First of all I'd like to welcome you all back to my semi-random blogs about the pathetic nature of current gaming PR. Now if you read my last blog on the matter you'll know to get out now. If not, ignore what I just said. It was great. Best thing you never read. So, as I'm the one writing this I'll start by diving into the chunky end of this particular cesspit.
Tribal Marketing isn't something new. It's been around for quite some time. It's based on polarizing an audience. Put simply it's about instilling a team mentality in consumers. An "Us and them" type thing. It's good points are:
- It generates advocates (fanboys/girls/lobsters)
- Your "team" tends to overlook shortcomings with "team" related products
- It tends to dissuade "team players" from trying competitors products
It's this feeling of belonging that allows or even promotes "advocates" becoming zealots. The crazy, lying, no sense making turd chunks that have plagued gaming for years. The thing is that a quick look at their (the turd chunks) behavior shows that it reflects the marketing used to push the product in question.
Let's take a look at the Tribal Trifecta: Dogmatism, deflection and misrepresentation.
Three underhanded and ultimately empty tools employed by people throughout different spheres of the gaming community. Everybody from manufacturers to advertisers to "journalists" (I know that's not the right word for them but I'll get onto that in a minute) regularly employ them (the tools not the chunks). Why you may ask yourself would they do such a thing? Simple. Money.
Manufacturers need to sell the products they manufacture (otherwise they'd be called unemployed). Different manufacturers have different standards though. I'm sure a quick look through the nets will reveal just how far some are willing to twist things to make their product marketable. I mean some of it is downright insulting and yet there they sit and... you know what? I don't think I need to take this one any further. There's enough of that going on already so lets skip ahead.
Advertisers need to sell a companies product as that's their only revenue stream. The funny thing is that any study into how people react to someones vocation lists advertisers as the lowest (or close to) as far as trustworthiness. I mean it's startling just how little people think of advertisers. The funny this is that even though people know not to trust these slimy ad whores they find themselves buying into the advertising regardless. Why? Because there are many subtle shades of brown in the advertising industry. It's always expanding and evolving new ways to get people to spend. People not interested in your product? Simply impersonate happy customers (AstroTurfing) and spam social media or anywhere else people may be discussing the product you're trying to hawk. They couldn't care less about buyers remorse or credit debt or any other factor. They're there to make the sale. Whatever it takes and given there really are no repercussions (of any consequence) when they overstep the mark why would they act responsibly? Just make that check payable to: Youradumbassconsumerandyou' ;renotgettingyourmoneyback and be grateful we let you buy it in the first place. So now that you've bought the product do you throw it out or join the team? Strange that those seem to be the only choices for some.
Alright, I think I we should move on to the second last bucket of filth that plagues gaming. "Journalists". Now this one gets tricky because you can't paint everyone with the same brush. People are individuals after all and as such I'll say 75% are douchebags (the margin for error here is up to 25%). They're only after page views, kickbacks, free swag, or indeed anything they can get and their integrity is the first thing gone and the last thing on their mind. Just go for a virtual stroll through this very site and behold the levels to which some will stoop. The very stupidity they try to peddle in order to to achieve one thing. Revenue. Some of the methods use reflect the individuals ethical state. Things like:
- When a product does well you'll find sites going to great lengths to find unrelated (an in some cases untrue) news to hit bait anyone they can.
- Endless Vs articles that have no fact in them. It's just an excuse to abuse the tribal system that's been put in place.
- Opinion pieces where bloggers write the most inane and useless waffle that you'd swear that'd taken a blow to the head before beginning.
The list goes on and it's plain for all to see just how pathetic a lot of sites have become. As such I don't think I need to spend anymore time on this point.
So at last to the end and the final problem (Cat I don't want ladies to read the next part so could you cover beans eyes? Thanks) It's you. The rational, free thinking person that attempts an even handed approach. You're f#$kin' it up for the rest of us. People livelihoods are at stake here so get stupid or get out.
I mean the only other course of action is to act like adults and everyone show others (from the top of this industry to the bottom) respect. Yeah exactly! Not damn likely. So find some way to lower your IQ and get in here with the rest of us. ;)
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 $500 million to make lol
What's a lobster? Is that a term the kids use these days?
Reminds me a lot of the old divide and conquer idea!!!
Elements of this technique involve:
--creating or encouraging divisions among the subjects to prevent alliances that could challenge the sovereign
--aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign
--fostering distrust and enmity between local rulers
--encouraging meaningless expenditures that reduce the capability for political and military spending
This idea has been used in economics, politics, and originally in military imperialism.
""Journalists". Now this one gets tricky because you can't paint everyone with the same brush. People are individuals after all and as such I'll say 75% are douchebags (the margin for error here is up to 25%)"
You, sir, are a genius. I have been saying this for years. Even blogged about it twice, once trying to help them out by giving them ways to improve. They aren't just d-bags, they are a wagon full of douches, a veritable douchewagon.
""Journalists". Now this one gets tricky because you can't paint everyone with the
same brush. People are individuals after all and as such I'll say 75% are douchebags
(the margin for error here is up to 25%)"
Finally we are starting to see how useless those journalists have been. You hit the nail in the head when it came to journalists.
"It's you. The rational, free thinking person that attempts an even handed approach. You're f#$kin' it up for the rest of us. People livelihoods are at stake here so get stupid or get out."
http://wcuk.files.wordpress... :P
Rather fun read.