Let me tell you about publishers, from what little I know, they are the corporate giants that provide the funds necessary for developers to make triple-A games. They only know what makes themselves money in the gaming industry. When you're dealing with games that cost millions upon millions of dollars to make, you need to get that money from somewhere, or rather, someone. Publishers, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, get said vast amounts of money from stockholders. That's not to say that they get all that money from stockholders, some comes from investors, and some comes from profits, but those are different stories.
Stockholders buy stocks, of the publisher, which means they own part of its net worth. The stocks will rise in price if the stockholders think the publisher will be worth more in the future. It's a little more complicated than that, but I'm keeping it simple. What publishers like EA are doing is trying to please stockholders, instead of gamers, so that their net worth will increase, thereby forcing their stock prices to go up. That's the problem right there, it's much more immediately profitable for EA to siphon money from stockholders than waiting years for a game to be developed, marketed, sold, with the very real possibility of said game simply dropping dead like a fly at market.
So, at major events like E3, publishers, and even hardware manufacturers, cater to their stockholders. Now, stockholders know near nothing about gaming, publishers know a little more, and developers know a whole lot. What I'm assuming EA did with their stockholders, is they told them that by, say, adding more action to Dead Space 3, they will gather some of the Call of Duty crowd. This is wrong in every way, but like the gullible fools they are, the stockholders bought it (I'm still assuming here). The stockholders think everything will work out because if Activision publishes action games and makes absurd amounts of money, then EA can too. But, EA is going to market Dead Space 3 as a horror/survival game, and underneath the facade of their marketing, it will be an action packed Call of Dead Space. The casual Call of Duty group their aiming for will likely miss the memo that Dead Space 3 was made with them and horror/survival fans in mind, because it will be marketed as the very thing they're not looking for. Horror/survival.
To be completely honest, I'm not even sure if EA has figured this out yet. If they have, it means that they're getting enough money out of their stockholders to remain profitable even if Dead Space 3 should fail (however, here's hoping it doesn't because many developers rely on that game to succeed). If they don't realize it, then they are simply being a foolish publisher. Moving on, because the core fans of the Dead Space series are being completely ignored by EA, some will likely buy the game, dislike it, and not buy the sequel. Some will buy it, like it and buy the sequel, but for the sake of my credibility, I'm going to say that more consumers will dislike its weird combination of action/horror.
Publishers should stop catering to their stockholders. They should let their developers on a longer leash, we'll call it the Leash of Free Will, so that developers on said leash may use their wise, honed skills to develop mind-blowing, original polygonal worlds. When the gamers begin buying their games in droves, they'll make enough money back that they should be profitable. Stocks will rise steadily over a long period of time, instead of rising sharply, only to fall, over a short period of time. It's the long term method, let's call it the Very Long Leash method. Bad name? Publishers will buy it, don't worry. With this method in mind games can be made specifically for certain genres, without trying to attract the consumers of another genre, which often turns out horribly. I suppose it's up to the publishers, whether or not they want to stick around until next generation, or ride the Roller Coaster of Financial Disorder. Good name? I think so.
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.
This whole mess is the result of bad decisions and strategy from those who have "the vision" inside the company.
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.
What exactly is the long term goal with exclusives though?
Because for the most part, the hardware side of things has never been the most profitable, even sometimes being subsidized for a period before breaking even. And that’s before the hardware component nightmare we currently live in.
The whole point of exclusives was to get more people to buy your console in order to have a bigger install base, which meant even bigger software sales.
But if their ports to PS5 are selling (for the most part it seems) quite well, then other than negating the cut Sony takes there, unless you are REALLY increasing your software sales on your own console, it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference?
Honestly I don’t even understand Sony’s decision to scale back on it for PC unless they weren’t even recouping the port expenses. They released ports when the hardware sales never really dropped, and now that all consoles will undoubtedly take a noticeable drop in sales due to the ridiculous prices, that’s when they decide they don’t want to sell to a larger install base to more easily recoup dev costs… it’s just weird
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
Sooo true. It sucks, but a publisher has to listen to them or risk bad financial consequences. Stocks are the devil
Yup, it's a horrible system.
If I ever got super rich I would make games for the gamers. After the core game had been made I would tac on a casual mode for the non-gamers that want to be tricked into thinking they actually achieved something when they finish the game, but my games would be foremost for the hardcore.
Maybe one day.
* Claps *
It's always good to see another gamer well aware of how the business side of the industry works. It's nice to see you point out a logical reason why EA does what they does instead of just saying you hate them and they suck.
I thought i was one of the few people who knows about the stockholders, investors, etc.
Sadly, this situation is repeated more and more as companies are reliant on the stock market, and it's not just the customers that get the short end of the stick.
Nine months ago I left a car main dealership after Ten years of service. For the first eight years it was a decent company to work for, being owned and run by the same family for thirty plus years. The owners valued their staff and customers, funds were always available for specialist tools, maintenance and supplies. All in all it was a pretty relaxed and happy environment to work in. Profitable as well, with if I recall eight different dealerships at their peak.
When the economy hit the skids, they took a dive and were forced to sell off most of their sites and survived for another 18 months if I recall with what was left. When it all became too much they were then left with selling the business as a whole which was snapped up by an investment company which was in possession of fifty plus dealerships throughout the UK.
Now, my point of explaining the above is to illustrate the difference that a shareholder driven company can make. They did come in claiming we wouldn't experience a difference and bleated on about core values and mission statements, which did look like they were passionate about the business. But that is about as far as it went, money was always tight even though they'd send out the sales people to dinners with free bars. Specialist tool supplies ceased and repairs took weeks to be completed. However hard you worked it was never enough and you were encouraged to rip off customers, which I refused.
Any self respecting company would take value for the customer and job satisfaction for the staff as the main qualities to strive for, but not this bunch, value for the shareholders was the main buzz words I kept hearing over and over again.
From this experience I can fully understand why games are starting to lose their edge.