Let me start out by saying that this blog is sort of personal. It's really just me venting about things that have been on my mind lately. So yeah, read it anyway and stuff.
I've been a gamer for a good thirteen years now, and I've done nothing but get more involved in video game culture. While I have many people in my life that I would consider a friend, I try to surround myself with people that are as interested in video games as I am, which is more difficult than it sounds. A lot of my friends are gamers, but none of them are as deeply invested in games as they once were. It seems that I am the only one out of my group of friends that is still in touch with why gaming is so special. I don't think it is just my group of friends that is losing sight of why gaming is so great either, but the majority of 'gamers' are also slowly fading from their origins.
Gamers all begin somewhere; whether their first game was Space Invaders or, like me, Super Mario World. As we get older, our minds develop further and we begin to play more elaborate and time consuming games. We become lost in the beautiful worlds that video games can transport us to. From there, we begin to take pride in solving the worlds puzzles and discovering its' mysteries. Then we get older and we get more responsibility in the real world, forcing us to make a decision. Do I continue to game at a sacrifice to other things? Or do I pursue other goals and give up my gaming habits? For most people, I think this decision is obvious: give up gaming.
When I was younger (younger than I currently am) my friends and I would solely play video games. We were content with sitting around our bedrooms, picking up a controller, and gaming until 4 am. Countless nights were spent playing games like Super Smash Brothers and Halo. Summer afternoons were spent at the park or playing sports, however, most were occupied with sitting around a bench and discussing video game strategies concerning Pokemon and Final Fantasy. Now though, I can see my friends slipping away from our old gaming habits. No longer do they take joy in the simple pleasure of sitting down and playing a game. Now, it seems, that the only game they are able to play is Call of Duty or Battlefield. But while they're playing these games, they don't seem to enjoy them, they just rage at and troll other players. When they see a game like Dishonored, they cast it aside, deeming it boring and slow. To me, this seems as though they've forgotten why they play games; to have fun.
It's such a shame that gamers have lost the love of games that they once started out with. It's an even bigger tragedy when it's some of my closest friends that have lost their gaming love. I am beginning to see though, that the people in my life right now will not be in it for much longer. My group of friends and I all have different ambitions, and it's becoming more clear that video games are not in most of theirs. I still plan to make video games an even bigger part of my life, and even though I'll lose some friends on the way, I'm sure I'll gain some new and interesting ones as well.
Nagoshi Studio’s YouTube channel with the Gang of Dragon trailers appears to have been removed following reports that NetEase will stop funding.
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
FWIW..... wasn't the new management speaking to the other staff.... not so much us (regular folk)?
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Actual fans dont move on... they can add to their hobby while waiting for the next new release. If you believe what you typed then I guess PS fans moved on too.... you know, since its been a Sahara for 1st party games this gen.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
More like, allot of their base just played game pass. So now they need to encourage them to start buying again.
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
I actually had to read this twice--given the title of the blog--as I thought you yourself were losing touch with video gaming. I was going to say, perhaps you aren't playing the right games, then.
I see your point and I do agree; some people only play video games for that competitive edge and bragging rights with Battlefield, Call of Duty, Halo, and the likes. However, there isn't really a right or wrong way to play video games. Video games are a form of entertainment and if people are entertained by trolling their teammates and rage at their enemies, that's their cup of tea. But if they're not enjoying them, then shame on them for wasting $60 just to get themselves aggravated at people across the ocean.
In my case its getting harder and harder to find interesting game. I'm more of a JRPG, and action adventurer type. Lately the new games just don't cut it and the ones that do are really limiting. I play for story growth and the battle systems.
A lot of the newer games move closer to FPS or pure combat strategy. Diasaga for one. I hated. IT just doesn't feel the same anymore. Whats sickening is when viewing games the companies try and give game trailers without battle systems.
Here are a few rarities I'm interested in.
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
Tel me why these types of games are so hard to find! It's just there is not much out there anymore.
The problem is that both gamers and developers have lost their sense of looking outside the box and those that do still have it are slowly losing the desire to do it.Before you could make a game about a chef, riding a dinosaur, with a pie canon, fighting rotten vegetable monsters from the center of the earth and people would say 'Wow that sounds interesting' and go out and buy it even if it is for the curiosity of how it is being played. But now if you do anything like that unless it is an indie game for five dollars it will most likely be ignored even if it better then any run of the mill FPS that gets crapped out every year. People claim they want innovation and imagination but turn their heads away the moment it is attempted.So all efforts to break the mold are ignored for something that conforms to the norm. And since it is ignored developers concentrate on the mainstream games and leave the inspired game out to dry and gamers do the same.I once saw someone complaining about next years games saying there is nothing else but mainstream stuff and never even mentioned Puppeteer or Rain even once. So even the people who are complaining about the monotony don't even know about the other games that exist. You would at least think the people complaining about it would know about the other stuff but even they don't know about it.So you wonder if they really care or are pretending to care. Many people claim to want different things but at the same time they still want everything to be the same.The only change they want is a few new guns, levels or MP maps but beyond that if you do any major changes.The developers and gamers are running in place and most people are okay with that. The interesting games are there but people seem to prefer monotony and endless grinding to anything else. We are going down the wrong path of gaming willingly with people wanting to eliminate SP, make more FPS,want to throw out consoles for phone games and ignore anything t
Can't agree with you more. Gamers have forgotten and new gamers have no idea.
It's not just games my friend. It's part of life. People change and grow apart. It will happen for years to come no matter what your or their interests are.