@Contimaloris That's literally what I figuratively said. In my metaphor, "everyone" is every worker.
I dunno if you're reading my comment literally, and saying bakers/food service workers don't receive advocacy. Or are attributing 'cookie makers' some nebulous, metaphorical association that's gone well above my head. But, in either instance, my stance is that OT shouldn't be expected of any laborer, regardless of their job. It might occasionally be necessary in certain emergencies in certain industries, but it should never be the norm anywhere.
Crunch and company-wide OT is always bad. 40/hr work weeks are already arbitrary and excessive. Between working OT-mandatory jobs and working simultaneous jobs, I've spent much of the last decade working 45-55/hr a week. It f***ing sucks; I've had next to no time to develop new skills, had no energy to stay in shape, have had little time for anything besides work and sleep, and am generally more depressed than I was 10 years ago despite being in a better position in life. And, while this is more a economy problem than a work/life problem, I barely have any financial security to show for all my efforts.
I am absolutely f***ing astonished at the amount of distain questioning and/or condemning crunch inspires in some people. Yes, there are industries where crunch is just gonna happen sometimes. But it shouldn't be a regular occurrence or expectation, and it sure as f*** shouldn't be encouraged. You are the type of people that shrug off societal problems as "that's just the way things is" rather than consider how much human misery can be remedied by just changing how things is. We literally have ALL the power to forge our civilization. And we've failed countless in just the last century alone.
Still don't know why so many people think a placeholder texture was a fantastic, irreplaceable, effective use of AI that justified its holistic environmental impact and enabling of the encroaching shrinking worker bases.
The shocking thing about all this wasn't people jumping on beloved developers. It was the sheer amount of "moderates" that not only don't see any problems with AI, but ostensibly encourage it. At least when a company they like uses it.
@MrStark I mean, have you played it? While it immediately left the gamer zeitgeist, I've seen several publications bring it up for GotY season.
I haven't played it, so I can't say. But nothing in your comment implies you've played it either. And insisting it's only here because of an attempt to diversify the list is presumptuous.
@naruball Condemning this is sending a message that consumers don't want AI art. They won't buy AI art, will notice AI art, and don't accept it as a substitute for real art.
This isn't a small fight, this is the war. Condoning it enables it; if one of the biggest games of the year can directly sell free-to-produce nothing art to the masses, then anyone can. And being reductive and outright insulting to people who feel this way sure doesn't paint you as a nuanced moderate. It paints you as an AI apologist that'd rather let it slowly take over gaming then reconcile with its destructive nature.
@Stocksy Do you really think a sticker that an artist can put together in a day or two is significantly driving up the costs of game development? If you haven't noticed, this sticker is apart of a $10 cosmetics pack.
I've still only played the beta (MKWorld and Air Riders won out the arcade racing money this year), but am very surprised this game would deserve this amount of praise. Don't get me wrong, it was fun from what I played, but nothing particularly special. Actual racing was a bit stiff, the rival system was honestly embarrassing to listen to, tracks were fine, the customization options were extremely annoying, music was grating at times, the items felt like nothing Mario Kart clone items, "good" "good" "go-" "good, great." The game's still great — not trying to say it isn't. But it's just a fairly good kart racer to me; I wouldn't say it's as good as Transformed, CTR, Mario Kart 8, or even Mario Kart World (shocked gasp).
@naruball I don't really see how us sitting in front of screens for hours on end is a more worthwhile and respectable activity than being actually invested in the state and direction of global culture, industry, and art creation.
This is like talking down to someone for watching the news when they could be watching Mission Impossible instead.
Maybe these anti-AI, quick-to-rage, AI until proven innocent types are overdoing it. But at least that anger stems from a legitimate passion for artistry, worker rights, and/or environmental awareness.
@MrStark What did genAI have to do with that $10 million? All we know — even though we're hearing conflicting accounts — is that it was used for placeholder textures.
Presumably, AI didn't create its art direction, write its story, compose its music, design its gameplay, or manage the whole project. So what exactly do they have AI to thank for?
I dunno, AI defenders, I fail to see how using AI to create a bunch of subpar, tonally incongruous decals either makes development more efficient or improves the end experience. If this really was made by AI, it just seems like a fast, cheap way to throw nothing art into the game instead of paying someone to get creative.
Maybe find better examples of gen AI improving something before dismissing its amazing ability to pollute and shrink job markets.
When did people become so passionate about defending AI? I've never been outright against it, but it's hard to ignore its many negatives. Namely its egregious environmental drain.
Even besides that, corporations still think it's a suitable replacement for actual workers, many employees forced to use it find it less efficient than otherwise (mostly programmers, from what I can tell), CEOs very obviously invest in it to artificially plump stock value instead of for any actual vision, AI art still sucks, the lack of regulation surrounding it is incredibly concerning, that it steals and appropriates real work by humans without compensation is theft, the entire industry is a self-fallating bubble, and literally none of the tech bros pushing for its widespread implementation seem like reasonable people.
Even in this case, they used gen AI for placeholder textures. Is that even a worthwhile reason to pollute some water? Could the game not have been completed without those placeholder textures? This doesn't seem like an example of AI changing production for the better. Just seems like a small team that needlessly experimented with AI and promptly undid everything it did.
@ecurb7 Yes, about 10% of the franchise's specials are classics. Beyond the specials, there's a bunch of decent shows, a beautiful — if unremarkable — movie, a bunch of average-at-best games, and a long line of comic strips that blur the line between 'that's actually rather clever' and 'is...is there a joke I'm missing...?'
The IP has some good stuff. But it is not a seal of quality.
M'kay. Cool, I guess. I assume this will change next to nothing about how the IP is handled or its output. I mean, maybe more movies — at most.
Hopefully good movies... Although, it's not like Peanuts media has this incredibly high bar of quality to begin with. So I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway. It's kinda like how the Internet had a stroke about Velma and acted like it was this huge offense to the Scooby-Doo brand. Despite the majority of Scooby-Doo media being mediocre at best in the first place (I say that as a big Scooby fan).
@themightyant Eh, possibly. This November wasn't short on big-sellers, though. What with Battlefield 6 (I'd assume the combined sales of BF6 and BO7 at the very least match the sales of BO6), Mario Kart World, Pokemon Z-A, the regular sports releases, Yotei showing some staying power, and several Nintendo games rounding out the new releases. So I would be surprised to learn the drop was really all CoD's fault. But it's possible.
Although I'm only doubtfully acknowledging that for the US. Over in the UK, no article I posted has anything to do with BO7. So we can assume that, if there's any cause/effect relationship, it's that poor physical sales are impacting BO7's sales and retail price rather than BO7's poor sales are notably weighting down the entire physical games market.
@themightyant Black Ops 6 was 25% off on PSN for half of December last year. Does the extra 5% off tell us anything, really?
shurgs
Presumably, 7 is doing worse than 6. But no one's arguing that.
EDIT: Also worth mentioning that the very same sales analysis from this article does actually say the US' physical sales had their worst November since 1995.
@themightyant Comparative apropos its predecessor/s or its turnover? Because the former doesn't really tell you how it as its own product is doing. And the latter is really too nebulous to come to any real conclusion at this point. Either way, I feel like I addressed both points in my previous comment. I fully understand that CoD would be expected to sell better than Metroid, given budget and revenue-dependence. But I can't say if CoD failed to meet internal expectations if we don't know what those expectations were. And given GamePass' existences, any conjecture on the matter on our part is likely misinformed.
Blops6 was also on sale before its launch year's end, so the "it's been out just 1 month" exasperation is unfounded. The ~50% off is the only uncommon thing there. But, like I said, it appears that's really only the case in the UK — baring some flash sale over in the US. But, still, it remains inconclusive what that means for Blops7's sales specifically.
@RobN Wonderful point about arguing the threshold of AAA vs. AA. What a lot of people miss in these discussions are how arbitrary all these labels can be. There is no exact budgetary or resource-intensive point something becomes AAA. I'd argue likewise the same for AA, A (if anyone still uses that), and indie. I'll always just say they are all vibes, not specific categories.
One can argue indie specifically needs to be independent of a publisher. Which is fair, but also still kinda meaningless. Like, Baldur's Gate 3 was indie, in that sense. Despite having a bigger budget than what most would consider indie and the backing of one of the biggest IPs in the world. And a lot of outwardly appearing indie titles do have some publisher, or at least publishing assistance. Even Stardew Valley, a game effectively made by one guy, got some 3rd-party funding at the tail end of its development, and has had a dedicated team work on its ports. So, to stand by such an absolutists definition would be to say BG3 is indie while Stardew Valley isn't, which just feels wrong — it doesn't fit the vibes.
While indie should literally mean "independently funded," few publicized games are even that. So, to me, indie is just a vibe. I wouldn't call E33 indie, because it doesn't feel indie. Indie implies small budget, small team, and likely a counter-fidelity aesthetic. E33 certainly had a bigger budget than most indie games, despite its small team utilized a lot of outsourced work, and looks more AA than anything. So I wouldn't call it indie. But I also don't think the indie label is this sacred thing that can't be co-opted.
It's kinda like how Hollywood realized there was a craving for lower budgeted, experimental movies from young, unproved crews, and all the major studios started launching 'indie' side studios. None of those movies should really be considered 'indie,' but they were going for that vibe and pretty successfully replicated it. And, to me, that's fine. I don't think it takes away from legitimately independent arts. It just means major players can actually produce interesting stuff instead of always following proven market trends.
@themightyant I mean, 'flop' is synonymous with 'failure.' A comparative failure is a comparative flop. So if you're suggesting the former, you're suggesting the latter. There's no definite distinction between the two. Only the possibility of intrinsic connotative differences, which I don't have.
Semantics aside, yes, it's doing worse than Blops6. And yes, it's not one of the series' top-sellers. That might mean it is a comparative failure. But, without full context — which we'll likely never actually get — that remains unclear. We don't know what constitutes a failure at Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard-King for the CoD franchise. Especially when we don't know how this game affected or was affected by GamePass.
And your sales hypothesis is just a hypothesis. I also can't find it 50% off anywhere despite following links from webpages saying exactly that dated just 3-4 days ago (at least in the USA). So if it was 50% off, it has a fairly limited flash sale. And, looking at Blops6's digital sales history, it also had two notable sales before the end of its launch year. Which, to me, points to it all being fairly inconclusive when comparing Blops7's nebulous success to Blops6's nebulous success.
While Battlefield 6 did indeed eat up more of Blops7's market share than I predicted, I still resent this insistence that Blops7 is a huge flop. It's still #1 here, is doing just fine in the UK, and I'm sure will remain one of the best selling games of the year.
And people acting like this is the first time CoD struggled to match its one-year predecessor's numbers don't have the full story (for fun, just look up "modern warfare 3 sales down" on Youtube and see how many people were likewise ready to jump on any negative interpretation of that game's sales).
We're also completely missing a BIG part of CoD's perceived success under the Microsoft umbrella: GamePass subs and engagement. I know people like to assume GamePass as a whole isn't profitable — which would certainly explain why Microsoft has abandoned most other revenue sources in favor of it...cause they're stupid, which would be the only logical explanation that meshes well with that proposition — but if it isn't, and if CoD is actually plumping it up, I'd assume that would be considered a success in Microsoft's eyes. And one would assume that if more people are playing CoD through GamePass, that means less people are buying it. Not that I'm saying that's definitely what's happened, just that it's entirely possible and we don't really know either way yet.
I'm entirely willing to admit I was wrong about Battlefield 6's sales power (still didn't personally like it much, though. Not in a 'CoD fanboy' way either; I thought Battlefield 1 was better than 6 and any CoD multiplayer I've ever played). But this Blops7 hate remains one of the most obnoxious things to come out of the gaming community this year, in my opinion.
Elder Scrolls VI has been in the same chasm of my mind as GTAVI has been for nearly a decade. And that chasm is reserved for obnoxiously hyped sequels that the entire internet won't stop crying about from series that I've only found mildly amusing throughout my gaming career.
Only difference is ESVI fell far, far deeper into that chasm after I gave Starfield a try.
@LogicStrikesAgain I mean, I would assume there's at least some hope that R&C fans, who probably grew to love the series from console releases, would be interested in this game. Otherwise, there's not much reason to utilize the IP. I wouldn't say it's necessarily targeted at them, but wouldn't assume they aren't expected to overlap with this game's intended audience at the very least.
I also wouldn't say console-to-mobile adaptations are always 'lite.' Not in this day and age. That also implies mobile-to-console adaptations are always 'biggums,' which really depends. Regardless, expectations of mobile platforms doesn't change my lack of enthusiasm for R&C Lite.
And this game would be competing with those for my time. If this had any notable single-player content, I would probably give it a whirl despite my reservations. But if it's going to be a multiplayer-only game, it has to convince me that I should spend my time playing and mastering it rather than any of the multitude of other multiplayer games I can otherwise be playing.
It's fine for what it is, and I'm sure there's potential for it to find an audience. I was just sharing that, as a big Ratchet & Clank fan, several factors are keeping me from mustering up any amount of excitement for this game. I don't see myself ever bothering to try this game, and, to expand on what I've already said, I'm kinda bummed this is the only publicly known R&C project right now.
I'm not morally outraged by this, or anything. But, it's hard to get excited about what is effectively Ratchet & Clank Lite: Multiplayer Mode. Also can't see myself ever starting this up instead of Halo, Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, Splatoon, or any of my other go-to competitive shooters.
But, presumably, this is for the markets that are playing CoD Mobile and the likes nonstop. Maybe it'll catch on there, but I can't be bothered to care despite being a big R&C fan.
@ZeesGaming94 Sure, that's possible. But I'm genuinely asking: Can someone articulate what's so great about the game?
I know the story is great — I don't doubt that. But every appraisal I see of the game is along the lines of, "The story will stick with you. Also, look pretty, sound pretty, and, though I won't elaborate upon what actually makes its combat good, it's so fun to press the buttons! Also, it's a relatively small AA game — and that's cool."
I'm really not trying to say it's not good. But I understand what makes Blue Prince praiseworthy despite having not played it. And I can articulate what's really good about DK Bananza. But E33 feels like it just has this 'trust me, bro' status.
Where's the "E33 everything" button? Still only played about an hour of the game myself. So I don't really get the fascination, but it is nice to see the industry rally behind an admiration for something for once.
Hell, at the risk of sounding like a reductive arse, what exactly does make French Mario & Luigi w/ a good story so special? The only praise I really see articulated is: OST good, story powerful, art looks nice, and you press buttons during turn-based combat. Is there more to this? Genius level design? Combat that can rival the greatest TB-RPGs of all time (removed from its active attribute)? Medium defining interactive storytelling?
@MrPeanutbutterz In the context of his review, this statement came after detailing a long indulgence into the genre of cyberpunk in preparation for the game. Where he eventually expressed his thought to interview the author of Necromancer — the father of the genre — for his review of 2077, and even attempted to contact him. Then he elaborates how, after contacting him, and while playing the game, he had an epiphany about how silly of a request that would be. Because 2077, despite how much it might object, is an entry in a relatively young and arguably juvenile art form. It is something a legacy, well-renowned author probably wouldn't care to talk about or think about. Because, "Video games are stupid, and Cyberpunk 2077 is a stupid video game."
Personally, I interpret that as saying, 'Video games have yet to attain high-art status, and 2077 is far from the height of the medium's artistry.' Which is a perfect critique of a shooter video game that tries to be 'mature' and philosophical, but makes missteps. It's not an indictment of the game, rather an honest examination of its limitations apropos its ambitions.
As for Rogers' style and opinions, his 'signature' is literally "I was born stupid, but will not die hungry," and he frequently calls himself and his scripts stupid. Even expressing how much amusement he gets out of certain lines merely for how moronic they sound. So...I dunno, good job to anyone who read his work as occasionally stupid. That was kinda the intention. He doesn't really try to be this uber-sophisticated, always right, know it all. So, to me, anyone who criticizes him as though he does just outs that they don't really engage with his work and are probably just offended over some petty disagreement they've had with him. Even in this specific case, his review of 2077 was actually fairly positive a decent amount of the time. His opinion of it is a lot more complex than I've alluded to; I just picked out a specific line he wrote that always stuck out to me.
Was not at all impressed when I tried it years ago (after the PS5 update). I doubt my thoughts will have changed much now, and I don't plan on giving it a try until I can play it at a state comparable to max PC settings (although, I might just say "f*** it" and buy the S2 version if I ever see it on a really good deal).
I always thought Tim Rogers had the most perfect, biting critique of it, though, "Video games are stupid, and Cyberpunk 2077 is a stupid video game."
*Reads 115 hours played
"Seems kinda excessive..."
*See others' hour count
"...I guess I'm all right."
Though I'm sure I have 200-300 hours on Switch/Switch 2, 50 or so on Xbox, and about a dozen on Steam. Still, I dunno how some of y'all do it. Even if I had more time for gaming, I just don't like playing more than a few hours a day, a few days a week.
@4fold @get2sammyb People who say any contemporary gaming hardware has no games are talking out of their ass. People who question the volume and expedience of Sony's direct support just expect better from an industry veteran currently more successful than they've ever been.
@Oram77 I dunno. I think contemporary gamers are way too obsessed with bugs, glitches, performance, and general blemishes in polish.
Even in this game's case, the only glitches detailed in this review are simple restart or reboot fixes that I would describe as obnoxiously inconvenient at most (although, I didn't feel the summary's use of "frequent" was reflected in the review's text, so maybe there's more to it). I'm currently playing the System Shock 2 remake, and occasionally collision scenery just infinitely falls into the ground. Do I think that notably affects my experience negatively? Not really. So I wouldn't say the game's worse for it, or anything.
@PuppetMaster She really just said that if China staged a military attack on Taiwan, it would definitionally constitute a "survival-threatening situation" (essentially an existential threat to Japan caused by an attack on one of its allies), and would thereby justify the mobilization of their self-defense forces.
Which is tactless, sure, but I wouldn't call it dumb. Really just saying it how it is. Anyway, I'm sure the ongoing geopolitical strife between Japan and China will fizzle out like usual and keep from interfering with business. Feels like applicable politicians are trying to avoid making things worse; they just don't want to back down and immediately pacify the tension by conceding.
@PuppetMaster You realize this is the equivalent of saying that because Doom: The Dark Ages and Alan Wake 2 didn't sell well in the US, that market must not be interested in shooters?
And, again, a Japanese-coded game will not necessarily appeal to the Japanese market. I'm not saying make Gravity Rush 3. I'm saying make something that succeeds in Japan.
@SeaDaVie I don't really see what Ghost of Tsushima's mild success has to do with what I said.
As an aside, that estimate included the PS4 release and PS5 Director's Cut, both physically and digitally, over the course of 3 years. The majority of Japanese sales numbers are limited to physical sales as tracked by Famitsu. In which regard, Tsushima only charted in the yearly top 100 in 2020. It hit shy of half a million that year — physically only. Why I think this is all relevant is two-fold: first, that is a fairly successful Japanese launch, but was during the PS4 days. You would often see popular PS-only/mostly series like Resident Evil and Final Fantasy charting well above their PS5 counterparts back then. Again, makes you think this is a PS5 issue. Be really interesting to see how Yotei faired this year. Secondly, it's hard to really say Tsushima was this phenomenal hit given aforementioned factors. Get those digital sales in there, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it be eclipsed by other PS4/5 games that only seemed modestly successful according to Famitsu charts.
More pertinent, though, I'd say there's a big misunderstanding from both fans who want more Japanese representation from Sony and Sony fans who justify the company abandoning the market. Just because a game is made in Japan, takes place in Japan, or generally feels 'Japanese,' that doesn't mean it appeals to Japan. I love Gravity Rush, but it doesn't feel particularly crafted to appeal to Japanese sentiments. The Last Guardian even less so. They are Japanese games, yes, but that doesn't mean they are for Japan. So when I say Sony should try to sway the market, that doesn't mean I think they need to make Gravity Rush 3 (they should just make Gravity Rush 3 because I personally want it). They should make a game Japan cares about. They should make several games Japan cares about. And, like, really market them, invest a lot into their success, and try to turn them into their Japanese liaisons.
There's way more the market responds to than anime gacha games. Nintendo alone is sufficient proof of that. And the few PS5 titles that manage to be successful despite being on the PS5 in Japan show there's demand. I mean, 2D platformer Mario Wonder sold 2 million in a year. A board game, train conductor...thing was one of the best selling games of the last 2 years. Minecraft is still regularly successful. It doesn't have to be a gacha game to be successful there. Being on the Switch does help, though... I mean, they could always just do that. Why not throw Astro Bot and Rachet on the Switch and see what happens?
@bossuche9 Regardless of which era of management is to blame for PlayStation's contemporary woes in Japan, that doesn't mean modern management is validated in ignoring the entire market.
I'd argue that if one flop closes down an entire studio at any major publisher, that major publisher should reevaluate its business structure. Even one as seemingly mismanaged as Microsoft isn't closing down Double Fine because of Keeper. They also didn't close down Ninja Theory because of Bleeding Edge. This isn't so much a Sony problem as it is a modern entertainment problem, but companies should be able to afford a flop here and there. That's the only way you're going to create hits in the first place.
And, if home consoles were successful in Japan in the past, that means the market is still there. Even looking at the Switch's success, we're just assuming people are buying it for the portability. That's despite the worst selling Switch model being the cheap, exclusively-portable version. It's very possible that, like in other regions, a great deal of Switch owners still use it as a home console a lot of the time. Which would mean this proposed stagnation of home consoles in Japan is foolhardy.
Comments 1,301
Re: 'No Need to Be Embarrassed About It': Zenless Zone Zero Staff Say 'It's Painfully Obvious' They're Working Tons of Overtime
@Contimaloris That's literally what I figuratively said. In my metaphor, "everyone" is every worker.
I dunno if you're reading my comment literally, and saying bakers/food service workers don't receive advocacy. Or are attributing 'cookie makers' some nebulous, metaphorical association that's gone well above my head. But, in either instance, my stance is that OT shouldn't be expected of any laborer, regardless of their job. It might occasionally be necessary in certain emergencies in certain industries, but it should never be the norm anywhere.
Re: 'No Need to Be Embarrassed About It': Zenless Zone Zero Staff Say 'It's Painfully Obvious' They're Working Tons of Overtime
@Contimaloris "Because I didn't get cookies, no one should get cookies!"
Hey, maybe everyone should get cookies. Just a thought
Re: 'No Need to Be Embarrassed About It': Zenless Zone Zero Staff Say 'It's Painfully Obvious' They're Working Tons of Overtime
Crunch and company-wide OT is always bad. 40/hr work weeks are already arbitrary and excessive. Between working OT-mandatory jobs and working simultaneous jobs, I've spent much of the last decade working 45-55/hr a week. It f***ing sucks; I've had next to no time to develop new skills, had no energy to stay in shape, have had little time for anything besides work and sleep, and am generally more depressed than I was 10 years ago despite being in a better position in life. And, while this is more a economy problem than a work/life problem, I barely have any financial security to show for all my efforts.
I am absolutely f***ing astonished at the amount of distain questioning and/or condemning crunch inspires in some people. Yes, there are industries where crunch is just gonna happen sometimes. But it shouldn't be a regular occurrence or expectation, and it sure as f*** shouldn't be encouraged. You are the type of people that shrug off societal problems as "that's just the way things is" rather than consider how much human misery can be remedied by just changing how things is. We literally have ALL the power to forge our civilization. And we've failed countless in just the last century alone.
Re: 'Everything Will Be Made by Humans': Expedition 33 Dev Says No More AI After Post-Awards Heat
Still don't know why so many people think a placeholder texture was a fantastic, irreplaceable, effective use of AI that justified its holistic environmental impact and enabling of the encroaching shrinking worker bases.
The shocking thing about all this wasn't people jumping on beloved developers. It was the sheer amount of "moderates" that not only don't see any problems with AI, but ostensibly encourage it. At least when a company they like uses it.
Re: Game of the Year: #9 - The Alters
@MrStark I mean, have you played it? While it immediately left the gamer zeitgeist, I've seen several publications bring it up for GotY season.
I haven't played it, so I can't say. But nothing in your comment implies you've played it either. And insisting it's only here because of an attempt to diversify the list is presumptuous.
Re: Now It's Battlefield 6's Turn to Face Accusations of Generative AI Usage
@Stocksy Or maybe the $10 should only amplify frustrations over AI.
Re: Now It's Battlefield 6's Turn to Face Accusations of Generative AI Usage
@naruball Condemning this is sending a message that consumers don't want AI art. They won't buy AI art, will notice AI art, and don't accept it as a substitute for real art.
This isn't a small fight, this is the war. Condoning it enables it; if one of the biggest games of the year can directly sell free-to-produce nothing art to the masses, then anyone can. And being reductive and outright insulting to people who feel this way sure doesn't paint you as a nuanced moderate. It paints you as an AI apologist that'd rather let it slowly take over gaming then reconcile with its destructive nature.
Re: Now It's Battlefield 6's Turn to Face Accusations of Generative AI Usage
@Stocksy Do you really think a sticker that an artist can put together in a day or two is significantly driving up the costs of game development? If you haven't noticed, this sticker is apart of a $10 cosmetics pack.
Re: NiGHTS Comes to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for Free on Christmas Eve
And this time, they're not a horrific, dehumanized car.
Re: Game of the Year: #10 - Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
I've still only played the beta (MKWorld and Air Riders won out the arcade racing money this year), but am very surprised this game would deserve this amount of praise. Don't get me wrong, it was fun from what I played, but nothing particularly special. Actual racing was a bit stiff, the rival system was honestly embarrassing to listen to, tracks were fine, the customization options were extremely annoying, music was grating at times, the items felt like nothing Mario Kart clone items, "good" "good" "go-" "good, great." The game's still great — not trying to say it isn't. But it's just a fairly good kart racer to me; I wouldn't say it's as good as Transformed, CTR, Mario Kart 8, or even Mario Kart World (shocked gasp).
Re: Now It's Battlefield 6's Turn to Face Accusations of Generative AI Usage
@naruball I don't really see how us sitting in front of screens for hours on end is a more worthwhile and respectable activity than being actually invested in the state and direction of global culture, industry, and art creation.
This is like talking down to someone for watching the news when they could be watching Mission Impossible instead.
Maybe these anti-AI, quick-to-rage, AI until proven innocent types are overdoing it. But at least that anger stems from a legitimate passion for artistry, worker rights, and/or environmental awareness.
Re: Now It's Battlefield 6's Turn to Face Accusations of Generative AI Usage
@MrStark What did genAI have to do with that $10 million? All we know — even though we're hearing conflicting accounts — is that it was used for placeholder textures.
Presumably, AI didn't create its art direction, write its story, compose its music, design its gameplay, or manage the whole project. So what exactly do they have AI to thank for?
Re: Now It's Battlefield 6's Turn to Face Accusations of Generative AI Usage
I dunno, AI defenders, I fail to see how using AI to create a bunch of subpar, tonally incongruous decals either makes development more efficient or improves the end experience. If this really was made by AI, it just seems like a fast, cheap way to throw nothing art into the game instead of paying someone to get creative.
Maybe find better examples of gen AI improving something before dismissing its amazing ability to pollute and shrink job markets.
Re: PS5 Fave Expedition 33 Stripped of Indie Game Awards, But Not for the Reasons You May Think
When did people become so passionate about defending AI? I've never been outright against it, but it's hard to ignore its many negatives. Namely its egregious environmental drain.
Even besides that, corporations still think it's a suitable replacement for actual workers, many employees forced to use it find it less efficient than otherwise (mostly programmers, from what I can tell), CEOs very obviously invest in it to artificially plump stock value instead of for any actual vision, AI art still sucks, the lack of regulation surrounding it is incredibly concerning, that it steals and appropriates real work by humans without compensation is theft, the entire industry is a self-fallating bubble, and literally none of the tech bros pushing for its widespread implementation seem like reasonable people.
Even in this case, they used gen AI for placeholder textures. Is that even a worthwhile reason to pollute some water? Could the game not have been completed without those placeholder textures? This doesn't seem like an example of AI changing production for the better. Just seems like a small team that needlessly experimented with AI and promptly undid everything it did.
Re: Sony Is Buying Snoopy for $457 Million in Surprise Acquisition
@ecurb7 Yes, about 10% of the franchise's specials are classics. Beyond the specials, there's a bunch of decent shows, a beautiful — if unremarkable — movie, a bunch of average-at-best games, and a long line of comic strips that blur the line between 'that's actually rather clever' and 'is...is there a joke I'm missing...?'
The IP has some good stuff. But it is not a seal of quality.
Re: Don't Forget to Unwrap Your Winterfest Free Gifts in Fortnite Every Day
I don't think I can be bothered to care, honestly.
I already have more cosmetics than I really cared to earn (got 'em free), so I've little reason to redeem more cosmetics I'll never use.
Why am I here, you ask? Uhh... Good question...
Re: Sony Is Buying Snoopy for $457 Million in Surprise Acquisition
M'kay. Cool, I guess. I assume this will change next to nothing about how the IP is handled or its output. I mean, maybe more movies — at most.
Hopefully good movies... Although, it's not like Peanuts media has this incredibly high bar of quality to begin with. So I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway. It's kinda like how the Internet had a stroke about Velma and acted like it was this huge offense to the Scooby-Doo brand. Despite the majority of Scooby-Doo media being mediocre at best in the first place (I say that as a big Scooby fan).
Re: Western Sales Have Saved the Trails Series, Falcom Boss Suggests
@Wentos https://www.blog.udonis.co/mobile-marketing/mobile-games/japanese-gaming-market
Re: Ghost of Yotei Wins Big in PS Blog's Game of the Year Awards
@Dogbreath I'm curious how many people will read this and not understand what you mean by "more realistic."
I think gamers are generally bad at differentiating high-fidelity graphics from realistic art direction.
Re: Nov 2025 USA Sales: Black Ops 7 Is the Month's Bestseller, But Struggles to Meet Call of Duty Standards
@themightyant Eh, possibly. This November wasn't short on big-sellers, though. What with Battlefield 6 (I'd assume the combined sales of BF6 and BO7 at the very least match the sales of BO6), Mario Kart World, Pokemon Z-A, the regular sports releases, Yotei showing some staying power, and several Nintendo games rounding out the new releases. So I would be surprised to learn the drop was really all CoD's fault. But it's possible.
Although I'm only doubtfully acknowledging that for the US. Over in the UK, no article I posted has anything to do with BO7. So we can assume that, if there's any cause/effect relationship, it's that poor physical sales are impacting BO7's sales and retail price rather than BO7's poor sales are notably weighting down the entire physical games market.
Re: Ghost of Yotei Wins Big in PS Blog's Game of the Year Awards
"Studio of the Year - Kojima Productions"
List of Death Stranding 2's awards: ...
Re: Nov 2025 USA Sales: Black Ops 7 Is the Month's Bestseller, But Struggles to Meet Call of Duty Standards
@themightyant Black Ops 6 was 25% off on PSN for half of December last year. Does the extra 5% off tell us anything, really?
shurgs
Presumably, 7 is doing worse than 6. But no one's arguing that.
EDIT: Also worth mentioning that the very same sales analysis from this article does actually say the US' physical sales had their worst November since 1995.
Re: Nov 2025 USA Sales: Black Ops 7 Is the Month's Bestseller, But Struggles to Meet Call of Duty Standards
@themightyant Comparative apropos its predecessor/s or its turnover? Because the former doesn't really tell you how it as its own product is doing. And the latter is really too nebulous to come to any real conclusion at this point. Either way, I feel like I addressed both points in my previous comment. I fully understand that CoD would be expected to sell better than Metroid, given budget and revenue-dependence. But I can't say if CoD failed to meet internal expectations if we don't know what those expectations were. And given GamePass' existences, any conjecture on the matter on our part is likely misinformed.
Blops6 was also on sale before its launch year's end, so the "it's been out just 1 month" exasperation is unfounded. The ~50% off is the only uncommon thing there. But, like I said, it appears that's really only the case in the UK — baring some flash sale over in the US. But, still, it remains inconclusive what that means for Blops7's sales specifically.
It can
(https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2025/05/physical-game-sales-see-dramatic-drop-off-in-uk-as-console-market-struggles)
just as easily
(https://www.tweaktown.com/news/108962/physical-game-sales-in-the-uk-are-plummeting-ubisoft-says/index.html)
have to do
(https://gamingbolt.com/pokemon-legends-z-a-tops-uk-physical-charts-launch-sales-down-40-percent-over-arceus)
with weakening physical
(https://x.com/Chris_Dring/status/1939386768211509434?t=CYw48l3DSjcQHg1m9xSktg&s=19)
sales in the UK.
Re: Talking Point: With Expedition 33 Winning Best Indie Game, What Does 'Indie' Mean to You?
@RobN Wonderful point about arguing the threshold of AAA vs. AA. What a lot of people miss in these discussions are how arbitrary all these labels can be. There is no exact budgetary or resource-intensive point something becomes AAA. I'd argue likewise the same for AA, A (if anyone still uses that), and indie. I'll always just say they are all vibes, not specific categories.
One can argue indie specifically needs to be independent of a publisher. Which is fair, but also still kinda meaningless. Like, Baldur's Gate 3 was indie, in that sense. Despite having a bigger budget than what most would consider indie and the backing of one of the biggest IPs in the world. And a lot of outwardly appearing indie titles do have some publisher, or at least publishing assistance. Even Stardew Valley, a game effectively made by one guy, got some 3rd-party funding at the tail end of its development, and has had a dedicated team work on its ports. So, to stand by such an absolutists definition would be to say BG3 is indie while Stardew Valley isn't, which just feels wrong — it doesn't fit the vibes.
Re: Talking Point: With Expedition 33 Winning Best Indie Game, What Does 'Indie' Mean to You?
While indie should literally mean "independently funded," few publicized games are even that. So, to me, indie is just a vibe. I wouldn't call E33 indie, because it doesn't feel indie. Indie implies small budget, small team, and likely a counter-fidelity aesthetic. E33 certainly had a bigger budget than most indie games, despite its small team utilized a lot of outsourced work, and looks more AA than anything. So I wouldn't call it indie. But I also don't think the indie label is this sacred thing that can't be co-opted.
It's kinda like how Hollywood realized there was a craving for lower budgeted, experimental movies from young, unproved crews, and all the major studios started launching 'indie' side studios. None of those movies should really be considered 'indie,' but they were going for that vibe and pretty successfully replicated it. And, to me, that's fine. I don't think it takes away from legitimately independent arts. It just means major players can actually produce interesting stuff instead of always following proven market trends.
Re: Nov 2025 USA Sales: Black Ops 7 Is the Month's Bestseller, But Struggles to Meet Call of Duty Standards
@themightyant I mean, 'flop' is synonymous with 'failure.' A comparative failure is a comparative flop. So if you're suggesting the former, you're suggesting the latter. There's no definite distinction between the two. Only the possibility of intrinsic connotative differences, which I don't have.
Semantics aside, yes, it's doing worse than Blops6. And yes, it's not one of the series' top-sellers. That might mean it is a comparative failure. But, without full context — which we'll likely never actually get — that remains unclear. We don't know what constitutes a failure at Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard-King for the CoD franchise. Especially when we don't know how this game affected or was affected by GamePass.
And your sales hypothesis is just a hypothesis. I also can't find it 50% off anywhere despite following links from webpages saying exactly that dated just 3-4 days ago (at least in the USA). So if it was 50% off, it has a fairly limited flash sale. And, looking at Blops6's digital sales history, it also had two notable sales before the end of its launch year. Which, to me, points to it all being fairly inconclusive when comparing Blops7's nebulous success to Blops6's nebulous success.
Re: Nov 2025 USA Sales: Black Ops 7 Is the Month's Bestseller, But Struggles to Meet Call of Duty Standards
While Battlefield 6 did indeed eat up more of Blops7's market share than I predicted, I still resent this insistence that Blops7 is a huge flop. It's still #1 here, is doing just fine in the UK, and I'm sure will remain one of the best selling games of the year.
And people acting like this is the first time CoD struggled to match its one-year predecessor's numbers don't have the full story (for fun, just look up "modern warfare 3 sales down" on Youtube and see how many people were likewise ready to jump on any negative interpretation of that game's sales).
We're also completely missing a BIG part of CoD's perceived success under the Microsoft umbrella: GamePass subs and engagement. I know people like to assume GamePass as a whole isn't profitable — which would certainly explain why Microsoft has abandoned most other revenue sources in favor of it...cause they're stupid, which would be the only logical explanation that meshes well with that proposition — but if it isn't, and if CoD is actually plumping it up, I'd assume that would be considered a success in Microsoft's eyes. And one would assume that if more people are playing CoD through GamePass, that means less people are buying it. Not that I'm saying that's definitely what's happened, just that it's entirely possible and we don't really know either way yet.
I'm entirely willing to admit I was wrong about Battlefield 6's sales power (still didn't personally like it much, though. Not in a 'CoD fanboy' way either; I thought Battlefield 1 was better than 6 and any CoD multiplayer I've ever played). But this Blops7 hate remains one of the most obnoxious things to come out of the gaming community this year, in my opinion.
Re: 'The Majority of the Studio's on It': Bethesda Gives an Update on The Elder Scrolls 6
Elder Scrolls VI has been in the same chasm of my mind as GTAVI has been for nearly a decade. And that chasm is reserved for obnoxiously hyped sequels that the entire internet won't stop crying about from series that I've only found mildly amusing throughout my gaming career.
Only difference is ESVI fell far, far deeper into that chasm after I gave Starfield a try.
Re: Mobile Ratchet & Clank Game Expands to New Regions as Testing Continues
@LogicStrikesAgain I mean, I would assume there's at least some hope that R&C fans, who probably grew to love the series from console releases, would be interested in this game. Otherwise, there's not much reason to utilize the IP. I wouldn't say it's necessarily targeted at them, but wouldn't assume they aren't expected to overlap with this game's intended audience at the very least.
I also wouldn't say console-to-mobile adaptations are always 'lite.' Not in this day and age. That also implies mobile-to-console adaptations are always 'biggums,' which really depends. Regardless, expectations of mobile platforms doesn't change my lack of enthusiasm for R&C Lite.
And this game would be competing with those for my time. If this had any notable single-player content, I would probably give it a whirl despite my reservations. But if it's going to be a multiplayer-only game, it has to convince me that I should spend my time playing and mastering it rather than any of the multitude of other multiplayer games I can otherwise be playing.
It's fine for what it is, and I'm sure there's potential for it to find an audience. I was just sharing that, as a big Ratchet & Clank fan, several factors are keeping me from mustering up any amount of excitement for this game. I don't see myself ever bothering to try this game, and, to expand on what I've already said, I'm kinda bummed this is the only publicly known R&C project right now.
Re: Mobile Ratchet & Clank Game Expands to New Regions as Testing Continues
I'm not morally outraged by this, or anything. But, it's hard to get excited about what is effectively Ratchet & Clank Lite: Multiplayer Mode. Also can't see myself ever starting this up instead of Halo, Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, Splatoon, or any of my other go-to competitive shooters.
But, presumably, this is for the markets that are playing CoD Mobile and the likes nonstop. Maybe it'll catch on there, but I can't be bothered to care despite being a big R&C fan.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Most Anticipated PS5 Games of 2026?
I limited myself to games I actually plan on buying on PlayStation instead of Switch/Xbox.
1. Romeo is a Dead Man (pending any S2 announcement)
2. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (gonna play OG and Anniversary as the lead up)
3. Resident Evil Requiem (even though I have yet to play VII or VIII and likely won't buy Requiem until 2027 at the earliest)
4. Grand Theft Auto 6 (I guess... I'm curious how it'll turn out)
5. High on Life 2 (mostly just because of the skateboard)
HM that I forgot existed until I was at GTA: Saros (probably my actual #3, but I didn't feel like redoing my list)
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate Cyberpunk 2077, 5 Years Later?
@MrPeanutbutterz Hell yeah! Hope you enjoy that crazy mofo.
Re: PlayStation Winds Back Time with Awesome 30th Anniversary Watch Collection
@Chip-Douglas These are uglier than most smart watches. Certainly tackier, at the very least.
Re: Feature: Predict The Game Awards 2025 with Our 20 Question Quiz
@77dreams Thank you for the thoughtful articulation.
Re: Feature: Predict The Game Awards 2025 with Our 20 Question Quiz
@ZeesGaming94 Sure, that's possible. But I'm genuinely asking: Can someone articulate what's so great about the game?
I know the story is great — I don't doubt that. But every appraisal I see of the game is along the lines of, "The story will stick with you. Also, look pretty, sound pretty, and, though I won't elaborate upon what actually makes its combat good, it's so fun to press the buttons! Also, it's a relatively small AA game — and that's cool."
I'm really not trying to say it's not good. But I understand what makes Blue Prince praiseworthy despite having not played it. And I can articulate what's really good about DK Bananza. But E33 feels like it just has this 'trust me, bro' status.
Re: Feature: Predict The Game Awards 2025 with Our 20 Question Quiz
Where's the "E33 everything" button? Still only played about an hour of the game myself. So I don't really get the fascination, but it is nice to see the industry rally behind an admiration for something for once.
Hell, at the risk of sounding like a reductive arse, what exactly does make French Mario & Luigi w/ a good story so special? The only praise I really see articulated is: OST good, story powerful, art looks nice, and you press buttons during turn-based combat. Is there more to this? Genius level design? Combat that can rival the greatest TB-RPGs of all time (removed from its active attribute)? Medium defining interactive storytelling?
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate Cyberpunk 2077, 5 Years Later?
@MrPeanutbutterz In the context of his review, this statement came after detailing a long indulgence into the genre of cyberpunk in preparation for the game. Where he eventually expressed his thought to interview the author of Necromancer — the father of the genre — for his review of 2077, and even attempted to contact him. Then he elaborates how, after contacting him, and while playing the game, he had an epiphany about how silly of a request that would be. Because 2077, despite how much it might object, is an entry in a relatively young and arguably juvenile art form. It is something a legacy, well-renowned author probably wouldn't care to talk about or think about. Because, "Video games are stupid, and Cyberpunk 2077 is a stupid video game."
Personally, I interpret that as saying, 'Video games have yet to attain high-art status, and 2077 is far from the height of the medium's artistry.' Which is a perfect critique of a shooter video game that tries to be 'mature' and philosophical, but makes missteps. It's not an indictment of the game, rather an honest examination of its limitations apropos its ambitions.
As for Rogers' style and opinions, his 'signature' is literally "I was born stupid, but will not die hungry," and he frequently calls himself and his scripts stupid. Even expressing how much amusement he gets out of certain lines merely for how moronic they sound. So...I dunno, good job to anyone who read his work as occasionally stupid. That was kinda the intention. He doesn't really try to be this uber-sophisticated, always right, know it all. So, to me, anyone who criticizes him as though he does just outs that they don't really engage with his work and are probably just offended over some petty disagreement they've had with him. Even in this specific case, his review of 2077 was actually fairly positive a decent amount of the time. His opinion of it is a lot more complex than I've alluded to; I just picked out a specific line he wrote that always stuck out to me.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate Cyberpunk 2077, 5 Years Later?
@4fold What nudity did they censor? I haven't played the game recently, but I'm pretty sure it's still tits galore in Night City.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate Cyberpunk 2077, 5 Years Later?
Was not at all impressed when I tried it years ago (after the PS5 update). I doubt my thoughts will have changed much now, and I don't plan on giving it a try until I can play it at a state comparable to max PC settings (although, I might just say "f*** it" and buy the S2 version if I ever see it on a really good deal).
I always thought Tim Rogers had the most perfect, biting critique of it, though, "Video games are stupid, and Cyberpunk 2077 is a stupid video game."
Re: 'Deeply Concerning': GTA Dev's Alleged Union Busting Has Now Reached the UK Prime Minister
@Nep-Nep-Freak Not even R* is claiming this had anything to do with downsizing or redundancy.
Re: 'The Franchise Has Not Met Your Expectations': Call of Duty Vows to Overdeliver After Black Ops 7 Misfire
@VenomUK This isn't the first time CoD's done this, actually. This has nothing to do with Microsoft.
Re: PlayStation Wrap-Up 2025 Live Now, Get Your Gaming Stats for the Year
*Reads 115 hours played
"Seems kinda excessive..."
*See others' hour count
"...I guess I'm all right."
Though I'm sure I have 200-300 hours on Switch/Switch 2, 50 or so on Xbox, and about a dozen on Steam. Still, I dunno how some of y'all do it. Even if I had more time for gaming, I just don't like playing more than a few hours a day, a few days a week.
Re: The Boys Brings Some Much-Needed Heat to PSVR2 Next Year
@4fold @get2sammyb People who say any contemporary gaming hardware has no games are talking out of their ass. People who question the volume and expedience of Sony's direct support just expect better from an industry veteran currently more successful than they've ever been.
Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (PS5) - Sky-High Ambition Meets Some Turbulence in This Stunning Sim
@Oram77 I dunno. I think contemporary gamers are way too obsessed with bugs, glitches, performance, and general blemishes in polish.
Even in this game's case, the only glitches detailed in this review are simple restart or reboot fixes that I would describe as obnoxiously inconvenient at most (although, I didn't feel the summary's use of "frequent" was reflected in the review's text, so maybe there's more to it). I'm currently playing the System Shock 2 remake, and occasionally collision scenery just infinitely falls into the ground. Do I think that notably affects my experience negatively? Not really. So I wouldn't say the game's worse for it, or anything.
Re: Honkai: Star Rail's Milestone PS5 Update Allegedly Postponed Due to Political Tensions
@PuppetMaster It wasn't an advisable statement. But it wasn't dumb.
Re: Honkai: Star Rail's Milestone PS5 Update Allegedly Postponed Due to Political Tensions
@PuppetMaster She really just said that if China staged a military attack on Taiwan, it would definitionally constitute a "survival-threatening situation" (essentially an existential threat to Japan caused by an attack on one of its allies), and would thereby justify the mobilization of their self-defense forces.
Which is tactless, sure, but I wouldn't call it dumb. Really just saying it how it is. Anyway, I'm sure the ongoing geopolitical strife between Japan and China will fizzle out like usual and keep from interfering with business. Feels like applicable politicians are trying to avoid making things worse; they just don't want to back down and immediately pacify the tension by conceding.
Re: Japan's New PS5 Model Suffers Sales Slump in First Full Week of Data
@PuppetMaster You realize this is the equivalent of saying that because Doom: The Dark Ages and Alan Wake 2 didn't sell well in the US, that market must not be interested in shooters?
And, again, a Japanese-coded game will not necessarily appeal to the Japanese market. I'm not saying make Gravity Rush 3. I'm saying make something that succeeds in Japan.
Re: Japan's New PS5 Model Suffers Sales Slump in First Full Week of Data
@SeaDaVie I don't really see what Ghost of Tsushima's mild success has to do with what I said.
As an aside, that estimate included the PS4 release and PS5 Director's Cut, both physically and digitally, over the course of 3 years. The majority of Japanese sales numbers are limited to physical sales as tracked by Famitsu. In which regard, Tsushima only charted in the yearly top 100 in 2020. It hit shy of half a million that year — physically only. Why I think this is all relevant is two-fold: first, that is a fairly successful Japanese launch, but was during the PS4 days. You would often see popular PS-only/mostly series like Resident Evil and Final Fantasy charting well above their PS5 counterparts back then. Again, makes you think this is a PS5 issue. Be really interesting to see how Yotei faired this year. Secondly, it's hard to really say Tsushima was this phenomenal hit given aforementioned factors. Get those digital sales in there, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it be eclipsed by other PS4/5 games that only seemed modestly successful according to Famitsu charts.
More pertinent, though, I'd say there's a big misunderstanding from both fans who want more Japanese representation from Sony and Sony fans who justify the company abandoning the market. Just because a game is made in Japan, takes place in Japan, or generally feels 'Japanese,' that doesn't mean it appeals to Japan. I love Gravity Rush, but it doesn't feel particularly crafted to appeal to Japanese sentiments. The Last Guardian even less so. They are Japanese games, yes, but that doesn't mean they are for Japan. So when I say Sony should try to sway the market, that doesn't mean I think they need to make Gravity Rush 3 (they should just make Gravity Rush 3 because I personally want it). They should make a game Japan cares about. They should make several games Japan cares about. And, like, really market them, invest a lot into their success, and try to turn them into their Japanese liaisons.
There's way more the market responds to than anime gacha games. Nintendo alone is sufficient proof of that. And the few PS5 titles that manage to be successful despite being on the PS5 in Japan show there's demand. I mean, 2D platformer Mario Wonder sold 2 million in a year. A board game, train conductor...thing was one of the best selling games of the last 2 years. Minecraft is still regularly successful. It doesn't have to be a gacha game to be successful there. Being on the Switch does help, though... I mean, they could always just do that. Why not throw Astro Bot and Rachet on the Switch and see what happens?
Re: Japan's New PS5 Model Suffers Sales Slump in First Full Week of Data
@bossuche9 Regardless of which era of management is to blame for PlayStation's contemporary woes in Japan, that doesn't mean modern management is validated in ignoring the entire market.
I'd argue that if one flop closes down an entire studio at any major publisher, that major publisher should reevaluate its business structure. Even one as seemingly mismanaged as Microsoft isn't closing down Double Fine because of Keeper. They also didn't close down Ninja Theory because of Bleeding Edge. This isn't so much a Sony problem as it is a modern entertainment problem, but companies should be able to afford a flop here and there. That's the only way you're going to create hits in the first place.
And, if home consoles were successful in Japan in the past, that means the market is still there. Even looking at the Switch's success, we're just assuming people are buying it for the portability. That's despite the worst selling Switch model being the cheap, exclusively-portable version. It's very possible that, like in other regions, a great deal of Switch owners still use it as a home console a lot of the time. Which would mean this proposed stagnation of home consoles in Japan is foolhardy.
Re: We'll Soon See Whether Heavy Rain Dev's Live Service Multiplayer Gamble Pays Off
What the f*** is this?
That's a bad sign, already.