I think it's an okay decision or happening.
iirc, wasn't there even a new and probably last update coming soon announced recently?
I've never played 2077, neither. (I am still a bit mad about their ... well, anyway.)
But I think it can't get better to play that game, or any game for that matter, in a 100% complete, fully updated build.
Over the past 30 years, Playstation delivered incredible, exclusive IP.
Wether 1st, 2nd or 3rd party exclusives. People don't forget what they've been given to.
That's why people have been choosing to play all other multiplatform games rather on Playstation than on Xbox.
And if you truly want to support the myth that PS5 doesn't deliver great, even Game of the Year nominated & winning exclusive material as far in as ...
In my current state of, I think, logical reasoning of what a game in Game Pass, wether 1st or 3rd, has to account for:
• development or licensing costs
• estimated loss of retail revenue (if it wasn't on GP)
• if advertised, ad costs
• bonusses, if contractually promised
That's pretty heavy weights on the bar.
(And, now that I think about it: how do their 1st parties get the success of their games comp...
Yeah.
Well, at least not with only 35 mill subs at an average price/sub of ... whatever they earn now in average.
He's right.
I remember the days when Game Pass was introduced and its future features were presented. It sounded phenomenal.
At the same time though, the very first questions from many of us were:
Where do they get the promised content from? And how the hell are they planning to fund D1 releases?
Through sacrifices.
Today translated as massive consolidations/acquisitions, more than just one pric...
Since 2017 my claim always was and still is:
They wanted GP to become a 60 to 80 million, rather 100 million subscription service.
In its first years being open to everyone, then slowly starting to make games 'only available via Game Pass'.
Beginning with heavy 1st parties (Call of Duty, The Elder Scroll's 6, etc., that's why they bought them).
Continuing with 3rd parties 'Look, CD Projekt Red, Gam...
What I am interested about (I don't own an Xbox):
You need a PS Plus subscription to play Helldivers 2 on Playstation.
You don't need a PS Plus subscription to play Helldivers 2 on PC.
How will it be on Xbox?
I remember that day they voiced their support for the acquisitions.
The same as you, I couldn't believe my eyes how naive worker unions (!) could be.
I gotta say that's what I am looking forward to.
It's crazy to me that I personally can't bet on either one of the outcomes anymore.
Sales on Xbox will either tank. Or not.
Jez writes an opinion piece about why he personally sees it now. Which is fine.
But only because he sees it only now 'now' and he's got a platform writing about it, doesn't devaluate the fact that many people had this exact opinion/judgement even years prior.
Don't get me wrong - Xbox and Microsoft definitely had (and still have) the opportunity (and money certainly) to change their course of direction.
But all of it...
You've said that wonderfully!
I really wish Nintendo and Playstation just don't give a f***! Especially Playstation, since they've always been Xbox' rival and were somewhat worried about Call of Duty & Co.
I really dislike many strategies even Nintendo and Playstation are pushing currently.
But my impression is that at least at Sony they're beginning to understand some of the messages that came from the community...
I gotta admit:
Back then, I really thought "Now they got it! This is it! A-AAA games D1 in a subscription? That's a massive attraction compared to Playstation."
I don't know why exactly it went the way it did.
But it's at least obvious that a lot of people out there were just not that much convinced about it.
But I gotta say I really thought their subscriptions would skyrocket.
"My conspiracy theory"
Yes, definitely seems like it.
Sony own the IP.
At least to me it's really obvious why Sony decided to give an order to Arrowhead to allow their (Sony's) IP to be published in Xbox.
The attraction of Helldivers 2 being an PS5 exclusive (in the realm of consoles) weakened over time. I think that's pretty normal.
HD2 on PS5 (&PC) was a massive success....
It's good to know they were laughed off by Nintendo.
What it feels like Microsoft are doing for ~2 years now:
Cutting down the investments in the Series generation, even cancelling games like Everwild and Perfect Dark now, because the D1 GP feature is scratching on Xbox Division's bones or bone marrow already.
Everwild would not have been a 94 MC|OC mega hit. The same with Perfect Dark, if it even was playable at any time.
And even if both were going to be critically acclaimed mega hi...
So is & was the Xbox brand, with only very few years being an exception.
Yes.
In hindsight, it's always easy to make a statement, right? I know.
But everyone like me who had a gut feeling like "I don't know man, the reboot of Perfect Dark in the hands of Xbox feels kinda shallow!" turns out to have felt right.
They didn't show anything at their last Showcase. It again felt suspiciously awkward.
The Series generation is nothing less than a disguised financial recovery...
Upper managment knew about it in 2019/2020 already.
Zenimax and ActivisionBlizzardKing were the strategy to be bought out to try and save the Xbox brand economically and fill GP with exclusive content.
(If they hadn't, the Xbox division would had fallen down to ~9-14bn in annual revenue. Even today, with 21bn in annual revenue, it's a safe bet Xbox still ain't profitable yet.)
But within the upcoming 5, even the full 6 to 7 ...
And I agree here, too.
It's no myth and ain't no legend of ill will - but it is what it is:
When the Xbox One was being prepared, their executives, driven by totally unrealistic, non-gaming related business decisions, failed 7 years of a console generation even before D1.
(And they did so again with X|S.)
That's life.
When I go too late to any appointment or even to a store, I can't ...
Great!
But no, nope, no, no, I won't watch any SoP ever of a game I am excited to finally play at some point in time.