Initially you mean? As it’s already got a page on the PlayStation store
I mean like first launch. I can’t say they will base on it, but if they do, they can watch and see how well it performs on it. If it’s weak, they probably would think multiplatform is needed. If it’s too good, they will think over. Again, can’t say they will use this as a survey, but maybe.
Forza Horizon 5 had like 40 million players before it launched on PS5.
Now remember the Game Pass estimates have it at between 23 million(Kepler2’s no nothing estimate, this was the high estimate from him I think) to 30 million(Welfare). With a rumored 33 million total game pass users.
Now lets say that everyone on game pass played that FH5 and never bought it. That leaves about 7 to 17 million people to buy the game.
So for FH6 to do good enough to not get ported it would have to sell between 13 to 23 million copies. To match the estimated 5 million on PS5 and another million on top in this imaginary scenario that Game Pass users don’t buy any games that others have spread.
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Yeah, but wouldn’t live service attract more gamers to a console in theory? Like if there’s this really fun game you want to play with your friends but you have to all play on the same console won’t that lead to more sales. Isn’t that why Playstation held out against crossplay for so long. If the idea is competition and reasons to buy a console, then it feels pretty arbitrary to be okay with multiplayer live service over single player. Like was said, no matter what game it’d benefit from a larger audience. Also, all games get updates these days. If a single player game has a lot of support then that’s what convinces publishers to more expansions/DLC. Like Starfield for example. Bethesda games in general kinda blur the line with live service. Skyrim & Fallout got new content added years later through anniversary editions because those games are just so popular and such massive sellers (which probably wouldn’t be the case if they were exclusive). It all comes off as “vibes” to me. A black & white rule is equally hard because gamers don’t have one.
“Good enough to NOT get ported” is crazy though. What for profit company is leaving millions of potential sales on the table? It’s more like they’d need all those “potential” PS5 gamers who’d buy Forza to buy an Xbox AND Forza instead. Not as many as the game sold since the console costs several times more and they’d in theory spend more in the ecosystem, but still a lot. The problem is we already know from Forza Horizon 5 that even after FIVE YEARS those PS gamers didn’t switch for Forza. It’s very likely a lot weren’t even aware of Forza’s existence because why would they step outside of their Playstation bundle and research a game they can’t play?
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I will say the only true part of multiplatform is that PC is needed. Other console is the one they have to decide on. We still don’t know if PS is giving up on PC or at least for single player ones, but there is more downside to removal of PC than removal of another platform.
The fact she is reviewing it could well indicate that multiplaform fully is no more. Case by case is the very least conclusion. I can be wrong of course, but the fact is, she definitely wants the best answer. It doesn’t mean everyone will agree.
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Exactly.
Even if they stop porting their games to other consoles we shouldn’t forget that Xbox always has the PC day one releases as a pillar of stability on their 1st party output, something that Playstation never had.
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It’s especially difficult for Xbox. They’re just held to a different standard and that’s always going to be frustrating. I remember when they bought Bethesda and the industry lost their minds about how “unfair” it was for Xbox to buy exclusives. It was all the arguments about how “deals” like PS made for Deathloop and Tokyo Ghostwire are totally fine, but not purchasing the company and taking on all their costs of development. Then like a few years later when the multiplatform nonsense started suddenly everyone was chastising Xbox for making games like Doom multiplatform at launch and Indiana Jones only a timed exclusive. You know those Bethesda games that before the internet was mad about Xbox “maybe” making exclusive.
I think people in the industry need to take a step out from time to time. Something that I really love is that Sony has lost a lot of their major third party exclusives. Xbox has done a fantastic job building support from Japanese developers. Entire franchises that skipped Xbox are now on ten console and new entries launching same day on Xbox. And yeah we even have Sony published Sony owned IP on Xbox with Helldivers (and that was their like probably most successful game all gen in terms of playercounts and it was successful because it launched same day on PC; it’s like their only live service that worked out). We’ve also had the Sony first party developed (though not published on Xbox because they’re petty) MLB The Show not just on Xbox but on day one Game Pass for a few consecutive years. Even partner published games are side stepping Sony to publish on Xbox once the window is clear like Death Stranding. And PS obviously has an “exclusivity” problem or else they wouldn’t have to pull back PC releases and admit they don’t really know what they themselves know what they want to do with exclusives. But everyone just ignores that as a problem 
because it’s Playstation and they’re not allowed to not have everything figured out and be doing perfect. I mean heck, people are only kinda talking about their game output this gen. Don’t use Playstation as an example without also noting how bad they’ve been at publishing games recently. Even Nintendo, we have to address that their exclusives are becoming increasingly premium in cost. And that is the only option for true exclusives (to raise prices or lower the cost of development).
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Yep if FH6 turns out to be a monster hit where say 15m or more GP members buy the upgrade and it sells 20m or more too, there’s no way they’re not launching on PS5 too in order to get maybe another 40m if it’s a game no one can miss.
They’re not holding it back to make people buy a console they aren’t making much money on.
FH6 has to go PlayStation anyway as it’s already announced, to roll back on that now might be breaching contracts and at a minimum cause outrage.
Case by case is really all they can do - live service games make up a bulk of Xbox’s output anyway, and their biggest single player games probably cost so much to make now that they need to maximise sales (PlayStation has a similar issue although cushioned slightly by having a much larger install base).
Think it’ll depend if resource is available both in staff and servers (both in whether to port immediately or to support the game - remember FH launches already crash the servers without adding PlayStation day 1), if it fits what sells well on PlayStation and then yes whether a delay may help Xbox a bit
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count me as a gamepass subscriber who bought the FH6 upgrade. I’d guess FH6 will end up being a top 5 selling ps5 game for the whole gen. It really is no joke. As stated by a few people above, after 5 years of FH5, the ps people that would switch to xbox were done and releasing it on ps was ‘free money’. the ps cashflow from FH6 just can’t be ignored. This game has the potential to be a platform on its own. these opportunities don’t grow on trees. Got keep the momentum growing.
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Same, I’m itching to get playing next Friday lol - I honestly wouldn’t mind if it was day 1 on PS5 too, more the merrier as it’s going to be an amazing experience
I’m tempted for that gift card promotion but $60 for an upgrade is a full game 
. I was expecting $40 like usual.
Check loaded.com, they’ve got it a third off I think
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At the end everything depends on Asha’s vision and if it matches with Satya’s. I’m not for exclusives but I think that is what really determines to the core whether Asha is serious or not. The messaging will have to be also tight around her answer. I do think like some have said case by case could be the thing for now but going back to only on Xbox would be the bold thing that people want.
The way I see it Game pass would have to become central and the main way for Xbox to make money, it sort of is now, but it will have to be adapted as such. While I think Xbox console doesn’t need exclusives, I do think GamePass does need it to grow. Asha has already messed up the day one thing. Game sales is a very unstable metric but a service like Game pass is much stable.
I imagine Asha will soon bring new Game pass tier selections that is more reachable globally. I think when that happens the big push will shift to Game pass as the entry fee will not be a console but free being pretty much on every device and assuming it begins to grow again exclusives will be so worth it to power it.
On a note one reason other than the price to consider for Game pass stagnating maybe due to the games being multiplatform. There is no doubt that some of the biggest numbers from Game pass came from exclusives.
I think the way forward is to stop thinking in the old mindset of hardcore gamers and casual gamers and acknowledging that there is a huge potential of former gamers that is always available to be tapped. Obviously the game companies know they exist because sequels , remakes, and remasters are everywhere, but I think that’s a bit lazy and undersells the size of those potential games. GTA 6 and Forza Horizon 6 are “new” games that provide a new world in a familiar setup that instantly appeals to those gamers which is why the audience will be so huge for those games.
I guess what I’m trying to say is more sequels with new worlds. Remasters are cool but please for the love of god don’t stop at the remasters. I want stuff like new Tony Hawk games! Also give me yearly Forza Horizon maps and I will forever be a Gamepass subscriber . Smaller GTA clones like Simpson’s Hit and Run. New ideas (in palatable familiar genres) like Xbox platform fighters, Xbox FPS Maker, use your IP for fucks sakes. God you’ve been sitting on Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and Halo, what are you guys even doing over there?! /end short rant
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Good points. I think FH6 is a great game for this goal. A very approachable game for former/lapsed gamers to get back on the video game horse.
GTA I’m not so sure on. the few I tried, the controls were too complicated for me. controls for being on foot, for driving, for fighting, for guns, for flying. I could never keep it all straight.
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Sequels just take so long to put out now. It’s hard to reach the quality that people expect with every new title and then to keep exceeding that. It also ends up costing a lot for development. Forza Horizon 6 & GTA VI are the longest waits from the previous iteration in their franchise. And most likely this will only grow.
Otherwise though Xbox has been really good with putting out new worlds. There’s been a ton of new IP and on the flipside Minecraft recently has done stuff like dungeons and legends.
Actually it was more than 45 million players before it even launched on PS5.
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This Xbox platform shakeup is designed with a goal to “build a platform that is affordable, personal, and open by staying close to the work and the people we serve,” according to Sharma. Microsoft has already flirted with a more open Xbox platform with the Xbox Ally devices, running Windows at the core and an Xbox-like experience on top.
Open, that sounds good to me. But I’ll be 100% excited once they can confirm you can install pretty much any store on it. I still have a lot of questions about that. Whole article is here
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That sounds like the rumored 3rd party Xboxes.
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