790°

Why Xbox bought Ninja Theory

Microsoft explains why mid-sized studios are important to its Game Pass subscription service.

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gamesindustry.biz
Sciurus_vulgaris2105d ago

I understand why MS bought Playground, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs. However, Compulsion Games to me was an unproven studio, I found its purchase to be odd.

Cohagen4202105d ago

They threw offers at a lot of studios supposedly, not all of them took the bait so they took what they could get.

thexmanone2105d ago

you got a link to that, I`d like to see it

King_Noctis2105d ago

Yeah I’d really like to see your source for that.

showtimefolks2105d ago (Edited 2105d ago )

Xman

No need for a link that's how acquisitions work. And ms has a track record of shutting down studios so maybe some of the high profile ones didn't want to sell their freedom

Like for example if they approached insomniac they wouldn't sell when they didn't want to be bought out by Sony(and sunset overdrive didn't sell well on Xbox) or if they approached platinum games they wouldn't sell because ms cancelled their game

Now if ms show they are giving creative freedom and resources than down the road maybe more studios would want to join

It was a good start by Ms but let's see what type of games these studios work on

doggo842105d ago

I'm sure Ms tried to buy Insomniac at some some stage too

Christopher2105d ago

***No need for a link that's how acquisitions work.***

No, that's not how acquisition work.

What @Cohagen420 said was they threw offers at a lot of studios. That's not how it works.

What happens is (and very watered down):

1. Company becomes interested in buying other companies to bolster their portfolio.
2. Company reviews companies of interest and value that won't cost too much but will add more profit potential.
3. Company narrows down options to a handful if not just one company of great importance.
4. Company approaches companies with interest and a figure based on their financial potential in a long term period (10-years or more).
5. Company either says 'no interest', 'okay', or 'not enough'
6. Go back to #1

It's not just throwing a lot of offers out to a lot of companies. That's not how it works.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 2105d ago
obidanshinobi2105d ago

I think there's some good talent at Compulsion Games, with more staff and a higher budget I'm confident they can create a good AAA game. We Happy Few is garbage though.

Poopmist2105d ago

It probably would've been good if they kept it as a short game.

2105d ago
gamer78042104d ago

Hopefully their next game is less weird

Jinger2105d ago (Edited 2105d ago )

Compulsion Games has now done Contrast and We Happy Few which are both sitting in the 60% range on Meta. Both games most reviewers agreed had some really good and creative ideas, but I think the studio just lacks solid direction and overall programming talent. Spencer said that he really loves their creativity and the stories they want to tell so with some AAA support and help from other in house studios I'm sure they will have potential.

rainslacker2105d ago

That's what I think. They certainly have the creativity, its just a matter of getting the talent that can bring that creativity to life. If MS can make them more stable financially, and provide better management for the studio, then I think they can make some really good games.

Brazz2105d ago

I agree whit playground and ninja, but why undead labs? U.labs just have state of decay under their belt, they are prety much at the same level of compulsion. U.labs and compulsion need to improve alot, both only got low meta games.

Sciurus_vulgaris2105d ago

Undead Labs has had success with State of Decay despite the semi-polarizing reviews of the series. Undead Labs like Playground also had a long term relationship with MS. Undead Labs needs access to better programmers. With Microsoft owning both Havok and Simplygon, first-party games should have no excuses for being unoptimized.

conanlifts2105d ago

State of decay is a niche game that does have a small cult following. People like myself think the game is amazing, but I do agree that it is not for everyone. But with this in mind it is great for those that are fans and I think it was a worthwhile purchase. Plus there is so much more that could be done with a bigger budget and more help. The game has so much untapped potential.

rainslacker2105d ago

I think compulsion is capable of making decent to good games. I did like Contrast. I can understand why MS would want more mid-tier games for something like game pass, because AAA games are kind of too expensive for a subscription service without a lot more users or a secondary monetazation scheme for those releases.

Compulsion seems to be a dev which can get ahead of itself in ambition though, and I think that its possible that some of their problems come from management that can't handle changes or adapt. I feel this way because they changed up what they were trying to do with WHF, when there wasn't much need to. That kind of thing should have been done earlier in development. It's not unheard of, but it leads to problems if the studio itself can't adapt well enough.

sprinterboy2105d ago (Edited 2105d ago )

What I want to know, serious question. 1. Why didn't alot of ps owners support a great game called heavenly sword
2. How many last gen ms multiple console owners ie 360/ps3 support heavenly sword.
Its weird how a game or games don't get supported some times in sales when it's a great game ie prison break which got 2 or 3/10 on reviews yet it never needed a patch after launch because its frame rate was solid from the launch, no screen tearing, no bugs or glitches and yet it played exactly the same as a PC cult classic riddick gameplay/mechanics wise which got 9/10 reviews.
Unfortunately if a game/s not the in cool game it sometimes doesn't sell well.
Same goes for until dawn, modnation racers (just as good Mario kart imo) minus the load times, MAG was awesome but everyone loved cod instead, quantum break (great game) didn't sell well, metro series is a classic, can't believe that only sold roughly 1.5m yet people crave for half life 3 announcement yet haven't played the metro series.
Its crazy how some games do well and others don't.
I love my uncharted series and bought all the games and dlc but let's not kid ourselves, it's a cover shooter game we've all played b4 but it was the characters sully, drake, naughty dog etc and the story which made it so great yet spec ops which is absolutely awesome only sold 2m or so across 3 platforms?
I know I'm rambling, I agreed with your comment btw plus I'm off topic lol.

JBryant06192105d ago

Because Heavenly Sword is a 10-12 Hour game with no replayability? Not worth $60 in my opinion. I did buy it for $20 used down the line though.

rainslacker2105d ago (Edited 2105d ago )

Heavenly Sword did decently well for a launch game. Not spectacular, but it was barely marketed. Plus, it was instantly compared to GOW.

I can say that I know a lot of PS3 owners seem to have at least played the game, and I haven't seen a single person say that it was a bad game. It was one of my favorite games of last gen personally. It had solid game play, a great story, and some of the best voice acting of any game last gen....even compared to ND games.

Sometimes games go under the radar and become cult classics. it sucks for those good games that manage to come out.

3-4-52105d ago

They needed to acquire companies first. Then once they belong to Microsoft, they can then determine which type of games that studio will make. (Obviously consulting the studio first).

Now that they have them, they are building up for next gen.

Expect a lot of games in year 2-3 of the next Xbox and not that many at launch because it's going to take a while for these studios to get some games going, although I'm sure some of them have been working on next gen stuff in the background anyways.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2104d ago
LeeU2105d ago

I think that the studio they've acquired have shown promise and mass appeal with whatever games they've released. Ninja theory has had some great titles fly under the radar for example. Compulsion games is a clear outlier in that it hasn't really shown us anything other than Contrast and We happy few. At the very least I know they are capable of creating an interesting world. Who knows, with Microsofts financially backing them they might create something bigger and hopefully better too.

sprinterboy2105d ago

Contrast was a great game, 1st game I played b4 resogun and kz shadow fall on my ps4 launch night lol

Razzer2105d ago

"It's telling how Booty is using 'Game Pass' rather than 'Xbox One' in his answers. It's clear the subscription service is taking on a far more prominent role within the Xbox business. "

Yep

gangsta_red2105d ago

The Xbox One is already established and it's a given that these games will be available for it through regular means.

Game Pass on the other hand is still new and in need of more content, so yep, as of now these execs are talking more about Game Pass and saying how they will expand it's content.

giovanealex2105d ago Show
Razzer2105d ago (Edited 2105d ago )

@gangsta_red

I don't disagree with any of that. Game Pass is obviously getting a major push from Microsoft going forward. Game Pass is probably the most attractive gaming product that Microsoft has. Microsoft bought Ninja Theory to help boost their pipeline of content into Game Pass. Both Windows 10 and Xbox will benefit from it in the long run.

@giovanealex

Damn.....triggered over one word.

mandingo2105d ago

It’s been good lately in my opinion. Adding doom hitman fallout and ruiner. Of course if you’ve played these already it doesn’t affect you. I haven’t played hitman fallout or ruiner so good value for me

rainslacker2105d ago

I doubt most of these studios will make games for Xbox One specifically. Most just finished up games, and by the time they get around to releasing their next games, it'll likely be a new gen. Its possible that they could be cross gen though, except for Playground and that new studio. Mid-tier titles likely won't require as much power.

Obscure_Observer2105d ago

@rainslacker

"Its possible that they could be cross gen though, except for Playground and that new studio."

Playground Games already confirmed that they´re developing their new Open World RPG using the X as the base hardware.

rainslacker2105d ago

That's true. I always forget they made a 2nd team for that. Probably because when it was announced they were dodgy about it being exclusive, and at the same time even talked about the possibility of making a multi-plat, and it really hasn't been mentioned much since.

But that being said, is the X the Xbox One, or the mid gen release? If it doesn't come out on the OGX1, then it doesn't change what I said in regards to them. If MS changes the rules of generations, it doesn't mean they're making these games for those who brought into the X1, rather, they're abandoning them in favor of their new hardware.

But I was just speculating with my comment, so I'm not going to fuss about it too much.

Jinger2105d ago

Because they need another high quality studio that will create intriguing games?

AK912105d ago

Because of how awesome Hellblade was.

mark_parch2105d ago

I'm half way through the game now and the atmosphere and sound design is outstanding. combat is simple but enjoyable. I'm not to keen on some of the puzzle elements but overall so far really enjoying it

Goldby2105d ago

Wait til you get the new weapon. More combos open up

KickSpinFilter2105d ago (Edited 2105d ago )

I do hope your wearing a good pair of headphones.

Goldby2105d ago

For the people disagreeing there are new combos based kn if you are tapping or holding down the Atta k button along with different direction input.

The sword has to be glowing for them to work

Show all comments (119)
290°

[Exclusive] Xbox Reaches Agreement With Batman: Arkham Trilogy Creators For A New AAA Game

Ex-Rocksteady directors' Hundred Star is collaborating with Xbox Game Studios Publishing for its first-ever AAA game.

Lightning779h ago(Edited 9h ago)

Highly doubt it'll be an actual Batman game that IP belongs to WB Games along with other DC property.

They're making an action adventure game. IMO I think it needs to be another Marvel game despite MS already have Blade as that action Marvel game. Dead Pool? Punisher?

Realistically it'll probably be a new IP entirely.

The_Hooligan7h ago

I agree with you. I think I'll be a brand new IP. Now it could be a superhero themed, kind of like infamous. Speaking of which, Suckerpunch needs to make one after Ghost 2.

neutralgamer19927h ago

would love a infamous collection for ps5/pc

Lightning777h ago

I definitely think it'll be super hero themed game 100%. Something MS needs in their portfolio.

ThinkThink5h ago

Please, no more super hero games.

PhillyDonJawn4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Dead Pool or Punisher would be amazing!!!
Don't tease me like that man lol. I see them making a new IP that's like an arkham knight clone

Dirty_Lemons50m ago

I loved the old Punisher game back in the day. Those executions never got old.

MIDGETonSTILTS177h ago(Edited 7h ago)

I hope these devs needed support to start/finish (like Stalker 2), vs are basically done with the game but wanted to secure an exclusivity-bonus because they know Xbox needs a system seller (like Titanfall).

It’s a bit strange that they’d rather invest in this game than Tangoworks’ TWO canceled projects; or just trust a single dev from their existing massive stable of talent to emerge with a system-seller themselves anytime soon.

Either way, it is just cool that we’ll likely get a new IP from the geniuses behind the Arkham Trilogy. I wonder how creative they’ll get now that they aren’t married to an established franchise.

darthv727h ago

This is about the former co-founders of Rocksteady and their new studio. So naturally it makes people think its Batman related with the way its worded, even though its not.

-Foxtrot7h ago

Exclusive? Sure

This year alone Microsoft has changed their plans so much with Xbox regarding multiplatform releases as they step closer to just being a full blown third party publisher and it's only been 4-5 months, imagine where we'll be once this game is finished. It will be a completely different landscape.

ThinkThink4h ago

I don't think MS will ever go completely full 3rd party with all of their games. I can see them looking towards expanding their own mobile store and moving into Mac as ways of expanding. I'm sure ms will bring more exclusives over to ps and nintendo, but I don't think it'll be as many games as you think it will. I hope I'm wrong.

Lightning774h ago

The ever contradictions thoughts and actions of MS definitely says otherwise MS changed up so much on the past 6 months of the year I lost count.

Though I'm more declined to believe they also won't go full 3rd party also.

But.

This year they're having Renaissance a super bowl of gaming with Gamepass this year. BO6, older ABK games, Avowed, Indy and other 3rd party exclusives all to grow and expand gamepass. If these games don't grow the service or grow only a little bit. Then you can fully expect MS to hit the red button and put everything everywhere. Satya will have full Xbox take over doing what he wants from that point on next year.

It's up to Xbox to advertise these games and gamepass in the next 6 months or so get the word out.

Profchaos3h ago

The more the news evolves the more I'm inclined to believe we will see MS embrace full third party status but not call it third party in their word soup ways.

It will be Xbox everywhere plays best on a Xbox.

Next gen Xbox is rumoured to be a reference design similar to the 3d0 where any company can make and sell it.

If you're offloading hardware costs to a third party yet still profiting from the games then you've cut out losses on the hardware you still have a store front that users can use and still make a 30 percent cut on that.

Your games sell for a profit on PS and Nintendo platforms and on Xbox reference hardware along with PC

You lose .kney on DLC and games sold on a competitor storefront they are seemingly already comfortable with this.

The ms bean counters are coming for the ROI that was promised they don't care if they kill the brand as it stands Xbox was never a profitable business it was always just done for reputation

PhillyDonJawn3h ago

@Lightning the would end the console then. No one would buy Xbox over PS at that point cause now you get both with just a PS. If GP flop for them, Logically, rolling back on GP would be the smarter than to do. No more day 1 title. Less quality titles. They'd lose subs but people would go back to buying the games.

Lightning772h ago

@Philly They could scale back gamepass put Indies only, AAA 1st party games coming 4 to 6 months from release. The thing is MS will have to tell their fans to buy their games again and that's gonna take years and years to condition them to buy games again. MS will lose money from that also. They'll lose out on gamepass revenue, lose out on games sales because their fans don't buy as many games anymore.

I can't see them scaling back or axing gamepass it does make them allot of money, they just want more money from it. They're not gonna condition their fans to start buying games either.

As I said they'll go full 3rd party and yes you ate right, if they do that then there would be no reason to buy the next Xbox. I know j won't be, you better hope the next 6 months they advertise the games and GP there little hearts out because this could be it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2h ago
purple1016h ago

Spawn (as well as master chief) are the only characters I associate with Xbox. Are there more I can’t remember?

rlow16h ago

Gears is another big game one.

purple1015h ago

Yeh big game, do you know the name of the lead character. Or team of lead characters. I don’t

rlow15h ago

Marcus, Dom, Cole Train. And I can’t remember the fourth.

Profchaos3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Also the chick from gears 5 seems to pop up on all their modern advertising I can't remember her name either.

Cars also feature heavily in a Xbox ad it's always master chief front and centre with cars and maybe a gears character hanging around

Show all comments (23)
210°

Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica Remakes are reportedly in the works, not Resident Evil 1

Industry insider Dusk Golem reveals that there is no Resident Evil 1 Remake in the works. Instead, Capcom are reportedly in active development of Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica.

-Foxtrot1d 15h ago

RE Zero would be better to do first over RE1 because they can tie the story into RE1 more.

The original RE Remake was weird because Rebecca never mentioned anything about what happened in Zero and it felt so disjointed because Zero was developed during the Remake and they clearly didn't share any notes with one another.

Cacabunga13h ago

Wise decision. 2 of my favorites!

repsahj1h ago

RE Zero is one of my favorite game on gamecube!

Knightofelemia1d 12h ago

Give me Dino Crisis dammit Capcom

TGG_overlord18h ago

And all it took was +24 years + a phone call from me lol.

GotGame81810h ago

LOL! A phone call from you? ROFL! They have been remaking RE games for YEARS! It was a matter of time!

Show all comments (18)
280°

Metal: Hellsinger dev says he is against Game Pass after seeing how it affects sales

Founder of Metal: Hellsinger studio says he wasn't against Game Pass until their game launched on Microsoft's service, which affected game sales.

TheProfessional23h ago(Edited 23h ago)

Why did PS copy gamepass if it's so terrible and unprofitable? PS Now was before gamepass but it was streaming trash that no one had any interest in.

And honestly the way the industry releases overpriced and broken games with day one season passes and dlc who wouldn't want to just pay for a subscription instead of $70 per game?

Only biased PS fans would defend paying more to a corporation rather than an option that's cheaper for the consumer overall. If it's from an indie studio that needs the sales that's different but games published by larger companies are fine on a subscription model. Also any of these devs who complain did decide to put their games on gamepass in thr first place.

ocelot0721h ago

Ahhh yes the typical but but but Sony in a Microsoft article.

When did Sony copy Microsoft? I havent seen Sony's big day one titles such as God of war Ragnarok or GT7? Do you want to know why they are not on the service? Because people are still willing to PAY for the games. Sony has already admitted they lost millions putting Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank on PS+ Extra.

"larger companies are fine on a subscription model" Oh really? So why is all the cod games yet to be on it? Where is elden ring? Resident Evil 4 Remake? Street Fighter 6? Boulders Gate 3? Alan Wake 2? Where are they of gamepass is great and big publishers are fine putting newer games on it?

I'll tell you where they are. They are currently still selling for their respected publisher's. You know actually making them money. That money they can use to fund the next project.

who wouldn't want to just pay for a subscription instead of $70 per game?

I'm one of the millions who much rather pay $70 so fully support the publisher. Why do we do this? Well for starters I rather just pay for it rather than keep renting it each month. If we all just kept renting years ago blockbuster would still be around. Secondly, I rather we have AAA titles in 10 years time to enjoy. Rather than play mobile quality crap from a subscription.

Tell me how this is a good thing for gaming going forward. The last time I subbed to Gamepass was October 2023. During that one month subscription I played the newly released Starfield, Forza and a few other titles. All for the cost of about $7. Since then Microsoft have not released anything I want to try out or put anything on GP I want to try. So they last made $7 from me 8 months ago.

In the last 3 months. I have bought Sea of Thieves on PS5 (earning MS more money on that than my 1 month subscription to gamepass). Resident Evil 4 for £20 and Diablo 4 for £25 (again earning MS more buying this than buying a sub). Tell me how it's best for gaming I pay $7 and play the latest and greatest for a month. Rather than just buying what I want even if it means waiting a few months and getting it cheaper than full price yet earning the publisher more than renting said games of a monthly sub.

darthv7214h ago

...but didn't this game leave GP and then join PS+?

If a sub service is so bad, why get into another one right away?

Cacabunga13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

Finally devs waking up! More will follow .. reminds me of capcom during PS3,360 era almost going bankrupt they released extremely poor games because Xbox gave them paychecks not to release them on PS3 for as period. Sales were terrible and they went away from that.

Hofstaderman21h ago

Sony has never released new titles day one. They experimented with Forbidden West which was fairly new and quickly discovered that it cannabalized sales. XBOX gamepass was always an act of desperation to remain relevant and in their desperation they effectively dug their grave where today everybody is biding their time for their formerly exclusive titles. In a nutshell GamePass made XBOX not relevant.

Plague-Doctor2714h ago

It wasn't desperation. Subscription Models had a very different outlook in 2017 and then with the gaming surge during COVID reaching critical mass seemed more and more possible.

Phil convinced Satya to chase a trend and it hasn't worked out

shinoff21839h ago(Edited 9h ago)

Pretty much. People can say what they want but Ms said it themselves with the court papers. It was definitely desperation. Xbox was getting it handed to them. They were desperate.

lellkay20h ago

Literally dev who put game on gamepass:
It's not good

TheProfessional: but but sony but sony

S2Killinit19h ago(Edited 19h ago)

Sony didnt copy MS. MS copied Sony, then MS went on to make xbox a subscription device. Remember that part? Yeah.

MrNinosan19h ago

You're not too bright, right?

First of all, Sony didn't copy Microsoft regarding PS+ and GamePass, which you admit to early in your comment, but with some faults. PSNow was not only streaming.
The mentality at Xbox gamers, is to NOT buy games, because they are used to get it on GamePass, preferbly day 1 like with all Xbox Studios games.

This is not a thing at PS+ and never was.
Sure there was plenty day 1 games on PS+ like, Rocket League, Stray, Sea of Stars, Tchia, Operation Tango etc, but those didn't take away from gamers that it was more like a "bonus" than a "thing".

Playstation gamers buy games, a lot of games and PS+ has been proving to be way better for business than GamePass, both by actually having more subscribers but also no eating up sales.

dveio19h ago(Edited 19h ago)

"Only biased PS fans would defend paying more to a corporation rather than an option that's cheaper for the consumer overall.“

How can you possibly come to this conclusion?

First, you pay for a subscription.

Then download games. But games will eventually leave the service. You will again need to buy them if you want to play them ever again. Or if you cancel your subscription. Right?

Eventhough this may NOT have an effect on every subscriber, this IS in fact the economical motiviation behind the service like GP.

If you are not already paying "double" this way, you pay at a 1.2 or maybe even at a 1.5 ratio eventually than opposed to simply buying the game in the first place.

As I said, this maybe doesn't apply to every subscriber. But this doesn't erase the fact of this business model existing. And possibly keep growing.

It's driving me nuts at times that especially the die hard Xboxers seem not to understand what they are actually cheering for foolishly.

The Wood18h ago

xbots always tryna group...

..they'll never understand or refuse to acknowledge why these two console brands are miles apart. Gamespass isn't the golden egg some would have you believe. Its hit its peak and is nowhere near the demanded target of subs by the purse holders

The Wood17h ago(Edited 17h ago)

xbots always tryna group...

..they'll never understand or refuse to acknowledge why these two console brands are miles apart. Gamespass isn't the golden egg some would have you believe. Its hit its peak and is nowhere near the demanded target of subs by the purse holders. on top of that it seems more devs on top of the devs that have shunned the service are not seeing the value of subs vs actual sales. Sell first, sub later works better than sub off the bat. MSGaming has a major sea change decision to make regarding COD. Do they release it dod and lose a high portion of up front revenue or either up the price of gp on the whole or create an even higher sub tier to cushion the blow or don't release it on gp at all and potentially damage the good will gesture reiterated not too long ago. The acquisition money wasn't free money....they'll have to pick their poison

anast16h ago

"Why did PS copy gamepass if it's so terrible and unprofitable?"

They didn't copy GP. They aren't dumb enough to put their exclusives day 1.

"Who wouldn't want to just pay for a subscription instead of $70 per game?"

People who don't like to rent things.

outsider162414h ago

It's funny when he says who wouldn't pay for a subscription instead of paying 70$. Well no shit...if MS keeps releasing average titles who wouldnt..🤣

Cockney12h ago(Edited 12h ago)

The reason is playstation didn't copy anybody and they don't release broken games, their games are still not day 1 and Ps players still buy games so ps+ is just an option for those that want a subscription service, the fact playstation doesn’t push it front and centre should tell you a lot.
On xbox gamepass IS front and centre with an option to buy games on the side, look how that is panning out for them!
Xbox fans are the only ones trumpeting this from the rooftops

shinoff218311h ago

Weren't we able to download ps3 on ps3 and ps4 on ps4 systems back then I really don't remember.

Truth is Ms still copied Sony and made a couple adjustments. One adjustment being day one games which clearly has been xboxs issue hence the ps5 releases, and they groomed the base to not buy games.

romulus2310h ago

To be fair it takes it's own level of bias to not see the harm day one game pass is doing to xbox and the industry as a whole. Harm that xbox themselves have admitted to.

ChasterMies10h ago(Edited 9h ago)

“Why did PS copy gamepass”

This is a long story that spans decades. Sony subscription services for games (PS+ and PS Now) before Microsoft. Sony and Microsoft weren’t the only ones. We’ve seen OnLive die, Google’s Stadia die, and disc rental services die. What made Game Pass successful is the amount of money Microsoft is able to lose. Everyone expected Sony to offer a one-to-one Game Pass competitor and they did. To actually make money, Somy sells its own games for at least a year before relegating them to PS+. Sony also has scale. More PS5s sold means more users which means more money. Will these subscription services last? Probably not. Few things do.

Flewid6386h ago

As a huge fan of PS Premium, I don't recall a single AAA game launching on it. Even a AA game.

Everything I've found on PS Premium has already been out for sometime. Better selection too. There are games I trialed that I said "yup, I'm buying".

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 6h ago
Skuletor22h ago

I feel no sympathy for the guy, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that putting your game on gamepass would affect sales.

JEECE16h ago

Seriously, how is it that devs need one of their games to bomb in sales due to Gamepass for them to realize what so many people could easily predict? Like people joke about "armchair CEOs" on here, but at least with respect to the effect of Gamepass, we keep seeing that the armchair CEOs are actually smarter than the real heads of these indie studios.

Skuletor9h ago

Probably short-sightedness when he saw that initial Microsoft check, temporarily made all reason jump out the window 🤑

shinoff21839h ago

In some of the devs defense they know the game won't sell. So why not take the gamepass check. Hopefully yaluza/like a dragon sell decent on Xbox. I'd like to keep this series around.

dveio20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

The 'day-one' feature is the breaker or maker with GP, business-wise.

GP is no Netflix.

Because, from all the Marvel's Avengers to Sicarios, illustratively speaking, they all had their box office money. Before they had entered Netflix.

This concept shows you what Microsoft have actually put themselves into.

And what situation studios put themselves into if they go day-one into GP.

solideagle16h ago

GP/PS Extra day one is best suited for GAAS or free to play games

truthBombs20h ago

Why not sell your game the traditional way first? Then after about 6 months to a year put it on a sub service.

Day one on gamepass is a gamble. It works for some (Pal world) and not for others.

anast16h ago

It's the old psych. experiment. Set out some candy and tell the person they can have it all now, or if they wait, they can have double the amount. Most choose the first option, then complain when it doesn't work out for them.

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