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Sea of Thieves' performance on PS5 is key to Microsoft's future decisions, says Tom Warren

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
I don't believe it. My take is the decision has been made already for at least the first 12 months worth of titles. They have the devkits, they need the money and they'll only get it by porting many titles. It is likely that the first few titles are a technology test though, in terms of skilling up and establishing specialist internal support teams etc. No doubt they would also be building relationships with Sony dev support.

This 100%.

They aren't wasting time on this. More and more games will come to ps5.

It's obvious from looking at the Matt P data from what was NPD. Consoles are declining and microsofts console business is flatlining. They need ps5 and PC until cloud gaming is viable which is at least 10 years or more away. There's probably two console generations left in the traditional sense of how we have known it and that's it.

I think more or less all games that aren't shifting xboxs will launch 12 to 18 months after the xbox release.
 

Ashamam

Member
I think more or less all games that aren't shifting xboxs will launch 12 to 18 months after the xbox release.
I could see it being a bit quicker, maybe 6 - 12 months. I actually think in order to maximise their take it should be 4 - 6 weeks. But that would mean completely abandoning their own hardware and I don't think they are there yet (if ever).
 
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Three

Member
I could see it being a bit quicker, maybe 6 - 12 months. I actually think in order to maximise their take it should be 4 - 6 weeks. But that would mean completely abandoning their own hardware and I don't think they are there yet (if ever).
Due to the ABK acquisition their 'xbox' game sales now makes more money for MS than windows. They don't really care all that much about xbox the hardware but they also don't really need to abandon it either.
 
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King Dazzar

Member
Some folks are going to be SALTY about it though.

Steven Yeun Reaction GIF by Madman Films
Its looking to be a good PORT. But we'll SEA how well it does.
Creeping Parks And Recreation GIF
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
the younger generation love games like SOT, Grounded, Dead by Daylight, Rust etc.

this will do a cool couple of mil easily I think. I’d have bought it for £30 on Switch.
 

Gojiira

Member
For SoT specifically I think it will sell well initially.BUT its reception is going to tank I think for one simple reason, the PS5 version begins at Season 12…Are previous seasons still available? For a Live Service game having what will undoubtedly amount to half or more of your playerbase missing out on 2 years of content well that wont go down well when those players realise.
Maybe Im wrong and Seasons arent the typical Battlepass type thing Idk, but if I was buying it I wouldnt be paying full price for a game missing two years of content.
 

Elios83

Member
Decision has already been taken that they need to become a multiplatform publisher.
Ports are not done automatically by pressing a button, this decision was taken over a year ago and similarly many other games are being ported as we speak.

Anyway looking at preorders it seems like Sea of Thieves will be a successful test for Microsoft.
 
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Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
If these PS5/Switch releases don't do well you can expect major cuts at their developers.

This is all about income versus expenditure, and at no point will porting titles fail to be relatively cost efficient. So whatever happens I doubt they'll be stepping back from multi-platform publishing. At most they'll be looking to fine-tune their strategy so as to maximize interest on whichever outside platforms they service.

For instance an obvious candidate might be starting with one of the older Forza Horizon titles as that fits into an unexploited niche on PS5.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
Sea of Thieves should do (more than) fine on PlayStation. The game is still very popular thanks to ongoing support. Would've been a very different case if they offered barebones version from several years ago.
 

ToadMan

Member
Lol what's the alternative keep their games locked down to a console base that's selling worse than the previous gen.
Accept Season 4 GIF by Billions

Yeah this article is misguided.

MS have already set the path now - it doesn't matter how Sea of Thieves sells on PS.

Its already on Series and PC and thats not enough. What are they gonna do? Re-release the xbone to try and sell it there?

The actual problem for MS is this - they're trying to go third party on Nintendo and PS at a time when those companies are fully in stride.

I mean they put out pentiment and Hi Fi rush into a period including Hell Divers, FF7 Rebirth, Ronin and Stellar Blade just as exclusives, never-mind other third party stuff like DD2, Unicorn Overlord etc.

Those games are all competing for time and money of gamers.

They're competing with great quality AAA games - xbox best will struggle but this lower tier filler is doa.

I didn't like it, but Forza Horizon basically has to come this year for them to make any signficant impression. Halo and gears or whatever can come later - those are old games from tired franchises now, I don't think they'll sell that well as it happens since there are better third party entries in those genres. But FH might do ok since it's still fairly new.

Other than that MS are boxed in. They've got a custom hardware platform that is dead - they want to make money so they have to push content onto the other consoles and hope something hits.
 
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ToadMan

Member
How is that any different from what Sony did stepping into pc?

Sony has a strong console platform and storefront of their own...

Xbox consoles and associated storefront are already dead.

MS is jumping to life a raft from a sunk ship when it comes to consoles, unlike Sony (or indeed Nintendo).

The fact is, MS has no choice now whether these initial games sell well or bomb on other platforms, they have to continue to publish as a third party or watch their massive investments in gaming become ever less valuable.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Even if Sea of Thieves flops on PlayStation, I can guarantee it wouldn't change Xbox's new strategy of bringing their games on PS5.

It's stupid to think otherwise.

Other games will come and very soon regardless of how Sea of Thieves performs.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Sony has a strong console platform and storefront of their own...

Xbox consoles and associated storefront are already dead.

MS is jumping to life a raft from a sunk ship when it comes to consoles, unlike Sony (or indeed Nintendo).

The fact is, MS has no choice now whether these initial games sell well or bomb on other platforms, they have to continue to publish as a thrid party or watch their massive investments in gaming become ever less valuable.

Lol Xbox consoles and storefronts are dead with 30 million units sold? Did you say that about Xbox one? (since they have sold about the same number of units at that point in its lidecycle)

Unlike Nintendo? You do realize how fast they bailed on the wii u, right? Basically it lasted onky 4 years and was ditched.

MS doesn't have to bring games like halo, forza, etc at all to Sony. They have plenty of choice. Activision games where already planned for Sony and Nintendo consoles, so how are they going to lose out on that big investment? Your also acting like MS would magically stop supporting it's own console leaving Xbox gamers in the lurch, which isn't what would happen at all even if the full Xbox lineup comes to ps5.
 

AlphaMale

Member
I hate stuff like this, basing future titles to come to PS5 based on a game that's been out for like 5 years. If it doesn't sell 3 million copies your going to say well they dont support these titles, instead of hey lets release a Day and date title on PS5 and XBOX and see the results.

Many people played it on XBOX and grew tired of it, and now own PS5's so they probably won't be buying it now.

Best example of a day-and-date release on both consoles would be Call of Duty. As I recall, it sells much better on Playstation.
That's really all the metric they need to use, I think...
 

StueyDuck

Member
I'm pretty sure plenty of ports are already in the works. this is not an initiative you start with only 3 and then wait to see how they do.

Ports still take plenty of time to develop. You don't just change a line of code.

Tom Warren doesn't know jack.
 
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vkbest

Member
Lol Xbox consoles and storefronts are dead with 30 million units sold? Did you say that about Xbox one? (since they have sold about the same number of units at that point in its lidecycle)

Unlike Nintendo? You do realize how fast they bailed on the wii u, right? Basically it lasted onky 4 years and was ditched.

MS doesn't have to bring games like halo, forza, etc at all to Sony. They have plenty of choice. Activision games where already planned for Sony and Nintendo consoles, so how are they going to lose out on that big investment? Your also acting like MS would magically stop supporting it's own console leaving Xbox gamers in the lurch, which isn't what would happen at all even if the full Xbox lineup comes to ps5.
30 million players waiting for games releasing on GP
 
They don't support the title because ms accidently condition their audience to not buy games and sub to gamepass. It back fired and eviscerated their software sales and litterly putting a pause on hardware sales because "you can play gamepass anywhere" advertising.

Don't even get me started with day and date with pc too.

In the end their best option is to dump hardware, go the publisher route and some how offer azure support to Sony's and Nintendo existing online platform.
Yeah you tell the 3 trillion dollar company how to run its businesses 😅 🤡
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
30 million players waiting for games releasing on GP

Sales figures to back up the notion thst nobody buys games? No doubt it's reduced but dead seems like a gross exaggeration.
And ms is ok with less sales on thier games considering the gamepass revenue is considerable.
 

iamvin22

Industry Verified
Yeah you tell the 3 trillion dollar company how to run its businesses 😅 🤡

Yup. Same 3 trillion dollar companies plans have back fired where they have to resort to porting games to it's direct competitor.

For decades their gaming division has slumpt after the 3rd year of the 360. But like you said they are a 3 trillion dollar company so they Have to know what they are doing 🤡😅🙃
 

Topher

Gold Member
Yup. Same 3 trillion dollar companies plans have back fired where they have to resort to porting games to it's direct competitor.

For decades their gaming division has slumpt after the 3rd year of the 360. But like you said they are a 3 trillion dollar company so they Have to know what they are doing 🤡😅🙃
Bryan Cranston Mic Drop GIF
 

ToadMan

Member
Lol Xbox consoles and storefronts are dead with 30 million units sold? Did you say that about Xbox one? (since they have sold about the same number of units at that point in its lidecycle)

Unlike Nintendo? You do realize how fast they bailed on the wii u, right? Basically it lasted onky 4 years and was ditched.

MS doesn't have to bring games like halo, forza, etc at all to Sony. They have plenty of choice. Activision games where already planned for Sony and Nintendo consoles, so how are they going to lose out on that big investment? Your also acting like MS would magically stop supporting it's own console leaving Xbox gamers in the lurch, which isn't what would happen at all even if the full Xbox lineup comes to ps5.

Yeah I did say that about Xbone too.

But in truth what I said is irrelevant. MS has decided that xbox custom hardware isn't generating the sales they need, and they're taking their content multiplat.

And that decision is the final nail in the xbox custom hardware coffin - it's not the first nail, that was hammered in during the xbone cycle.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Yeah I did say that about Xbone too.

But in truth what I said is irrelevant. MS has decided that xbox custom hardware isn't generating the sales they need, and they're taking their content multiplat.

And that decision is the final nail in the xbox custom hardware coffin - it's not the first nail, that was hammered in during the xbone cycle.

You don't really know that, in fact indications are very strong that they are not done with custom hardware. We may well see older games go multiplatform, but that doesn't guarantee anything. (As ms themselves have proven in the past with titles like minecraft and Sony is backing up with pc support)
 
Can always trust Microsoft to give people less of a reason to buy their device. At this point, does anyone actually understand their strategy? Why invest in new hardware at all if they are going multi-platform?
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Can always trust Microsoft to give people less of a reason to buy their device. At this point, does anyone actually understand their strategy? Why invest in new hardware at all if they are going multi-platform?

Who said they are going full day one multiplatform? You do realize they have been releasing games on other platforms for many years, right?
And even if they do, do you want to wait 2 or 3 years for games?

Reasons why someone might invest in a new xbox machine:

- Price
- Exclusives (even if timed)
- Gamepass
- Exclusive hardware features if they can put together a compelling package
- Back compat with Xbox catalog /owned games
- when you buy a first party Xbox game you get the pc version as well
 
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