@Rich33 That is a good question. It's worth noting, the acquisition started on the tail-end of the COVID pandemic and the gaming industry was still making decisions based on the rapid growth seen during that period. Xbox consoles were sold out everywhere and people were buying games and subscribing to GamePass. At that point a 30% profit margin might have looked reasonable based on the growth seen in 2020 - 2022.
@themightyant I am aware of those facts. My comment was more of sarcastic remark, as this ABK acquisition evovled differently than what most of us excepted.
@OldGamer999 It probably will affect the "quality" of their games. I think they will invest in more safe-bet genres and franchises rather than something new and creative.
Xbox as a division part of a trillionaire company called Microsoft made a really bad decision buying out huge studios and those studios have/had great IPs.
The funny thing is, Xbox wasn't the one who decided to buy Activision-Blizzard-King, it was actually Microsoft. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick were in contact about TikTok, when Satya Nadella proposed the acquisition to Bobby Kotick.
@Lowdefal You are right, it is a long running series. But personally I think the technological innovations of how the 2 recent games are streaming content from the internet are very exciting. It's basically, that marketing slogan "the power of the cloud" now made true for these games.
Without exclusivity (which of course does have its problems too, as you rightly point out), the risk is that gaming becomes bland - with a lot less innovation and creativity as a result.
I would say that AAA exclusives by 1st party studios are often some of the least innovative games, as they are often (with a few exceptions) just safe-bet sequels. In that sense I believe Xbox has actually done a better job with more creative, innovative games (like Sea of Thieves, Flight Simulator, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, Minecraft Legends, As Dusk Falls), but the problem is innovation is risky and it doesn't always land well with the audience. I trust indie developers to offer more meaningdul innovation.
They have been saying it for a while, but they it didn't stop them releasing exclusives during that time which makes their words a bit hollow. Not to mention those exclusives where from studios they own, so they could have easily backed up their beliefs if they really felt that way.
I think the reason we've been seeing some exclusivity on Xbox is because they're still in the process of shifting from platform exclusivity to multi-platform releases.
Microsoft (the corporate) doesn't like exclusivity anymore. Ever since Satya Nadella took over the CEO role at Microsoft in 2014, he has emphasized working together with companies and technologies which Microsoft competes with, like Apple, Salesforce, IBM, and even Sony. They embraced Linux and made Microsoft products like Office, Teams, Edge, Azure available for platforms.
Xbox (sub-division of Microsoft) is still stuck in the video game console business and exclusivity used to be what got people into the console ecosystem. So some projects or even 3rd party contracts might be active based on that business strategy.
But after the ABK acquisition, Microsoft took over the control of Xbox and now they are dictating the business strategy for Xbox. It just takes years to shift.
Personally I see no issue with the exclusives, Whilst it would be nice to play everything everywhere, I don't think it would be great for business. Exclusives are a tool to seperate your product from the competition. Would Switch have been as popular if they had released all their titles to the more powerful PS / Xbox day 1? Something tells me it would have hurt sales.
My point of view comes from a consumer's perspective, so I appreciate what is best for the consumer, not the corporations. Exclusive games might help companies to hold their market position, but it also prevents other hardware manufacturers to enter the console market, as they don't have the means to develop their own exclusive games nor the connection and supply by 3rd party publishers. Having more hardware choice would actually be great, especially if that would result in more competitive console prices and innovative hardware, do you agree?
Nintendo Switch was a big success, because it's a portable home console at a reasonable price. Same as the Wii was successful thanks to it's innovative motion controls. The Wii U had many of those highly praised "Nintendo exclusives" which were later ported to the Switch, yet it sold less then the Xbox Series consoles.
I think exclusive hardware or platform features should be driving the gaming hardware business, not exclusive games and content.
Technically console exclusive games aren't needed since PS4 and XB One, as they have basically the same hardware architecture. And with the rising costs of game development, it makes sense to release games on as many platforms as possible.
But I guess some people need their exclusives to justify the viability of buying a certain console or because they like one brand more than the other.
My guess is the PS6 will cost more like $ 700 - $ 900 (without a disc drive). If the PS5 Pro is still $ 700+ and there is no sign of the price going down then I don't see a PS6, with a much more capable hardware, being sold for less, unless Sony is willing to eat up a loss if they go with a lower price (which would only make sense if Xbox were still competing in the console race).
@UltimateOtaku91 Well, it's a portable gaming PC, which isn't locked into an ecosystem, isn't subsidized, can play games from multiple storefronts from the past 40+ years of PC gaming, most of the games being sold for less than what they cost on console digital storefronts and doesn't require a subscription to play online.
I also think the entry price is quite high for a gaming device, but it's technically a fair price given the tech inside.
@Futureshark I believe physical media in general will have a more difficult time if game sizes are growing beyond 150 GB in the future.
The Oblivion Remastered's install size is between 119 and 125 GB on all platforms, so you would require at least 2 ultra HD blu ray discs with a 100 GB capacity. Ultra HD blu ray discs are way more expensive than regular blu ray discs and they also require special covers to accommodate the 2 discs. The game would need 5 standard 25GB blu ray discs or 3 double-layer 50GB blu-ray discs.
The only 2 games released on 2 ultra HD blu ray discs are Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I assume in both cases Sony was involved, as they are part of the Blu Ray Disc Association and they are manufacturers of the discs, so they might get different conditions/prices than a third party like Microsoft. Not to mention games, which still need a day 1 patch to work as intended.
The only point for physical media in those cases is for collectors to have "something physical" and the ability to share or trade the games.
No-one can trust a word they say, and the bare minimum to even making people think Xbox is trustworthy as a brand again is immediate firing of Spencer, Booty and Bond as a team, issuing an apology and hiring someone with the respect level of a Shawn Layden who can actually fix the problems, and quickly.
Do you believe it will become better if/when Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty are removed from Xbox? I expected their removal to result in less communication from the Xbox team in general (though that might end the confusing and contradicting messages).
Ever since Microsoft acquired Activision-Blizzard-King, the corporate executives (Satya Nadella and Amy Hood) took control over the gaming division. Whatever Spencer, Bond and Booty say doesn't matter, when the higher level has different plans.
... too be fair xbox players did have the best deal in gaming history.
I wonder if it's still a fair thing to categorize people as "PlayStation players" and "Xbox players". I bet if the GamePass subscription at the old price range had been on PlayStation, "PlayStation players" would have taken advantage of GamePass just as much as "Xbox players" did. "Being subscriped to GamePass because it's a good deal" is not a differentiating trait of behavior for the Xbox player base.
There are probably many "Xbox & PS/Switch players" who own both systems, who used GamePass to try games out and then would go on to buy the game on PS or Switch.
In the end "Xbox players" aren't much different from "PlayStation players". They all like good games and most of them play Fortnite, Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, GTA 5, EA Sports FC and Helldivers 2.
@Anthony_Daniels As games take several years to develop, usually these exclusivity deals are signed years in advance. Microsoft kind of started their multiplatform releases on PS5 and Nintendo in 2024, so I think there are still some exclusive games which will come. But going forward, new deals would be pointless (and expensive), unless Sony feels the need to sign some exclusivity deal for the launch of the PS6 to make it more attractive for gamers.
This is a good thing, right? PlayStation has finally won the console race! Where's our reward? All games for PlayStation, no more games for Xbox players.
We can all celebrate now by buying a PS5 Pro, a disc drive, a PS5 Pro stand and an DualSense Edgy controller. 😁 /s
You're correct, that does sound like the Square Enix president is blaming PS5 for FF16 underperforming.
SE received a lot of money from Sony in exchange for exclusivity with Sony also helped with the marketing. All those could help SE to balance the budget. So this "it's too expensives to stay in one platform" sounds like a weird excuse. If they think the cost are too high then why they accept Sony's deal in the first place?
Square Enix are like mercenaries. They take money from the highest bidder. They also took $ 100 million for Rise of the Tomb Raider's 1-year exclusivity on Xbox, and afterwards released the game on PlayStation. From what I remember these Final Fantasy exclusivity deals were limited to 2 years on PlayStation, so afterwards Square Enix can release the games wherever they want. It's surprising that it took ao long for them to do so in case of FF7 Remake.
So why on earth SE president said as if the game is a big flop and pointed his fingers at Sony while screaming "no more exclusives, we're going full multiplat!"?
Seriously, I cannot find any comments by the Square Enix president blaming Sony or PlayStation directly for any of their recent games underperforming. They only said “profits unfortunately did not meet expectations” and they want to “shift to a multiplatform strategy”. Sounds more like a Square Enix problem to me, as their games are too expensive to keep them exclusive to one platform. Going multiplatform doesn't mean they'll stop developing for PlayStation. There's nothing wrong with targeting more players.
I'd argue that we are already at that stage. There are moments in Hellblade 2 where at a glance it was difficult to tell if the characters are from real recordings or rendered in-engine. It's a beautiful game, but the gameplay is limited.
Now, Image if Sega was suing the creators of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Hyperfunk for copying the art style and gameplay of Jet Set Radio... You know, just like Sony is suing Tencent for that game copying the art style of Horizon. 😉
As long as Bluepoint doesn't remake it, we're good. ... Hopefully Fromsoft doesn't make that mistake again.
As far as I know, Fromsoft wasn't involved in Bluepoint's Demon's Souls remake. The IP is owned by Sony/PlayStation, so they chose to have Bluepoint develop the remake. Initially Sony didn't see the original Demon's Souls as a success, hence why they didn't greenlight a sequel and Fromsoft went on to create Dark Souls, release it multi-platfom, get it published by Bandai Namco and have it become a global success inspiring countless other games.
I'm a bit surprised to see someone be critical of Bluepoint's work. Most would agree that they did a good job with the Shadow of the Colossus and the Demon's Souls remakes.
similarities are not comparable to Palworld's. DQ's creatures mostly inspired Pokemon's designs. Or from Japanese myth "creatures" in general inspired both. Palworld's designs are just ripoffs.
Yes, my point is, if Square Enix didn't sue Nintendo for the Pokemon creature designs being similar to Dragon Quest's creatures, then Nintendo also doesn't have a chance to do the same to Pocketpair/Plaworld. That is the reason why instead Nintendo is suing based on patents.
But anybody who's not a Nintendo hater won't deny Palworld's creatures are blatant Pokemon creatures ripoff. Nintendo however can't sue them on the similarities (switched body parts)
I discovered the Evercade platform earlier this year, which is basically a retro platform with licensed physical cartridges. It's so awesome, just like in the good ol' days. You put the cart into the slot, turn on your device and you can start playing. No day-1 patches, no live services, no micro-transactions, no forced online connections - just pure fun. 😁 #BuyEvercade
Is there any word on how many units helldivers 2 has sold on xbox? It probably hasn't sold the numbers expected.
The last reported estimate by Alinea Analytics is "Helldivers 2 shifted 926k copies on Xbox six days after its release". Take it with a grain of salt, Alinea Analytics had some inaccurate estimates before. On the other hand if it's true, Helldivers 2 could potentially be trending towards 2m sold units on Xbox by now. Hopefully we'll get an official statement from Sony/PlayStation.
The issue of the game being able to launch on day one on all platforms worries me a bit, to be honest... in terms of performance/polish.
It depends on your expectations. In general a multiplatform release shouldn't be a big issue. The first 2 parts are built on Unreal Engine 4, an engine purpose made for multi-platform development. If the dev team at Square Enix chooses to develop the 3rd part on UE4 instead of UE5 then it will run fine on current gen hardware.
On the other hand, FF7 Rebirth is quite blurry in "performance mode" on base PS5, even though PS5 was the target platform during it's development. So if you weren't happy with the performance of FF7 Rebirth then don't expect the 3rd part to perform much better.
In most cases a multi-platform release would benefit all platforms. For example Larian Studio mannaged to improve the performance significantly in Baldur's Gate 3 on all systems while they were working on optimizing for Xbox Series S hardware.
@Reyzore I wouldn't put too much thought into it. Square Enix still cares a lot about PlayStation players. The only difference is that they want to expand their business to other platforms as well, because their big-budget RPG games are too expensive to keep on a single platform and maybe Sony/PlayStation exclusivity deals don't pay enough anymore to justify the practice.
Nowhere does it say that Part 3 will be multiplatform on day one... what it says is that the trilogy will be on all platforms, which is slightly different and LOGICAL! From the moment FF7 Remake is announced for other platforms, it's obvious that the other games in the trilogy will also arrive on all platforms sooner or later. I think Square could communicate more clearly about this so that all doubts are cleared up...
I assume Square Enix' Twitter message is about assuring those on Nintendo and Xbox that the 3rd game is definitely coming to those platforms as well, with the hope that FF7 Remake does well next year on those platforms. If there's a time exclusivity deal still active for part 3 then Square Enix is contractually forces to stay silent, so in that case we won't get any communication to "clear up all doubts".
Now there's something that confuses me... a new game mode that is exclusive to the Switch and Xbox versions? Will Square offer the original FF7 to those who purchase the digital version of the game? ...
Okay, PlayStation players got the game earlier... but here we're talking about game content.
You mean that "streamlined progression" feature? I would hardly call it content, seems actually like it's breaking the whole RPG aspect of the game. It could be the case that it will be added to the PS5 version as well via a patch, but hardly a loss to PlayStation players who already finished the game. The intention is to build up hype for the upcoming Switch 2 and Xbox releases.
I don't know if Switch 2 and Xbox players would also get the original FF7 when buying Remake, probably not. But I guess most who are interested in Remake might already have it.
Something doesn't feel right to me here.
Is Square treating PlayStation players like beta testers? And the game director thanked PC players (a peak of 40,000 players on Steam... incredible), wears Xbox clothing... it seems like they don't even care about us (PlayStation players) and forget that we supported the game.
I don't think there is any ill will from Square Enix towards the PlayStation players. They already received Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, 2 complete games. FF7 Remake has been given away "for free" via PS Plus Essential for a month so millions of PlayStation players could play it at no extra cost. PlayStation players got the special treatment by being the priority.
Now Square Enix tries their best to promote and sell the games on other platforms including PC, Xbox and Switch 2, without making them feel like 2nd class players. When the FF director thanks the PC players, he actually wants to sell more on PC. If he wears an Xbox shirt it's because he wants people on Xbox to buy the game - wearing a PlayStation shirt to a Final Fantasy Xbox launch event would be dumb. To them it's a given that Final Fantasy sells best on PlayStation.
You would be correct that Square Enix doesn't care about PlayStation players if they stopped releasing their games on PlayStation - but that is not the case. They are just expanding on other platforms.
@PuppetMaster You are correct, but Sony/PlayStation are still pursuing additional live-service games, even after Jim Ryan's departure, though they are more careful.
Additionally to Helldivers 2, MLB The Show and Gran Turismo 7 are also successful live services, despite having less predatory monetization models.
In case of Genshin Impact, Sony probably would wish to own the game outright and profit from the revenue on all platforms, not just the 30% on PlayStation. That's why I think it might be wiser for them to either invest in internal projects or acquire a potential live service before it becomes a large success (like Microsoft did with Minecraft in 2014).
@PuppetMaster Additionally to your points, why should Sony invest in Square Enix' live-service games (Babylon's Fall, Foamstars) when they are trying to have their own expensive live service games? After losing money on Concord and numerous unreleased, cancelled projects, Sony/PlayStation is hopefully more conservative with spending money on high-risk 3rd party projects.
Nevertheless Square Enix and Sony PlayStation have been strong partners for over 25 years, and the Final Fantasy franchise is heavily associated with PlayStation. While console exclusives of Square Enix games will be rarer, I think we will still see some form of marketing, like State of Plays.
And that pisses SE off. That's why they go public and badmouth Sony and the PS5, saying that the exclusivity is the reason why Final Fantasy XVI and 7 Rebirth failed...
I don't remember Square Enix "badmouthing" Sony. Do you have a link where they might have said something negative about Sony? I think Sony has been one of their most important partner for over 25 years now. But the development costs of their games are way too expensive to keep them exclusive to one platform.
Sony probably realized that all their games are garbage and it's not worth paying hundreds of millions for exclusive deals.
I wonder if Sony/PlayStation nowadays is paying less for exclusivity than what they used to, now that Xbox is not so relevant anymore. Usually these deals would need to cover the "lost sales" on other platforms, but it's a lot less these days on Xbox. Maybe only a dozen millions instead of hundreds? 🤔
@Th3solution All good, the article is actually about part 3. Square Enix basically confirmed the entire trilogy will release on all platforms (PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Switch), though it doesn't clarify if it will be time-exclusive to PlayStation like the previous 2 parts, nor when it will release. What is currently know is the release date of part 1 for Switch 2 and Xbox consoles.
It blows my mind that this game is coming out in less than 6 months. It feels like Rebirth just came out! It was just a year and a half ago!
Unless I missed something, the release date of the 3rd part has not been announced yet. It's the 1st part which releases on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series S|X in January 2026. Though Square Enix did state some time ago that they aim to keep the wait shorter for part 3 than it was between part 1 and 2.
but also at the same time disgusted that its actually costing like what €200 for "one" game
Square Enix could continue to go on and remaster older Final Fantasy games in such a scope, where 1 game is split up over multiple releases over a timespan of a decade, until eternity. By the time they are through with all, they can restart again and no one will remember what came before.
Square Enix would never have to write a new Final Fantasy story. 😄
@AdamNovice On the other hand, if the developers target lower powered systems, like the Switch 2, Xbox Series S and Steam Deck, chances are high that the next Final Fantasy will run at a smooth 60fps on PS5. 😉
I do wonder what Square will deem a success or flop (everything is a flop) as XVI reportedly did 22k at launch on Xbox, is that as you say if you want that list of games do you already on NS or PS, is it because wasn't day one like PS5 (But Helldivers 2 had done 900k) or other reasons smallinstallbase (Mafia numbers for instance) etc
There's no easy answer to that, as there are many factors all adding up to the success of a game. Hype, positive reviews, good word of mouth, the novelty factor of the game other games releasing at the same time.
There are examples like Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3 being successful on Xbox as well. Death Stranding Director's Cut and Helldivers 2 apparently did pretty well on Xbox. Not sure how well a multiplatform Final Fantasy will do in the future, but unless it released at the same time as GTA6, it could be fairly successful with a strong marketing and strong reviews.
Not sure if that report of "22K sold FF16 units on Xbox" is accurate (personally I suspect more like 220K), but the release was incredibly terrible. It was shadow dropped with no hype, released next to some of the biggest releases of the year (Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur Expedition 33, DOOM The Dark Ages) and at full price (where it was discounted on the PSN store during the same time). Those who waited 2 years for Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox, probably could wait another few months for a discount. Hopefully Square Enix learned something from this situation.
@UltimateOtaku91 Yes, Xbox lost their touch/partnerships with Japanese developers after the Xbox 360 era. I think Final Fantasy 13 did much better on Xbox 360.
Also 9% of FF15 sales being on Xbox isn't terrible, given that at that point the PS4 already had double the install base of the Xbox One.
Anyways, hopefully the multiplatform release of Final Fantasy helps the series to become popular and relevant again, which then hopefully results in new good Final Fantasy games.
@Lowdefal Final Fantasy 15 released in 2016. Final Fantasy 14 and 16 were released only this year. That means 8 years without a Final Fantasy game, in my book that counts as "almost a decade without Final Fantasy". 😄
But it wasn't just Final Fantasy, the Shin Megami Tensei/Persona series, Ni No Kuni and many more JRPGs which are popular on PlayStation, only started releasing in recent years. So without the content JRPG players will naturally choose to play on other platforms, mainly PlayStation.
Comments 281
Re: This Is Why Xbox Is Bringing All of Its Games to PS5 Now
@Rich33 That is a good question. It's worth noting, the acquisition started on the tail-end of the COVID pandemic and the gaming industry was still making decisions based on the rapid growth seen during that period. Xbox consoles were sold out everywhere and people were buying games and subscribing to GamePass. At that point a 30% profit margin might have looked reasonable based on the growth seen in 2020 - 2022.
Re: This Is Why Xbox Is Bringing All of Its Games to PS5 Now
@themightyant I am aware of those facts. My comment was more of sarcastic remark, as this ABK acquisition evovled differently than what most of us excepted.
Re: This Is Why Xbox Is Bringing All of Its Games to PS5 Now
@OldGamer999 It probably will affect the "quality" of their games. I think they will invest in more safe-bet genres and franchises rather than something new and creative.
Re: This Is Why Xbox Is Bringing All of Its Games to PS5 Now
@HaveTheSauce
The funny thing is, Xbox wasn't the one who decided to buy Activision-Blizzard-King, it was actually Microsoft. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick were in contact about TikTok, when Satya Nadella proposed the acquisition to Bobby Kotick.
Re: This Is Why Xbox Is Bringing All of Its Games to PS5 Now
So many people on this site were against the ABK acquisition. See? It turned out for the better for PlayStation players. 😁
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
@Lowdefal You are right, it is a long running series. But personally I think the technological innovations of how the 2 recent games are streaming content from the internet are very exciting. It's basically, that marketing slogan "the power of the cloud" now made true for these games.
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
@add286
The funny thing is, the PS5 generation has the lowest number of true PS5 exclusive games, yet financially it's one of the most successful ones.
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
@add286
I would say that AAA exclusives by 1st party studios are often some of the least innovative games, as they are often (with a few exceptions) just safe-bet sequels. In that sense I believe Xbox has actually done a better job with more creative, innovative games (like Sea of Thieves, Flight Simulator, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, Minecraft Legends, As Dusk Falls), but the problem is innovation is risky and it doesn't always land well with the audience. I trust indie developers to offer more meaningdul innovation.
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
@ilyn
I think the reason we've been seeing some exclusivity on Xbox is because they're still in the process of shifting from platform exclusivity to multi-platform releases.
Microsoft (the corporate) doesn't like exclusivity anymore. Ever since Satya Nadella took over the CEO role at Microsoft in 2014, he has emphasized working together with companies and technologies which Microsoft competes with, like Apple, Salesforce, IBM, and even Sony. They embraced Linux and made Microsoft products like Office, Teams, Edge, Azure available for platforms.
Xbox (sub-division of Microsoft) is still stuck in the video game console business and exclusivity used to be what got people into the console ecosystem. So some projects or even 3rd party contracts might be active based on that business strategy.
But after the ABK acquisition, Microsoft took over the control of Xbox and now they are dictating the business strategy for Xbox. It just takes years to shift.
My point of view comes from a consumer's perspective, so I appreciate what is best for the consumer, not the corporations. Exclusive games might help companies to hold their market position, but it also prevents other hardware manufacturers to enter the console market, as they don't have the means to develop their own exclusive games nor the connection and supply by 3rd party publishers. Having more hardware choice would actually be great, especially if that would result in more competitive console prices and innovative hardware, do you agree?
Nintendo Switch was a big success, because it's a portable home console at a reasonable price. Same as the Wii was successful thanks to it's innovative motion controls. The Wii U had many of those highly praised "Nintendo exclusives" which were later ported to the Switch, yet it sold less then the Xbox Series consoles.
I think exclusive hardware or platform features should be driving the gaming hardware business, not exclusive games and content.
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
Technically console exclusive games aren't needed since PS4 and XB One, as they have basically the same hardware architecture. And with the rising costs of game development, it makes sense to release games on as many platforms as possible.
But I guess some people need their exclusives to justify the viability of buying a certain console or because they like one brand more than the other.
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
@Northern_munkey
Microsoft has been saying for the past couple of years that they don't like platform exclusive games. Link: https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/28/23777585/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-console-exclusives-sony-xbox-competition
Re: PS6 Could Be Less Than Half the Price of Microsoft's 'Very Premium' Next-Gen Xbox
My guess is the PS6 will cost more like $ 700 - $ 900 (without a disc drive). If the PS5 Pro is still $ 700+ and there is no sign of the price going down then I don't see a PS6, with a much more capable hardware, being sold for less, unless Sony is willing to eat up a loss if they go with a lower price (which would only make sense if Xbox were still competing in the console race).
Re: Here's How Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Holds Up on the $1,000 ROG Xbox Ally X
@UltimateOtaku91 Well, it's a portable gaming PC, which isn't locked into an ecosystem, isn't subsidized, can play games from multiple storefronts from the past 40+ years of PC gaming, most of the games being sold for less than what they cost on console digital storefronts and doesn't require a subscription to play online.
I also think the entry price is quite high for a gaming device, but it's technically a fair price given the tech inside.
Re: Confirmed: Oblivion Remastered's PS5 Physical Edition Requires 'Additional Download' to Actually Play
@sanderson72 But you can also download delisted games on PlayStation if you bought them digitally on the PSN Store prior to them being delisted.
Re: Confirmed: Oblivion Remastered's PS5 Physical Edition Requires 'Additional Download' to Actually Play
@Futureshark I believe physical media in general will have a more difficult time if game sizes are growing beyond 150 GB in the future.
The Oblivion Remastered's install size is between 119 and 125 GB on all platforms, so you would require at least 2 ultra HD blu ray discs with a 100 GB capacity. Ultra HD blu ray discs are way more expensive than regular blu ray discs and they also require special covers to accommodate the 2 discs. The game would need 5 standard 25GB blu ray discs or 3 double-layer 50GB blu-ray discs.
The only 2 games released on 2 ultra HD blu ray discs are Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I assume in both cases Sony was involved, as they are part of the Blu Ray Disc Association and they are manufacturers of the discs, so they might get different conditions/prices than a third party like Microsoft. Not to mention games, which still need a day 1 patch to work as intended.
The only point for physical media in those cases is for collectors to have "something physical" and the ability to share or trade the games.
Re: PS6 May Go Uncontested as Rumours of Next-Gen Xbox Cancellation Force Microsoft to Comment
@zekepliskin
Do you believe it will become better if/when Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty are removed from Xbox? I expected their removal to result in less communication from the Xbox team in general (though that might end the confusing and contradicting messages).
Ever since Microsoft acquired Activision-Blizzard-King, the corporate executives (Satya Nadella and Amy Hood) took control over the gaming division. Whatever Spencer, Bond and Booty say doesn't matter, when the higher level has different plans.
Re: Silent Hill 2's PS5 Console Exclusivity Is Coming to an End
@Oram77
I wonder if it's still a fair thing to categorize people as "PlayStation players" and "Xbox players". I bet if the GamePass subscription at the old price range had been on PlayStation, "PlayStation players" would have taken advantage of GamePass just as much as "Xbox players" did. "Being subscriped to GamePass because it's a good deal" is not a differentiating trait of behavior for the Xbox player base.
There are probably many "Xbox & PS/Switch players" who own both systems, who used GamePass to try games out and then would go on to buy the game on PS or Switch.
In the end "Xbox players" aren't much different from "PlayStation players". They all like good games and most of them play Fortnite, Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, GTA 5, EA Sports FC and Helldivers 2.
Re: Silent Hill 2's PS5 Console Exclusivity Is Coming to an End
@Anthony_Daniels As games take several years to develop, usually these exclusivity deals are signed years in advance. Microsoft kind of started their multiplatform releases on PS5 and Nintendo in 2024, so I think there are still some exclusive games which will come. But going forward, new deals would be pointless (and expensive), unless Sony feels the need to sign some exclusivity deal for the launch of the PS6 to make it more attractive for gamers.
Re: PS6 May Go Uncontested as Rumours of Next-Gen Xbox Cancellation Force Microsoft to Comment
This is a good thing, right? PlayStation has finally won the console race! Where's our reward? All games for PlayStation, no more games for Xbox players.
We can all celebrate now by buying a PS5 Pro, a disc drive, a PS5 Pro stand and an DualSense Edgy controller. 😁 /s
Re: Worried Fans Can Rest Easy: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is 'Doing Very Well' on PS5, PC
@PuppetMaster
You're correct, that does sound like the Square Enix president is blaming PS5 for FF16 underperforming.
Square Enix are like mercenaries. They take money from the highest bidder. They also took $ 100 million for Rise of the Tomb Raider's 1-year exclusivity on Xbox, and afterwards released the game on PlayStation. From what I remember these Final Fantasy exclusivity deals were limited to 2 years on PlayStation, so afterwards Square Enix can release the games wherever they want. It's surprising that it took ao long for them to do so in case of FF7 Remake.
Re: Worried Fans Can Rest Easy: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is 'Doing Very Well' on PS5, PC
@PuppetMaster
Seriously, I cannot find any comments by the Square Enix president blaming Sony or PlayStation directly for any of their recent games underperforming. They only said “profits unfortunately did not meet expectations” and they want to “shift to a multiplatform strategy”. Sounds more like a Square Enix problem to me, as their games are too expensive to keep them exclusive to one platform. Going multiplatform doesn't mean they'll stop developing for PlayStation. There's nothing wrong with targeting more players.
Re: Nixxes Confirms It's Working Alongside Housemarque on PS5 Shooter Saros
Maybe it's a day 1 release on PC as well, thanks to Nixxes' support?
Re: Is This the First Tease of Next-Gen PS6 Graphics?
I'd argue that we are already at that stage. There are moments in Hellblade 2 where at a glance it was difficult to tell if the characters are from real recordings or rendered in-engine. It's a beautiful game, but the gameplay is limited.
Re: There's Even More Classic Tomb Raider Coming to PS5, PS4
I've been replaying the original Tomb Raider series on Evercade and I think the original games are the best.
I replayed Tomb Raider Legends last year, which was decent for the time it released, but feels a bit janky to play.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 599
Duke Nukem 3D Total Meltdown on Evercade.
Re: Even More Xbox Price Increases Make PS5 Look Like a Good Deal
@dskatter
This news was posted an hour later on PureXbox, if you care about it: https://www.purexbox.com/news/2025/09/microsoft-announces-new-price-increases-for-xbox-series-xs-in-the-us
I think the PureXbox staff is a bit more limited in capacity, so sometimes it takes them a bit longer to cover all the relevant news.
Re: SEGA's Jet Set Radio Reboot Has Its Work Cut Out, as Bomb Rush Cyberfunk Dev Teases Its Next Game
Now, Image if Sega was suing the creators of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Hyperfunk for copying the art style and gameplay of Jet Set Radio... You know, just like Sony is suing Tencent for that game copying the art style of Horizon. 😉
Re: Sony's Still Not Doing Anything with Bloodborne, It's Claimed
@Issen_Mode
As far as I know, Fromsoft wasn't involved in Bluepoint's Demon's Souls remake. The IP is owned by Sony/PlayStation, so they chose to have Bluepoint develop the remake. Initially Sony didn't see the original Demon's Souls as a success, hence why they didn't greenlight a sequel and Fromsoft went on to create Dark Souls, release it multi-platfom, get it published by Bandai Namco and have it become a global success inspiring countless other games.
I'm a bit surprised to see someone be critical of Bluepoint's work. Most would agree that they did a good job with the Shadow of the Colossus and the Demon's Souls remakes.
Re: Sony's Still Not Doing Anything with Bloodborne, It's Claimed
@Zeke68
But didn't that generate countless articles and a ton of clicks/user engagement? 😄
Re: Sony's Still Not Doing Anything with Bloodborne, It's Claimed
I wonder, if Bloodborne was on PC, would there be a remake or sequel by now? 🤔
Re: Interview: 'We Don't Consider This a Port': Battlefield 6 Dev on Why It Built the PS5 Version Concurrently with PC
What are "impulse triggers"? 🤨
Re: Despite Legal Dispute with Nintendo, Palworld Plans Full PS5 Release in 2026
@antlion
Yes, my point is, if Square Enix didn't sue Nintendo for the Pokemon creature designs being similar to Dragon Quest's creatures, then Nintendo also doesn't have a chance to do the same to Pocketpair/Plaworld. That is the reason why instead Nintendo is suing based on patents.
Re: Despite Legal Dispute with Nintendo, Palworld Plans Full PS5 Release in 2026
@antlion
Apparently many Pokemon designs
were copied from Dragon Quest creatures. Pocketpair were probably aware of that fact when they created Palworld.
Re: Everyone's Talking About How Little Physical PS5 Games Contribute to Sony's Bottom Line
I discovered the Evercade platform earlier this year, which is basically a retro platform with licensed physical cartridges. It's so awesome, just like in the good ol' days. You put the cart into the slot, turn on your device and you can start playing. No day-1 patches, no live services, no micro-transactions, no forced online connections - just pure fun. 😁
#BuyEvercade
Re: Sony Removes Multiformat Revenue from Strategic Indicators
Remember when former Sony executive Yoshida Shuhei said in an interview that "porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title. So it's almost like printing money."? Didn't read like it's hurting Sony in any way. 😄
Re: Sony Removes Multiformat Revenue from Strategic Indicators
From the report/screenshot:
... Are they talking about multiple future PlayStation devices or something else? 🤷🏼
Re: Sony Removes Multiformat Revenue from Strategic Indicators
@Nexozi
The last reported estimate by Alinea Analytics is "Helldivers 2 shifted 926k copies on Xbox six days after its release". Take it with a grain of salt, Alinea Analytics had some inaccurate estimates before. On the other hand if it's true, Helldivers 2 could potentially be trending towards 2m sold units on Xbox by now. Hopefully we'll get an official statement from Sony/PlayStation.
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@Reyzore
In case you really care, the preorder page is up for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Integrade Digital Deluxe Edition on the Xbox store, which includes the original FF7 for both Xbox and Windows, for the price of $59.99. The same price as it is on the PSN store.
But it's frequently discounted on the PSN store to as low as $34.79. So Xbox and Switch 2 players get no special treatment. 😉
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@Reyzore
It depends on your expectations. In general a multiplatform release shouldn't be a big issue. The first 2 parts are built on Unreal Engine 4, an engine purpose made for multi-platform development. If the dev team at Square Enix chooses to develop the 3rd part on UE4 instead of UE5 then it will run fine on current gen hardware.
On the other hand, FF7 Rebirth is quite blurry in "performance mode" on base PS5, even though PS5 was the target platform during it's development. So if you weren't happy with the performance of FF7 Rebirth then don't expect the 3rd part to perform much better.
In most cases a multi-platform release would benefit all platforms. For example Larian Studio mannaged to improve the performance significantly in Baldur's Gate 3 on all systems while they were working on optimizing for Xbox Series S hardware.
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@Reyzore I wouldn't put too much thought into it. Square Enix still cares a lot about PlayStation players. The only difference is that they want to expand their business to other platforms as well, because their big-budget RPG games are too expensive to keep on a single platform and maybe Sony/PlayStation exclusivity deals don't pay enough anymore to justify the practice.
I assume Square Enix' Twitter message is about assuring those on Nintendo and Xbox that the 3rd game is definitely coming to those platforms as well, with the hope that FF7 Remake does well next year on those platforms. If there's a time exclusivity deal still active for part 3 then Square Enix is contractually forces to stay silent, so in that case we won't get any communication to "clear up all doubts".
You mean that "streamlined progression" feature? I would hardly call it content, seems actually like it's breaking the whole RPG aspect of the game. It could be the case that it will be added to the PS5 version as well via a patch, but hardly a loss to PlayStation players who already finished the game. The intention is to build up hype for the upcoming Switch 2 and Xbox releases.
I don't know if Switch 2 and Xbox players would also get the original FF7 when buying Remake, probably not. But I guess most who are interested in Remake might already have it.
I don't think there is any ill will from Square Enix towards the PlayStation players. They already received Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, 2 complete games. FF7 Remake has been given away "for free" via PS Plus Essential for a month so millions of PlayStation players could play it at no extra cost. PlayStation players got the special treatment by being the priority.
Now Square Enix tries their best to promote and sell the games on other platforms including PC, Xbox and Switch 2, without making them feel like 2nd class players. When the FF director thanks the PC players, he actually wants to sell more on PC. If he wears an Xbox shirt it's because he wants people on Xbox to buy the game - wearing a PlayStation shirt to a Final Fantasy Xbox launch event would be dumb. To them it's a given that Final Fantasy sells best on PlayStation.
You would be correct that Square Enix doesn't care about PlayStation players if they stopped releasing their games on PlayStation - but that is not the case. They are just expanding on other platforms.
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@PuppetMaster You are correct, but Sony/PlayStation are still pursuing additional live-service games, even after Jim Ryan's departure, though they are more careful.
Additionally to Helldivers 2, MLB The Show and Gran Turismo 7 are also successful live services, despite having less predatory monetization models.
In case of Genshin Impact, Sony probably would wish to own the game outright and profit from the revenue on all platforms, not just the 30% on PlayStation. That's why I think it might be wiser for them to either invest in internal projects or acquire a potential live service before it becomes a large success (like Microsoft did with Minecraft in 2014).
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@PuppetMaster Additionally to your points, why should Sony invest in Square Enix' live-service games (Babylon's Fall, Foamstars) when they are trying to have their own expensive live service games? After losing money on Concord and numerous unreleased, cancelled projects, Sony/PlayStation is hopefully more conservative with spending money on high-risk 3rd party projects.
Nevertheless Square Enix and Sony PlayStation have been strong partners for over 25 years, and the Final Fantasy franchise is heavily associated with PlayStation. While console exclusives of Square Enix games will be rarer, I think we will still see some form of marketing, like State of Plays.
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@KawakiisaFraud
I don't remember Square Enix "badmouthing" Sony. Do you have a link where they might have said something negative about Sony? I think Sony has been one of their most important partner for over 25 years now. But the development costs of their games are way too expensive to keep them exclusive to one platform.
I wonder if Sony/PlayStation nowadays is paying less for exclusivity than what they used to, now that Xbox is not so relevant anymore. Usually these deals would need to cover the "lost sales" on other platforms, but it's a lot less these days on Xbox. Maybe only a dozen millions instead of hundreds? 🤔
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@Th3solution All good, the article is actually about part 3. Square Enix basically confirmed the entire trilogy will release on all platforms (PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Switch), though it doesn't clarify if it will be time-exclusive to PlayStation like the previous 2 parts, nor when it will release. What is currently know is the release date of part 1 for Switch 2 and Xbox consoles.
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@Th3solution
Unless I missed something, the release date of the 3rd part has not been announced yet. It's the 1st part which releases on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series S|X in January 2026. Though Square Enix did state some time ago that they aim to keep the wait shorter for part 3 than it was between part 1 and 2.
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
@Uromastryx
Square Enix could continue to go on and remaster older Final Fantasy games in such a scope, where 1 game is split up over multiple releases over a timespan of a decade, until eternity. By the time they are through with all, they can restart again and no one will remember what came before.
Square Enix would never have to write a new Final Fantasy story. 😄
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy's Conclusion Will Not Be PS5 Exclusive
@AdamNovice On the other hand, if the developers target lower powered systems, like the Switch 2, Xbox Series S and Steam Deck, chances are high that the next Final Fantasy will run at a smooth 60fps on PS5. 😉
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy's Conclusion Will Not Be PS5 Exclusive
@masofdas
There's no easy answer to that, as there are many factors all adding up to the success of a game. Hype, positive reviews, good word of mouth, the novelty factor of the game other games releasing at the same time.
There are examples like Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3 being successful on Xbox as well. Death Stranding Director's Cut and Helldivers 2 apparently did pretty well on Xbox. Not sure how well a multiplatform Final Fantasy will do in the future, but unless it released at the same time as GTA6, it could be fairly successful with a strong marketing and strong reviews.
Not sure if that report of "22K sold FF16 units on Xbox" is accurate (personally I suspect more like 220K), but the release was incredibly terrible. It was shadow dropped with no hype, released next to some of the biggest releases of the year (Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur Expedition 33, DOOM The Dark Ages) and at full price (where it was discounted on the PSN store during the same time). Those who waited 2 years for Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox, probably could wait another few months for a discount. Hopefully Square Enix learned something from this situation.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy's Conclusion Will Not Be PS5 Exclusive
@UltimateOtaku91 Yes, Xbox lost their touch/partnerships with Japanese developers after the Xbox 360 era. I think Final Fantasy 13 did much better on Xbox 360.
Also 9% of FF15 sales being on Xbox isn't terrible, given that at that point the PS4 already had double the install base of the Xbox One.
Anyways, hopefully the multiplatform release of Final Fantasy helps the series to become popular and relevant again, which then hopefully results in new good Final Fantasy games.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy's Conclusion Will Not Be PS5 Exclusive
@Lowdefal Final Fantasy 15 released in 2016. Final Fantasy 14 and 16 were released only this year. That means 8 years without a Final Fantasy game, in my book that counts as "almost a decade without Final Fantasy". 😄
But it wasn't just Final Fantasy, the Shin Megami Tensei/Persona series, Ni No Kuni and many more JRPGs which are popular on PlayStation, only started releasing in recent years. So without the content JRPG players will naturally choose to play on other platforms, mainly PlayStation.