One reader is frustrated that, as an older fan, he is being ignored by PlayStation and Xbox and pushed towards PC gaming.
Most of what's going on in the games industry right now seems to be due to profits going down (or, rather, not going up as much as expected) and publishers panicking that they're making the wrong kind of games. Suddenly single-player games are out of fashion again, as if everyone who bought last generation's games teleported off Earth and now no one wants those types of games.
Of course, that didn't happen, but I'm 38, I don't like to think of myself as old, and I don't have any friends who enjoy live service games. I know people who play a little Rainbow Six Siege with friends, and Fortnite with their kids, but that's not what anyone wants to do in this day and age when you can hog the TV.
But apparently publishers don't care what I want, they just want to make the type of games young people play because it's more profitable (I'm pissed that you made me say that, I'm not that old!), so basically, adults are generally sensible enough not to waste money on cosmetics and microtransactions.
From what I understand, the issue is that the games are too expensive to make, but I haven't seen any evidence that anyone is trying to cut costs or do anything other than put everything into live service games.
With all this in mind, I saw a report this week that console sales are flat, mobile is down, and only PC is up. This doesn't come as a surprise to me – both PlayStation and Xbox have been acting stupid over the past 12 months (or more), with neither releasing much of anything interesting.
If you don't release or at least advertise new games that are eye-catching, it's no wonder no one buys your console. Without a decent selection of exclusives on the PlayStation or Xbox, the PC (or the Switch 2 when it comes out) automatically seems like the better option. I don't know why they, especially Sony, don't realize this.
Another thing that's driving people to PCs is that, unlike consoles, PCs aren't subject to the shifting interests of Sony or Microsoft. PCs have almost all the games in one place, older games are easy to play, and there are thousands of exclusive indie games across genres that you'd never get to play on a console.
If you ask me, Xbox and PlayStation are hastening their own demise by trying to prevent it. Not being a gullible teenager, I'm no longer their interested customer and I feel like everything I want and value is being ignored. But that's their problem, there are clear alternatives to these two aging console brands and I'm just sick of them.
From reader P0metheus:
Readers' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit a reader feature piece of 500-600 words at any time. If your submission is selected it will be published in the next suitable weekend slot. Get in touch with us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our submission page – there's no need to email us.
Read more: Stellar Blade PC version and sequel under consideration after sales “exceed expectations”
Read more: Datamining reveals Red Dead Redemption coming to PC for first time in 14 years
Read more: Ghost of Tsushima PC banned in over 170 countries due to Helldivers 2 chaos
Sign up for all exclusive gaming content and the latest releases before they appear on the site.
privacy policy »
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
