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[01011001]

Hmm well lets hope they keep it that way then! I think I’ve used RetroArch more than any other game so far

if the Xbox version ever gets the PS3 working... then I can lay my PS3 to rest xD as the only 2 games I still have it for are Motorstorm 2 and MGS4

 

[//DEVIL//]

Lol yeah Phil is constantly flirting with Nintendo but they just go slash ignore on him everytime. It’s comical. You see MS games on Switch but when did you see Nintendo games on Xbox? It’s a one sided crush or something. I’m amazed that N haven’t tried to rip MS to shreds for leaving RetroArch untouched on users consoles since launch. It’s the best way to play old Nintendo games in the living room, possibly better than original hardware, and it’s crazy that they haven’t forced MS to brick the console with an update or something to get the app removed.

Retroarch as a software it self is not illegal. it doesn't have any game.

 

[phil_t98]

Retroarch as a software it self is not illegal. it doesn't have any game.

Yeah its what you do with it that’s illegal but if you own the actuall discs I don’t think its illegal to have the roms of those games. I could be massively wrong with that though

also Nintendo have removed a lot of there rooms via court proceedings so a lot of the usual sites have had to take them down

 

[01011001]

Yeah its what you do with it that’s illegal but if you own the actuall discs I don’t think its illegal to have the roms of those games. I could be massively wrong with that though

also Nintendo have removed a lot of there rooms via court proceedings so a lot of the usual sites have had to take them down

Roms and ISOs are only legal if you made a private copy of them yourself. downloading a ROM/ISO of a game that you own is still illegal. but these days it is pretty easy to get legal rom copies of some games. if you own an SNES, MegaDrive or NES classic for example, you can rip those roms very easily. also from your WIi U/Wii, so you can easily make private copies of all your Wii, GC and Wii u games as well as all Virtual Console games.

 

[Fredrik]

if the Xbox version ever gets the PS3 working... then I can lay my PS3 to rest xD as the only 2 games I still have it for are Motorstorm 2 and MGS4

That’s probably too complicated but I tried Dreamcast’s Soul Calibur and it was 60fps, that’s good enough for me.
PS3 Motorstorm would be awesome though!

 

[01011001]

That’s probably too complicated but I tried Dreamcast’s Soul Calibur and it was 60fps, that’s good enough for me.
PS3 Motorstorm would be awesome though!

PS3 runs on comparable PC hardware so it could be possible. PS2 and GameCube run already on Series X|S although PS2 is very hit or miss (but that's true on PC as well)

if they ever port over RPCS3 or make it an official libretro core it can absolutely run on Series X at the very least.

 

[phil_t98]

That’s probably too complicated but I tried Dreamcast’s Soul Calibur and it was 60fps, that’s good enough for me.
PS3 Motorstorm would be awesome though!

Is it even possible to run Ps3 on series x? I wouldnt of thought that was possible at the moment

 

[01011001]

Is it even possible to run Ps3 on series x? I wouldnt of thought that was possible at the moment

since noone ported over RPCS3 yet no, but theoretically it is totally possible.

 

[Fredrik]

PS3 runs on comparable PC hardware so it could be possible. PS2 and GameCube run already on Series X|S although PS2 is very hit or miss (but that's true on PC as well)

if they ever port over RPCS3 or make it an official libretro core it can absolutely run on Series X at the start very least.

Oh wow didn’t know that, PS3 emulated on XSX would probably turn some heads

 

[phil_t98]

since noone ported over RPCS3 yet no, but theoretically it is totally possible.

I am sure i was reading there are ps3 emulators on pc but its hit and miss playing games

 

[01011001]

I am sure i was reading there are ps3 emulators on pc but its hit and miss playing games

yeah it is, but it has advanced very nicely. some games already run at very high framerates and relatively bug free. PS2 is also still very hit and miss and hard to emulate for some games. that's a side effect of Sony's use of very esoteric hardware on both systems.

 

[CatLady]

Like I said, I would be a douchebag, I wouldn’t care - ”Stop crying and tell your mom to buy an Xbox if you want to play Minecraft 2.”

I will laugh at the many obnoxious SonyBros on GAF if the Bethesda games get taken away from their precious.

OTOH, one of my 2 little nephews is the only person I know in RL that has a PlayStation and he pretty much only plays MC on it. Taking away an existing game, played mostly by children and is not really a platform seller would be a total dick move and would only hurt Xbox and Microsoft's image.

 

[phil_t98]

yeah it is, but it has advanced very nicely. some games already run at very high framerates and relatively bug free. PS2 is also still very hit and miss and hard to emulate for some games. that's a side effect of Sony's use of very esoteric hardware on both systems.

I haven’t seen any of them as of yet. Seen all the classics so to speak but not looked in top ps2 or 3

 

[01011001]

I haven’t seen any of them as of yet. Seen all the classics so to speak but not looked in top ps2 or 3

for PS2 there is PCSX2 and for PS3 there is RPCS3
PCSX2 is relatively advanced but still not perfect. the majority of games will run tho, even tho at varying speeds and bugginess levels.
RPCS3 on the other hand is way less compatible, but some games run really well.

neither run as well or are as compatible as Dolphin (GameCube/Wii) is tho, as those consoles used way less complicated hardware and are therefore way easier to reverse engineer. which is why you can play the vast majority of GameCube and Wii games on Series X|S but not even remotely as many PS2 games.
Nintendo in general having a way more robust homebrew community also helps this. Dolphin is very professional looking these days, as are most homebrew apps on Wii U, but for other consoles it's way less the case.

 

[Fredrik]

OTOH, one of my 2 little nephews is the only person I know in RL that has a PlayStation and he pretty much only plays MC on it. Taking away an existing game, played mostly by children and is not really a platform seller would be a total dick move and would only hurt Xbox and Microsoft's image.

I would say that the reason it’s not currently a platform seller is because it’s currently on all platforms...

Among my kids and their friends it’s the game to have. If MS would make it exclusive when releasing a sequel they could absolutely get away with it. The parents would just have to buy their kids a better box, problem solved

 

[Shadowstar39]

I own a capable freshly built ryzen 3600 / 16gb / 2060Rtx (3060ti waiting on eVga) so I can play all their games, but I still think this is a dick move.

The fact that some of you are celebrating this just so another console base can't have it is selfish and messed up.

This wasn't some company going out of business that MS saved from obsucrity. Bethesda were doing their thing fine without some big corp gobbling them up.
Nothing new is created as they would of made the games anyway. Only loss from this move.

 

[phil_t98]

for PS2 there is PCSX2 and for PS3 there is RPCS3
PCSX2 is relatively advanced but still not perfect. the majority of games will run tho, even tho at varying speeds and bugginess levels.
RPCS3 on the other hand is way less compatible, but some games run really well.

neither run as well or are as compatible as Dolphin (GameCube/Wii) is tho, as those consoles used way less complicated hardware and are therefore way easier to reverse engineer

I got a start wars game running at 4K on Dolphin on series x and it was impressive but not got anything else to work. Just need to play about with it , just like ti try things out rather than use for piracy sort of thing if you get me

 

[phil_t98]

I own a capable freshly built ryzen 3600 / 16gb / 2060Rtx (3060ti waiting on eVga) so I can play all their games, but I still think this is a dick move.

The fact that some of you are celebrating this just so another console base can't have it is selfish and messed up.

This wasn't some company going out of business that MS saved from obsucrity. Bethesda were doing their thing fine without some big corp gobbling them up.
Nothing new is created as they would of made the games anyway. Only loss from this move.

I get what your saying but they were willing to sell, its a big company so i get why people are gonna be pissed about it

 

[01011001]

I got a start wars game running at 4K on Dolphin on series x and it was impressive but not got anything else to work. Just need to play about with it , just like ti try things out rather than use for piracy sort of thing if you get me

retroarch on Xbox is still very underdeveloped. the libretro team said they will focus on it more this year tho. Dolphin runs really well for me. the only issue I had was a texture glitch in The Last Story (a known one which can be fixed, and only wasn't for me because I apparently used an outdated Dolphin folder). you have to put the ISO files onto the internal storage of the console tho to make sure the games work. some will work from USB but that is very much dependend on size and some other factors it seems. also you might need to try both Direct 3D 11 and Direct 3D 12 modes to see which works for you. PS2 only works in D3D12 for me for example.

 

[Clear]

Playground has a successful selling series that should be multiplatform then right? They were purchased at the
Same time as the other new studios.

Microsoft Buys ‘Forza’ Developer Playground Games

Playground Games, the indie British game developer best known for its work on the Forza games, was acquired by Microsoft.

variety.com

Did he mention Playground in his post? No.

So why am I expected to comment on it? Even if I did here's a studio that has exclusively produced titles for Xbox alone since inception.

No gotcha, I'm sorry.

 

[THE DUCK]

Sources to that claim?

Common sense. Ms didn't spend 7.5 billion to simply own another software company that supports both platforms. The arguing about this on here is ridiculous.

 

[Fredrik]

I own a capable freshly built ryzen 3600 / 16gb / 2060Rtx (3060ti waiting on eVga) so I can play all their games, but I still think this is a dick move.

The fact that some of you are celebrating this just so another console base can't have it is selfish and messed up.

This wasn't some company going out of business that MS saved from obsucrity. Bethesda were doing their thing fine without some big corp gobbling them up.
Nothing new is created as they would of made the games anyway. Only loss from this move.

This didn’t happen over night or for no reason. This whole thing has essentially evolved into a reality from years and years of PS fans mocking Xbox for having no important exclusives and saying that exclusives is all that matters, from hating when PS games comes to PC, from claiming that Xbox wasn’t needed when all games could be played on PC, and finally from Sony starting to pay for timed exclusives, allegedly tried that with Starfield too.

 

[Wulfer]

I own a capable freshly built ryzen 3600 / 16gb / 2060Rtx (3060ti waiting on eVga) so I can play all their games, but I still think this is a dick move.

The fact that some of you are celebrating this just so another console base can't have it is selfish and messed up.

This wasn't some company going out of business that MS saved from obsucrity. Bethesda were doing their thing fine without some big corp gobbling them up.
Nothing new is created as they would of made the games anyway. Only loss from this move.

Now wait a minute which is it: MS needs high strong profile IPs for you to consider their platform or MS don't need these IPs because they have plenty already. See you're your own worse enemy. Many of you sat and told MS they have no IPs you're interested in for over 4 years (and some even to this day) still claim MS needs more IPs for them to consider the MS platform. So which is it: MS doesn't need to buy the likes of Bethesda to get your attention to join its platform or MS has no IPs. You created your own salt mountain remember That!

 

[ManaByte]

Now wait a minute which is it: MS needs high strong profile IPs for you to consider their platform or MS don't need these IPs because they have plenty already. See you're your own worse enemy. Many of you sat and told MS they have no IPs you're interested in for over 4 years (and some even to this day) still claim MS needs more IPs for them to consider the MS platform. So which is it: MS doesn't need to buy the likes of Bethesda to get your attention to join its platform or MS has no IPs. You created your own salt mountain remember That!

"MS needs more IPs, but not these that I want to play on PlayStation."

 

[Wulfer]

"MS needs more IPs, but not these that I want to play on PlayStation."

Well, that's just not in the cards because MS has tried for years to come up with new IPs and they were either ignored or pushed aside. Now the fallout from this is MS will go after IPs that sell. The gamers who were making unwise decisions like telling MS "it has no valuable IPs" are the ones to point a finger too. I remember when Forza Horizon 2 (or was 3?) came out and the rumors of "Playground were looking at the Sony platform" came out. I was told "MS has no real IPs and now their about to loose they're best racing franchise, can't wait to play it on my PS4. How stupid can MS be by not supporting their IPs or collecting other IPs. What losers." They don't look to be on the losing side this gen and sounds like they have more IPs then Sony or Nintendo now.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Well for one thing they've not had teams in place doing this for years. Pretty much all Zenimax studios have. So was Mojang. And you don't up-end profitable ventures in order to stick it to the competition.

But at that time those Zenimax studios were third-party, not first-party. Naughty Dog and Psygonsis published on non-PlayStation platforms which were arguably profitable for them before Sony purchased. Sony had their ImageSoft label producing games for the Sega CD while developing the PS1, so in a way they would've had similar practice would they not?

But Microsoft isn't up-ending anything; even if these games skip PlayStation, they will still be on Xbox. They will still be on PC. They will still be on mobile and smart devices (via Xcloud streaming). Those are more than enough alternative avenues, and even most PlayStation gamers have at least one or two of those in their household.

If the excuse is that the costs are too much for delving into a secondary ecosystem for a few games that may not show up on PlayStation, then I wonder how those individuals feel about constantly buying new games at $60/$70. Surely that would be too much for them too, would it not? As for another way to look at this argument...

...Street Fighter has always been a multiplatform endeavor, yet that didn't stop Sony from making SFV a PS4 console-exclusive (to the point they couldn't even release an arcade version until the covered time period was up in late 2019). The same can be said of a few other games Sony locked down to PS4 last gen. At the end of the day, it just feels more and more like those arguing in means to justify Microsoft continue to provide these games on competing console ecosystems are doing the equivalent of arguing semantics.

 

[Derktron]

Common sense. Ms didn't spend 7.5 billion to simply own another software company that supports both platforms. The arguing about this on here is ridiculous.

I still refuse to believe this only because of major claims stating that Microsoft will continue to add games to other platforms like PlayStation. I could be wrong and want to be wrong but that's how I see happening.

 

[driqe]

tomorrow will be fun

nvm

 

[THE DUCK]

I still refuse to believe this only because of major claims stating that Microsoft will continue to add games to other platforms like PlayStation. I could be wrong and want to be wrong but that's how I see happening.

They have stated they want to get games on as many platforms as they can, but they always qualify it with xbox/pc/cloud.
Without exclusives, the series x/s would struggle, they know this.

 

[Batiman]

I own a capable freshly built ryzen 3600 / 16gb / 2060Rtx (3060ti waiting on eVga) so I can play all their games, but I still think this is a dick move.

The fact that some of you are celebrating this just so another console base can't have it is selfish and messed up.

This wasn't some company going out of business that MS saved from obsucrity. Bethesda were doing their thing fine without some big corp gobbling them up.
Nothing new is created as they would of made the games anyway. Only loss from this move.

 

[Clear]

But at that time those Zenimax studios were third-party, not first-party. Naughty Dog and Psygonsis published on non-PlayStation platforms which were arguably profitable for them before Sony purchased. Sony had their ImageSoft label producing games for the Sega CD while developing the PS1, so in a way they would've had similar practice would they not?

I don't feel like the comparison is apt because back then there wasn't even digital distribution, let alone services like GamePass. Back then the business was entirely running on the razors and razorblades model, and this is no longer the case.

But Microsoft isn't up-ending anything; even if these games skip PlayStation, they will still be on Xbox. They will still be on PC. They will still be on mobile and smart devices (via Xcloud streaming). Those are more than enough alternative avenues, and even most PlayStation gamers have at least one or two of those in their household.

The issue is that they will have personnel and resources either earmarked for, or actively working on Playstation SKU's. Yes they can write off the work, reassign the teams. return the devkits, sack everyone surplus to requirements, whatever. The problem is that they've just turned a profit generating unit into nothing or worse. These are people, not lego bricks, you can't just plug them into the nearest free slot. Its disruptive, and there's no gain to be made.

I'm kinda tired of this discussion because it seems to me that noone wants to factor in basic business concepts like opportunity cost and return on investment. The basis of my position is that its simply easier and more profitable to allow Zenimax studios to keep operating as previously and modify the publishing conditions so as to best leverage Gamepass and the overall Xbox ecosystem.

To reiterate: Bottom line is the opportunity cost is relatively low and the earning potential is high. That's the motive to do it, at least in the short term. Its an entirely reasonable proposition and it boggles my mind I've gotten so much static over pointing this out.

Lifetime exclusivity is less common than timed exclusivity and co-promotion deals because generally its simply unnecessary. When it does happen there are typically compelling reasons for not producing other SKU's, stuff like (as I mentioned) elevated opportunity cost due to unavoidable re-tooling, or a projected sales performance insufficient to justify the effort.

In the case of Zenimax product, and I'm thinking specifically of Bethesda and ID's stuff here, we have low opportunity cost because these games are built using multi-platform tech, and being proven popular IP outside of Xbox there's no impediment in terms of expected return on investment. Apply that business logic to the counter-examples people have put forward and a consistent pattern emerges.

 

[DaGwaphics]

Its funny that people have been accusing me of making assumptions but sorry to say this, but I find it highly doubtful that millions of people are suddenly going to buy Xbox just because Zenimax franchises became console exclusive!

1. These games would always have been published on Xbox in the first place.
2. They all fit into existing popular genres on Xbox, not so much on Playstation which is hardly synonymous with WRPG and FPS titles.
3. Their presence as part of GamePass would already bequeath a huge competitive advantage at launch over Playstation.

Why is exclusivity so monetarily important? Isn't GamePass enough?

There's a bit of double-speak of going on here too. I mean if sales on Playstation aren't that substantial, why should the uplift on Xbox be any greater? You can't have it both ways because sales are just getting displaced, not created. The kicker of course being that a proportion of the sales on Xbox and PC are going to shrink as a result if they are included on GamePass.

Again, I'd like to hear why lifetime exclusivity as opposed to timed exclusivity is worth the loss? Especially when the production and marketing apparatus for these other SKU's is already in place, and no doubt a significant money and manpower investment has already been made in the builds pre-release.

Is sticking it to Sony fans really worth that?

Say what now? This can't be serious, but I'll entertain the idea anyway.

Exclusives often decide which platform a user is going with or if they need to get that box in addition to something else. Obviously, Sony is the most popular option, so we look at the Sony buyer. In regards to a Nintendo console they decide if they need to invest in that for Mario, Zelda, and the rest of Nintendo first-party, it's a compelling argument in favor of Nintendo. On the Xbox side it has been primarily Halo, Gears and Forza so the proposition hasn't been as strong. Now it will be Halo, Gears, Forza, and all of Bethesda and that's a lot more compelling. Multi-plats and limited exclusivity doesn't move the needle. No real value there. Not to say MS won't go the multi-plat route, but it would be a wasted opportunity IMO, which obviously doesn't amount to much.

 

[too much eslim]

I own a capable freshly built ryzen 3600 / 16gb / 2060Rtx (3060ti waiting on eVga) so I can play all their games, but I still think this is a dick move.

The fact that some of you are celebrating this just so another console base can't have it is selfish and messed up.

This wasn't some company going out of business that MS saved from obsucrity. Bethesda were doing their thing fine without some big corp gobbling them up.
Nothing new is created as they would of made the games anyway. Only loss from this move.

actually they were struggling.

 

[Redlight]

I don't feel like the comparison is apt because back then there wasn't even digital distribution, let alone services like GamePass. Back then the business was entirely running on the razors and razorblades model, and this is no longer the case.




The issue is that they will have personnel and resources either earmarked for, or actively working on Playstation SKU's. Yes they can write off the work, reassign the teams. return the devkits, sack everyone surplus to requirements, whatever. The problem is that they've just turned a profit generating unit into nothing or worse. These are people, not lego bricks, you can't just plug them into the nearest free slot. Its disruptive, and there's no gain to be made.

I'm kinda tired of this discussion because it seems to me that noone wants to factor in basic business concepts like opportunity cost and return on investment. The basis of my position is that its simply easier and more profitable to allow Zenimax studios to keep operating as previously and modify the publishing conditions so as to best leverage Gamepass and the overall Xbox ecosystem.

To reiterate: Bottom line is the opportunity cost is relatively low and the earning potential is high. That's the motive to do it, at least in the short term. Its an entirely reasonable proposition and it boggles my mind I've gotten so much static over pointing this out.

Lifetime exclusivity is less common than timed exclusivity and co-promotion deals because generally its simply unnecessary. When it does happen there are typically compelling reasons for not producing other SKU's, stuff like (as I mentioned) elevated opportunity cost due to unavoidable re-tooling, or a projected sales performance insufficient to justify the effort.

In the case of Zenimax product, and I'm thinking specifically of Bethesda and ID's stuff here, we have low opportunity cost because these games are built using multi-platform tech, and being proven popular IP outside of Xbox there's no impediment in terms of expected return on investment. Apply that business logic to the counter-examples people have put forward and a consistent pattern emerges.

None of these arguments stick because they apply equally to exclusive Playstation IPs that would be vastly more profitable if published cross-platform.

Yet they aren't.

 

[Iced Arcade]

 

[M16]

Its funny that people have been accusing me of making assumptions but sorry to say this, but I find it highly doubtful that millions of people are suddenly going to buy Xbox just because Zenimax franchises became console exclusive!

nobody gives a shit about these franchises anymore because they wont be playable on a plastic box with a sony logo on it
The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Prey, Dishonored, The Evil Within

pure delusion

 

[M16]

Skyrim sold 20million units... if you can only get the new one on Xbox and PC a lot of people will either get an Xbox, a PC or Gamepass on their phones. Microsoft doesn't care which one of their platforms you use.

30 million. more than any sony franchise.

 

[Andodalf]

actually they were struggling.

Zenimax probably expanded too fast. Them having to get money from times exclusives show things were far from perfect

 

[Varteras]

nobody gives a shit about these franchises anymore because they wont be playable on a plastic box with a sony logo on it
The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Prey, Dishonored, The Evil Within

pure delusion

Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom were the big IP gains. Bethesda and Id Software were the big studio gains. Nothing else they acquired is that big of a deal, to be honest.

For IPs, no one knows anything about Starfield nevermind getting attached to it as a franchise. Wolfenstein, Prey, Dishonored, and Evil Within are not anything that would make a big difference. We're even assuming that Prey, Dishonored, and Evil Within are going to continue at all.

For studios? Alpha Dog is just a small mobile developer that I would be surprised survives the acquisition. Roundhouse is the old Human Head team and quite frankly they suck. ZeniMax Online made one MMO themselves that they had to make free-to-play to survive and it's already on PS5. If they ever make another game it will likely be a long time from now and risky. Tango Gameworks isn't bad but they're not headliners and Arkane's titles always seem to be flashes in the pan. Machine Games did great with Wolfenstein 2 but their entries before that weren't nearly as good and Youngblood, which they developed alongside Arkane, was terrible.

Hell, Bethesda itself has been shoddy lately. They had a streak of great, if not fantastic games, for a long time with Fallout 4 being the end of that streak 6 years ago. Fallout 76 was dogshit and Elder Scrolls: Blades impressed no one. Hopefully they get their shit together under Microsoft because I'm really hoping Elder Scrolls 6 is awesome. But if nothing else Id Software is on fire with Doom with right now so that will further cement Microsoft in the FPS genre which Sony has pretty much abandoned.

30 million. more than any sony franchise.

Across 5 platforms and over the course of 5 years by the time those numbers were announced. At launch, almost 60% of copies sold were on Xbox. Less than 2 months later, Steam accounted for half of its sales. Comments made over the years make it pretty clear, Skyrim was a wild success on PC. Even crushing Team Fortress 2 and becoming the most played game on Steam by a huge margin. Which was a giant accomplishment at the time. Todd Howard was even quoted as saying that the PC mods are what helped Skyrim blow up. So a logical conclusion is that when it comes to consoles, Xbox was the lead platform for Skyrim anyways. Overall, PC is where Skyrim truly flourished.

Ultimately, it's going to take a long time for Microsoft to bear fruit from this acquisition in the form of exclusives for Xbox. Which assumes they even go that route based on past comments prior to the acquisition going through. Right now there are too many contractual obligations and projects in too early of development for this to have any effect in the first half of this generation. By the time the second half rolls around, which is when you'll start seeing the real results of this acquisition, the generation will have already been decided one way or the other. As I've said in other threads, acquiring ZeniMax will have a far greater impact on future generations than the current one. Though that will be based on whether or not Microsoft's first party can succeed in being competitive with Sony's and Nintendo's. Microsoft has a long ways to go to claw itself out of the distant third place it's in.

 

[THE DUCK]

I dont understand the indignation and moral outrage at ms at the idea of buying zenumax to make it exclusive. Sony and Nintendo have been buying developers for 20 years for exactly this reason. (As well as ms)

 

[Kamina]

So has it happened already or was it moved to Wednesday?

 

[MonarchJT]

l

Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom were the big IP gains. Bethesda and Id Software were the big studio gains. Nothing else they acquired is that big of a deal, to be honest.

For IPs, no one knows anything about Starfield nevermind getting attached to it as a franchise. Wolfenstein, Prey, Dishonored, and Evil Within are not anything that would make a big difference. We're even assuming that Prey, Dishonored, and Evil Within are going to continue at all.

For studios? Alpha Dog is just a small mobile developer that I would be surprised survives the acquisition. Roundhouse is the old Human Head team and quite frankly they suck. ZeniMax Online made one MMO themselves that they had to make free-to-play to survive and it's already on PS5. If they ever make another game it will likely be a long time from now and risky. Tango Gameworks isn't bad but they're not headliners and Arkane's titles always seem to be flashes in the pan. Machine Games did great with Wolfenstein 2 but their entries before that weren't nearly as good and Youngblood, which they developed alongside Arkane, was terrible.

Hell, Bethesda itself has been shoddy lately. They had a streak of great, if not fantastic games, for a long time with Fallout 4 being the end of that streak 6 years ago. Fallout 76 was dogshit and Elder Scrolls: Blades impressed no one. Hopefully they get their shit together under Microsoft because I'm really hoping Elder Scrolls 6 is awesome. But if nothing else Id Software is on fire with Doom with right now so that will further cement Microsoft in the FPS genre which Sony has pretty much abandoned.



Across 5 platforms and over the course of 5 years by the time those numbers were announced. At launch, almost 60% of copies sold were on Xbox. Less than 2 months later, Steam accounted for half of its sales. Comments made over the years make it pretty clear, Skyrim was a wild success on PC. Even crushing Team Fortress 2 and becoming the most played game on Steam by a huge margin. Which was a giant accomplishment at the time. Todd Howard was even quoted as saying that the PC mods are what helped Skyrim blow up. So a logical conclusion is that when it comes to consoles, Xbox was the lead platform for Skyrim anyways. Overall, PC is where Skyrim truly flourished.

Ultimately, it's going to take a long time for Microsoft to bear fruit from this acquisition in the form of exclusives for Xbox. Which assumes they even go that route based on past comments prior to the acquisition going through. Right now there are too many contractual obligations and projects in too early of development for this to have any effect in the first half of this generation. By the time the second half rolls around, which is when you'll start seeing the real results of this acquisition, the generation will have already been decided one way or the other. As I've said in other threads, acquiring ZeniMax will have a far greater impact on future generations than the current one. Though that will be based on whether or not Microsoft's first party can succeed in being competitive with Sony's and Nintendo's. Microsoft has a long ways to go to claw itself out of the distant third place it's in.

It's hard to find a starting point to respond to the endless cringes this post causes, it's so wrong on multiple levels that there's little to say. But at least see that the anger for the MS acquisition was enough to describe in your post one of the biggest publishers in the world of videogames, practically like a conglomerate of semi-failed studios with irrelevant IPs and probably now without a future, who clearly before see them doing something decent we will have to wait for the next gen. Everything will be fine I promise you.

 

[Varteras]

l
It's hard to find a starting point to respond to the endless cringes this post causes, it's so wrong on multiple levels that there's little to say. But at least see that the anger for the MS acquisition was enough to describe in your post one of the biggest publishers in the world of videogames, practically like a conglomerate of semi-failed studios with irrelevant IPs and probably now without a future, who clearly before see them doing something decent we will have to wait for the next gen. Everything will be fine I promise you.

Uuuuhhhhh sure? I think you're confusing anger with a more realistic perspective on the impact this acquisition will have this generation. There is nothing objectively wrong with what I posted. You do indeed have three studios within ZeniMax that will not amount to anything based on either history, what they are, or the nature of the products they make. Three other studios that aren't bad but, again, based on history, will not likely be responsible for shifting any lines. Leaving two studios that are the real gems of the acquisition and one of which is more recently known for creating some stinkers and hopefully got itself back on track.

And of course it will be fine. I'm in the wonderful position of being able to buy and play whatever game I want no matter the platform.

 

[Iced Arcade]

So has it happened already or was it moved to Wednesday?

So has it happened already or was it moved to Wednesday?

Wasn't approved yet by the European Union (they are usually slow)

 

[Fredrik]

I dont understand the indignation and moral outrage at ms at the idea of buying zenumax to make it exclusive. Sony and Nintendo have been buying developers for 20 years for exactly this reason. (As well as ms)

Yeah. I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to go Xbox and PC only on literally everything Bethesda has cooking. They need to stop trying to be friends with everyone and stop listening to social media and just start doing what everybody else would have done in their position. This is strategy gaming for dummies. Sony would have done the killer move with a smile on their face. They know that if your enemy tries to bring down your house and you acquire a bazooka you don’t keep on throwing rocks at the enemy, you use the bazooka and you use it in a way where it hurts the most.

For real, this can only go two ways. 1 They pull the exclusives card or 2 they’ll keep on being mostly irrelevant for another generation.

 

[Varteras]

Yeah. I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to go Xbox and PC only on literally everything Bethesda has cooking. They need to stop trying to be friends with everyone and stop listening to social media and just start doing what everybody else would have done in their position. This is strategy gaming for dummies. Sony would have done the killer move with a smile on their face. They know that if your enemy tries to bring down your house and you acquire a bazooka you don’t keep on throwing rocks at the enemy, you use the bazooka and you use it in a way where it hurts the most.

For real, this can only go two ways. 1 They pull the exclusives card or 2 they’ll keep on being mostly irrelevant for another generation.

A potential strategy is to keep existing franchises on multiple platforms but having any new IP console exclusive to Xbox. Perhaps having spinoff titles from franchises exclusive but keep mainline ones on everything. They did this with Mojang and Minecraft as far as keeping an existing franchise coming on everything else. In this way, Microsoft's image gets a boost with the community at large while also leveraging their new studios to create exclusives that people aren't already attached to. This keeps the money from franchises like Doom coming at max while giving them options for how to expand Xbox.

 

[FranXico]

I dont understand the indignation and moral outrage at ms at the idea of buying zenumax to make it exclusive. Sony and Nintendo have been buying developers for 20 years for exactly this reason. (As well as ms)

How many big third party publishers did Sony buy?

I can't believe the sheer amount of hypocrisy at display in this thread. Every single person who cried about "anti consumer Sony" for years and threw a tantrum at exclusive Spiderman DLC for a shitty GaaS game now thinks that permanently taking away popular third party franchises from platforms is somehow "pro consumer".

 

[Fredrik]

A potential strategy is to keep existing franchises on multiple platforms but having any new IP console exclusive to Xbox. Perhaps having spinoff titles from franchises exclusive but keep mainline ones on everything. They did this with Mojang and Minecraft as far as keeping an existing franchise coming on everything else. In this way, Microsoft's image gets a boost with the community at large while also leveraging their new studios to create exclusives that people aren't already attached to. This keeps the money from franchises like Doom coming at max while giving them options for how to expand Xbox.

That’s a typical nice guy Phil move, I can see it happen already.
”- Hey, Jim, nice seeing you! Here, you can also use this bazooka, no worries I wasn’t using it anyway, I can find something else, I’ll throw rocks in the meantime, and maybe we can meet and drink some tea later? No? Okay well you know where I am if you change your mind.”

Slow and friendly and at the end of the generation Xbox as a platform would be the same size or smaller than it is today. It’s comical that there is talk that they would have to do something to lessen the blow from an exclusive move. You think Sony would let Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider stay as a multiplat if they bought Square Enix? Jim would laugh at your face if you asked that question. But good guy Phil squirms in the seat and goes on with that vague first or best nonsense.

 

[Varteras]

That’s a typical nice guy Phil move, I can see it happen already.
”- Hey, Jim, nice seeing you! Here, you can also use this bazooka, no worries I wasn’t using it anyway, I can find something else, I’ll throw rocks in the meantime, and maybe we can meet and drink some tea later? No? Okay well you know where I am if you change your mind.”

Slow and friendly and at the end of the generation Xbox as a platform would be the same size or smaller than it is today. It’s comical that there is talk that they would have to do something to lessen the blow from an exclusive move. You think Sony would let Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider stay as a multiplat if they bought Square Enix? Jim would laugh at your face if you asked that question. But good guy Phil squirms in the seat and goes on with that vague first or best nonsense.

I think it would be less a nice guy move and more like weighing the pros and cons of making established franchises exclusive. Will it be more beneficial to try and leverage exclusives to sell more consoles or just use the existing franchises to make the most money from them by selling them on the same platforms they've been available on? Which benefits Microsoft more in the long run? Which route is the most likely to show returns faster? What if Microsoft makes them exclusive and nothing really changes? These are all questions that they've likely been debating since they pulled the trigger on buying ZeniMax. There was already clearly a disconnect at the upper levels of Microsoft on what the plan was for this acquisition. One head implying the exclusives would start rolling and another saying they think it's a better idea to essentially treat this like Mojang.

It's the result of Microsoft not being in a controlling position in the console space. Their competitors have too much market share to ignore. If Microsoft was dominating, the call would be much easier to make. Don't bother making these games for other platforms. They'd make enough selling on just their console and PC. But this is a $7.5 billion price tag just to purchase them, your last console got outsold by probably 2.5-to-1 by its main competitor, and the other already blew by its numbers with 40 fewer months on the market. In that position what do you really do?

 

[Fredrik]

It's the result of Microsoft not being in a controlling position in the console space. Their competitors have too much market share to ignore. If Microsoft was dominating, the call would be much easier to make. Don't bother making these games for other platforms. They'd make enough selling on just their console and PC. But this is a $7.5 billion price tag just to purchase them, your last console got outsold by probably 2.5-to-1 by its main competitor, and the other already blew by its numbers with 40 fewer months on the market. In that position what do you really do?

What do you really do?
Well, you can start by not sharing one of the few proper advantages you have with the competition.


I won’t really be affected by any exclusivity deal no matter where they happen, I’m mostly a PC gamer but within a few years I’ll be everywhere as always.

So to be honest I’m just debating here, I’m trying to think what could be done to make people care more about Xbox. And I just don’t see how they can change anything without essentially forcing people there. It sounds brutal but why swap to play somewhere else if you can keep playing on what you already have?

Xbox is already a great platform, has been great since the start, the majority of the games has been there, games has for the most part performed well.

But Sony always had more, better and more important exclusives. That’s really it.

So I’d say this, for Xbox to grow it simply needs more, better and more important exclusives. It wouldn’t be fixed by Bethesda’s games alone but it would be a start.

Bethesda games as multiplats would earn them more money but it would keep the Xbox as a platform at status quo. Which essentially means that Xbox would shrink compared to Playstation since Sony is far more aggressive and is likely going to grow this gen just like previous gen.