From Gizmodo: Most people have already declared Blu-ray to be the format war's victory-even us, begrudgingly-and our recent talks with Toshiba and Universal seem to suggest that the HD DVD camp might be ready to pull up stakes
"The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn’t finished.
This week, Xbox began offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax, which it purchased in 2020 for $7.5 billion, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. Others across the Xbox organization have been told that more cuts are on the way.
Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said.
Game Pass has not seen the massive growth that Xbox boss Phil Spencer may have been hoping for."
Sense it seems very few remember that human's were around before 2020 the next studio to close will be bethesda based no doubt on the history of.
Fallout 76
Elder scrolls online
elder scrolls blades mobile
fallout mobile
The vr versions of old games
Then you got starfield pissing out cash nothing to cover it.
I doubt tod's team or any sub team is making m$ cash they are no doubt on the chopping block for job cuts
If you can remember before 2020 even fallout 76 was made with over 4 studios.
"Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said"
So what you're saying is...you bought all these studios and you guys can't run them.
Jesus.
Spread thin after firing over 2000 employees a few months prior. So basically they created the problem and their solution was to just fire more people. Absolute geniuses over at Xbox, of course can we even believe this to be the reason for the closures?
9 agrees of course pro sony site
Oh look knowledge
https://www.pcgamer.com/aft...
They left them do there "magic" for 3 years lost alot of money redfall is what made them take charge.
This is right now m$ in charge
Leaders can't run them hire more management create new roles don't shutter entire studios cause you can't figure out how to run them.
Unless the reality is this whole consolidation thing was really an excuse for IP harvesting
Reports are suggesting that Game Pass will be getting a price hike soon and that Call of Duty may not be added to the day one offering. I honestly have a hard time believing this but it does beg the question why exactly did GP fail? I think the answer is that it just didn't get the growth that it anticipated. Jim was right but I wish he wasn't because at the end of the day, its gamers, devs and other front-line workers who have to absorb the blow for Spencer and team's miscalculations.
Honestly as long as is not a situation where the industry has to contract in order focus wealth on a few people who are already trillionaires..
I think 2022 killed the Series X.
2021 was a good year for Xbox though and maybe the best in a long long time, hardware and software and as a publisher. Halo Infinite launched to popularity, Forza Horizon 5 blew everyone away, Psychonauts 2 was so well received, Flight Simulator on console, Deathloop even on PS5 & PC.
But they followed that up with next to nothing. Then 2023 with Redfall, a disappointing Forza, Starfield, and 2024 leads with closures and layoffs. And some tweets reminding us Hellblade is days away.
The only disappointment with the PS5 is not enough Sony games. Xbox followed up no games with disappointing ones.
For all the armchair executives who were calling for Sony to release its big-budget AAA games on PS+, the same exact thing would have happened at PlayStation. Game Pass has killed Xbox. Congrats.
There's not many of of us clamoring for Sony to do this because most of us understand it would kill Playstation. I'm sure there's a few but I've not seen alot of it myself.
I will give you a like sense this site is pro sony even the mods will delete this comment like my last asap as they defend sony 24/7.
Those with brains knows microsoft a trillion dollar company cares little about devs and is all about making cash so they will lease out ips gamepass is not a loss like amazon/netflix the overall ms make billions a week.
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"While the 20 year anniversary edition of Nordic Game, NG24 Spring's homepage on 21-24 May in Malmö, Sweden, is getting closer, the organizers announced that more than 150 speakers are now lined up for the show." - Nordic Game.
HDDVD ain't dead!!!!! right bots???
Wow, yet another HD-DVD fanboy tantrum article! Just what everyone on a gaming site wants to read again and again and again...
So much of that article makes a lot of sense actually. It was definitely a last minute move, and I still believe that HD-DVD may have thought right before CES that they were gaining another studio. Although all the payoff rumours remain to be unsubstantiated, I'm sure that was a factor as well to some extent; it's the lubricant that keeps those industry gears turning. I can't help but wonder if there was a 360 sitting back stage, HD-DVD player firmly implanted, that never saw the spotlight after the announcements were made before the show.
I just hope that we see this thing officially called sooner rather than later, as this current state is still one of confusion and denial that is keeping consumers from feeling truly comfortable with the "end" of the format war.
they're over.
sigh...