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Hi-Fi Rush Was a "Break Out Hit" For Xbox, Says Aaron Greenberg

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
Why does this happen? People tying themselves in knots to find a way to condemn a well liked game.

This thread was about a correction from Microsoft after someone spread a false rumour.

Now the posts are not even about the game they're about Microsoft "not giving a fuck about consumers" and "shutting down franchises hard"

"When did your interest switch from playing and enjoying games to hating games you have never played?"

So weird.
 
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vj27

Banned
The only reason MS doesn't talk about sales is because they aren't winning. During the 360 era, sales were normal talk but as soon as Sony took a big lead with the PS4 then suddenly it became about engagement time. It's all marketing which is why listening to Jim Ryan or Phil Spencer is pointless.
Almost every major publisher measures their success with engagement and users. I understand sales still matter because duh ofc they do. And you’re definitely right about them hiding numbers because of them being smaller… but you gotta give them credit at some point. Literally ever developer and publisher measures success this way now, so it’s not like MS was wrong in that. MAU’s is like the new sales number for almost every major entertainment industry, it’s the norm now.
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
Receipts Reaction GIF by reactionseditor
 

Pimpbaa

Member
I didn’t like it (thought it was an open world game with some comparing it to Sunset Overdrive, it is not), but I’m glad it’s doing well. Maybe they can use some of this success to fund fixing up the Xbox version of Ghostwire Tokyo.
 

Ozzie666

Member
Feels like something Sega would have made on the Dreamcast, except maybe it would have gotten more love as being an original game. Been an icon game like Jet Set.

Why would anyone on PC buy the steam release if they have game pass. Not sure what Microsoft was expecting financially. It's obviously not a game pass subscription pusher.
 

Braag

Member
I find this whole thing hilarious. Some dude on the internet starts a rumor by saying Xbox game didn't sell well enough and has no source for his info.
An actual person from the studio comes out and says the game actually did well. People refuse to believe him and rather believe the dude who started the rumor.

People who do this whole console war thing, like damn, their brains must have turned into mush or something lol
 

mrmustard

Banned
Why does this happen? People tying themselves in knots to find a way to condemn a well liked game.

This thread was about a correction from Microsoft after someone spread a false rumour.

Now the posts are not even about the game they're about Microsoft "not giving a fuck about consumers" and "shutting down franchises hard"

"When did your interest switch from playing and enjoying games to hating games you have never played?"

So weird.
You are here since 13 years, you really shouldn't be surprised.
 

fallingdove

Member
The dude is not going to lie to the public with an official announcement about a new IP, unless he doesn't like his job. He only works for a publicly traded company....iono.
Jesus Christ. This again? Employees can’t bend the truth? Marketing executives have zero incentive to make the world look rosier than it is?

Who cares whether it is a publicly traded company. The SEC isn’t patrolling twitter to verify the accuracy of a statement like “the game met our internal metrics”. Greenturd isn’t going to jail if he was referring to some arbitrary engagement KPI and not revenue.

The way you guys prop these executives up like saints… They are exactly the same as any other executive at any other company. Data can be cut a million different ways to look more positive than it is.
 
There is a total of 1 upcoming first party game that will launch at 30fps with a 60fps update afterwards and two 3rd party 30 fps titles. I think it's still pretty obvious that the framerate standard is 60 with very few exceptions. This isn't a gotcha and MS never claimed 60fps was mandatory.
Believe whatever you want, he also said this...



The guy isn't exactly the most honest guy in the world like you guys are trying to make it look. He has said misleading things before.
 

Majukun

Member
I'm not really sure you can measure this a success given the Game pass effect. I doubt the sales were anything to talk about given that this was on game pass. So in that regard it's easy for the pr machine to call this a breakout hit when people might just be looking for something to play on a fairly scared system to be honest. So the mental gymnastics with this are kind of irrelevant as it's a fairly Niche game that I think is pretty fun but isn't exactly Hogwarts Legacy here.
if it moved subscriptions at release or a lot of people downloaded and played it there are all reasons to call it a success, it did what it was supposed to do.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
If it sold enough, of course it would.

People thought The Last of Us would be one and done. That's not how the industry works. Games that sell get sequels.
In Hi-Fi Rush's case it's different - how popular it was on Game Pass was the key thing, not how many people actually bought it. I think MS can be happy since it attracted people to the subscription (also brand new gamers after hearing about the positive reception). TLoU 1 had to rely entirely on selling copies in a traditional way.
It's also difficult to say if people would want to get roughly the same thing and become equally excited again. TLoU2 had it easy, because it's a game heavy on the story so you can always write the next chapter and that'll be the main draw.
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
Jesus Christ. This again? Employees can’t bend the truth? Marketing executives have zero incentive to make the world look rosier than it is?

Who cares whether it is a publicly traded company. The SEC isn’t patrolling twitter to verify the accuracy of a statement like “the game met our internal metrics”. Greenturd isn’t going to jail if he was referring to some arbitrary engagement KPI and not revenue.

The way you guys prop these executives up like saints… They are exactly the same as any other executive at any other company. Data can be cut a million different ways to look more positive than it is.
They way some of you guys try to get others to adopt your line of thinking because positive Xbox news gives you the digital runs, is exhausting.

Tango has been given the financial income to expand just recently. Their hiring for more developers as we speak. If that's not a positive sign that things are doing well, I don't know what is. So, yeah. I'd say Greenberg is probably a lot more accurate to the reality of HFR success than Grubbs.

Grubb got chin checked for running with a rumor with no way to back it up. People cling to it as gospel. Sheesh!!
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
We don't even have a "shitty b-tier Xbox". We have an F-Tier Xbox currently. And for the majority of the world, there isn't an option besides PlayStation and Nintendo already.
Wait... Microsoft is leaving the hardware business to become 3rd party now? After spending $70 billion dollar on the biggest acquisition in gaming history??? Since when??? Lol
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
They have had a consistently terrible period for 13 years now. Nintendo has "bad periods". Sony has had "bad periods". They learn and improve from them and they never last more than a single console generation. Microsoft has not done so. This has been going on since the second half of the 360's lifespan. They have only made more and more excuses and pushing anti-consumer practices.

So if the option is for them is either to continue the failure spiral and them going third party? I would rather they go third party.



I want to agree, but currently the only difference between them going third party and them maintaining the status quo is that the few good games they have aren't being played. There is no competition. Its Sony and Nintendo currently. This is even more prevalent in any country that *isn't* the US where Xbox is even more irrelevant.

I just don't see MS cleaning house and having quality management for their studios. I don't see them fixing the drought and poor release schedule for games. I would love to be proven wrong. I want a reason for my 5,000 USD PC and 800 USD Xbox Series X (+ Custom Elite 2 controller) to be used.
You probably didn't see them buying an armada of developers on such a short period of time, or actually opening the fabled warchest (which is comical when you think that just a couple of years ago, people WENT IN on disbelieving it actually existed...)or even purchasing ABK for $70 billion. But, here we are....
 

NickFire

Member
I don't trust Greenberg in the least but love that he directly went after Grubb

Plus if it was such a hit as he described tell us how they measured that

Gamepass makes an interesting dynamic on what is considered a success.
One caveat. Outside of PR, what is considered a success hasn’t changed. Did it make a reasonable profit? If not, did it draw in people who they will make a profit from later? Those are and will remain the true measures of success outside of PR.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Aaron Greenberg also said this....

GsaPRsO.jpg

Believe whatever you want, he also said this...



The guy isn't exactly the most honest guy in the world like you guys are trying to make it look. He has said misleading things before.




Where do you guys keep finding this brand new, never before seen, material from ?
 

RAIDEN1

Member
Some say Hi-Fi-Rush was a much needed shot in the arm/or boost for the Xbox at a time when Playstation is dominating all things videogames...
 

Lunarorbit

Member
It was a fun game that MS decided to release unannounced. Once it got the indie darling on gamepass assessment Greensburg had to defend it.

Bet it did mediocre on gamepass in terms of people playing it. It could have had a larger niche audience but that's what happens when you put all your new shit on a subscription service. Games are going to get lost in the mix.

And since Xbox hasn't shared relevant sales numbers since Xbox 360 this is a mess entirely of their own creation. Don't blame anyone other than yourself Microsoft. Can't even give a consistent message between the brass and your #1 online media fan.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
All this talk about numbers and sales is beyond dumb.
What has happened to gamers?
Its a good game, one of the better ones in recent years. Im glad it was created and released.

Amazing game and that's all that really matters. 👏

Good to start 2023 with what is just a good game. Feels like dreamcast / ps2 / xbox era came to say hello and I love it.
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Why does this happen? People tying themselves in knots to find a way to condemn a well liked game.

This thread was about a correction from Microsoft after someone spread a false rumour.

Now the posts are not even about the game they're about Microsoft "not giving a fuck about consumers" and "shutting down franchises hard"

"When did your interest switch from playing and enjoying games to hating games you have never played?"

So weird.
This is neogaf.gif
 
How safe was the PS4 when they were launching PSVR and more variety than the PS3?

There wasn’t more variety than PS3.

Sony was getting hit hard in the PS3 era which is when they dramatically ramped up first party support and created many of their best franchises.

During PS4 they coasted on the failures of MS and Nintendo. They didn’t create as many new IPs, release as many of their own games, and relied much more on third party deals. We’ve seen an extension of that so far with PS5. Of course, it hasn’t hurt them much, because Xbox first party has been a dumpster fire in a lot of areas.

But the point stands. An unchallenged Sony is bad for gamers. Same as an unchallenged leader is bad for any industry. Again, sad that this stance needs to be explained or defended. It’s common sense.

VR 😆
 

Jemm

Member
There’s gotta be something more substantive if Greenberg is calling this a success by all relevant metrics. Two million players is like 1/15 of the people who paid for it via subs already. This can’t be the full story.
Of course there is, but it's just not publicly disclosed information.

You just gotta trust Greenberg, bro.
 

Chukhopops

Member
There’s gotta be something more substantive if Greenberg is calling this a success by all relevant metrics. Two million players is like 1/15 of the people who paid for it via subs already. This can’t be the full story.
Under a sub model a company would monitor the impact of a new game release on attrition and new/returning subscribers, compared to regular levels. Longer lasting subs are the key in that kind of model.

It’s not something anyone would tweet about though.
 

NickFire

Member
Under a sub model a company would monitor the impact of a new game release on attrition and new/returning subscribers, compared to regular levels. Longer lasting subs are the key in that kind of model.

It’s not something anyone would tweet about though.
How much impact like that could it have if 2 million out of 30 million people who subscribe played it?
 
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