still worth it.
Also. It's just math. PS5 is already selling slower than PS4. Game budgets are doubling or tripling. Where do you think Sony will find required growth? I can assure you that it won't be on consoles, because consoles are not growing.
But if you think that it's financially viable to expect polished story-driven games with 300 million development budget, which are selling to the shrinking console audience, you should maybe visit math class. If you want to have those games with same quality and without MTXs, PC release is a must.
Re: PS5 Fans Believe Halo Could Make Its PlayStation Debut
@Fartingale It's not only a "rename" though. Whole management layer of 343 was fired in 2022 and if you checked a list of devs from Halo Infinite vs. now (in senior positions) there are only a few from "old guard" who are still there.
So it's basically a new studio. And veterans who stayed from 343 are basically guys who "saved" MCC after disastrous launch, like Hintze or Szlagor.
Re: By the Way, Foamstars Is Now Free-to-Play on PS5, PS4
Making live service game and locking it to one console brand was a bold choice for Square.
It really hasn't paid off.
Re: Epic Games Boss Says Firm Now 'Financially Sound', Following the Firing of Over 800 Staff
@Waluigi451 Well. Because like every company, Epic overstretched during pandemic. It doesn't matter if you earn 1 billion from Fortnite, if your expenses are 1,2 billion (for example).
Like. Unreal Engine and Fortnite are basically funding entire operation of Epic Games, which isn't small.
I'm pretty certain that Epic is loosing money in a big way on Epic Games Store for example.
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Gorgeous Open World Will Be Less Repetitive Than Tsushima's
That was my problem with first game.
That it was glorified Ubisoft open world game with better combat.
So I hope they will address it...
Re: Poll: What Did You Think of Sony's State of Play for September 2024?
It was 30 minutes of pure slog, accompanied by terrible "remaster" of Horizon game that was saved by new Sucker Punch game.
6/10
Re: Don't Nod 'Disappointed' by Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Jusant Sales
Jusant was excellent. Shame
Re: Rumour: PS6 Could Span a Console and Handheld Device
It would be hilarious how all the people "Series S will hold generation back" will somehow be okay with PlayStation handheld holding next generation back.
Because let's be real. If Sony is making a handheld, there is no chance it would be as powerful as home console.
Re: Rumour: Concord Cost $400 Million, Sony Believed It Was the 'Future of PlayStation'
@UltimateOtaku91
Horizon games have benefit of being developed in Netherlands (mainly) where developer pay is way lower than in USA. According to Glassdoor, median salary for Game dev in Netherlands is 55K € per year.
Average salary for game dev in Seattle (where Firewalk is located) is 134k $ per year.
And let's not forget that "balooning part" of game developer budgets happened in last 4-5 years. TLOU 2 was released in 2020 and it was part of that "old price" for development.
Re: The Novelty of PlayStation's PC Ports Does Appear to Be Dampening
Main reason is delayed porting on part of Sony.
Because you have waited 2 years, hype kinda vanished. Obviously. Also, Ragnarok is just "more of the same" and it isn't held in same high regard as original in hindsight.
Same thing happened with Forbidden West and same thing will happen with Spider-Man 2.
Re: Rumour: Days Gone PS5 Remaster Speculation Starts to Spread
this gen is so cooked in terms of first-party that it is hilariously sad.
And this is for both Xbox and PlayStation.
Re: PS5's Commanding Console Position Is Seemingly Insurmountable
62 vs 29 million is not 3:1. If my math is correct.
Split seems almost the same as last gen, where Sony sold 117 million of PS4 and Xbox selling 57 million of Xbox One.
Which honestly isn't that bad for Microsoft. Especially when you consider fact that at the start of Xbox One gen they have pretty okayish first-party lineup (which they didn't have this time) and they were not releasing their games on PC day one, like today.
Xbox today is ecosystem which you can enter in different ways. Cloud, PC Game Pass, buying their games on Steam, buying a console. So still selling almost 30 mil. is okay. Not bombastic, but not terrible.
Also, I need to point out that this graph is estimates. Estimates based on hardware revenue (which Microsoft is reporting every quarter) is talking about 32 million Xbox Series consoles sold.
https://i.ibb.co/JmVCHWy/Screenshot-20240810-052511.png
Re: Horizon Zero Dawn's PS5, PC Remaster Is Very Much the Real Deal
What a pathetic generation it is...
Re: Sony Boss Says 'PCs Are Difficult to Set Up', Firm Will Focus on PS5
I tend to agree. I switched from PC to consoles in around 2015 because PC was just too time-consuming.
But. (Big but). One of the reason, was financial affordability of consoles compared to PC. But when I look at price of PS5 Pro, I really doubt that PS6 will cost less than 699€. In that price-point I'm just better with building a PC.
Re: Despite Price Point, Analyst Firm Expects PS5 Pro to Sell Like PS4 Pro
More interesting thing is that Harding-Rolls predicts 106,9 million PS5 consoles, including Pro in 2029.
Which basically means 10 million less consoles than in previous gen. With one more year on the market (since PS6 is expected in 2028).
That's...not great
Re: Internal Sony Fairgame$ Chatter Is Reportedly Quite Positive
This is just irrelevant fluff.
Do you think that sentiment around Concord wasn't positive? I mean. Sony bought entire studio for that game. Of course they evaluated that game and I'm sure they have positive sentiment around it.
And how it ended up? Game that was taken offline in less than 2 weeks.
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
What a catastrophic failure
Hundreds of millions down the drain (from studio purchase + development cost)
Re: How Long Does It Take to Find a Match in Concord on PS5, PC?
I couldn't find a Rivalry match on PS5 (with crossplay on) during peak EU time on weekend.
Game is almost dead...
Re: Japan Hit with Yet Another PS5 Price Increase
PS5 Pro probably won't be less than 699$, right?
Re: Reaction: It's Time for Xbox to Tell Us Which Games It's Bringing to PS5, and Which Games It Isn't
@kuu_nousee No. Because you are blabbing about blanket statement. Fact that Schreier wants one doesn't mean that Microsoft should provide one.
I will repeat. It's dumb as hell giving public blanket statements about "where you can play our games" when even Xbox currently isn't sure how extensive their port work will be.
I'm sure it would be perceived nicely if Spencer said that "every game will eventually come to PS5" and then he just pivoted away from that strategy. We saw how PlayStation peeps took nicely Starfield's exclusivity.
And mainly, general public doesn't care about any of this *****. College Football 25 came out with huge surge of new Xbox consoles sold despite fact that Microsoft started porting their games on competing platforms. So, what exactly would be the point addressing fact that Schreier and some other journos are confused?
Re: Reaction: It's Time for Xbox to Tell Us Which Games It's Bringing to PS5, and Which Games It Isn't
@kuu_nousee "But it could very much be true internally at Xbox and more dire than we know" - that's just your assumption to fit your "statement"
People who predicted PS5/Switch ports of Xbox games (NateTheHate, Tom Warren etc.) are specifically talking about "some" games, not "all" games. So if I had to choose if I want to believe your assumption or guys who proved that they know more than regular Joe, you know what I would choose.
They are not in financial hole, lol. It's Microsoft for God's sake. They have more money than God. Reason why they are porting games is simple as stated by CFO of Microsoft - they want to increase profitability of Xbox division to the range of other Microsoft's division. Which is 20+%. Just to illustrate, PlayStation division had under 10% profit margins last two quarters. And since they can't grow console userbase (which also Sony can't do because console audience is stagnating for last two generations), their only options was to bet on cloud (which is currently not growing as much as they would like), or increase sales of software on other platforms. Which they are doing.
"We are continuing to learn" is pretty obvious statement. They are figuring out a way how to keep Xbox console userbase stable, while also extracting as much money as possible from other sources (like PlayStation sales). And they are currently happy, because as Phil said, they have most monthly console users in history of Xbox. But if they will find negative trends as a direct result of porting games, they can pivot their strategy. Which they can't do if they states that every game will eventually come to PlayStation. It's the reason why you will never hear blanket statement. Same as you never see blanket statements from Sony regarding porting of their games on PC. Because strategy is shifting thanks to data you receive by every game you port.
Re: Reaction: It's Time for Xbox to Tell Us Which Games It's Bringing to PS5, and Which Games It Isn't
@kuu_nousee But that's just ***** statement. Because it's just plainly not true. Even people who knows (like Tom Warren from The Verge) and who informed public about Project Latitude (program to port games to other consoles) are saying that it still be "select games" going to other consoles and not "all games"
Of course, that can change in future, but currently statement you created "for Spencer" is just lies.
And that's primary reason why statements like this can't be provided in a first place. Because it's highly dynamic situation that can change in a whim. Promising "all games will eventually come" is a dumb way to put yourself in a corner.
And mainly. Why on earth would they do such a thing. They have no obligation towards PlayStation users. They are just throwing them a bone after their main audience (PC a Xbox players) are done with those games to increase margins of Xbox division. Nothing more, nothing less.