One reader is outraged by Sony and Microsoft's approach to the current video game crisis, predicting the demise of gaming consoles.
I could hardly believe what I was reading this week in the news coming out of GDC (Game Developers Conference), where it turns out the hot topic was “What's going on with Xbox?” Did. “What's the point of the PS5 Pro?” Sure, that's what most gamers are wondering these days, but I wish the people making games had a better understanding of what's going on. I was expecting you to be there. But that's not surprising considering how clueless the people in charge of Xbox and PlayStation are.
As far as I know, there is no one currently in charge of PlayStation, but the head of Xbox is Phil Spencer. He has spent his 10 years talking endlessly and making promises about things that will never happen. It would be almost crazy if both companies hadn't laid off thousands of people, the actual developers who make the games we enjoy, while still collecting hefty salaries and company bonuses. It's a story.
But we are already past the stage of blaming people. Because now we are faced with a new reality that we must deal with. The reality is that Xbox believes exclusive games are evil and PlayStation believes live service games are the future. Both are puzzling conclusions based on absolutely nothing, but I believe they will not only control the future of gaming, but will lead to the early demise of console gaming.
I don't want to spend too much time talking about how stupid these ideas are. Because I think it's obvious to anyone with half a brain. But when it comes to exclusives, Xbox is saying that because it clearly wants an excuse to make all its games multi-format (just a month after saying it wouldn't). There's probably some PlayStation envy there as well. Because the idea that Xbox exclusive games are somehow having any impact on the gaming industry is kind of ridiculous.
As for Sony, it would be insane not only to lower the game budget to stop spending $300 million on each game, but to not care at all and make live service games instead. It's a game style that has such a low success rate that it's scary to think what happens to each studio whose game doesn't become a hit.
Not only are both companies panicking, but their response to the situation is making it ten times worse. Aren't Xbox consoles sold in Europe? Oh, let's make all games multi-format – which they clearly weren't interested in anyway – thereby giving them even less reason to buy an Xbox Masu.
Are single-player games becoming too expensive for Sony to make? Let's just not make single-player games anymore! Problem solved. Oh, and now our growth is slowing down? Well, that has nothing to do with us stopping making games that people like, so let's double down and intentionally make the exact opposite of those games. What's more, since this is a long story, it looks like he decided to quit playing games completely and live in a cave.
If I sound overly sarcastic, it's because I'm angry. These companies are laying off thousands of employees as if they're just statistics on a spreadsheet, and they're putting people off for decades to appease investors and look for short-term solutions. I'm also giving up everything I've ever enjoyed about the game.
I don't think console games can survive this. Xbox is clearly going to be multi-format soon (probably by the end of the year) and no one is going to buy a portable Xbox or next-gen console. For years, those who weren't already in the Xbox ecosystem had little reason to do so, but now they'll have to contend with the stench of failure that will continue to linger around them.
In Sony's case, they're going to throw as many live service games as possible against the wall until they can make money with microtransactions and battle passes. At that point, you won't need any proprietary hardware, just release it on PC and mobile.
And at that point consoles will be gone…except for Nintendo. I've never been a Nintendo fan, but over the past few years I've gained more and more respect for the company. That's especially because they've done the one thing Xbox and PlayStation are supposed to do: sit back and make the games people want. (And they haven't fired anyone.)
These aren't necessarily the games I want, and I doubt how well they'll fill the holes left by Xbox and PlayStation, but at least they're planning for the future and willing to react in an expedient manner. there is no. I wish you all the best with Switch 2. Because apart from that, I think the next few years are going to be very tough for console gamers.
From reader Olly
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