Japan is a very important territory for the video games industry. Although it is smaller than either the USA or Europe, what happens in Asia can affect the rest of the world's markets substantially. Which is why the fact that the Playstation 3 has caught up substantially with the Wii during June is big news. The Xbox 360 of course is still trailing far behind, and the life support machine should probably just be turned off now.
Companies, particularly public companies like Microsoft, need to grow.
i mean its pretty simple, they spent close to 30 billion in acquiring activision, they thought they'd make it bk no problem, and that didnt happen.
its just shit that because of MS's miscalculation alot of people lost their jobs.
They are going to use AI for a large portion of the game development process. Upper management need bonuses and the shareholders need more money. So, people will lose their jobs.
They shouldn't have bought any studios. Some is okay...but they went on a shopping spree...stupid
The better question is why did Microsoft buy publishers for a service they were subsidizing they knew couldn't support.
And why are so many websites trying to make people feel sorry for Microsoft instead of truly criticizing the fact they are closing studios and killing jobs that would have been fine if Microsoft themselves hadn't gotten involved.
Quit feeling sorry for Microsoft and start feeling sorry for the industry and the all the gamers who are actually losing out.
THIS IS MICROSOFTS FAULT.
The first thing that happens after any major acquisition or merger is a consolidation of the whole new portfolio, which includes cutting any excess, bloat or portfolios that don't fit the larger MO of the big boy. So far, it's been par for the course with Microsoft and that's why gamers have been so against this acquisition. Tango Gameworks is the beginning. You think Microsoft wants to pay to keep small timers like Ninja Theory in business?
There is absolutely zero evidence to suggest that Microsoft will improve any of these studios, but plenty to suggest that they will get rid of what they don't need and hold onto the IP. The real agenda of the acquisition was always to acquire The Elder Scrolls, Diablo, Fallout, Call of Duty, Candy Crush etc. that will create millions in passive revenue stream for Microsoft regardless of where the games release. Microsoft simply wants their cut.
Because of Games Pass Microsoft has no interest in investing in new IP which is risky and requires creative talent they can neither nurture nor manage. Game Pass has also not grown in the way Microsoft expected it to, even post acquisitions. Therefore the logical thing to do, without serious money makers to release, is to cut as much cost as possible.
Backward compatibility works for many games on newer consoles, but titles such as The Simpsons: Hit and Run have been left out.
From base building to swinging willies, here are the best survival games around, which include a couple of less than obvious picks.
The margin fell from 6:1 to 1.7:1.
Impressive indeed.
too bad the 6:1 ratio returned after only two weeks....can't wait for ff13
LOL
Of course 360 is dead in Japan. It's not because 360 games suck, it's because of Japanese - US history.
its a mistake to compare the ps3 with the Wii. Instead looking at it as the PS3 has a long way to go to catch up to the Wii, people should look at it as that, the Wii, has a long way to go to catch up to the PS2.
It seems like everyone's forgotten that SONY is currently supporting 2 consoles, and the psp. And if one was to compare consoles based on performance and capabilities, then the Wii, IMO, falls short of both the PS3 and the 360, therefore, leaving it in direct competion with the PS2. So to me, the ranks in Japan should read as follow: NEXT GEN: PS3 1st, Xbox360 2nd. PREV GEN: Wii 1st, PS2 2nd.
And also, concerning another point, the MGS4 point. A lot of people think that SONY dropped the ball for not Advertising MGS4 on a HALO3 blitz level. Well I, on the other hand, think that is probably SONY's best move so far, why? well here's my logic. AFter MS release Halo3, there was a crazy number of people buying the game, it was so popular, it was even on Jay Leno. But what all the publicity behind Halo3 also did, was that it cemented the xbox 360 as a hardcore console with hardcore games, and in return, turned off the CASUAL MARKET, which, is crucial to a console's success.
And this is what i think was SONY's reasoning for not going all out with MGS4's Marketing. Because we can be certain it wasn't lack of money, or they simply didn't know how to do it. And that also explains why, the MOVIE like ad for MGS4, was for the most part, an online thing, which is where you'll find most of the hardcores. No CASUAL GAMER, is going to go online to specifically look for a game ad. And also why, MGS4 never appeared by itself on TV ads in North America.
So i think that what SONY is doing right now is called, PATIENTLY WAITING. Waiting for a substantial drop in PS2 Sales, waiting for further cuts on production cost of the PS3, waiting for More adoption of HDTVs, and Blu Ray, and then, you're going to start seing some magic. with, every firmware update, Sony tweaks something in the ps3 and dont even tell us about some of them. and when HOME hits, its going to bring about a change in the gaming industry unlike anything we've ever seen before. and i think that's when the ps3 is goin to do what the ps2 did last gen, and the ps1 did the gen before it. it's called ANTICIPATION of the future market trends.
ladiddahhh, i have just found the internet.