950°

Netflix Responds To Microsoft Planned Acquisition Of Blizzard

Netflix's response to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has certainly been positive.

Magog843d ago

So they are using Microsoft looking around for a way to spend their billions in a profitable market as a vindication of their own subscription model. That's a stretch. Vastly different circumstances.

843d ago
jonny897843d ago

Breaking News: A company running a subscription service says positive things about subscription services.

Lightning77843d ago

Basically yes. He's pounding his chest about subscription services that Netflix made popular 14 years ago. Basically saying see I told you so subscription was the way to go.

I vastly disagree with that notion as option's to purchase and own should always be the majority now and forever. I don't want the illusion of owning something or pay monthly just to use something when I rather own it.

CobraKai843d ago (Edited 843d ago )

Same. I got game pass but I’m letting it expire. I don’t like the idea that I have to keep the subscription live just to finish a game. I’d rather just own a physical copy

patrick1843d ago

Yeah I'd rather own 1 game for $70 rather than use that money for a subscription service to play hundreds of games. Same thing with DVDs. I'd rather buy every single show and stack up DVDs.

Wretchedstain843d ago

If everyone actually read the EULA on the vast majority of games, you'd realise you don't actually own it at all. All you have is access outside of subscription. Subscription is the way to go, as the companies will tell you, so you never own any of it, and only have access to it (especially with digital only platforms, and as long as you're paying) Slowly they have been trying to kill the second hand market with this, as they don't get a penny if you sell a game on to someone else, which in the big wigs eyes is looked at as 'lost revenue' Once this all becomes the norm, I'll just hit my physical backlog of games and be done with it, which ever ones are still active... as I stated, will I still have access to them anyway?

Magog842d ago

Cable TV and before that newspaper delivery popularized subscription services. 😉

OptimusDK842d ago

@CobraKai - ohh you mean the physical copy that only has a beta version of the game that you have to download to play. I dont get it what year are you guys living in?

Do you also buy all you movies and series on bluray?

Zhipp842d ago

This is especially true in the case of Netflix. Their streaming quality is mediocre at best compared to most of their competitors, and the absence of physical purchase options means their garbage streaming is the only way to watch their shows. It's a shame. At least with videogames you're getting the same quality product with digital purchase.

@Patrick
I would rather buy SOME games and SOME tv shows. I think, ideally, there will be a combination of both. 90% of my media consumption is through streaming, but I still buy movies and TV shows from time to time. I'm subscribed to Gamepass, but I still buy games.

onisama842d ago

90% of poeple just play the game and then never touch it again... If you really want to play it for along time buy it

CobraKai842d ago

@Optimus
Of course I buy all my movies and series blu rays. What the hell kind of stupid ass question is that?

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 842d ago
darthv72843d ago

Netflix has dipped their toes into gaming and maybe they are thinking of inking a deal with MS for some of those mobile games now. That's the only aspect I can think of that would be mutually beneficial.

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Knightofelemia843d ago

After finding out they jacked their subscription price to $21 Canadian a month I won't be dealing with Netflix any more.

843d ago Replies(1)
patterson843d ago

Same. The prices keep going up, so I cancelled.

This is why I hate subscription services. Eventually prices go up - NEVER down.
And when that's the only way you can watch or play anything, we're screwed.

darthv72843d ago

Yeah my price went up as well... by $1. How dare they. /s

But I also read that it was only for new subscribers and existing ones were locked in for the next two years. So i wont really see that increase until 2024.

RedDevils843d ago (Edited 843d ago )

Streaming is the new cable.

Retroman843d ago (Edited 843d ago )

I cancelled my Netflix service when it went from 7.99 to 9.99 now I stream everything on Amazon Fire stick no monthly payments. able to download Hulu and Netflix, Disney plus Free No monthly service payments.

Bladesfist842d ago

Prices for everything keep going up. It's not like physical game prices aren't going up.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 842d ago
jznrpg843d ago

Gamepass will surpass that sooner than later

Show all comments (44)
110°

Square Enix Is Going Multiplatform; The Layoffs & Its Past Don't Inspire Confidence

After its latest games didn't meet sales targets, Square Enix is going multiplatform but the company's track record isn't convincing.

Scissorman4h ago

Square Enix been multiplatform for decades, a few exclusively-deals doesn't make them any less multiplatform.

fr0sty4h ago

Nor is selling their games on a console with only 25 million install base going to bring their sales to where they hope they will be... Unless they somehow manage to dumb down FF7 trilogy to work on switch, they aren't going to have much luck. They already released it on PC, after all.

SegaSaturn6694h ago

It kind of does, giving preference to a certain platform by timed exclusivity. Console ports generally feel superior. Legend of mana PC port extremely broken

neutralgamer19923h ago

Sega

It doesn’t when square themselves didn’t want to fund the development of remake. It’s only after the success of the 1st they realized their mistake but now contract is signed. If it wasn’t for Sony there would be no FF7 remakes. Same goes for silent hill 2 with Konami. They don’t want to fund AAA budget. Companies like PlayStation and Nintendo get blamed when in reality they are saving some of these franchises

Remember sega didn’t want to fund bayonetta and epic games didn’t want to fund another gears of war. It’s easy to blame console makers but they are the ones taking the risk and paying huge upfront costs without seeing the final product. FF7 remake trilogy won’t be coming to Xbox now or in the future. PlayStation and PC is what square signed up for. Sony paid them more than they would make from Xbox sales.

ravens524h ago

I just wonder when everyone is going to demand that the Square Enix exclusives with Nintendo come to PS and Xbox. Or it's just the PS exclusives that matter lol

phoenixwing4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

I'd love for the nintendo exclusives to come to pc or ps5. They'd actually be playable then.

neutralgamer19923h ago

Raven

Exactly and that’s where square enix does more exclusive than any other platform. Gaming is square has always been very unrealistic with their sales expectations. Remember when tomb raider reboot sold 7.5 million and square said it wasn’t enough. They need to spend less on development and have more realistic expectations from sales.

And those thinking games being not on Xbox makes a difference don’t understand we have a decade plus of data showing square enix games having less than 20% of their multiplatform sales on Xbox (final fantasy series) and Nintendo consoles aren’t strong enough to run any current games. Nintendo switch should be as strong as Xbox one x atleast but we all know that’s most likely won’t happen

RoadRacer2h ago

@raven

thing is, as neutral said in their comm, the switch isn't strong enough to run flagship SE games
i think what SE does is, it makes unique games for switch only so that it has something for that console too. Thats where all the "underlined sans" rpgs go to mostly

maybe things will change when Swtich 2 drops cuz that's gonna be as strong as ps4 afaik from the rumors flying around

TheGamingHounds3h ago

@Scissorman

Your point is valid enough but when the icon of this company is limited to one console in timed-exclusivity, it means the company has crossed the line. By some degree at least

All things aside, Square itself stated "aggressive multiplatform strategies" so we all know what it's talking about

Scissorman1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Then the headline should read "Square To Drop Exclusively Deals in Pursuit of A Sweeping Multiplatform Strategy". I don't recall this argument when Square Enix released Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, and Triangle Strategy on one platform. And even if FF is the icon, not all of its titles have gone to one platform. We're talking about three games, one of which is already on PC. Did Square suddenly go 'multiplatform' after it released subsequent Tomb Raider sequels on more than just the Xbox? It's just a silly way of putting it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1h ago
TheGamingHounds3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

SE needs to go all in optimization. Broken PC ports won't help its case, especially with big releases like mainline Final Fantasy

Asterphoenix3h ago

It's actually simple. What doesn't inspire confidence is Square allocating their budgets on the wrong projects such as Forspoken, Avengers, Babylons Fall and Foamstars.

Square has always been multiplatform since PS3/360 days which 80 % of their games are. People kick up a fuss over PS exclusivity but not Nintendo which has more exclusive projects console exclusive from Square.

FF16 has done ok but not enough to fix the blunders that the past mistakes Square has made with some of their projects. FF7 Rebirth is unclear we'll see a PC release for sure so it's hard to say so far not as good as they would of liked.

Then again unrealistic expectations. If it weren't for Sony these games would at least had another 2 years development time. So some people need to be realistic in that regard.

Scissorman1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

It's the blunders that set those expectations so high. If you remove those from the equation, I bet the sales numbers would be more than stellar. Square believes it's okay to release a pile of risky, middling, garbage because the big boys will ultimately subsidize the cost. Don't worry if Forspoken sells poorly, FF16 will surely sell 10 million copies to balance that right out. Oh wait, it only sold like 4 million. Well that's a disaster. Meanwhile games that sell 2 million units with comparable budgets are deemed successful.

RoadRacer2h ago

Square Enix just really need to revise its expectations. Maybe consider a change in strategy on dev end as well. Multiplat will help for sure but only good games that are marketed well will sell

70°

How the names Arrowhead Game Studios and Helldivers 2 came to be

Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt explains how the studio name comes from a name translation, plus the background on the game title “Helldivers.”

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
100°

Rockstar Games Founder's New Studio Is Working On AAA Open World Action Adventure Game

Rockstar Games founder Dan Houser's new studio, Absurd Ventures, is currently working on a AAA open world action adventure game.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
porkChop1d 7h ago

I'm really curious to see what he's going to do. It seems like a GTA-style game, but I wonder how it'll differentiate itself.

Goodguy0120h ago(Edited 20h ago)

A new studio making a AAA game. Yea, that'll go well. I still think new studios should only make small games for a few years to build up teamwork and trust within.

shinoff218319h ago

That's a good point but if they have the talent it may not be needed

Mr_cheese17h ago

And the industry experience like this guy clearly does

anast17h ago

If it weren't one of the founder's of one of the most prolific open-world game studios, I would agree.

EazyC14h ago

That is an interesting point. They should gun for something akin to a great PS3 game imo. The resource cost of say RDR 2 would only EVER be possible by a monolithic titan of an organisation. It would be crazy to even try and compete straight away.