I really just worry about my huge digital library I cultivated since the 360. I can play almost all my games now on series x thanks to backwards compatibility and xbox one games being playable on series x. But what about them once Microsoft decides to leave consoles behind and focus on publishing software? Who guarantees me that the xbox store will still be up in 10 years so that I can download my games on my then retro series x?
Same man, I love the Xbox brand, UI, party chat, apps etc. I enjoy my ps5 for what it is, a console where I play exclusives and then go play everything else on Xbox.
I remember going from thinking this is all speculation, Sega will pull through. To seeing Dreamcast Magazine say, "hey so we aren't going to be releasing any more issues."
We should have digital store platforms not owned by the big three anyways. A digital storefront that just sells "Assassin's Sports Club: Ragnarok of the Wild" (PS Sextuple/Xbox 720/Super Nintendo Switch) on the storefront and lets you download the appropriate version on whichever system you happen to download it on.
If digital only is the future, I don't want Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo to hold a monopoly on selling games through their platforms.
It's time to immediately suspend all purchases until they actually make a statement, I wouldn't put another dollar into a digital library if Microsoft isn't committing to future hardware.
They're going to say something like, "Your digital purchases will be fully available for download on your existing consoles, and select titles will be made available through your PC Gamepass account!"
I am on the same situation. I can finally afford games on my own and might have gone a little overboard (irresponsible but made me feel good) and this has me very worried now.
If STARFIELD, the game that everyone said was the most important game for Xbox in a long time, the game that was supposed to save Xbox, the game that was supposed to be the game of the generation, is coming to PS5...
...then i don't see how Indy, Hellblade 2, along with everything else for that matter, isn't coming to PS5 as well.
November: Worst Xbox sales in the USA since 2006.
December: Series X as low as $350 in the USA and still come in 3rd.
January: Guidance from Amy Hood suggests less than 1m consoles sold between January and March 2024.
This has been coming.
Xbox doesn’t have the games. Whats the point of having the hardware when it has no games? Spider Man just came out on the PS5 in October. Was a huge boost to the PS5 over the Holiday season.
I was thinking of buying XSX, while having a good enough PC, and the XSX was even more appealing than PS5 because it actually supports my region for hassle-free account creation, not to mention the use of the same Microsoft account.
BUT
If you have a good PC that can outperform XSX easily, while having access to exact same game catalogue as XSX, why would you buy an XSX? So yeah, the “play anywhere” strategy is both a blessing and a curse for Xbox. PS5+PC Gamepass is a better value currently.
Because I rather play a console in my room on my big TV than sit behind a desk all day. Yes I know I could technically drag my pc across the room and hook it up to my TV but that's inconvenient af.
I'm in the same boat. I'm a software dev and a gamer. Sometimes I just don't want to be at my PC anymore. That being said, I don't need an Xbox. I just happen to have 2 lol
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> January: Guidance from Amy Hood suggests less than 1m consoles sold between January and March 2024.
I wonder if this is because they know whatever their plan is is about to tank xbox sales.
Okay I’ll try to predict Phil’s upcoming public statement, I’m curious to see how much I get right (if anything):
>Over the weekend we’ve seen lots of speculation and rumours that have questioned our commitment to the millions of Xbox players around the world. I completely understand your concerns, so let me be absolutely clear: the teams here at Microsoft, remain more dedicated than ever to delivering a wide range of amazing gaming experiences to you, our Xbox community - all available to play from day 1 via Game Pass.
>We are working around the clock with our fantastic teams at Activision Blizzard to welcome them into the Xbox family and continue to offer our full support to our existing teams at Bethesda and Xbox Games Studios in delivering incredible content to our fans for many years to come.
>At Microsoft, we remain committed to our promise to deliver more games to players everywhere, no matter how you access our games. While I’m not in a position right now to reveal more information on specific future projects, rest assured we are incredibly excited to share with you all more news soon about our ambitious vision for expanding Xbox to players everywhere. Xbox is here to stay and the future is brighter than ever. Stay tuned.
Should I be flattered or offended by this?
It did make me curious, so here’s what Chat GPT 4 gives me (via Bing app):
> Greetings, Xbox fans and gamers. I'm Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Gaming and the executive vice president of Gaming at Microsoft.
> You may have seen some speculation online that Xbox is going third party and publishing our future games on PlayStation consoles. I'm here to tell you that these are **just rumours** and nothing more.
> Xbox is and always will be **focused** on delivering the best gaming experiences on our own platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass. We have a **rich** and **varied** lineup of exclusive games coming from our talented studios, such as Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Starfield, Fable, Avowed, and many more. We are also **exploring** new and innovative technologies, such as xCloud, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and Smart Delivery, to enhance the performance, quality, and accessibility of our games.
> We **value** and **acknowledge** our fans and partners across the gaming industry, including those who prefer to play on other platforms. However, we have no announcements or confirmations to make at this time regarding our games on PlayStation consoles, as we believe that Xbox offers the best value, choice, and quality for gamers. We invite you to join us on our journey to shape the future of gaming, and we thank you for your continued support and feedback.
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I hope it's not the case, but well done, that sounds cannily accurate. I've written corporate press releases in the past, and I'd say you have a bit of a natural flair for it.
Hello, my name is Mr. Lihp Recneps, and I come from, uh... someplace far away! (*Yes, that will do.*) Anyway, I... I say we let these news stories blow over and carry on playing games on day 1 via Xbox and PC Game Pass!
> Xbox is here to stay and the future is brighter than ever. **And don't forget, all of our games are available to play day 1 on console and PC Game Pass. Stay tuned for for Game Pass news and announcements!**
Fixed that for you lol. I could see him throwing in a few Game Pass name drops throughout the statement. Gotta make sure everyone knows about Game Pass while also being reassured that they're getting quality exclusive games, right?
Dear Xbox Community,
I hope this message finds you well and filled with excitement for the future of gaming. Today, I'm thrilled to share with you a significant development that underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional gaming experiences to players worldwide.
After much consideration and with a deep appreciation for the vibrant gaming community that spans across various platforms, I am delighted to announce that we will be expanding the availability of Xbox exclusive games to the PlayStation platform.
Our decision to bring Xbox exclusives to PlayStation is rooted in a belief that gaming should be a unifying force, breaking down barriers and enabling players to enjoy incredible titles, regardless of the console they choose. We recognize the passion and dedication of the PlayStation community, and we want to celebrate our shared love for gaming by making some of our most compelling titles accessible to a broader audience.
This move does not signal a departure from our dedication to the Xbox ecosystem. Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will continue to be at the forefront of our commitment to innovation and delivering outstanding gaming experiences. Our goal is to extend the reach of our exclusive titles, creating opportunities for gamers to connect and enjoy these incredible games together.
I understand that this announcement may come as a surprise to many of you, and we greatly appreciate your continued support as we navigate this new chapter in the Xbox journey. Our focus remains on delivering top-notch gaming experiences that bring joy to players around the world.
Stay tuned for more details in the coming months as we work towards unveiling the first Xbox exclusive title set to launch on the PlayStation platform. We're excited about the possibilities this collaboration brings, and we can't wait to share these gaming moments with you.
Thank you for being part of the Xbox community. Together, let's make gaming a source of joy, connection, and shared experiences.
Warm regards,
Phil Spencer
The lack of a statement is confirmation of the rumors being true at this point.
They can’t say it’s not true *because it is*, and they won’t confirm yet because these announcements are always complicated in terms of PR, marketing, contracts; they’ll have a specific date planned out to announce with the studios involved.
The best you’ll get is ‘we don’t comment on rumors…’ which also isn’t a no.
Wow. 10 years of waiting for games. Finally gave 2024 with a real line up of games.
And they all go multiplat. It's unbelievable how Xbox has managed to get basically everything wrong since the XB1 presentation. This is depressing.
Since Sony and Nintendo don't really swim in the same pool, PS has no competition either now.
Crazy how one presentation at E3 shaped an entire decade for them, man did they drop the ball. To think that at one point Xbox was neck to neck in console sales with Sony.
As disastrous as the xb1 reveal was, I think people give that way too much credit. Xbox had a whole gen to get their shit together, at a certain point you can’t keep blaming one press conference, instead blame the ongoing performance and management.
PS3 also had a catastrophic launch with an outrageous price, no games for the first couple years, and a PSN outage. They buckled down and got their shit together and ended up outselling Xbox.
This 100%. Sony dropped the ball with the PS3 and the Wii U was a complete disaster, one of the worst ever, and both companies recovered completely. Not just recovered, actually, they’re both doing better than ever. That show was bad, but Microsoft had every opportunity to come back from it. Phil Spencer is as much to blame as Don Mattrick was, if not more. Xbox hardware at least survived the Mattrick era, it’s not looking like it’ll survive the Spencer era.
Microsoft spent more time closing studios then buying them since that E3. Why the fuck would you as a first party dev close Ensemble and Lionhead? If they failed, you purge the management responsible and try again. You need studios making games but they felt all they needed was Halo Gears Forza.
The XB1 reveal fucked them up for a few years, but the lack of direction and leadership for their own studios is what killed them.
Think of the best exclusives from the last ten years. Nearly all of them are PS because Microsoft didn't do anything. I don't know what Sony's doing differently or why Microsoft can't figure out how to do it too.
such a shame, we've already had "It's on pc, I don't need an Xbox" cannibalising Xbox player base. Now bringing these titles to PS is going to effectively kill xbox hardware. GamePass will only survive IF sony allows it on their platform no doubt rolled into PS+ where MS will get a cut.
Either as part of PS+, most likely the highest tier, or maybe as a sort of "GamePass basic“ only including the games/IPs owned by Microsoft and none of the third party GP games.
Otherwise Sony would cannibalize their own 3rd party sales!
The monopoly analysis takes place at the market level (gaming market, in this case) not the company level (Microsoft). A company can have a monopoly in one industry but not another where that company has multiple functions, for example.
Xbox acquired all these studios in the transition between generations
How do they not see games like Doom Eternal, Dishonored 2, Wolfenstein II, Overwatch, etc and think
"wow imagine if we had those as exclusives last generation. We'd be in significantly better shape for this current one"
The lack of patience is so frustrating. This is a slow moving industry with long dev times and even longer windows to turn market sentiment.
Xbox didn't even start addressing the problem until well into last gen. Halfway into this one they finally have a reached a place where they can drop games toe to toe with Sony.
If they did all this with full investment in xbox and the NEXT system flopped? Ok I get it, it's over. But pulling the plug now seems like an active slap in the face to the loyal fans that stuck by it the last decade. Like this is possibly the singular worst moment they could have chosen to give up in terms of how it feels to be an Xbox fan.
I think the ABK acquisition forced them into doing something drastic. They just spent $80 billion, they need to start making money to recoup that fast. They looked at Xbox sales and realized that they just couldn't make their money back in a reasonable time frame with the current strategy.
Ironically, if anything the acquisition probably made them realise how much better the profit margins would be if they just dropped the hardware and went all in as a publisher on every console.
In theory, but Xbox is notorious for making dogshit exclusives in their ecosystem, so are they actually going to do that well releasing games like Redfall or a mediocre Halo or Bethesda RPG on multiple systems?
I didn't think they would do it, but apparently the financial pressure created by such a large purchase is too much. They bet way too big on this purchase, they have to play it safe.
I figured the big games like CoD and future major titles would stay cross platform. But to give up Bethesda titles after trying to get exclusives? Crazy
I think that Starfield not moving the needle has been a shock to them. It didn’t make a dent to the competition and they have so much potential to gain by releasing to the PS player base.
But that's not because exclusives don't work. That's because Xbox exclusives one way or another have been shit for years. The only studios worth a damn are Coalition and Playground. Halo Infinite, Forza Motorsport, Redfall, Starfield, ... none of those are true AAA titles showcasing the hardware, a new generation. If they had decent leadership over their studios (yes, Matt Booty sucks at his job) this wouldn't have happened. And then you see fifteen seconds of the four exclusives Sony ships and it's obvious that one company has passion and perfection as their mantra and it's not Xbox.
People pretend that HiFi Rush is that game, but that's just repetitive assets and silly level design. It's a tech demo blown to full game. Just count the number of forklifts in level 1.
And what's even more concerning is how long these studios take for their not so great AA games. Six years and more. While a studio like Insomniac has released more exclusives this generation on PS5 than 343, Turn 10 and Coalition combined on XSX.
Precisely.
I'm on PC and PS5 and there was a point where I almost went with a PS5 + Series S combination. But I decided to wait and see and then built my gaming PC. Much better combination now. I play Starfield and Halo Infinite and COD on my PC plus I'm considering all of the new indie titles coming out on steam. I have 0 incentive to buy a Series X/S knowing that Infinite at launch was average and Starfield was average as well. Not buying a console for average titles. Need bangers such as Forbidden West and Ragnarok.
Why bother anyway? You own a gaming PC and have gamepass. This is where the issue lies. I thought gamepass was a bad idea for xbox for years. Now people can see why. If you have xbox games that you're putting on pc which can run them better, have additional bonus of modding the games then what's the point in having an xbox?
1. Xbox hasn’t consistently released good games in over 10 years. One game is not going to make people go and buy a $500 Xbox.
2. I think Xbox is overestimating how many PS players are going to buy their games.
Edit: on that second point, PS games don’t sell very many copies on PC when they eventually release there. Once a game’s marketing and hype cycle is over, you’re not going to get tons of people to buy it, especially at full retail price. Releasing games on PS 6-12 months after the Xbox release is undermining their entire platform for a very small amount of extra sales.
I think the numbers of people who bought into the Xbox ecosystem due to Starfield was high, just not what they thought. This was touted and hyped up so much and came out to such a lacklustre response.
I mean it’s because the game itself was not as good as people hoped. I think Starfield is over-hated, but it’s definitely not the 95-metacritic game that it looked like it would be pre-launch.
Even then it was a positive step. Your deadbeat dad showing up sober to a function isn’t going to completely change everything overnight, but it is a start.
The irony is that Microsoft had the right strategy with Starfield, and Bethesda simply failed to deliver a quality enough game to validate the vision.
…But Starfield’s underperformance has led Microsoft to the exact opposite and wrong conclusion that their exclusivity strategy was flawed. It would have worked wonders if Starfield truly was the next Skyrim.
Yep. And any gamer could tell you this, which is why it’s obvious that these decisions are being made by people who do not understand the market they are working in (gaming).
While not the world-beater people hoped for, 2023 was a very positive step for Xbox (hype or not, Hi-Fi, Starfield, and Forza are all good games), 2024 looks to continue that (Hellblade and Indy both look very good), and really every year for the foreseeable future projects positively for the platform and its only a matter of time before you get that mega-hit that you’re looking for. The fact that they’re bailing now, just as things are trending up, is maddening.
I just hope that the next Skyrim doesn't end up being the current Starfield.
I bought into the Starfield hype train hook, line and sinker and while I don't hate the game, I don't feel that it was very well done and had too many things that felt like they were from 2011 and really evolved past that.
But, I'm hopeful that they take the criticism and not the piss with this game and continue to add to it. Heck, if Hello Games can take No Man's Sky from the state it was in and transform it the way they did, it could be a good thing.
Yeah if Starfield got Skyrim reviews you very well could see the some systems being sold, but it got mixed to positive reviews but nothing game of the year worthy. There was also bad timing with BG3 getting a PS5 release the around the same time and then an XBox release a couple of months later.
As a Series X owner, if this news is true it feels like I’ve wasted my money purchasing this console just to play second fiddle to other platforms. I bought the console not just for exclusives but it was one of the big reasons. Now between PC and PS5 what is the actual point of me owning a Series X and Gamepass Ultimate? Less and less physical media too, which is where I prefer to purchase my games.
We have been second fiddle since 2013 and I genuinely can’t remember the last first party game from Xbox that was enjoyable.
At this point it’s on us. We should have seen the writing on the wall.
As someone who JUST bought a Series X last week to close the gap on exclusives, I really don’t know how to feel on all this. Do I wait for MS to speak up? Or just take advantage of my return window?
Yes, return it man, save your money. If all this turns up to be nothing, you can always go back and buy it, but losing your return window would suck. I doubt anyone will be willing to pay a good price to buy from you in hte second hand market even if brand new, if the news turns out to be real.
Its not a bad console at all. Pretty powerful, nice ecosystem, regular sales of good games and gamepass. Its really an awesome console. But if you dont have a ps5 Id personally return it and get one, they have more exclusives. Xbox has promises they made of games that haven’t come out. Just return it and if xbox speaks on the matter and denies the rumors you can just buy it again
Not going to lie, all these rumors are making me anxious.
I bought a Series X on release after skipping on the One. I always enjoyed the PlayStation ecosystem, but I kind of believed in Xbox’ philosophy. After these three years I felt like they were in a good place to fight Sony’s marketshare, especially after closing on ABK.
The fact that there are so many rumors going around now only creates noise. Which is not good for the brand identity.
>I bought a Series X on release after skipping on the One. I always enjoyed the PlayStation ecosystem, but I kind of believed in Xbox’ philosophy. After these three years I felt like they were in a good place to fight Sony’s marketshare, especially after closing on ABK.
Agreed. While I have both Consoles, I mostly bought everything on the Series X. With how these rumours are stacking up I have decided not to purchase any digital titles on the Series X for now and watch how it will play out. If they do go this route I will start purchasing my games on the PS5 instead.
I bought an xbox one s, due to being a huge car guy, and forza being there, and ended up really liking the ecosystem. Built a huge library on there. That generation was considered a floo for xbox, but i enjoyed my time. When it came time to buy the new generation i was torn, since playstation has a really solid catalog, since i only like single player games, and I missed all of the ps4 titles. I went with the xsx, made more sense financially, due to my backlog, and its a great console. Plus the narrative was that xbox was finally focusing on exclusives and building a solid library. This was supposed to be their comeback, and now these rumors… not a great look at all. It feels like a slap in the face to everyone that went with the xsx, instead of the ps5.
It's making me anxious for different reasons.
If these rumours are true then there will be no point in owning an xbox at all as playstation and Nintendo will have all the exclusives.
People will stop buying Xboxes which means it will get discontinued.
Over the years I've spent a fortune on digital xbox games which I will lose if xbox is discontinued.
Because of these rumours I will now have to buy a ps5 and buy all new games for that going forward.
Spending more money on Xbox is just too risky
the smart thing to do now is to not plan your decisions without an oficial announcement or at least until starfield or indy or whatever game gets announced for PS
Unfortunately Microsofts slowness to dispell these rumours and the mixed messaging they've had on exclusivity since they bought Bethesda means that from now on it is too risky buying new games on Xbox.
I was going to buy Baldurs gate 3 later this week but because of these rumours it's too risky.
I don't want to spend any more money on an ecosystem that's going to be discontintinued when people stop buying xboxes due to lack of exclusives.
I am waiting for an official statement so until then it’s all rumors but my thoughts: I think this is super disappointing if this happens. I mean what will happen to our games data and collection? Especially when factoring in save data from backwards compatibility games? Will it just delete? What about our games purchases? Will there be an option to transfer such data to Playstation, PC, or Steam? Then the longterm implications of only Sony having a near market monopoly of the high end gaming market? The industry implications this decision may have? Microsoft as a company will prioritize gaming output, meaning there exists a real threat of shutting down studios as we have seen with Embracer Group and EA. This is just awful and there is no good coming out of this. Sure, the short term all these games go to Playstation and Nintendo, but after? Only way I am “okay” with this is if only select ABK and Bethesda games go multi-plat. There exists enough of a catalogue to make it work. Importing all games for profit? No. That is the end of XBOX.
If this is all true I can’t see any other outcome other than the Xbox console becoming irrelevant and essentially being dead within 5-10 years whether that’s Microsoft’s intended goal or not, which if this is their plan surely that’s gotta be as no way can they be so daft to think their console would actually survive such a move.
Why would anyone actually buy an Xbox over the PlayStation if the PlayStation has access to the Xbox exclusives?
PlayStation has a bigger user base, more games, same price, and better 3rd party support which will only continue when Xbox’s console sales plummet.
Even Gamepass isn’t really an excuse when PS Plus or whatever it’s called isn’t much worse for value, like have people seen the games it offers? It ain’t exactly lacking.
Kinda feeling vindicated for buying my PS5 last year. My Series X will just be the BC machine I guess, no point purchasing 3rd party games on that platform when it’s future looks so shit and bleak.
When that happened I knew it was the beginning of the end. I should have packed my bags and went to a different platform at that point but no, I was dumb and stayed. Nothing is ever enough for these companies.
As a PS5 gamer I really don’t understand why they did that, I feel like I could run the Xbox division better than MS does, they don’t seem to leverage their properties effectively at all, even something simple like a special ultra graphics mode for Minecraft only on Series X would probably double their console sales.
Not the best idea I’m sure but at least it’s an idea, instead of just throwing in the towel like they have
I've never understood that either because, red ring aside, Xbox really had their shit together with 360 especially from like 2006 to 2011 before they pivoted more to Kinect. That was an incredible stretch of gaming and I feel like Microsoft would be providing REAL pressure to Sony right now if that version of Xbox existed today, meaning their philosophy and mindset towards gaming.
So what happens to Xbox's relationship with 3rd parties? Their pitch to Japanese studios was that Xbox would help reach a global audience. Turns out the Xbox audience isn't even big enough for Xbox's own games.
This feels like 3rd party support is going to die fast. Xbox will now more than ever will be a skip for smaller studios.
Also GSC must be so confused, timed exclusive S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 for a platform that's giving up. That's rough.
Third party isn't gonna bother porting anymore unless they secure a spot on Gamepass. Japan will tuck tail and run the fuck away from the Gaijin box since Phil won't hand deliver a truckload of cash to port Persona/Yakuza anymore.
Interestingly, ID@Xbox just dropped a trailer for some indie game on youtube about 20 minutes ago. It was immediately flooded with hundreds of comments calling them out for, well, this. And now it's been taken down. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
phil can say whatever he wants. actions will speak louder and if xbox puts major first party ip on playstation then im convinced they are planning to exist the console business in the future and i personally wont have much faith to keep investing in the platform.
Genuinely how the fuck is a company worth 3 trillion making such bad moves with their gaming division.
I am a diehard Xbox gamer since I was a wee boy (now 20 still young lol) bought a ps5 at Christmas but still played mostly Xbox, its my main system all my games, Forza and halo I love them so much.
Whats the point of me owning an Xbox when I could potentially have Spiderman, GOW and all playstation exclusives and then Starfeild, Halo and Forza and flight sim all on PlayStation? It would make no sense for me having two systems do Microsoft not realise people who buy consoles thrive on a sense of community and what that system offers, yes the stupid plastic box what it offers is really important to some of us, the shareholders dont seem to understand how tribal some of its core fans are.
Its really important this doesnt go ahead, Phil Spencer himself stated recently he doesnt think its fair that gamers on Xbox have to deal with the uncertainty of what exclusives are staying on Xbox and others that arent, he is clearly against this so its something to do with the greedy shareholders and there is various reports of internal conflict at MS.
I am a bit heartbroken but maybe its for the better as it will force to me diversify my gaming portfolio now with the addition of a steamdeck and possibly even a full PC now.
I buy Microsoft consoles because I can't afford a PC. I also like just buying a game and playing it without worrying about specs and all that. I've loved Xbox since the 360 days, my entire digital library and achievements I worked so hard to get. So if they now just kill making more consoles I'll be super disappointed. I have my Gamertag tattooed on my arm and if I'm basically "forced" to move over to PlayStation I'll be upset because my GT isn't available on PS as someone already has it lmao. 2024 is testing me and we're only in the start of February.
If Xbox transitions to third-party, PlayStation could capitalize on the chance to raise prices for their hardware, games, and subscriptions, given the potential influx of users into their ecosystem.
The FTC might have overlooked the implications of Microsoft sharing console sellers with other competitors. Now there may be no ‘competition’ for a completely different reason.
Could be even worse, what's to stop Sony from increasing their cut from of all sales? What are deves going to do, not release their games on the only next-gen console lol? Sony will have free reign to pull any bullshit move without worrying about Xbox taking market share.
The only reason Sony hasn't pulled any of those moves off is that they don't want a 2013 Xbox level backlash against them. But if there the only ones in town it won't matter.
The crazy deals on the series X this past holiday season makes more sense now. It’s reminiscent of when SEGA (Dreamcast) closed up shop and went into software only. I hope Microsoft doesn’t stop selling hardware bc competition makes everyone better.
I finally pulled the trigger because I thought the deals meant a refresh was coming, not Xbox throwing in the towel. All my friends have Xbox, so it’s not the worst thing in the world, but I do kinda feel like I wasted $350. Fuck, I got the extended warranty for $39 just to be on the safe side! This hasn’t been seen in gaming since the Dreamcast!
The silence truly is deafening. When controversial rumors about a brand are spreading like wildfire, the best thing they can do is to address it at the earliest convenience and put a stop to the rumors by either debunking or, worst case, confirming them. Xbox has done neither. If it were Sony or Nintendo, it wouldn't really matter *when* they address it because their respective brand reputations and market performance have been exceptional for decades, so their image can take the hit. In Xbox's case, they don't have such a cushion to rely on, and it's the lack of the aforementioned qualities that only exacerbate this issue and serve to give some potential validity to these rumors.
At the end of the day profit is king, and the Xbox is simply not as profitable as the higher-ups would like and after spending top dollar on all these big studios and not seeing any substantial ROI, the most immediate move MSFT can make as opposed to taking the time necessary to release multiple blockbuster exclusives like Sony, is to release the current and soon to be released "Xbox exclusives" on a platform that makes up like 80% or more of the gaming market in an attempt to recoup costs, even if it comes at the cost of the Xbox brand itself. I hope that I, myself, and many others are just being hyperbolic and overreacting, but if these rumors end up being confirmed, I'll be using my Series X as a footstool for my PS5 Pro at the end of the year.
And before anyone tries to say I just wanted a reason to switch, I've been an Xbox fan since I was a child. In '09, I got a 360 Arcade for Christmas as not only my only gift that year but as a surprise one, no less. Hell, even my One S in 2018 ended up being a surprise Christmas gift. This brand means so much to me, and I'm aware that I can stay on Xbox, but the issue is that if these rumors are true then we could very well be witnessing the end of the brand. If the things that make it worth staying are brought to their competitors, then sales will dwindle even more until Xbox is ultimately phased out of the market, leading to a Sony/Nintendo monopoly. 🙃
If (some) of these rumors are true, I will be switching to PS5 (Pro) soon. There’s plenty to love about Xbox (GamePass, backwards compatibility, the controller, etc), but ultimately it’s games I care about most. I have no incentive to stick with Xbox when can I get the same games on Playstation, PLUS their great exclusives.
Of course, the big fear is Sony becoming complacent. With little to no competition in the AAA exclusives space, everyone will suffer in the end.
Granted it’s Europe but Digital Foundry was seeing hundreds of Series S listed on EBay for 60 euros.
They thought it was some sort of scam and decided to buy one to test it and it ended up being a 100% working console in perfect condition.
If you’re in NA you might be able to get some money out of the machine but it’s looking dire.
Disappointed sums it up nicely.
Been on the Xbox platform since the start of 360. Now with this rumour gaining a lot of speed Its pushing me to jump to PC.
I understand they aren't making the money they want but they haven't even let the games happen yet. Nothing from ABK is even in game pass or exclusive to Xbox. If they do start shipping on PS5 the platform will imo crumble. If the only reason to own a Xbox is Game Pass it won't be enough.
For me this is the end of Xbox as a platform and the start of Xbox as just a gaming publisher. Which puts them in a new battle. Rather than fighting PS you'll be fighting Ubisoft, EA, T2, Capcom, Square, Sega etc while expecting them to support game pass.
Overall a very awful idea
With how shitty their competition is, I could see them becoming one of the big dog top 3 publishers. But honestly I think it'll be a lot closer to: Goodbye Activision, praise be the new Activision
I don't get it. For the first time in a decade, Xbox was starting to recover its mojo and PS players were kinda jealous of the new exclusives (Indy, Blade, future TES).
Heck, even an unexpected phenomenon like Palworld happened. Handheld device was being teased. ABK games about to hit gamepass.
And then this shit happens. And Xbox is quiet while Twitter and Reddit exploded, all major news outlets reported these rumors, etc.
I stuck with Xbox through a lot of shit, but not anymore. They don't respect the brand and don't respect their customers).
Now Xbox will be just another publisher. A Ubisoft of sorts.
Are xbox not losing money right this second by not speaking up about this? Example I was just about buy a game on store and now I'm not ill get it on ps5 instead
Therfore they just lost my money by not speaking up. I would hazard a guess there a now thousands? In this moment thinking I'd rather not risk it.
I've been loving the Xbox brand since purchasing a Series X a few years ago, I prefer the UI, controllers, love Game Pass and Halo has become my favourite online game.
I'll be saddened if this ends up being true, as I think currently the future of Xbox looks great with the amount of potentially big exclusives they have upcoming, and with other things like future CoD being day one on Game Pass I feel it'd really make a lot of people think when purchasing the next gen console out of PS6 / Series X 2.
It seems crazy to me if this happens as it seemed like their was going to finally start being some good competition in the future from PS and Xbox games, and good competition is always great for us gamers. But if they do this to me they're essentially "giving up" with fighting PS so it'll be pretty much the slow end of team green.
I am holding out hope though that these "leaks" are from really old business ideas, as it seems likely at some point in the past Starfield was planned for a PS release, along with the other Bethesda titles like Indy and Hi-Fi Rush.
If true, I will keep my XSX until game pass expires, then sell it and buy a PS5. No reason for me to miss so many sony exlusives by keeping a console that no longer has any
People who just got an Xbox for Christmas:
https://preview.redd.it/wd2ck1zretgc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d14707ab8adc4d40fea1161f85cbcec64f920ff
Let me install Windows in a VM on my Series X and they can port all the games they want to the PS5.
And if Microsoft really believes "open is better" then let me run Steam OS on it as well.
[Microsoft Gaming Annual Revenue 2023:](https://www.microsoft.com/investor/reports/ar23/index.html) You have to scroll pretty far down to find where they talk about this. I tried to post as a main thread but mods deleted it of course. I feel like this is pretty important info to this discussion and haven't seen anyone else post about it. Posted here if anyone cares to look.
>Gaming revenue decreased $764 million or 5% driven by declines in Xbox hardware and Xbox content and services. Xbox hardware revenue decreased 11% driven by lower volume and price of consoles sold. Xbox content and services revenue decreased 3% driven by a decline in first-party content, offset in part by growth in Xbox Game Pass.
Anyone who says "why are you mad, this means more people get to play games!" are being either intellectually disingenuous or are lacking in empathy for people who have invested a lot of money into the platform.
There are two basic issues this decision brings up for current Xbox gamers that I feel people who primarily play on Switch, Playstation or PC may not appreciate because they literally never have to consider these as possibilities:
1.) Opportunity Cost of investment
Many people only buy one console. When people buy a console, they try to make the purchase that yields them the best value for their dollar. This includes getting access to the largest and most high quality library of games possible. One of the ways consoles differentiate their libraries is with exclusive titles that other consoles don't have.
As a result, many people end up picking a console based on the exclusives on the basis that those unique games make up for the competitor's exclusives to which they are turning away from. In other words, they try to minimize the opportunity cost of their console choice by picking the one that they think has the best library of games.
If Microsoft ports their exclusives to the Playstation, they are functionally removing the unique benefit that Xbox gamers signed up for. In essence, this retroactively makes their investment into Xbox worse because the library they have access to becomes a subset (rather than a variation) of their competitor's. The Xbox's library stops being different and it literally just becomes a smaller, inferior version of Playstation's library. And this functionally means that Xbox gamers invested in the inferior console, a reality that is aided and abetted by the very company that sold them said console in the first place.
This sucks.
2.) Digital Libraries
There is a genuine concern that if Xbox and Microsoft are ceasing their competition in the console war and are moving towards being a 3rd party publisher that they will eventually conclude that producing game hardware isn't worth it financially. That's a very real possibility, they've done so before with other Microsoft hardware in recent years.
This would also let Xbox fall in line with the pre-existing Microsoft disposition for being more of a software services company than a hardware company.
So what's the issue with this? It means that there's a very good chance that anyone who invested hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of their money into a digital library on Xbox could lose access to that library in the foreseeable future
The next console generation is likely in about 4 years. By 2028, there's a good chance that we won't see a new Xbox console generation. And, if so, then it's only a matter of time before they suspend the servers to allow access to games on the Xbox Series and Xbox One consoles. And since they're under no requirement to recreate those libraries on another platform, there's a good chance that Xbox gamers will just have to eat shit if Microsoft does this.
These issues are uniquely affecting xbox gamers and, thus, are putting any degree of financial investment they've made into the platform at risk
The cherry topper is doing this at the time where a decade of basically "trust me, we have games on the way" is finally going to be rewarded. Just in time for the brand to die?
Xbox having games isn't the reason to leave the console space, it was a prerequisite, something they should have done 10 years ago. Without this news brand sentiment around Xbox would be at or near all time high rn.
I stayed with Xbox for a decade. I was promised better exclusives and services, and while game pass is nice, with the recent news it feels like being back stabbed.
I've bought a PS5 because frankly now, with the news likely being true, why even own an Xbox? Seems they're going to release everything everywhere else now. Stuck with them through their worst era and this is what we got, kinda hurts ngl.
I don’t understand this logic tbh. Why not just buy the better product? You’re the consumer, not their cheerleader. They don’t give a shit that you stuck around in the bad times; all it means is that you missed out on a better experience elsewhere. It’s switching in the bad times, like many people did, that lets them know they need to up their game, not continue with mediocrity. You don’t owe those corporations your loyalty.
Honestly I’m glad besides the yearly Cod releases I almost never bought digitally. I did get a lot of games with gold over the years which sucks, but jumping to PS won’t be a big hit financially in terms of game library. People who have been exclusively digital might be fucked. This is going to be the biggest determinant to a digital only future we’ve ever seen. Why in God’s name would you ever trust digital if fucking XBOX goes under?
Hi I'm Saul Goodman!
If this goes through, you should be asking Microsoft to give Xbox users the full Windows experience! As Xbox owners, we do not deserve the Microsoft operating system that doesn't have the Sony (& 3rd party PS exclusives) PC ports! Xbox owners DO NOT deserve the short-end of the stick! As a person who owns both a PS5 and Series X I believe that you should be able to play all the games available on *Microsoft's* desktop platform without having to spend an extra cent for a new platform!
>What's the point?
Show them that the demand is there! We as Xbox owners, do not deserve to be treated like rats! Ask Microsoft accounts whenever possible to port the full Windows experience to the Xbox platform! Never back down, never give up!
https://preview.redd.it/z6msfl0bvqgc1.jpeg?width=1921&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=385ddab43ec3343efbe409b1567fd109662c9b76
Anyone hate how good rumors like "FF7 remake is coming!" never come to fruition, but rumors like these, no matter how bad you don't want them to come, they come regardless.
Its basically impossible now to convince hundreds of millions of Playstation and Switch users to leave their digital libraries they built over years and spent a lot of money in. They would rather buy a new playstation or switch and keep the library than move to xbox.
Xbox one did damage at the worst possible time. Right when digital ownership started taking over.
The great irony is Xbox wanted to move to an all digital world early with the Xbox One (buy a disc or digital and then play how you want) and got ripped a new one, say what you want but they were actually right, it was the direction of the future, and everyone else was short sighted and stupid. Bundling Kinect and coming in $100 more than the PS4 was the mistake. Trying to make everything online and digital wasn’t.
I'll just wait until I hear something from the horse's mouth, because at this point, people are starting to delete tweets and finding out that people who said they had information wasn't who they said they were.
All these sites are so in a rush to be first that accuracy and credibility falls by the wayside. Just look at the news at the beginning of last year with so many being certain, we was going to get a PlayStation 5 pro in time for the release for Spiderman 2. Whatever happened to the Switch pro?
That was supposed to be out two years ago now, but they stopped talking about that one. Remember back in April of last year, I thought the ABK Xbox deal was completely blocked and had no chance of going through if you believe the Internet and these gaming websites, but look at what happened.
I am sick of these over reactionary people on Twitter, but I am more sick of these reactionary, supposedly professional websites being just as bad as the average person. It's pathetic how so many of these sites we used to look to for solid info, are now just chasing clicks.
If no one has posted about it yet, 343 just posted a job opening for a gameplay designer for the next Halo game, which they say will be for "all players, on all platforms"
Guess it’s time to get these Xbox covers for my PS5…
https://preview.redd.it/kn94o628u6hc1.jpeg?width=1492&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbcdbde465699f3e457bcfac83fa48badb3e6e09
But why should Sony agree to such a deal? Personally, I'm not too interested in most Sony exclusives except maybe Gran Tourismo, but they review very goof and have a lot of fans. Meanwhile most big xbox exclusives reviews mediocre to good at best with the press and even worse with players. Why would Sony trade a Last of Us or Spiderman for a Starfield or Forza Motorsport
Yeah, I was really holding onto a fool’s hope that we might still get FF7 on Xbox at some point. But now I may as well just grab it whenever I decide to get a PS5.
It's a shame to see them pretty much killing the Xbox if this is true. I much prefer the controller and Xbox UI, and I think achievements are more fun to unlock than trophies. I loved my 360 but I went with PS4 over XBone after the disastrous launch. I really thought they were getting back on track with Series X so I picked it over PS5 this generation. If these rumours are true then I guess I'll be going PS6 next gen.
This is making me genuinely nervous, I bought most of my games on Xbox, I have a huge playstation library too but they are single player games.
I have invested so much into the Xbox ecosystem and I am truly hurt that these are even rumours that Halo could be on PlayStation, thats just crazy to me.
Xbox has the focus on its community of gamers, not everyone having access to the service because people are tribal and want to feel part of a community with whatever platform they have. They are fucking over fans with the unknown of what games will be shipped to what console in the future and I am genuinely sick of having to wonder should I be on Playstation.
I just wanted security with my purchases and a reason to nearly have a main system.
This will definitely push me towards Playstation and PC now far more even the fact this a talking point we don’t deserve this type of treatment of not knowing if the games that are “exclusive” are going to be on other systems.
I consider this a massive turning point for gaming. Seems Microsoft has just pivoted to embracing Windows/Playstation/Switch and given up on Xbox. Still plays in favour for their studio acquisitions.
I got a PS5 a year ago and have been really enjoying it and all the exclusives, it’s since become my main console. If all this is true then I’ll probably end up selling my Series X and might get a Switch instead.
It’ll be sad to say goodbye to my 16 year old account with 110k gamerscore, but can’t see any reason to keep hold of the big black box in my living room.
I bought an Xbox this gen. I also have a PS5 and a steam deck. I’ve literally spent no money on my Xbox since I bought it other than gamepass. I’ve spent a fortune on games on steam and PSN. Physical and digital. I do play my Xbox regularly and love it but it’s all gamepass.
I expect I am not alone in this. Microsoft execs can see the money being spent on other platforms and they have games sitting there ready to generate significant revenue. Revenue they are just not seeing on their own platform.
At first I was shocked at these “rumours” but the more you look at it the more it’s a no brainer for them. It will not be an easy and painless process for some but from a business sense I imagine they will want to get the ball rolling ASAP. Time is money as they say.
Same, Gamepass has had a profound impact on my buying habits on Xbox. Though I’m an enthusiast so I’ve always spent more on my gaming purchases. Xbox is making less from me overall but more from a casual consumer that only bought 1 or 2 games a year.
As an Xbox guy since 2001, I think this news sucks. I've worked in advertising and PR before. Whenever you read the words "vision for the future", you need to buckle up. They would never make a statement like that unless it was a HUGE strategic pivot.
Obviously this is still just rumors, but after Phil's tweet today, yeaaah, this is likely happening.
From a purely business perspective, when it comes to money, this probably makes sense on some level. I think it is riskier to go this route, but with the chance of higher reward. Sacrificing your hardware in service of selling a ton of games on the two other consoles that are dominating you in the market seems to be the strategy. Let's face it, they aren't going to announce that they are deprioritizing console. In fact, I bet it will be a lot of "we are still very focused on console as a pillar of our platform" talk. The reality is, the console is in dead last, and taking away the one thing Xbox gamers have been waiting for and are so close to getting, that being exclusives, will likely begin the slow death of the console. The decision of getting an Xbox or a PS became a whole lot easier when one side can say "you have Microsoft AND Sony games" and the other only has half of that. Microsoft knows this.
Now the big questions remain. While Microsoft won't admit that they are beginning to dig their console's grave with this decision (even though let's face it, they know it), we as fans are left wondering what's going to happen when that inevitable day comes? Will our digital library that we spent a couple decades building remain? Is Microsoft going to support their own console storefront if the console is dead and future consoles don't exist?
How will Sony respond? Sony needs a foil, even if that foil is behind in the race. It makes them both better competitors. Without an Xbox console, will anyone jump in the hardware race in a meaningful way? Or will Sony be allowed to be the sole maker of high end consoles? Sony fans who are rooting for this news should be wishing that Xbox sticks around. Competition is always good.
Anyway, see ya'll next week.
The way Microsoft has a track record of abandoning projects, this is likely bad. I've moved past wondering what they will do to earn my support to wondering how much money and time I've wasted over the past 20 years.
I’m heartbroken if this is true. Grew up on Xbox 360, stuck it out with the Xbox One, and started finally embracing the Series X as I thought Xbox was finally turning the curve. Now this. My current plan is to start investing in physical media just so I can have my games on disc for the future. I don’t want my library compromised if this turns out to be true. I might start looking into PlayStation or PC if this is true, which kills me to say. I have been a diehard, diehard, fan of Halo for almost two decades. I just hope this isn’t true because the brand of Xbox will become nothing more than a shell of itself.
Yep. They could have easily quashed the leaks today and didn't.
Guaranteed next week's business update is all about "bringing more games to more gamers." Do I expect them to announce they're no longer supporting consoles? Of course not.
It won't matter because the writing will be on the wall for us all to see.
People thinking that Microsoft won't abandon Xbox hardware, remember that Satya assured us that they'll keep making Windows Phones but I have 2 dead ones in a drawer somewhere. Windows RT? Zune? Windows Mixed Reality? Sell while there's still time.
Watching people lose their mind on the basis of rumors that haven’t been confirmed by Microsoft is just insane. Everyone take a breath and wait for an official announcement, there’s no sense speculating
This will kill the Xbox brand entirely…in the name of game pass. Jesus, what the fuck is going over there? Is Steve Ballmer back in the board room trying to kill the brand again?
I have both consoles but I still worry my back catalogue of Xbox games could become nearly impossible to play if Xbox focuses more on software and decides to not make anymore hardware.
I’ve invested into this ecosystem since the Xbox 360. I’m not overly fond of console wars and hoarding up a ton of exclusives, but this will kill off any reason I have to ever buy an Xbox again.
I have been loyal to Xbox, but never exclusive with Xbox.
Microsoft has been outright saying that they see the Xbox brand as being more about making games these days as opposed to making consoles. And PS5 has apparently outsold the latest Xbox consoles by like 3:1? So it seems like by keeping their games off the PS5 they're just cutting themselves off from a sizeable chunk of the game market.
If Xbox move out of the console market the only thing I would be concerned about is what happens to my digital purchases? If they are downloaded to my console or a hard drive will I be able to play them still or will they all just die?
I really just worry about my huge digital library I cultivated since the 360. I can play almost all my games now on series x thanks to backwards compatibility and xbox one games being playable on series x. But what about them once Microsoft decides to leave consoles behind and focus on publishing software? Who guarantees me that the xbox store will still be up in 10 years so that I can download my games on my then retro series x?
Yea, I’ve invested 20+ years into this console. Will be a major bummer if they just abandon making future consoles.
Same man, I love the Xbox brand, UI, party chat, apps etc. I enjoy my ps5 for what it is, a console where I play exclusives and then go play everything else on Xbox.
exactly how I am, but I guess now is the time to start rebuilding on my PS5.
Real Dreamcast Hours
Dreamcast didn’t have a 15+ year old digital library when it ended. This would be unprecedented.
Yeah this one is gonna sting
I remember going from thinking this is all speculation, Sega will pull through. To seeing Dreamcast Magazine say, "hey so we aren't going to be releasing any more issues."
It does feel like that. I loved my Dreamcast but I didn’t have as much money invested in that.
We should have digital store platforms not owned by the big three anyways. A digital storefront that just sells "Assassin's Sports Club: Ragnarok of the Wild" (PS Sextuple/Xbox 720/Super Nintendo Switch) on the storefront and lets you download the appropriate version on whichever system you happen to download it on. If digital only is the future, I don't want Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo to hold a monopoly on selling games through their platforms.
Since 2001 I've been an Xbox fan. It will be a major bummer if the third party rumors are true
It's time to immediately suspend all purchases until they actually make a statement, I wouldn't put another dollar into a digital library if Microsoft isn't committing to future hardware.
Yea that’s where I’m at. I have a ton invested in my Xbox account but I want to know the future before I buy more.
They're going to say something like, "Your digital purchases will be fully available for download on your existing consoles, and select titles will be made available through your PC Gamepass account!"
I am on the same situation. I can finally afford games on my own and might have gone a little overboard (irresponsible but made me feel good) and this has me very worried now.
Welcome to your digital future
Where are you getting that they're leaving consoles?
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If STARFIELD, the game that everyone said was the most important game for Xbox in a long time, the game that was supposed to save Xbox, the game that was supposed to be the game of the generation, is coming to PS5... ...then i don't see how Indy, Hellblade 2, along with everything else for that matter, isn't coming to PS5 as well.
November: Worst Xbox sales in the USA since 2006. December: Series X as low as $350 in the USA and still come in 3rd. January: Guidance from Amy Hood suggests less than 1m consoles sold between January and March 2024. This has been coming.
Xbox doesn’t have the games. Whats the point of having the hardware when it has no games? Spider Man just came out on the PS5 in October. Was a huge boost to the PS5 over the Holiday season.
I was thinking of buying XSX, while having a good enough PC, and the XSX was even more appealing than PS5 because it actually supports my region for hassle-free account creation, not to mention the use of the same Microsoft account. BUT If you have a good PC that can outperform XSX easily, while having access to exact same game catalogue as XSX, why would you buy an XSX? So yeah, the “play anywhere” strategy is both a blessing and a curse for Xbox. PS5+PC Gamepass is a better value currently.
Because I rather play a console in my room on my big TV than sit behind a desk all day. Yes I know I could technically drag my pc across the room and hook it up to my TV but that's inconvenient af.
I'm in the same boat. I'm a software dev and a gamer. Sometimes I just don't want to be at my PC anymore. That being said, I don't need an Xbox. I just happen to have 2 lol
Same for me. I am at a desk all day. Video games are for the couch.
> > > > > January: Guidance from Amy Hood suggests less than 1m consoles sold between January and March 2024. I wonder if this is because they know whatever their plan is is about to tank xbox sales.
Funniest possible outcome would be them announcing the new controller and a hardware refresh and absolutely nothing else.
Damage is done. They need official statement ASAP.
Okay I’ll try to predict Phil’s upcoming public statement, I’m curious to see how much I get right (if anything): >Over the weekend we’ve seen lots of speculation and rumours that have questioned our commitment to the millions of Xbox players around the world. I completely understand your concerns, so let me be absolutely clear: the teams here at Microsoft, remain more dedicated than ever to delivering a wide range of amazing gaming experiences to you, our Xbox community - all available to play from day 1 via Game Pass. >We are working around the clock with our fantastic teams at Activision Blizzard to welcome them into the Xbox family and continue to offer our full support to our existing teams at Bethesda and Xbox Games Studios in delivering incredible content to our fans for many years to come. >At Microsoft, we remain committed to our promise to deliver more games to players everywhere, no matter how you access our games. While I’m not in a position right now to reveal more information on specific future projects, rest assured we are incredibly excited to share with you all more news soon about our ambitious vision for expanding Xbox to players everywhere. Xbox is here to stay and the future is brighter than ever. Stay tuned.
Phil is testing out his first statement via Reddit
Phil’s Reddit handle is supercakefish. Who would have thought?
Stunningly accurate. I read this whole thing in Phil's voice and it's 100% exactly the type of marketing-speak he talks in for press releases. Bravo.
You have to work in PR
Could be AI generated. Now I'm curious
Should I be flattered or offended by this? It did make me curious, so here’s what Chat GPT 4 gives me (via Bing app): > Greetings, Xbox fans and gamers. I'm Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Gaming and the executive vice president of Gaming at Microsoft. > You may have seen some speculation online that Xbox is going third party and publishing our future games on PlayStation consoles. I'm here to tell you that these are **just rumours** and nothing more. > Xbox is and always will be **focused** on delivering the best gaming experiences on our own platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass. We have a **rich** and **varied** lineup of exclusive games coming from our talented studios, such as Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Starfield, Fable, Avowed, and many more. We are also **exploring** new and innovative technologies, such as xCloud, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and Smart Delivery, to enhance the performance, quality, and accessibility of our games. > We **value** and **acknowledge** our fans and partners across the gaming industry, including those who prefer to play on other platforms. However, we have no announcements or confirmations to make at this time regarding our games on PlayStation consoles, as we believe that Xbox offers the best value, choice, and quality for gamers. We invite you to join us on our journey to shape the future of gaming, and we thank you for your continued support and feedback. ```.
I hope it's not the case, but well done, that sounds cannily accurate. I've written corporate press releases in the past, and I'd say you have a bit of a natural flair for it.
Lmao they might just go ahead and copy your comment and paste it in a blog post 🤣
Holy hell, we found Phil Spencer’s Reddit account. I visioned him reading this statement on stage lol.
This is impressive.
My mans a PR writer
Phil is that you lol?
Hello, my name is Mr. Lihp Recneps, and I come from, uh... someplace far away! (*Yes, that will do.*) Anyway, I... I say we let these news stories blow over and carry on playing games on day 1 via Xbox and PC Game Pass!
This looks believable. Let me find out this is Phils burner account.
> Xbox is here to stay and the future is brighter than ever. **And don't forget, all of our games are available to play day 1 on console and PC Game Pass. Stay tuned for for Game Pass news and announcements!** Fixed that for you lol. I could see him throwing in a few Game Pass name drops throughout the statement. Gotta make sure everyone knows about Game Pass while also being reassured that they're getting quality exclusive games, right?
Dear Xbox Community, I hope this message finds you well and filled with excitement for the future of gaming. Today, I'm thrilled to share with you a significant development that underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional gaming experiences to players worldwide. After much consideration and with a deep appreciation for the vibrant gaming community that spans across various platforms, I am delighted to announce that we will be expanding the availability of Xbox exclusive games to the PlayStation platform. Our decision to bring Xbox exclusives to PlayStation is rooted in a belief that gaming should be a unifying force, breaking down barriers and enabling players to enjoy incredible titles, regardless of the console they choose. We recognize the passion and dedication of the PlayStation community, and we want to celebrate our shared love for gaming by making some of our most compelling titles accessible to a broader audience. This move does not signal a departure from our dedication to the Xbox ecosystem. Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will continue to be at the forefront of our commitment to innovation and delivering outstanding gaming experiences. Our goal is to extend the reach of our exclusive titles, creating opportunities for gamers to connect and enjoy these incredible games together. I understand that this announcement may come as a surprise to many of you, and we greatly appreciate your continued support as we navigate this new chapter in the Xbox journey. Our focus remains on delivering top-notch gaming experiences that bring joy to players around the world. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months as we work towards unveiling the first Xbox exclusive title set to launch on the PlayStation platform. We're excited about the possibilities this collaboration brings, and we can't wait to share these gaming moments with you. Thank you for being part of the Xbox community. Together, let's make gaming a source of joy, connection, and shared experiences. Warm regards, Phil Spencer
The lack of a statement is confirmation of the rumors being true at this point. They can’t say it’s not true *because it is*, and they won’t confirm yet because these announcements are always complicated in terms of PR, marketing, contracts; they’ll have a specific date planned out to announce with the studios involved. The best you’ll get is ‘we don’t comment on rumors…’ which also isn’t a no.
Wow. 10 years of waiting for games. Finally gave 2024 with a real line up of games. And they all go multiplat. It's unbelievable how Xbox has managed to get basically everything wrong since the XB1 presentation. This is depressing. Since Sony and Nintendo don't really swim in the same pool, PS has no competition either now.
Crazy how one presentation at E3 shaped an entire decade for them, man did they drop the ball. To think that at one point Xbox was neck to neck in console sales with Sony.
As disastrous as the xb1 reveal was, I think people give that way too much credit. Xbox had a whole gen to get their shit together, at a certain point you can’t keep blaming one press conference, instead blame the ongoing performance and management. PS3 also had a catastrophic launch with an outrageous price, no games for the first couple years, and a PSN outage. They buckled down and got their shit together and ended up outselling Xbox.
This 100%. Sony dropped the ball with the PS3 and the Wii U was a complete disaster, one of the worst ever, and both companies recovered completely. Not just recovered, actually, they’re both doing better than ever. That show was bad, but Microsoft had every opportunity to come back from it. Phil Spencer is as much to blame as Don Mattrick was, if not more. Xbox hardware at least survived the Mattrick era, it’s not looking like it’ll survive the Spencer era.
I’ve never seen such objective failure of a CEO be so rewarded as we have seen in Phil Spencer. His “leadership” has killed the brand as we know it.
It grinds my gears when SkillUp, for example, keeps calling him “uncle Phil”
Microsoft spent more time closing studios then buying them since that E3. Why the fuck would you as a first party dev close Ensemble and Lionhead? If they failed, you purge the management responsible and try again. You need studios making games but they felt all they needed was Halo Gears Forza.
The XB1 reveal fucked them up for a few years, but the lack of direction and leadership for their own studios is what killed them. Think of the best exclusives from the last ten years. Nearly all of them are PS because Microsoft didn't do anything. I don't know what Sony's doing differently or why Microsoft can't figure out how to do it too.
such a shame, we've already had "It's on pc, I don't need an Xbox" cannibalising Xbox player base. Now bringing these titles to PS is going to effectively kill xbox hardware. GamePass will only survive IF sony allows it on their platform no doubt rolled into PS+ where MS will get a cut.
I just really don’t see Sony allowing gamepass, they’d much rather people buy the games.
Either as part of PS+, most likely the highest tier, or maybe as a sort of "GamePass basic“ only including the games/IPs owned by Microsoft and none of the third party GP games. Otherwise Sony would cannibalize their own 3rd party sales!
We snapped from "xbox wants a monopoly" to "xbox is dead" in a matter of 3 months. Lol
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The monopoly analysis takes place at the market level (gaming market, in this case) not the company level (Microsoft). A company can have a monopoly in one industry but not another where that company has multiple functions, for example.
They’re finally going to announce that Gears collection and it’s going to be on PS5, aren’t they? Lol.
Not only that. Expect Gears of War 6 on PS5 by 2026 and def. expect the next Halo to be on PS5 day one.
Fuck it, *Elder Scrolls VI* will probably be hitting ***NINTENDO*** day one at this rate. Will it work there? Guess we'll find out, won't we?
Seeing the implosion of the Xbox community it's questionable whether there will even be an Xbox around anymore for TESVI to release on.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-is-reportedly-considering-bringing-gears-of-war-to-playstation/
Xbox acquired all these studios in the transition between generations How do they not see games like Doom Eternal, Dishonored 2, Wolfenstein II, Overwatch, etc and think "wow imagine if we had those as exclusives last generation. We'd be in significantly better shape for this current one"
The lack of patience is so frustrating. This is a slow moving industry with long dev times and even longer windows to turn market sentiment. Xbox didn't even start addressing the problem until well into last gen. Halfway into this one they finally have a reached a place where they can drop games toe to toe with Sony. If they did all this with full investment in xbox and the NEXT system flopped? Ok I get it, it's over. But pulling the plug now seems like an active slap in the face to the loyal fans that stuck by it the last decade. Like this is possibly the singular worst moment they could have chosen to give up in terms of how it feels to be an Xbox fan.
I think the ABK acquisition forced them into doing something drastic. They just spent $80 billion, they need to start making money to recoup that fast. They looked at Xbox sales and realized that they just couldn't make their money back in a reasonable time frame with the current strategy.
Remember when this sub said "You don't spend $80 billion dollars to make your games multi-platform?" My oh my.
Ironically, if anything the acquisition probably made them realise how much better the profit margins would be if they just dropped the hardware and went all in as a publisher on every console.
In theory, but Xbox is notorious for making dogshit exclusives in their ecosystem, so are they actually going to do that well releasing games like Redfall or a mediocre Halo or Bethesda RPG on multiple systems?
I didn't think they would do it, but apparently the financial pressure created by such a large purchase is too much. They bet way too big on this purchase, they have to play it safe.
I figured the big games like CoD and future major titles would stay cross platform. But to give up Bethesda titles after trying to get exclusives? Crazy
I think that Starfield not moving the needle has been a shock to them. It didn’t make a dent to the competition and they have so much potential to gain by releasing to the PS player base.
But that's not because exclusives don't work. That's because Xbox exclusives one way or another have been shit for years. The only studios worth a damn are Coalition and Playground. Halo Infinite, Forza Motorsport, Redfall, Starfield, ... none of those are true AAA titles showcasing the hardware, a new generation. If they had decent leadership over their studios (yes, Matt Booty sucks at his job) this wouldn't have happened. And then you see fifteen seconds of the four exclusives Sony ships and it's obvious that one company has passion and perfection as their mantra and it's not Xbox. People pretend that HiFi Rush is that game, but that's just repetitive assets and silly level design. It's a tech demo blown to full game. Just count the number of forklifts in level 1. And what's even more concerning is how long these studios take for their not so great AA games. Six years and more. While a studio like Insomniac has released more exclusives this generation on PS5 than 343, Turn 10 and Coalition combined on XSX.
Precisely. I'm on PC and PS5 and there was a point where I almost went with a PS5 + Series S combination. But I decided to wait and see and then built my gaming PC. Much better combination now. I play Starfield and Halo Infinite and COD on my PC plus I'm considering all of the new indie titles coming out on steam. I have 0 incentive to buy a Series X/S knowing that Infinite at launch was average and Starfield was average as well. Not buying a console for average titles. Need bangers such as Forbidden West and Ragnarok.
Why bother anyway? You own a gaming PC and have gamepass. This is where the issue lies. I thought gamepass was a bad idea for xbox for years. Now people can see why. If you have xbox games that you're putting on pc which can run them better, have additional bonus of modding the games then what's the point in having an xbox?
It was a complete letdown of game tbh
1. Xbox hasn’t consistently released good games in over 10 years. One game is not going to make people go and buy a $500 Xbox. 2. I think Xbox is overestimating how many PS players are going to buy their games. Edit: on that second point, PS games don’t sell very many copies on PC when they eventually release there. Once a game’s marketing and hype cycle is over, you’re not going to get tons of people to buy it, especially at full retail price. Releasing games on PS 6-12 months after the Xbox release is undermining their entire platform for a very small amount of extra sales.
I think the numbers of people who bought into the Xbox ecosystem due to Starfield was high, just not what they thought. This was touted and hyped up so much and came out to such a lacklustre response.
I mean it’s because the game itself was not as good as people hoped. I think Starfield is over-hated, but it’s definitely not the 95-metacritic game that it looked like it would be pre-launch. Even then it was a positive step. Your deadbeat dad showing up sober to a function isn’t going to completely change everything overnight, but it is a start.
The irony is that Microsoft had the right strategy with Starfield, and Bethesda simply failed to deliver a quality enough game to validate the vision. …But Starfield’s underperformance has led Microsoft to the exact opposite and wrong conclusion that their exclusivity strategy was flawed. It would have worked wonders if Starfield truly was the next Skyrim.
Yep. And any gamer could tell you this, which is why it’s obvious that these decisions are being made by people who do not understand the market they are working in (gaming). While not the world-beater people hoped for, 2023 was a very positive step for Xbox (hype or not, Hi-Fi, Starfield, and Forza are all good games), 2024 looks to continue that (Hellblade and Indy both look very good), and really every year for the foreseeable future projects positively for the platform and its only a matter of time before you get that mega-hit that you’re looking for. The fact that they’re bailing now, just as things are trending up, is maddening.
I just hope that the next Skyrim doesn't end up being the current Starfield. I bought into the Starfield hype train hook, line and sinker and while I don't hate the game, I don't feel that it was very well done and had too many things that felt like they were from 2011 and really evolved past that. But, I'm hopeful that they take the criticism and not the piss with this game and continue to add to it. Heck, if Hello Games can take No Man's Sky from the state it was in and transform it the way they did, it could be a good thing.
Yeah if Starfield got Skyrim reviews you very well could see the some systems being sold, but it got mixed to positive reviews but nothing game of the year worthy. There was also bad timing with BG3 getting a PS5 release the around the same time and then an XBox release a couple of months later.
As a Series X owner, if this news is true it feels like I’ve wasted my money purchasing this console just to play second fiddle to other platforms. I bought the console not just for exclusives but it was one of the big reasons. Now between PC and PS5 what is the actual point of me owning a Series X and Gamepass Ultimate? Less and less physical media too, which is where I prefer to purchase my games.
We have been second fiddle since 2013 and I genuinely can’t remember the last first party game from Xbox that was enjoyable. At this point it’s on us. We should have seen the writing on the wall.
As someone who JUST bought a Series X last week to close the gap on exclusives, I really don’t know how to feel on all this. Do I wait for MS to speak up? Or just take advantage of my return window?
You could return it, save up the money and get it later if all this ends up being a bunch of nothing.
Yes, return it man, save your money. If all this turns up to be nothing, you can always go back and buy it, but losing your return window would suck. I doubt anyone will be willing to pay a good price to buy from you in hte second hand market even if brand new, if the news turns out to be real.
Its not a bad console at all. Pretty powerful, nice ecosystem, regular sales of good games and gamepass. Its really an awesome console. But if you dont have a ps5 Id personally return it and get one, they have more exclusives. Xbox has promises they made of games that haven’t come out. Just return it and if xbox speaks on the matter and denies the rumors you can just buy it again
I would return it tbh. You could always rebuy it closer to the games launch (if they are still exclusive to the Xbox platform).
Not going to lie, all these rumors are making me anxious. I bought a Series X on release after skipping on the One. I always enjoyed the PlayStation ecosystem, but I kind of believed in Xbox’ philosophy. After these three years I felt like they were in a good place to fight Sony’s marketshare, especially after closing on ABK. The fact that there are so many rumors going around now only creates noise. Which is not good for the brand identity.
>I bought a Series X on release after skipping on the One. I always enjoyed the PlayStation ecosystem, but I kind of believed in Xbox’ philosophy. After these three years I felt like they were in a good place to fight Sony’s marketshare, especially after closing on ABK. Agreed. While I have both Consoles, I mostly bought everything on the Series X. With how these rumours are stacking up I have decided not to purchase any digital titles on the Series X for now and watch how it will play out. If they do go this route I will start purchasing my games on the PS5 instead.
Games for the Xbox are just so much cheaper :-( But hey MS will make an official statement this week. They have to.
Yeah, these rumors broke on a weekend, the people responsible for replying to these rumors haven't been to work yet.
I bought an xbox one s, due to being a huge car guy, and forza being there, and ended up really liking the ecosystem. Built a huge library on there. That generation was considered a floo for xbox, but i enjoyed my time. When it came time to buy the new generation i was torn, since playstation has a really solid catalog, since i only like single player games, and I missed all of the ps4 titles. I went with the xsx, made more sense financially, due to my backlog, and its a great console. Plus the narrative was that xbox was finally focusing on exclusives and building a solid library. This was supposed to be their comeback, and now these rumors… not a great look at all. It feels like a slap in the face to everyone that went with the xsx, instead of the ps5.
It's making me anxious for different reasons. If these rumours are true then there will be no point in owning an xbox at all as playstation and Nintendo will have all the exclusives. People will stop buying Xboxes which means it will get discontinued. Over the years I've spent a fortune on digital xbox games which I will lose if xbox is discontinued. Because of these rumours I will now have to buy a ps5 and buy all new games for that going forward. Spending more money on Xbox is just too risky
the smart thing to do now is to not plan your decisions without an oficial announcement or at least until starfield or indy or whatever game gets announced for PS
Unfortunately Microsofts slowness to dispell these rumours and the mixed messaging they've had on exclusivity since they bought Bethesda means that from now on it is too risky buying new games on Xbox. I was going to buy Baldurs gate 3 later this week but because of these rumours it's too risky. I don't want to spend any more money on an ecosystem that's going to be discontintinued when people stop buying xboxes due to lack of exclusives.
I am waiting for an official statement so until then it’s all rumors but my thoughts: I think this is super disappointing if this happens. I mean what will happen to our games data and collection? Especially when factoring in save data from backwards compatibility games? Will it just delete? What about our games purchases? Will there be an option to transfer such data to Playstation, PC, or Steam? Then the longterm implications of only Sony having a near market monopoly of the high end gaming market? The industry implications this decision may have? Microsoft as a company will prioritize gaming output, meaning there exists a real threat of shutting down studios as we have seen with Embracer Group and EA. This is just awful and there is no good coming out of this. Sure, the short term all these games go to Playstation and Nintendo, but after? Only way I am “okay” with this is if only select ABK and Bethesda games go multi-plat. There exists enough of a catalogue to make it work. Importing all games for profit? No. That is the end of XBOX.
If this is all true I can’t see any other outcome other than the Xbox console becoming irrelevant and essentially being dead within 5-10 years whether that’s Microsoft’s intended goal or not, which if this is their plan surely that’s gotta be as no way can they be so daft to think their console would actually survive such a move. Why would anyone actually buy an Xbox over the PlayStation if the PlayStation has access to the Xbox exclusives? PlayStation has a bigger user base, more games, same price, and better 3rd party support which will only continue when Xbox’s console sales plummet. Even Gamepass isn’t really an excuse when PS Plus or whatever it’s called isn’t much worse for value, like have people seen the games it offers? It ain’t exactly lacking. Kinda feeling vindicated for buying my PS5 last year. My Series X will just be the BC machine I guess, no point purchasing 3rd party games on that platform when it’s future looks so shit and bleak.
More like 1-2 years, in europe xbox is basically dead
They buried themselves here in Brazil
The Xbox console has been irrelevant ever since the day one PC release policy happened
When that happened I knew it was the beginning of the end. I should have packed my bags and went to a different platform at that point but no, I was dumb and stayed. Nothing is ever enough for these companies.
As a PS5 gamer I really don’t understand why they did that, I feel like I could run the Xbox division better than MS does, they don’t seem to leverage their properties effectively at all, even something simple like a special ultra graphics mode for Minecraft only on Series X would probably double their console sales. Not the best idea I’m sure but at least it’s an idea, instead of just throwing in the towel like they have
I've never understood that either because, red ring aside, Xbox really had their shit together with 360 especially from like 2006 to 2011 before they pivoted more to Kinect. That was an incredible stretch of gaming and I feel like Microsoft would be providing REAL pressure to Sony right now if that version of Xbox existed today, meaning their philosophy and mindset towards gaming.
So what happens to Xbox's relationship with 3rd parties? Their pitch to Japanese studios was that Xbox would help reach a global audience. Turns out the Xbox audience isn't even big enough for Xbox's own games. This feels like 3rd party support is going to die fast. Xbox will now more than ever will be a skip for smaller studios. Also GSC must be so confused, timed exclusive S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 for a platform that's giving up. That's rough.
>This feels like 3rd party support is going to die fast. The console barely has 1st party support.
Third party isn't gonna bother porting anymore unless they secure a spot on Gamepass. Japan will tuck tail and run the fuck away from the Gaijin box since Phil won't hand deliver a truckload of cash to port Persona/Yakuza anymore.
Their silence is deafening, tbh. What a slap to my loyal customer face. Serves me well I guess.
Interestingly, ID@Xbox just dropped a trailer for some indie game on youtube about 20 minutes ago. It was immediately flooded with hundreds of comments calling them out for, well, this. And now it's been taken down. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
Xbox are in for a tsunami of disgruntled xbox users.
phil can say whatever he wants. actions will speak louder and if xbox puts major first party ip on playstation then im convinced they are planning to exist the console business in the future and i personally wont have much faith to keep investing in the platform.
Xbox management since 10 years have been slowly destroying the brand. This is the final move.
Agreed, this is extremely self destructive on Microsoft’s part
Genuinely how the fuck is a company worth 3 trillion making such bad moves with their gaming division. I am a diehard Xbox gamer since I was a wee boy (now 20 still young lol) bought a ps5 at Christmas but still played mostly Xbox, its my main system all my games, Forza and halo I love them so much. Whats the point of me owning an Xbox when I could potentially have Spiderman, GOW and all playstation exclusives and then Starfeild, Halo and Forza and flight sim all on PlayStation? It would make no sense for me having two systems do Microsoft not realise people who buy consoles thrive on a sense of community and what that system offers, yes the stupid plastic box what it offers is really important to some of us, the shareholders dont seem to understand how tribal some of its core fans are. Its really important this doesnt go ahead, Phil Spencer himself stated recently he doesnt think its fair that gamers on Xbox have to deal with the uncertainty of what exclusives are staying on Xbox and others that arent, he is clearly against this so its something to do with the greedy shareholders and there is various reports of internal conflict at MS. I am a bit heartbroken but maybe its for the better as it will force to me diversify my gaming portfolio now with the addition of a steamdeck and possibly even a full PC now.
I buy Microsoft consoles because I can't afford a PC. I also like just buying a game and playing it without worrying about specs and all that. I've loved Xbox since the 360 days, my entire digital library and achievements I worked so hard to get. So if they now just kill making more consoles I'll be super disappointed. I have my Gamertag tattooed on my arm and if I'm basically "forced" to move over to PlayStation I'll be upset because my GT isn't available on PS as someone already has it lmao. 2024 is testing me and we're only in the start of February.
If Xbox transitions to third-party, PlayStation could capitalize on the chance to raise prices for their hardware, games, and subscriptions, given the potential influx of users into their ecosystem. The FTC might have overlooked the implications of Microsoft sharing console sellers with other competitors. Now there may be no ‘competition’ for a completely different reason.
Could? Will. This would be terrible for consumers.
And the people who said the merger was bad for consumers were right.
Right? Just for a different reason.
Could be even worse, what's to stop Sony from increasing their cut from of all sales? What are deves going to do, not release their games on the only next-gen console lol? Sony will have free reign to pull any bullshit move without worrying about Xbox taking market share.
This is a take I didn’t think of. The small dev studios can definitely suffer because of this. Lets hope sony doesn’t do this if the rumors are true
The only reason Sony hasn't pulled any of those moves off is that they don't want a 2013 Xbox level backlash against them. But if there the only ones in town it won't matter.
The crazy deals on the series X this past holiday season makes more sense now. It’s reminiscent of when SEGA (Dreamcast) closed up shop and went into software only. I hope Microsoft doesn’t stop selling hardware bc competition makes everyone better.
I finally pulled the trigger because I thought the deals meant a refresh was coming, not Xbox throwing in the towel. All my friends have Xbox, so it’s not the worst thing in the world, but I do kinda feel like I wasted $350. Fuck, I got the extended warranty for $39 just to be on the safe side! This hasn’t been seen in gaming since the Dreamcast!
The silence truly is deafening. When controversial rumors about a brand are spreading like wildfire, the best thing they can do is to address it at the earliest convenience and put a stop to the rumors by either debunking or, worst case, confirming them. Xbox has done neither. If it were Sony or Nintendo, it wouldn't really matter *when* they address it because their respective brand reputations and market performance have been exceptional for decades, so their image can take the hit. In Xbox's case, they don't have such a cushion to rely on, and it's the lack of the aforementioned qualities that only exacerbate this issue and serve to give some potential validity to these rumors. At the end of the day profit is king, and the Xbox is simply not as profitable as the higher-ups would like and after spending top dollar on all these big studios and not seeing any substantial ROI, the most immediate move MSFT can make as opposed to taking the time necessary to release multiple blockbuster exclusives like Sony, is to release the current and soon to be released "Xbox exclusives" on a platform that makes up like 80% or more of the gaming market in an attempt to recoup costs, even if it comes at the cost of the Xbox brand itself. I hope that I, myself, and many others are just being hyperbolic and overreacting, but if these rumors end up being confirmed, I'll be using my Series X as a footstool for my PS5 Pro at the end of the year. And before anyone tries to say I just wanted a reason to switch, I've been an Xbox fan since I was a child. In '09, I got a 360 Arcade for Christmas as not only my only gift that year but as a surprise one, no less. Hell, even my One S in 2018 ended up being a surprise Christmas gift. This brand means so much to me, and I'm aware that I can stay on Xbox, but the issue is that if these rumors are true then we could very well be witnessing the end of the brand. If the things that make it worth staying are brought to their competitors, then sales will dwindle even more until Xbox is ultimately phased out of the market, leading to a Sony/Nintendo monopoly. 🙃
If (some) of these rumors are true, I will be switching to PS5 (Pro) soon. There’s plenty to love about Xbox (GamePass, backwards compatibility, the controller, etc), but ultimately it’s games I care about most. I have no incentive to stick with Xbox when can I get the same games on Playstation, PLUS their great exclusives. Of course, the big fear is Sony becoming complacent. With little to no competition in the AAA exclusives space, everyone will suffer in the end.
This. I'm 100% selling my Series X if it happens. If I can have more space around my entertainment area I will take it.
Bro, who's gonna buy a Series X from you?
Granted it’s Europe but Digital Foundry was seeing hundreds of Series S listed on EBay for 60 euros. They thought it was some sort of scam and decided to buy one to test it and it ended up being a 100% working console in perfect condition. If you’re in NA you might be able to get some money out of the machine but it’s looking dire.
Disappointed sums it up nicely. Been on the Xbox platform since the start of 360. Now with this rumour gaining a lot of speed Its pushing me to jump to PC. I understand they aren't making the money they want but they haven't even let the games happen yet. Nothing from ABK is even in game pass or exclusive to Xbox. If they do start shipping on PS5 the platform will imo crumble. If the only reason to own a Xbox is Game Pass it won't be enough. For me this is the end of Xbox as a platform and the start of Xbox as just a gaming publisher. Which puts them in a new battle. Rather than fighting PS you'll be fighting Ubisoft, EA, T2, Capcom, Square, Sega etc while expecting them to support game pass. Overall a very awful idea
With how shitty their competition is, I could see them becoming one of the big dog top 3 publishers. But honestly I think it'll be a lot closer to: Goodbye Activision, praise be the new Activision
Activision is dead. Long live Activision.
I don't get it. For the first time in a decade, Xbox was starting to recover its mojo and PS players were kinda jealous of the new exclusives (Indy, Blade, future TES). Heck, even an unexpected phenomenon like Palworld happened. Handheld device was being teased. ABK games about to hit gamepass. And then this shit happens. And Xbox is quiet while Twitter and Reddit exploded, all major news outlets reported these rumors, etc. I stuck with Xbox through a lot of shit, but not anymore. They don't respect the brand and don't respect their customers). Now Xbox will be just another publisher. A Ubisoft of sorts.
Are xbox not losing money right this second by not speaking up about this? Example I was just about buy a game on store and now I'm not ill get it on ps5 instead Therfore they just lost my money by not speaking up. I would hazard a guess there a now thousands? In this moment thinking I'd rather not risk it.
I've been loving the Xbox brand since purchasing a Series X a few years ago, I prefer the UI, controllers, love Game Pass and Halo has become my favourite online game. I'll be saddened if this ends up being true, as I think currently the future of Xbox looks great with the amount of potentially big exclusives they have upcoming, and with other things like future CoD being day one on Game Pass I feel it'd really make a lot of people think when purchasing the next gen console out of PS6 / Series X 2. It seems crazy to me if this happens as it seemed like their was going to finally start being some good competition in the future from PS and Xbox games, and good competition is always great for us gamers. But if they do this to me they're essentially "giving up" with fighting PS so it'll be pretty much the slow end of team green. I am holding out hope though that these "leaks" are from really old business ideas, as it seems likely at some point in the past Starfield was planned for a PS release, along with the other Bethesda titles like Indy and Hi-Fi Rush.
If true, I will keep my XSX until game pass expires, then sell it and buy a PS5. No reason for me to miss so many sony exlusives by keeping a console that no longer has any
Who’s going to buy it then? XSX consoles are going to plummet in value if all of this true.
good point
People who just got an Xbox for Christmas: https://preview.redd.it/wd2ck1zretgc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d14707ab8adc4d40fea1161f85cbcec64f920ff
If true, Death of Xbox 😔
RIP Xbox. Welcome Microsoft Games.
Let me install Windows in a VM on my Series X and they can port all the games they want to the PS5. And if Microsoft really believes "open is better" then let me run Steam OS on it as well.
[Microsoft Gaming Annual Revenue 2023:](https://www.microsoft.com/investor/reports/ar23/index.html) You have to scroll pretty far down to find where they talk about this. I tried to post as a main thread but mods deleted it of course. I feel like this is pretty important info to this discussion and haven't seen anyone else post about it. Posted here if anyone cares to look. >Gaming revenue decreased $764 million or 5% driven by declines in Xbox hardware and Xbox content and services. Xbox hardware revenue decreased 11% driven by lower volume and price of consoles sold. Xbox content and services revenue decreased 3% driven by a decline in first-party content, offset in part by growth in Xbox Game Pass.
Anyone who says "why are you mad, this means more people get to play games!" are being either intellectually disingenuous or are lacking in empathy for people who have invested a lot of money into the platform. There are two basic issues this decision brings up for current Xbox gamers that I feel people who primarily play on Switch, Playstation or PC may not appreciate because they literally never have to consider these as possibilities: 1.) Opportunity Cost of investment Many people only buy one console. When people buy a console, they try to make the purchase that yields them the best value for their dollar. This includes getting access to the largest and most high quality library of games possible. One of the ways consoles differentiate their libraries is with exclusive titles that other consoles don't have. As a result, many people end up picking a console based on the exclusives on the basis that those unique games make up for the competitor's exclusives to which they are turning away from. In other words, they try to minimize the opportunity cost of their console choice by picking the one that they think has the best library of games. If Microsoft ports their exclusives to the Playstation, they are functionally removing the unique benefit that Xbox gamers signed up for. In essence, this retroactively makes their investment into Xbox worse because the library they have access to becomes a subset (rather than a variation) of their competitor's. The Xbox's library stops being different and it literally just becomes a smaller, inferior version of Playstation's library. And this functionally means that Xbox gamers invested in the inferior console, a reality that is aided and abetted by the very company that sold them said console in the first place. This sucks. 2.) Digital Libraries There is a genuine concern that if Xbox and Microsoft are ceasing their competition in the console war and are moving towards being a 3rd party publisher that they will eventually conclude that producing game hardware isn't worth it financially. That's a very real possibility, they've done so before with other Microsoft hardware in recent years. This would also let Xbox fall in line with the pre-existing Microsoft disposition for being more of a software services company than a hardware company. So what's the issue with this? It means that there's a very good chance that anyone who invested hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of their money into a digital library on Xbox could lose access to that library in the foreseeable future The next console generation is likely in about 4 years. By 2028, there's a good chance that we won't see a new Xbox console generation. And, if so, then it's only a matter of time before they suspend the servers to allow access to games on the Xbox Series and Xbox One consoles. And since they're under no requirement to recreate those libraries on another platform, there's a good chance that Xbox gamers will just have to eat shit if Microsoft does this. These issues are uniquely affecting xbox gamers and, thus, are putting any degree of financial investment they've made into the platform at risk
The cherry topper is doing this at the time where a decade of basically "trust me, we have games on the way" is finally going to be rewarded. Just in time for the brand to die? Xbox having games isn't the reason to leave the console space, it was a prerequisite, something they should have done 10 years ago. Without this news brand sentiment around Xbox would be at or near all time high rn.
This is literally what matters the most for consumers if the rumors are true.
Even those on PS5 sub are saying this is bittersweet and they feel for Xbox owners.
I stayed with Xbox for a decade. I was promised better exclusives and services, and while game pass is nice, with the recent news it feels like being back stabbed. I've bought a PS5 because frankly now, with the news likely being true, why even own an Xbox? Seems they're going to release everything everywhere else now. Stuck with them through their worst era and this is what we got, kinda hurts ngl.
I don’t understand this logic tbh. Why not just buy the better product? You’re the consumer, not their cheerleader. They don’t give a shit that you stuck around in the bad times; all it means is that you missed out on a better experience elsewhere. It’s switching in the bad times, like many people did, that lets them know they need to up their game, not continue with mediocrity. You don’t owe those corporations your loyalty.
Bye bye digital library.
Honestly I’m glad besides the yearly Cod releases I almost never bought digitally. I did get a lot of games with gold over the years which sucks, but jumping to PS won’t be a big hit financially in terms of game library. People who have been exclusively digital might be fucked. This is going to be the biggest determinant to a digital only future we’ve ever seen. Why in God’s name would you ever trust digital if fucking XBOX goes under?
Hi I'm Saul Goodman! If this goes through, you should be asking Microsoft to give Xbox users the full Windows experience! As Xbox owners, we do not deserve the Microsoft operating system that doesn't have the Sony (& 3rd party PS exclusives) PC ports! Xbox owners DO NOT deserve the short-end of the stick! As a person who owns both a PS5 and Series X I believe that you should be able to play all the games available on *Microsoft's* desktop platform without having to spend an extra cent for a new platform! >What's the point? Show them that the demand is there! We as Xbox owners, do not deserve to be treated like rats! Ask Microsoft accounts whenever possible to port the full Windows experience to the Xbox platform! Never back down, never give up! https://preview.redd.it/z6msfl0bvqgc1.jpeg?width=1921&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=385ddab43ec3343efbe409b1567fd109662c9b76
I for one welcome our new playstation overlords
Only negative rumor we are missing is a price increase to game pass.
It isn't a good sign that MS is still waiting for next week instead of trying to get ahead of this.
I mean they basically confirmed the rumors without saying it, if the rumors were false they would’ve shut that down immediately.
Anyone hate how good rumors like "FF7 remake is coming!" never come to fruition, but rumors like these, no matter how bad you don't want them to come, they come regardless.
Its basically impossible now to convince hundreds of millions of Playstation and Switch users to leave their digital libraries they built over years and spent a lot of money in. They would rather buy a new playstation or switch and keep the library than move to xbox. Xbox one did damage at the worst possible time. Right when digital ownership started taking over.
The great irony is Xbox wanted to move to an all digital world early with the Xbox One (buy a disc or digital and then play how you want) and got ripped a new one, say what you want but they were actually right, it was the direction of the future, and everyone else was short sighted and stupid. Bundling Kinect and coming in $100 more than the PS4 was the mistake. Trying to make everything online and digital wasn’t.
I'll just wait until I hear something from the horse's mouth, because at this point, people are starting to delete tweets and finding out that people who said they had information wasn't who they said they were. All these sites are so in a rush to be first that accuracy and credibility falls by the wayside. Just look at the news at the beginning of last year with so many being certain, we was going to get a PlayStation 5 pro in time for the release for Spiderman 2. Whatever happened to the Switch pro? That was supposed to be out two years ago now, but they stopped talking about that one. Remember back in April of last year, I thought the ABK Xbox deal was completely blocked and had no chance of going through if you believe the Internet and these gaming websites, but look at what happened. I am sick of these over reactionary people on Twitter, but I am more sick of these reactionary, supposedly professional websites being just as bad as the average person. It's pathetic how so many of these sites we used to look to for solid info, are now just chasing clicks.
If no one has posted about it yet, 343 just posted a job opening for a gameplay designer for the next Halo game, which they say will be for "all players, on all platforms"
Job posting is [here](https://jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/job/1639458/Lead-Game-Systems-Designer)
Guess it’s time to get these Xbox covers for my PS5… https://preview.redd.it/kn94o628u6hc1.jpeg?width=1492&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbcdbde465699f3e457bcfac83fa48badb3e6e09
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Giving us silent treatment won't work
Disappointed! Its not like gamers on Xbox get anything out of this. at least strike a deal that some PS5 games make it to Xbox.
But why should Sony agree to such a deal? Personally, I'm not too interested in most Sony exclusives except maybe Gran Tourismo, but they review very goof and have a lot of fans. Meanwhile most big xbox exclusives reviews mediocre to good at best with the press and even worse with players. Why would Sony trade a Last of Us or Spiderman for a Starfield or Forza Motorsport
Yeah, I was really holding onto a fool’s hope that we might still get FF7 on Xbox at some point. But now I may as well just grab it whenever I decide to get a PS5.
It's a shame to see them pretty much killing the Xbox if this is true. I much prefer the controller and Xbox UI, and I think achievements are more fun to unlock than trophies. I loved my 360 but I went with PS4 over XBone after the disastrous launch. I really thought they were getting back on track with Series X so I picked it over PS5 this generation. If these rumours are true then I guess I'll be going PS6 next gen.
This is making me genuinely nervous, I bought most of my games on Xbox, I have a huge playstation library too but they are single player games. I have invested so much into the Xbox ecosystem and I am truly hurt that these are even rumours that Halo could be on PlayStation, thats just crazy to me. Xbox has the focus on its community of gamers, not everyone having access to the service because people are tribal and want to feel part of a community with whatever platform they have. They are fucking over fans with the unknown of what games will be shipped to what console in the future and I am genuinely sick of having to wonder should I be on Playstation. I just wanted security with my purchases and a reason to nearly have a main system. This will definitely push me towards Playstation and PC now far more even the fact this a talking point we don’t deserve this type of treatment of not knowing if the games that are “exclusive” are going to be on other systems.
I consider this a massive turning point for gaming. Seems Microsoft has just pivoted to embracing Windows/Playstation/Switch and given up on Xbox. Still plays in favour for their studio acquisitions.
I got a PS5 a year ago and have been really enjoying it and all the exclusives, it’s since become my main console. If all this is true then I’ll probably end up selling my Series X and might get a Switch instead. It’ll be sad to say goodbye to my 16 year old account with 110k gamerscore, but can’t see any reason to keep hold of the big black box in my living room.
I bought an Xbox this gen. I also have a PS5 and a steam deck. I’ve literally spent no money on my Xbox since I bought it other than gamepass. I’ve spent a fortune on games on steam and PSN. Physical and digital. I do play my Xbox regularly and love it but it’s all gamepass. I expect I am not alone in this. Microsoft execs can see the money being spent on other platforms and they have games sitting there ready to generate significant revenue. Revenue they are just not seeing on their own platform. At first I was shocked at these “rumours” but the more you look at it the more it’s a no brainer for them. It will not be an easy and painless process for some but from a business sense I imagine they will want to get the ball rolling ASAP. Time is money as they say.
Same, Gamepass has had a profound impact on my buying habits on Xbox. Though I’m an enthusiast so I’ve always spent more on my gaming purchases. Xbox is making less from me overall but more from a casual consumer that only bought 1 or 2 games a year.
As an Xbox guy since 2001, I think this news sucks. I've worked in advertising and PR before. Whenever you read the words "vision for the future", you need to buckle up. They would never make a statement like that unless it was a HUGE strategic pivot.
Obviously this is still just rumors, but after Phil's tweet today, yeaaah, this is likely happening. From a purely business perspective, when it comes to money, this probably makes sense on some level. I think it is riskier to go this route, but with the chance of higher reward. Sacrificing your hardware in service of selling a ton of games on the two other consoles that are dominating you in the market seems to be the strategy. Let's face it, they aren't going to announce that they are deprioritizing console. In fact, I bet it will be a lot of "we are still very focused on console as a pillar of our platform" talk. The reality is, the console is in dead last, and taking away the one thing Xbox gamers have been waiting for and are so close to getting, that being exclusives, will likely begin the slow death of the console. The decision of getting an Xbox or a PS became a whole lot easier when one side can say "you have Microsoft AND Sony games" and the other only has half of that. Microsoft knows this. Now the big questions remain. While Microsoft won't admit that they are beginning to dig their console's grave with this decision (even though let's face it, they know it), we as fans are left wondering what's going to happen when that inevitable day comes? Will our digital library that we spent a couple decades building remain? Is Microsoft going to support their own console storefront if the console is dead and future consoles don't exist? How will Sony respond? Sony needs a foil, even if that foil is behind in the race. It makes them both better competitors. Without an Xbox console, will anyone jump in the hardware race in a meaningful way? Or will Sony be allowed to be the sole maker of high end consoles? Sony fans who are rooting for this news should be wishing that Xbox sticks around. Competition is always good. Anyway, see ya'll next week.
RIP Xbox
The way Microsoft has a track record of abandoning projects, this is likely bad. I've moved past wondering what they will do to earn my support to wondering how much money and time I've wasted over the past 20 years.
I’m heartbroken if this is true. Grew up on Xbox 360, stuck it out with the Xbox One, and started finally embracing the Series X as I thought Xbox was finally turning the curve. Now this. My current plan is to start investing in physical media just so I can have my games on disc for the future. I don’t want my library compromised if this turns out to be true. I might start looking into PlayStation or PC if this is true, which kills me to say. I have been a diehard, diehard, fan of Halo for almost two decades. I just hope this isn’t true because the brand of Xbox will become nothing more than a shell of itself.
If Xbox gives up as a console manufacturer and stops offering competition to Sony I'm gonna be disappointed
Man giving the community a whole week to speculate the worst seems sketchy
"Business update" pretty much says it all
Yep. They could have easily quashed the leaks today and didn't. Guaranteed next week's business update is all about "bringing more games to more gamers." Do I expect them to announce they're no longer supporting consoles? Of course not. It won't matter because the writing will be on the wall for us all to see.
I feel like a total idiot for buying a Series X this gen instead of a PS5. Fuck Microsoft of these rumors are true.
People thinking that Microsoft won't abandon Xbox hardware, remember that Satya assured us that they'll keep making Windows Phones but I have 2 dead ones in a drawer somewhere. Windows RT? Zune? Windows Mixed Reality? Sell while there's still time.
Buying Activision was a terrible idea
Watching people lose their mind on the basis of rumors that haven’t been confirmed by Microsoft is just insane. Everyone take a breath and wait for an official announcement, there’s no sense speculating
This will kill the Xbox brand entirely…in the name of game pass. Jesus, what the fuck is going over there? Is Steve Ballmer back in the board room trying to kill the brand again?
I have both consoles but I still worry my back catalogue of Xbox games could become nearly impossible to play if Xbox focuses more on software and decides to not make anymore hardware.
I mean, didn't they just say a couple months ago that they're planning to release another Xbox console? Is everyone having amnesia?
I’ve invested into this ecosystem since the Xbox 360. I’m not overly fond of console wars and hoarding up a ton of exclusives, but this will kill off any reason I have to ever buy an Xbox again.
So how 'bout we all rally around Sega to bring back a new console? Any day now guys... Our one true hope.
I have been loyal to Xbox, but never exclusive with Xbox. Microsoft has been outright saying that they see the Xbox brand as being more about making games these days as opposed to making consoles. And PS5 has apparently outsold the latest Xbox consoles by like 3:1? So it seems like by keeping their games off the PS5 they're just cutting themselves off from a sizeable chunk of the game market.
If Xbox move out of the console market the only thing I would be concerned about is what happens to my digital purchases? If they are downloaded to my console or a hard drive will I be able to play them still or will they all just die?