There's a part in the interview right before Pete Hines' comment, which PushSquare left out in this article, which would have given more context to his thoughts:
That’s part of the reason Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush was announced and launched on the same day. Bethesda didn’t want to waste its energy explaining why the survival horror game studio was making a rhythm action game. Here’s the game, play it and judge it for yourself. If we believe what Xbox says, it was another success, reaching three million players. But what does success even mean in the age of subscriptions? After all, three million players is a totally different metric to three million sales. A year after that success, Microsoft closed the studio down (fortunately, Tango was later revived by Krafton), alongside Dishonored developer Arkane Austin, which also had an Xbox Game Pass launch with its vampire co-op shooter, Redfall.
“I'm not working in any of these companies anymore, and so I don't assume that everything I knew while I was in the industry still holds true today....
So basically he's referring to the Tango Works and Arkane Austin closures somehow being related to GamePass.
Microsoft acquired Bethesda/ZeniMax at the peak of the COVID pandemic, where gaming business had an explosive growth and demand for Xbox (and PlayStation) hardware was high. 2 years later and suddenly the business stopped growing, demand for Xbox consoles disappeared and GamePass subscribers growth stagnanted. Every company started reducing their staff. Question is, is GamePass to blame?
I think he might be hinting at games (products) having to be designed that never ends that keeps people subscribed for longer because plenty of game's on Xbox are just that these days except from the likes of Gears of War and whatever else.
Similar things were said about GamePass many times in the past, alluding that "GamePass is about never ending live-service" games.
From my personal experience where I've been subscribed to GamePass for a couple of years now, I would say in most cases the opposite is true. The majority of the games on GamePass are smaller indie titles. Any game which is designed to be played over a long period (including rogue-likes, souls-likes) would have been designed that way even without GamePass. The trend for longer, bloated and live-service games has been growing since the 2010s.
There are no "GamePass exclusive" games, they all release on PC, Nintendo and/or PlayStation. GamePass is just an alternative option on how to play those games. So games need to be designed for and perform well on all platforms. I'd say for people who play a few unending / live-service game, it's better not to subscribe to GamePass or PS Plus Extra, as buying the game is cheaper in the long run. There are a few exceptions to the norm of course like Capcom's Exoprimal or Pocketpair's Palworld, 2 live-service games which benefited from being on GamePass where more people could try it, as both were new IPs.
Maybe one thing which is true about GamePass (but bot mentioned here) is the quality of games at launch. Many games launch on GamePass which feel unfinished and by the time they launch on PlayStation those games feel more complete, like for example STALKER 2, Palworld or The Last Case of Benedict Fox. Redfall was the worst offender, but that one probably won't come to PS5.
@Ricky-Spanish I don't know, there is something exciting and refreshing about PushSquare. It reminds me a lot of some boulevard newspaper like the Daily Express or the Sun, but it's focusing on gaming. Its content is anti everything which is not PlayStation for the sake of being "anti". Like politics, it polarizes people and drives engagement (and online revenue). I love it! 😍
I want more. I want to know who Jim Ryan had an affair with, how does Hermen Hulst stay in shape, what did Bobby Kotick wear on the beach last summer. No one comes here for the "games". 😉
On the other hand subscriptions at least provide the option to "rent games". Sony and the other big publishers have been trying to get rid of rental and selling used games for ages.
There is a war in almost every product. If you have nothing different from your rivals then why push the envelope to innovate? Then you have a fixed market working like i cartel. Even worse for the consumer. Look at cellular companies for example. They are literally the same service/product hurting the consumer.
If all consoles had the same games available, wouldn't that force the hardware manufacturers to actually be more innovative and to help their products stand out, rather than relying on exclusive content? Those exclusive games rarely ever drive innovation. You're more likely to see innovation in indie games.
Nintendo had some of the most successful consoles when they were innovating on the hardware side with the Wii, Nintendo DS and Switch.
Not sure if the cellular companies example is fitting. How are they supposed to innovate? They all offer mostly the same service, because that's what people want.
Maybe the problem is that Monster Hunters' novelty for many casual players wore off and they had their fair share of Monster Hunters experience. Monster Hunters World was a streamlined AAA fresh new experience. Monster Hunters Wild is the same experience with some changes. Not sure if it's realistic to expect more sales, just because it's a sequel.
I enjoyed the more linear Metal Gear Solid games, so MGS5 wasn't appealing for me personally. Also with the way how Peace Walker felt somehow so bloated, I didn't care to experience the same again in MGS5.
Instead I watched all cutscenes on YouTube to see the story. Doing so it's clear that the game is unfinished with the last chapter's conclusion being a slideshow on a bonus DVD.
@LifeGirl I would assume more anticipation for MGS4 as it has been only on PS3 while the others have been re-released/remastered on the PS3/X360. But I think MGS4 might also be the hardest one to port to modern consoles as its so heavily tied to the PS3 quirky architecture.
I remember how Otacon is promoting the power of the blu-ray disc and not having to switch discs, but you still have to wait several minutes between chapters for them to get installed on the HDD. Not sure if that logic is easy to emulate and translate to modern hardware without breaking the game.
There are also many references to branded devices like the PS3, DualShock controller, Apple iPod and Somy Ericsson phones. Getting licenses renewed could be a nightmare, unless the porting team has access to the game's code and can remove/replace those.
Obligatory "maybe give Factions to Haven" comment.
That's exactly what I thought of as I read this article. Haven Studios might have a fun heist/extraction game, but artistically "Fairgame$" looks so unattractive it might as well get cancelled right away and most people wouldn't care.
I bet this team could create the sort of Last Of Us Factions multiplayer game that the fanbase is asking for and Naughty Dog didn't want to commit to. But the question is, would PlayStation be willing to fund another 1-2 years of expensive development to have the team rework the game from "Fairgame$" into "FactionS".
But this is business, whether you like it or not there is a rivalry between these companies. There is always a winner and there is always a loser.
...
Playstation vs Xbox.
So, what happens if one of them "wins" and the other "loses"? What does the winner get? What happens to the loser? The Xbox CEO already admitted that they lost the console wars. Congratulations to Sony PlayStation. That rivalry is coming to an end.
Xbox has lost and its in a desperate situation to make all their loses and purchases profitable. That is the reason why they are now releasing their firdt party on to playstation. Not because they believe their games should be played everywhere, its because xbox has failed as a console.
From a player's perspective, does it really matter why Xbox is releasing their games on PlayStation? Shouldn't they be happy instead that they have more games to play now?
Now Playstation the reason why they probably will.never put their first party gsmes onto xbox is because
1 - its not really that cost effective because of the sheer lack of sales of xbox. Why waste resources with such a small pool of players.
This article is literally saying that PlayStation just put a first plarty game on Xbox and it paid off. That "small pool" has an estimated 33 million of Xbox Series S|X console owners. Even a small number of let's say 100k is profitable for PlayStation.
2 - like you said yourself why would people move from an eco system?
Its not about getting people to move, playstation are in the business of making money. You dont make money from already existing owners your always trying to entice new owners.
And what's the best way to entice people in buying your hardware, by offering people things they can't get anywhere else. A more easy plug in play system with games you can't play anywhere else.
PlayStation has become such a dominant brand that people new to console gaming will choose PlayStation by default. Xbox as a console is losing relevance. No matter if PlayStation releases their games on other platforms or keeps them exclusive to their own console, most will choose a PlayStation over an Xbox. In that sense, they don't have to rely on exclusives as much as they did in the past. Plus as the development costs are skyrocketing, it also makes more sense to make the games available on as many platforms as feasibly possible to maximize the potential sales numbers while there is hype for the games.
If you start putting your exclusive games onto another system which is similar to your own, then this gives the consumer more choice of which system to buy.
You don't like being able to choose?
Every system has to have a reason to buy.
And there's no reason other than exclusives why someone would buy a certain console?
My question to you is why did you buy a playstation?
I got a PlayStation only because my best friends are on PlayStation and I wanted to play online with them.
Whether first party has delivered or not, majority of people who own a playstation are there for 1st party because we know they will come.
If you remove the whole exclusive then no one really has much reasons to buy into 1 eco system than another, making console sales weaker.
But if hypothetically Sony would release their 1st party games on other platforms like Steam, Nintendo and Xbox, where would the player base go? And why would they choose other platforms over PlayStation (where many already have a large game library and online friends)?
They've been releasing their major 1st party games on Steam and Epic Games Store for the past 5 years, but the PS5 has been selling just as well as the PS4.
We reported recently how the late port of Final Fantasy 16 – which wasn’t included in Xbox Game Pass – had flopped on the Microsoft machine, so all eyes have been on Helldivers 2 to see whether it would resonate on the green machine.
It seems like that estimate by Alinea Analytics of the Final Fantasy 16 sales on Xbox is always brought up on this website despite it being proven incorrect by other sites. This also impacts your credibility.
Aside from MLB The Show, which is not technically published by PlayStation on competing consoles, this represents the first Sony game to be released on a rival format.
Have you tried to find any estimates for the sales numbers of Death Stranding Director's Cut on Xbox? The game literally starts with the "Sony Interactive Entertainment presents" screen, while it's not published by PlayStation it is still heavily associated with PlayStation. Kojima reported 19 million players at the launch of the Xbox version and 20 million at the end of March on all platforms.
@Bluemoon2008 You need to understand that it's kind of a re-release of a 10-year old remaster, similar to The Last of Us Part1 PS5 release, but with a free upgrade for previous owners. It's only "totally new" on PS5. So even for those on Xbox, PC and GamePass there is little incentive to play it, as many already had the chance to do so over the past 10 years. So chances are that a good chunk of the player base is playing on PlayStation.
From what I can tell Gears of War Reloaded on Xbox is currently almost as popular as Helldivers 2.
I can imagine that those 1 million players has a good mix of PlayStation, PC and Xbox players.
While on PC and Xbox owners of the Ultimate Edition got a free upgrade and it's also on GamePass, Gears of War Reloaded is still essentially Ultimate Edition, a game which has been played by many millions of players over the past 10 years.
It also released the same day as Helldivers 2 on Xbox which targets the same "3rd person online shooter" audience.
Maybe the message about " ending the console wars" refers to Gears of War releasing on PlayStation on the same day as Helldivers 2 on Xbox. But in that case they should have been more clear. The "console wars" between PlayStation and Xbox ended years ago, that's especially true since Microsoft acquired ABK. It only continues on these forums...
@Fiendish-Beaver The Ninja Gaiden series might be tricky for you then, because you need to block enemy attacks with the left trigger. Also from the blocking stance you can do dodge rolls.
The current Ninja Gaiden series (not to be confused with the old NES series) comes from the Dead or Alive fighting series, so there is a bit of a fighting game DNA in there.
You can watch some videos online to get a better impression. Though what is written here sounds like it will be more accessible in NG4.
@Fiendish-Beaver It's a bit hard to say I guess, because the new game is developed by Platinum Games rather than the original team directly, but based on previous games in the series, you have a light and a heavy attack which you can combine into combos. Certain combos in the older games are quite essential to defeat certain enemies.
I've been wondering how a new entry in the Ninja Gaiden franchise will be received, now after the big "souls-like" hype which resulted in several "git gud" discussions.
The Ninja Gaiden games released since 2004 are brutally difficult, but there is something appealing about that difficulty. In NG Black the lowest difficulty was called "ninja dog" just to mock you.
But I appreciate easier options for those who aren't into these difficult games and just want to experience the game without any stress.
@Stale-Bread I have to apologize. I was wrong saying that Gears of War Ultimate Edition (and this new Reloaded release) are in Unreal Engine 4. According to Digital Foundry it's a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 3. That is actually quite impressive given how old that engine is.
I think Digital Foundry's review video is worth a watch as it highlights the improvements between the 2015 Ultimate Edition and the original 2006 release: https://youtu.be/N8jBoIvToZY
@Stale-Bread All good. It's easy to overlook certain things.
When The Coalition took over the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, their first project was to migrate Gears of War 1 to UE4 for Xbox One to become familiar with the games and the Unreal Engine. Two years later they released Gears of War 4.
A full complete trilogy would definitely be a great offer, but I guess this is better than nothing and if it helps to get additional Gears of War games and get the game series into the hands of more players then I am OK with this.
Yes, the multiplayer can be quite frantic. I'm also personally more of a fan of the horde mode but I also had a few decent PVP matches.
Probably for the same reason why Sony hasn't released a trilogy of Killzone, Resistance, God of War or Motorstorm on PS5. It's not that easy to update those old games for the new hardware.
In case of Gears of War Reloaded, this is a re-release of the 2015 released "Gears of War Ultimate Edition" which was a remaster for Xbox One where the developers migrated the game from Unreal Engine version 3 to version 4. Gears of War 2 and 3 would have required a lot more effort than this project, as those 2 games have not been upgraded to UE4.
With all the trouble Microsoft faced with the initial release of the Halo Master Chief Collection, and the effort it took to fix it, maybe they decided, it's safer to release this as a single game.
But 40 quid for the first game is really pushing it and I don't normally complain about the price of games.
I bet it will go on sale in a few months. The thing is, compared to the remake of The Last of Us Part 1 which costs $70 and doesn't have the original game's multiplayer mode, Gears of War Reloaded is fairly moderately priced at $40 with the inclusion of the multiplayer mode. Also owners of the Ultimate Edition got a free digital copy on other systems.
Also I couldn't see anywhere if you can coop online?
Gears of War is a product of it's time. Edgy, bold and a mindless good fun. Those who aren't nostalgic to the series might find it less appealing.
Regarding the price, a fair comparison might be The Last of Us Part 1, which initially released during the same console generation and also received 2 remasters. Unlike Gears of War, The Last of Us Part 1 doesn't include the multiplayer mode from the original release and is being sold at $70, where GOW is $40. Which one is the better deal?
@zekepliskin It's the same with all major gaming corporations. Same case with Xbox, EA, Activision, Bethesda. Their business strategy and decisions are driven by numbers and the need for growth. Not by passion and enthusiasm.
They don't care what "the fans want" because there's more money to be made with casual players.
@Questionable_Duck To be honest, I am unfamiliar with K-Pop Demon Hunters so I don't have a clue what it is about. I just remembered the headline.
But I can imagine that the target audience is much younger than the average PlayStation players. Some action platfomer like Astro Bot / Crash Bandicoot mixed with rhythm based mini-games might be a first idea.
A more successful approach would be something like Animal Crossing meets Persona 5, where you build and customize your house/secret layer/hangout-base and socialize with NPCs, and go into randomly generated dungeons to fight demons and gain materials or loot. This would allow players to stay engaged over a longer period of time. Maybe some gatcha mechanics like in Genshin Impact can be applied, probably to unlock new songs? It could be potentially very successful as a free-to-play game on mobile and all consoles.
EDIT: Maybe some hero brawler (like Smash Bros) or a hero shooter (like Splatoon or Foam Stars) could work. Another idea would be a coop rogue-like dungeon crawler (like Hades). Often it seems enough to take some popular genre and combine it with a popular IP to succeed. The more I think about it, the more ideas I get. 😄
I think Sony is doing their best to diversify their content by focusing on single player, love service, indie (through their many hero projects) while also trying to create IP that they can utilize through the rest of their businesses like Sony Pictures and Music.
I think Sony should charge more money for those "love services". 😉
@UltimateOtaku91 The "unicorn" franchises which Herman Hurst is probably alluding to are Mario, Pokemon, Sonic and Minecraft, which all had tremendously successful movies in recent years, are selling tons of merchandise including clothes worn by kids and have (or will have) theme parks. Hulst might think that Horizon has the potential to become such franchises, but personally I'm not sure if they have a popular franchise which is beloved by young and old players alike.
In case of the Borderlands movie the creators didn't care about making a good movie. Tales from the Borderlands has proven how compelling stories work in the Borderlands universe.
While it's great that PlayStation puts more focus on the quality of their (live-service) games, this also sounds a bit like longer development periods and less creative/innovating ideas:
We have since put in place much more rigorous and more frequent testing in very many different ways.
Additionally feedback loops take time to evaluate and incorporate the changes
Days Gone makes sense because it's a "failed" IP, so why not squeeze a few more sales out of it?
I think Sony would rather port games to other platforms where they are confident that those games will sell well. No point in porting games which aren't succeeding on their own platform.
With that said, while Days Gone probably didn't sell as well as Sony though on PlayStation, it did do quite well on PC. Plus it's easier to port thanks to being an Unreal Engine 4 game.
Reminds me of Resident Evil 6's multiplayer missions in the campaign. If the rumors are true, depending on the implementation it could be pretty interesting. In best case there could be some offline alternative with bots for those who don't want to play online.
And if it is coming together, I’d not be surprised if released across PS5, PC and Xbox simultaneously. That status alone could give it some impact! And why not - is anyone realistically going to buy a PS5 solely for this game if it is an exclusive?
While I am fully in support of multiplatform game releases, the problem is that if the game is bad or just mediocre, even a release on Xbox and Nintendo wouldn't be enough to keep Fairgames "alive". It might only prolong the inevitable. I believe Concord would have met the same faith if it would have simultaneously released on Xbox as well.
@Ainu20 I would differentiate between the more enthusiastic PlayStation fanbase, which cares about console exclusive games, is often met on these forums and follow gaming news closely and the more casual, general PlayStation playerbase, which care mostly about the big AAA titles (COD, FIFA, Assassin's Creed, GTA) & live services, don't go online to discuss games and hardly follow any gaming news. Playing on PlayStation doesn't necessarily mean you are a "fan".
Many PS fans here on PushSquare often state their dislike for multiplayer live-service games. They are not the target audience for Fairgames. The more casual playerbase that mostly plays Fortnite, COD & GTA Online is the target audience.
wasted towards Jade Raymond BS that no PS fans ask.
The sad truth is that Sony doesn't care what PS fans are asking. They are a business and the only thing they care about is making more money and satisfying shareholders. Fairgames was never targeted at the PlayStation fanbase, that's why it's perceived so negatively.
If they'd care about the opinion of PS fans, dormant IPs (Jak & Daxter, Sly Racoon, Syphon Filter, Resistance, Gravity Rush, etc.) would receive new entries and a Bloodborne Remastered instead of a remaster for Days Gone or Until Dawn.
Rumor or not Fairgames at this point doesn't seemed to be Sony's best investment. It's based on popular trends from 5 years ago, similar games like Sega's "Hyenas" have been cancelled, Fairgames target audience is on TikTok, not on PlayStation, and it will be competing with other (objectively better) games including Sony's own extraction shooter Marathon.
Releasing and marketing Fairgames is a big risk for Sony. I personally wouldn't bet on it being a success, but I could be totally wrong and Fairgames might become the next best thing. 😄
I just finished reading the article and there are actually more interesting points than Shawn Layden disliking GamePass. Like how free-to-play might become the default in the future, how the young audience will only play games on devices which they already have (mobile, PC), how difficult finding the correct price of a game is. Mat Piscatella (Circana) and Piers Harding-Rolls (Ampere Analysis) have quite insightful thoughts to share. It's definitely worth reading.
@DennisReynolds what's this big marketing push ms did for e33,you've mentioned it 3 times now
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 was first revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024 and was featured again in the Xbox Devloper_Direct in January 2025. Both events had more than a million viewers on the Xbox YouTube channel alone and being featured in such events is not cheap.
Of course it's understandable that one might miss those events if one only cares about PlayStation or Nintendo events. 😉
The big difference is that Sony does not see the subscription model as the preferred way to deliver games to customers, while Microsoft does. Both services reflect that.
I was commenting on the idea that "GamePass is the only subscription service damaging the gaming industry".
I believe in the end all subscription services impact the gaming industry including GamePass, PS+, Ubisoft+, EA Play, even Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass and Netflix Mobile Games. And if the gaming industry is perceivably getting worse, GamePass ain't the major reason.
Yes, Sony (and Nintendo) have a different gaming strategy. The majority of their games are heavily promoted single-player games (The Last of Us, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizo). Many Microsoft developed games are designed to be played over a long period of time (Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon, MS Flight Simulator, Halo Infinite). Also Microsoft spends less money to promote their games. So of course for Sony, with the games they've been creating in the past 10-15 years, the GamePass day-1 model doesn't make sense.
The elephant in the room is of course Call of Duty. It's a series which definitely is doing better when it's being sold, but I guess it was a strategic investment for Microsoft to put it on GamePass to increase subscriber numbers.
Nintendo doesn't really belong in this discussion as they only provide a retro subscription service, mostly for games that aren't easily playable on modern systems, if at all.
I wouldn't ignore Nintendo in this discussion. Their subscription might not be on the same level as GamePass and PS+ yet. But now that they have a subscription infrastructure, they can change their strategy whenever they choose. Also it's Nintendo's decision to put their older games on a subscription service. They could have chosen to sell those games like they did on the Wii/U and 3DS via the eShop.
Sony literally said Game pass would be unsustainable for them to do
I guess the difference is that Sony spends a ton of money on marketing to sell their high-budget single player games, which of course were planned to be sold and aren't feasible to be day 1 on subscription services. Microsoft spends much less on marketing their games and most of their games are made to be played over a long period so in case of a subscription service, people would need to stay subscribed over long periods. So what works for Microsoft doesn't necessarily need to work for Sony and vice versa.
GP may be good for some consumers right now, but in the long term the model is bad for the industry, and will be bad for gamers. The only thing that has served to limit its damage so far is XBox's poor hardware sales performance in comparison to Sony and Nintendo this generation.
Sony and Nintendo also have their own subscription service. Isn't that bad as well for the industry? You already hear people say, they'll wait for certain games to be on PS Plus or how they were planning to buy somethings but didn't as games became available on PS Plus. Nintendo could resell their old "virtual console" games like they did after the Wii, but instead opted to put games on their NSO subscription model? Wouldn't it be wiser for Nintendo to re-release their old games on modern platform? Their services are truly damaging the gaming industry. And let's not forget Ubisoft+, it's not only bad for the game industry, it's bad for Ubisoft. /s 😄
... also less games that we actually own as these games are only rented. The less money these devs actually make from game sales will effect their budgets for their next game which could result in a lesser quality game or rushed development.
It used to be okay to rent games during the PS1 to PS3/4 periods (or to resell games 2nd hand). Why is it now bad to rent games?
And why are players to blame if the gaming market is oversaturated with games which aren't compelling enough for many of them to own?
Gaming has been going downhill very fast since subscription services have took off.
But is gaming going downhill very fast because or despite of subscription services? And did it already start with Xbox Live & PSN or only now with GamePass & PS+ Extra?
While Shawn Layden has a questionable choice of words, I agree to a certain extent that subscription services like GamePass and PS+ can impact the design of games which are developed to be on a subscription.
But many developers are already "wage slaves” and that's unrelated to GamePass. How often have we read stories about crunch periods and minimum wages for QAs at Rockstar, Activision, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft. That was before GamePass existed. Big corporations with the goal to maximize profits are the problem, not GamePass.
Also one thing that is never mentioned is how these big corporations tried to get rid of second-hand game sales and game rentals, as they deemed them bad for the industry, by having 1-time redeemable online passes for their games during the PS3/X360 period. GamePass and PS+ offer a replacement for the lack of rental services.
A bit of a shame, but a reasonable decisions in this case if the budget is limited and the multiplayer mode is more of a bonus.
Also, as far as I know, unlike other publishers (Epic, Blizzard, Microsoft, Capcom, PSN) Konami doesn't have a user data platform with unique IDs, so cross-play would have been a huge problem.
Comments 465
Re: 'The Tension Is Hurting a Lot of People': Ex-Bethesda Boss Speaks Out on Subs Like Xbox Game Pass
There's a part in the interview right before Pete Hines' comment, which PushSquare left out in this article, which would have given more context to his thoughts:
Source: https://www.dbltap.com/features/24-years-bethesda-with-pete-hines
So basically he's referring to the Tango Works and Arkane Austin closures somehow being related to GamePass.
Microsoft acquired Bethesda/ZeniMax at the peak of the COVID pandemic, where gaming business had an explosive growth and demand for Xbox (and PlayStation) hardware was high. 2 years later and suddenly the business stopped growing, demand for Xbox consoles disappeared and GamePass subscribers growth stagnanted. Every company started reducing their staff. Question is, is GamePass to blame?
Re: 'The Tension Is Hurting a Lot of People': Ex-Bethesda Boss Speaks Out on Subs Like Xbox Game Pass
@EYEBALL
Similar things were said about GamePass many times in the past, alluding that "GamePass is about never ending live-service" games.
From my personal experience where I've been subscribed to GamePass for a couple of years now, I would say in most cases the opposite is true. The majority of the games on GamePass are smaller indie titles. Any game which is designed to be played over a long period (including rogue-likes, souls-likes) would have been designed that way even without GamePass. The trend for longer, bloated and live-service games has been growing since the 2010s.
There are no "GamePass exclusive" games, they all release on PC, Nintendo and/or PlayStation. GamePass is just an alternative option on how to play those games. So games need to be designed for and perform well on all platforms. I'd say for people who play a few unending / live-service game, it's better not to subscribe to GamePass or PS Plus Extra, as buying the game is cheaper in the long run. There are a few exceptions to the norm of course like Capcom's Exoprimal or Pocketpair's Palworld, 2 live-service games which benefited from being on GamePass where more people could try it, as both were new IPs.
Maybe one thing which is true about GamePass (but bot mentioned here) is the quality of games at launch. Many games launch on GamePass which feel unfinished and by the time they launch on PlayStation those games feel more complete, like for example STALKER 2, Palworld or The Last Case of Benedict Fox. Redfall was the worst offender, but that one probably won't come to PS5.
Re: 'The Tension Is Hurting a Lot of People': Ex-Bethesda Boss Speaks Out on Subs Like Xbox Game Pass
@Ricky-Spanish I don't know, there is something exciting and refreshing about PushSquare. It reminds me a lot of some boulevard newspaper like the Daily Express or the Sun, but it's focusing on gaming. Its content is anti everything which is not PlayStation for the sake of being "anti". Like politics, it polarizes people and drives engagement (and online revenue). I love it! 😍
I want more. I want to know who Jim Ryan had an affair with, how does Hermen Hulst stay in shape, what did Bobby Kotick wear on the beach last summer. No one comes here for the "games". 😉
Re: 'The Tension Is Hurting a Lot of People': Ex-Bethesda Boss Speaks Out on Subs Like Xbox Game Pass
This is true about all subscription services.
Remember when Lorne Lanning from Oddworld said how devastating the PS Plus deal was for Oddworld Soulstorm. PlayStation conditioned it's subscribers to stop buying indie games and expect them on the subscription.
On the other hand subscriptions at least provide the option to "rent games". Sony and the other big publishers have been trying to get rid of rental and selling used games for ages.
Re: Sony's Helldivers 2 on Xbox Gamble Is Absolutely Paying Off
@zebric21
If all consoles had the same games available, wouldn't that force the hardware manufacturers to actually be more innovative and to help their products stand out, rather than relying on exclusive content? Those exclusive games rarely ever drive innovation. You're more likely to see innovation in indie games.
Nintendo had some of the most successful consoles when they were innovating on the hardware side with the Wii, Nintendo DS and Switch.
Not sure if the cellular companies example is fitting. How are they supposed to innovate? They all offer mostly the same service, because that's what people want.
Re: PS5's High Price Becoming a Serious Headache for Publishers
Maybe the problem is that Monster Hunters' novelty for many casual players wore off and they had their fair share of Monster Hunters experience. Monster Hunters World was a streamlined AAA fresh new experience. Monster Hunters Wild is the same experience with some changes. Not sure if it's realistic to expect more sales, just because it's a sequel.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Thoughts on Metal Gear Solid 5, 10 Years Later?
I enjoyed the more linear Metal Gear Solid games, so MGS5 wasn't appealing for me personally. Also with the way how Peace Walker felt somehow so bloated, I didn't care to experience the same again in MGS5.
Instead I watched all cutscenes on YouTube to see the story. Doing so it's clear that the game is unfinished with the last chapter's conclusion being a slideshow on a bonus DVD.
Re: Physint, OD Are Potential Reveals at Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary Show
@LifeGirl I would assume more anticipation for MGS4 as it has been only on PS3 while the others have been re-released/remastered on the PS3/X360. But I think MGS4 might also be the hardest one to port to modern consoles as its so heavily tied to the PS3 quirky architecture.
I remember how Otacon is promoting the power of the blu-ray disc and not having to switch discs, but you still have to wait several minutes between chapters for them to get installed on the HDD. Not sure if that logic is easy to emulate and translate to modern hardware without breaking the game.
There are also many references to branded devices like the PS3, DualShock controller, Apple iPod and Somy Ericsson phones. Getting licenses renewed could be a nightmare, unless the porting team has access to the game's code and can remove/replace those.
Re: Sony's Troubled Live Service Game Fairgames Just Can't Catch a Break
@Shepherd_Tallon
That's exactly what I thought of as I read this article. Haven Studios might have a fun heist/extraction game, but artistically "Fairgame$" looks so unattractive it might as well get cancelled right away and most people wouldn't care.
I bet this team could create the sort of Last Of Us Factions multiplayer game that the fanbase is asking for and Naughty Dog didn't want to commit to. But the question is, would PlayStation be willing to fund another 1-2 years of expensive development to have the team rework the game from "Fairgame$" into "FactionS".
Re: Helldivers 2 Xbox Sales Estimates Predict a Helluva Start for Sony's Live Service
@Bez87
So, what happens if one of them "wins" and the other "loses"? What does the winner get? What happens to the loser? The Xbox CEO already admitted that they lost the console wars. Congratulations to Sony PlayStation. That rivalry is coming to an end.
From a player's perspective, does it really matter why Xbox is releasing their games on PlayStation? Shouldn't they be happy instead that they have more games to play now?
This article is literally saying that PlayStation just put a first plarty game on Xbox and it paid off. That "small pool" has an estimated 33 million of Xbox Series S|X console owners. Even a small number of let's say 100k is profitable for PlayStation.
PlayStation has become such a dominant brand that people new to console gaming will choose PlayStation by default. Xbox as a console is losing relevance. No matter if PlayStation releases their games on other platforms or keeps them exclusive to their own console, most will choose a PlayStation over an Xbox. In that sense, they don't have to rely on exclusives as much as they did in the past. Plus as the development costs are skyrocketing, it also makes more sense to make the games available on as many platforms as feasibly possible to maximize the potential sales numbers while there is hype for the games.
You don't like being able to choose?
And there's no reason other than exclusives why someone would buy a certain console?
I got a PlayStation only because my best friends are on PlayStation and I wanted to play online with them.
Re: Helldivers 2 Xbox Sales Estimates Predict a Helluva Start for Sony's Live Service
@Bez87
But if hypothetically Sony would release their 1st party games on other platforms like Steam, Nintendo and Xbox, where would the player base go? And why would they choose other platforms over PlayStation (where many already have a large game library and online friends)?
They've been releasing their major 1st party games on Steam and Epic Games Store for the past 5 years, but the PS5 has been selling just as well as the PS4.
Re: Helldivers 2 Xbox Sales Estimates Predict a Helluva Start for Sony's Live Service
@get2sammyb
It seems like that estimate by Alinea Analytics of the Final Fantasy 16 sales on Xbox is always brought up on this website despite it being proven incorrect by other sites. This also impacts your credibility.
Have you tried to find any estimates for the sales numbers of Death Stranding Director's Cut on Xbox? The game literally starts with the "Sony Interactive Entertainment presents" screen, while it's not published by PlayStation it is still heavily associated with PlayStation. Kojima reported 19 million players at the launch of the Xbox version and 20 million at the end of March on all platforms.
Re: Helldivers 2 Xbox Sales Estimates Predict a Helluva Start for Sony's Live Service
Happy to see that a good game is doing well on all platforms, including on Xbox.
Though I wouldn't quite trust what Alinea Analytics is estimating. They've been proven wrong in the past.
Hopefully more games will follow. 😉
Re: Gears of War Reckons It's Ended the Console War as Reloaded Tops 1 Million Players
@Bluemoon2008 You need to understand that it's kind of a re-release of a 10-year old remaster, similar to The Last of Us Part1 PS5 release, but with a free upgrade for previous owners. It's only "totally new" on PS5. So even for those on Xbox, PC and GamePass there is little incentive to play it, as many already had the chance to do so over the past 10 years. So chances are that a good chunk of the player base is playing on PlayStation.
From what I can tell Gears of War Reloaded on Xbox is currently almost as popular as Helldivers 2.
Re: Gears of War Reckons It's Ended the Console War as Reloaded Tops 1 Million Players
I can imagine that those 1 million players has a good mix of PlayStation, PC and Xbox players.
While on PC and Xbox owners of the Ultimate Edition got a free upgrade and it's also on GamePass, Gears of War Reloaded is still essentially Ultimate Edition, a game which has been played by many millions of players over the past 10 years.
It also released the same day as Helldivers 2 on Xbox which targets the same "3rd person online shooter" audience.
Maybe the message about " ending the console wars" refers to Gears of War releasing on PlayStation on the same day as Helldivers 2 on Xbox. But in that case they should have been more clear. The "console wars" between PlayStation and Xbox ended years ago, that's especially true since Microsoft acquired ABK. It only continues on these forums...
Re: Preview: Lumines Arise on PS5 Is the Eye-Popping Glow-Up the Series Deserves
Lumines is great, and I also enjoyed Tetris Effect Connect with my family and friends. Hopefully this will be just as good
Re: Ninja Gaiden 4 Is Doing Difficulty Settings Right, Especially If You're a Beginner
@Fiendish-Beaver The Ninja Gaiden series might be tricky for you then, because you need to block enemy attacks with the left trigger. Also from the blocking stance you can do dodge rolls.
The current Ninja Gaiden series (not to be confused with the old NES series) comes from the Dead or Alive fighting series, so there is a bit of a fighting game DNA in there.
You can watch some videos online to get a better impression. Though what is written here sounds like it will be more accessible in NG4.
Re: Ninja Gaiden 4 Is Doing Difficulty Settings Right, Especially If You're a Beginner
@Fiendish-Beaver It's a bit hard to say I guess, because the new game is developed by Platinum Games rather than the original team directly, but based on previous games in the series, you have a light and a heavy attack which you can combine into combos. Certain combos in the older games are quite essential to defeat certain enemies.
Re: Ninja Gaiden 4 Is Doing Difficulty Settings Right, Especially If You're a Beginner
I've been wondering how a new entry in the Ninja Gaiden franchise will be received, now after the big "souls-like" hype which resulted in several "git gud" discussions.
The Ninja Gaiden games released since 2004 are brutally difficult, but there is something appealing about that difficulty. In NG Black the lowest difficulty was called "ninja dog" just to mock you.
But I appreciate easier options for those who aren't into these difficult games and just want to experience the game without any stress.
Re: Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5) - Iconic Xbox Shooter Is the Perfect Intro for PlayStation Fans
@Stale-Bread I have to apologize. I was wrong saying that Gears of War Ultimate Edition (and this new Reloaded release) are in Unreal Engine 4. According to Digital Foundry it's a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 3. That is actually quite impressive given how old that engine is.
I think Digital Foundry's review video is worth a watch as it highlights the improvements between the 2015 Ultimate Edition and the original 2006 release: https://youtu.be/N8jBoIvToZY
Re: Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5) - Iconic Xbox Shooter Is the Perfect Intro for PlayStation Fans
@Stale-Bread All good. It's easy to overlook certain things.
When The Coalition took over the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, their first project was to migrate Gears of War 1 to UE4 for Xbox One to become familiar with the games and the Unreal Engine. Two years later they released Gears of War 4.
A full complete trilogy would definitely be a great offer, but I guess this is better than nothing and if it helps to get additional Gears of War games and get the game series into the hands of more players then I am OK with this.
Yes, the multiplayer can be quite frantic. I'm also personally more of a fan of the horde mode but I also had a few decent PVP matches.
Re: Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5) - Iconic Xbox Shooter Is the Perfect Intro for PlayStation Fans
@Stale-Bread
Probably for the same reason why Sony hasn't released a trilogy of Killzone, Resistance, God of War or Motorstorm on PS5. It's not that easy to update those old games for the new hardware.
In case of Gears of War Reloaded, this is a re-release of the 2015 released "Gears of War Ultimate Edition" which was a remaster for Xbox One where the developers migrated the game from Unreal Engine version 3 to version 4. Gears of War 2 and 3 would have required a lot more effort than this project, as those 2 games have not been upgraded to UE4.
With all the trouble Microsoft faced with the initial release of the Halo Master Chief Collection, and the effort it took to fix it, maybe they decided, it's safer to release this as a single game.
I bet it will go on sale in a few months. The thing is, compared to the remake of The Last of Us Part 1 which costs $70 and doesn't have the original game's multiplayer mode, Gears of War Reloaded is fairly moderately priced at $40 with the inclusion of the multiplayer mode. Also owners of the Ultimate Edition got a free digital copy on other systems.
"split-screen or online co-op". It's mentioned in the description on the store page: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP6312-PPSA17525_00-0219247498273183
Re: Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5) - Iconic Xbox Shooter Is the Perfect Intro for PlayStation Fans
Gears of War is a product of it's time. Edgy, bold and a mindless good fun. Those who aren't nostalgic to the series might find it less appealing.
Regarding the price, a fair comparison might be The Last of Us Part 1, which initially released during the same console generation and also received 2 remasters. Unlike Gears of War, The Last of Us Part 1 doesn't include the multiplayer mode from the original release and is being sold at $70, where GOW is $40. Which one is the better deal?
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5?
Hopefully it does well on all platforms and results in more Gears of War games being released everywhere.
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@zekepliskin It's the same with all major gaming corporations. Same case with Xbox, EA, Activision, Bethesda. Their business strategy and decisions are driven by numbers and the need for growth. Not by passion and enthusiasm.
They don't care what "the fans want" because there's more money to be made with casual players.
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@Questionable_Duck To be honest, I am unfamiliar with K-Pop Demon Hunters so I don't have a clue what it is about. I just remembered the headline.
But I can imagine that the target audience is much younger than the average PlayStation players. Some action platfomer like Astro Bot / Crash Bandicoot mixed with rhythm based mini-games might be a first idea.
A more successful approach would be something like Animal Crossing meets Persona 5, where you build and customize your house/secret layer/hangout-base and socialize with NPCs, and go into randomly generated dungeons to fight demons and gain materials or loot. This would allow players to stay engaged over a longer period of time. Maybe some gatcha mechanics like in Genshin Impact can be applied, probably to unlock new songs? It could be potentially very successful as a free-to-play game on mobile and all consoles.
EDIT: Maybe some hero brawler (like Smash Bros) or a hero shooter (like Splatoon or Foam Stars) could work. Another idea would be a coop rogue-like dungeon crawler (like Hades). Often it seems enough to take some popular genre and combine it with a popular IP to succeed. The more I think about it, the more ideas I get. 😄
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@LogicStrikesAgain That explains why Concord failed. The dressed-up characters weren't attractive enough for the service. 😉
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@MFTWrecks You raise some very good points. Some of those IPs I mentioned started out small and grew due to their timeless appeal.
The funny thing is, apparently Sony had such a monumental franchise with "K-Pop Demon Hunters" but they sold it to Netflix for $20 millions. They could have made a bunch of successful games, merchandise, etc. with auch an IP.
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@LogicStrikesAgain
I think Sony should charge more money for those "love services". 😉
Great typo. 😄
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@UltimateOtaku91 The "unicorn" franchises which Herman Hurst is probably alluding to are Mario, Pokemon, Sonic and Minecraft, which all had tremendously successful movies in recent years, are selling tons of merchandise including clothes worn by kids and have (or will have) theme parks. Hulst might think that Horizon has the potential to become such franchises, but personally I'm not sure if they have a popular franchise which is beloved by young and old players alike.
In case of the Borderlands movie the creators didn't care about making a good movie. Tales from the Borderlands has proven how compelling stories work in the Borderlands universe.
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
While it's great that PlayStation puts more focus on the quality of their (live-service) games, this also sounds a bit like longer development periods and less creative/innovating ideas:
Additionally feedback loops take time to evaluate and incorporate the changes
Re: Meltdowns on Social Media As Sony Markets Its Upcoming Xbox Port
@armondo36
I think Sony would rather port games to other platforms where they are confident that those games will sell well. No point in porting games which aren't succeeding on their own platform.
With that said, while Days Gone probably didn't sell as well as Sony though on PlayStation, it did do quite well on PC. Plus it's easier to port thanks to being an Unreal Engine 4 game.
Re: Meltdowns on Social Media As Sony Markets Its Upcoming Xbox Port
No surprise, PlayStation is promoting Helldivers 2 on Xbox, because they want the game to sell well.
Re: Rumour: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Campaign May Force You into Multiplayer
@Dimey Not sure if Activision ever released a collection, but COD Modern Warfare 1 & 2 haven been released as remasters on PS4 some years ago:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
Re: Rumour: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Campaign May Force You into Multiplayer
Reminds me of Resident Evil 6's multiplayer missions in the campaign. If the rumors are true, depending on the implementation it could be pretty interesting. In best case there could be some offline alternative with bots for those who don't want to play online.
Re: Don't Believe the Speculation About PS5's Fairgames Getting Cancelled
@madmaxrules
While I am fully in support of multiplatform game releases, the problem is that if the game is bad or just mediocre, even a release on Xbox and Nintendo wouldn't be enough to keep Fairgames "alive". It might only prolong the inevitable. I believe Concord would have met the same faith if it would have simultaneously released on Xbox as well.
Re: Don't Believe the Speculation About PS5's Fairgames Getting Cancelled
@Ainu20 I would differentiate between the more enthusiastic PlayStation fanbase, which cares about console exclusive games, is often met on these forums and follow gaming news closely and the more casual, general PlayStation playerbase, which care mostly about the big AAA titles (COD, FIFA, Assassin's Creed, GTA) & live services, don't go online to discuss games and hardly follow any gaming news. Playing on PlayStation doesn't necessarily mean you are a "fan".
Many PS fans here on PushSquare often state their dislike for multiplayer live-service games. They are not the target audience for Fairgames. The more casual playerbase that mostly plays Fortnite, COD & GTA Online is the target audience.
But that's just my opinion. 😉
Re: Don't Believe the Speculation About PS5's Fairgames Getting Cancelled
@PuppetMaster
The sad truth is that Sony doesn't care what PS fans are asking. They are a business and the only thing they care about is making more money and satisfying shareholders. Fairgames was never targeted at the PlayStation fanbase, that's why it's perceived so negatively.
If they'd care about the opinion of PS fans, dormant IPs (Jak & Daxter, Sly Racoon, Syphon Filter, Resistance, Gravity Rush, etc.) would receive new entries and a Bloodborne Remastered instead of a remaster for Days Gone or Until Dawn.
Re: Don't Believe the Speculation About PS5's Fairgames Getting Cancelled
Rumor or not Fairgames at this point doesn't seemed to be Sony's best investment. It's based on popular trends from 5 years ago, similar games like Sega's "Hyenas" have been cancelled, Fairgames target audience is on TikTok, not on PlayStation, and it will be competing with other (objectively better) games including Sony's own extraction shooter Marathon.
Releasing and marketing Fairgames is a big risk for Sony. I personally wouldn't bet on it being a success, but I could be totally wrong and Fairgames might become the next best thing. 😄
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@themightyant Well said.
I just finished reading the article and there are actually more interesting points than Shawn Layden disliking GamePass. Like how free-to-play might become the default in the future, how the young audience will only play games on devices which they already have (mobile, PC), how difficult finding the correct price of a game is. Mat Piscatella (Circana) and Piers Harding-Rolls (Ampere Analysis) have quite insightful thoughts to share. It's definitely worth reading.
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@Oram77 Sorry, my bad. Only saw the message by lazurus11. That's where I picked up the discussion. My fault. 😅
Off-topic: It's a bit difficult to follow conversations here as quotes/conversations are not properly reflected in the comments.
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@Oram77 Hmmm... I replied to @lazarus11 about the marketing of Clair Obscur Expedition 33, but you feel addressed. 🤔
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@lazarus11
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 was first revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024 and was featured again in the Xbox Devloper_Direct in January 2025. Both events had more than a million viewers on the Xbox YouTube channel alone and being featured in such events is not cheap.
Of course it's understandable that one might miss those events if one only cares about PlayStation or Nintendo events. 😉
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@Ainu20
I was commenting on the idea that "GamePass is the only subscription service damaging the gaming industry".
I believe in the end all subscription services impact the gaming industry including GamePass, PS+, Ubisoft+, EA Play, even Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass and Netflix Mobile Games. And if the gaming industry is perceivably getting worse, GamePass ain't the major reason.
Yes, Sony (and Nintendo) have a different gaming strategy. The majority of their games are heavily promoted single-player games (The Last of Us, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizo). Many Microsoft developed games are designed to be played over a long period of time (Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon, MS Flight Simulator, Halo Infinite). Also Microsoft spends less money to promote their games. So of course for Sony, with the games they've been creating in the past 10-15 years, the GamePass day-1 model doesn't make sense.
The elephant in the room is of course Call of Duty. It's a series which definitely is doing better when it's being sold, but I guess it was a strategic investment for Microsoft to put it on GamePass to increase subscriber numbers.
I wouldn't ignore Nintendo in this discussion. Their subscription might not be on the same level as GamePass and PS+ yet. But now that they have a subscription infrastructure, they can change their strategy whenever they choose. Also it's Nintendo's decision to put their older games on a subscription service. They could have chosen to sell those games like they did on the Wii/U and 3DS via the eShop.
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@Oram77
I guess the difference is that Sony spends a ton of money on marketing to sell their high-budget single player games, which of course were planned to be sold and aren't feasible to be day 1 on subscription services. Microsoft spends much less on marketing their games and most of their games are made to be played over a long period so in case of a subscription service, people would need to stay subscribed over long periods. So what works for Microsoft doesn't necessarily need to work for Sony and vice versa.
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@Rich33
Sony and Nintendo also have their own subscription service. Isn't that bad as well for the industry? You already hear people say, they'll wait for certain games to be on PS Plus or how they were planning to buy somethings but didn't as games became available on PS Plus. Nintendo could resell their old "virtual console" games like they did after the Wii, but instead opted to put games on their NSO subscription model? Wouldn't it be wiser for Nintendo to re-release their old games on modern platform? Their services are truly damaging the gaming industry. And let's not forget Ubisoft+, it's not only bad for the game industry, it's bad for Ubisoft. /s 😄
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@UltimateOtaku91
It used to be okay to rent games during the PS1 to PS3/4 periods (or to resell games 2nd hand). Why is it now bad to rent games?
And why are players to blame if the gaming market is oversaturated with games which aren't compelling enough for many of them to own?
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
@UltimateOtaku91
But is gaming going downhill very fast because or despite of subscription services? And did it already start with Xbox Live & PSN or only now with GamePass & PS+ Extra?
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
While Shawn Layden has a questionable choice of words, I agree to a certain extent that subscription services like GamePass and PS+ can impact the design of games which are developed to be on a subscription.
But many developers are already "wage slaves” and that's unrelated to GamePass. How often have we read stories about crunch periods and minimum wages for QAs at Rockstar, Activision, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft. That was before GamePass existed. Big corporations with the goal to maximize profits are the problem, not GamePass.
Also one thing that is never mentioned is how these big corporations tried to get rid of second-hand game sales and game rentals, as they deemed them bad for the industry, by having 1-time redeemable online passes for their games during the PS3/X360 period. GamePass and PS+ offer a replacement for the lack of rental services.
Re: Delayed Metal Gear Solid Delta Multiplayer Won't Support Crossplay on PS5, Xbox, PC
A bit of a shame, but a reasonable decisions in this case if the budget is limited and the multiplayer mode is more of a bonus.
Also, as far as I know, unlike other publishers (Epic, Blizzard, Microsoft, Capcom, PSN) Konami doesn't have a user data platform with unique IDs, so cross-play would have been a huge problem.