Xbox leadership and the Xbox brand evaluation *spawn

Have they not missed any of the prior ones? I know Sony hasn't had a great presence at TGA.

They missed last year, since they had nothing to show, and ended up with a load of flak for it.

Definitely worth ignoring the Game Awards show, since it's garbage*, and finding out afterward what they showed. 😁

* not a particular slight again the Game Awards, just award shows are all awful.
 
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This all depends on how you define success, assuming that's what you mean when you say "it's working" or "not working". Is it a success if you make more money than your market competitors? If so, Microsoft, with the inclusion of ABK, would be more successful in that metric. Is it selling more hardware? If that's the case then Nintendo or Sony are winning, depending on how you classify them as competitors.
Despite the inclusion of ABK, Microsoft remains firmly in 3rd behind Tencent as it relates to revenue. I don’t care about the money so much or the position that they’re in. I care more about the impact. The whole point of Xbox or any of the big 3 from a consumer perspective is to play great games. Of the big 3, they’re the least creative, they take the least amount of creative risk and they deliver the worst games. You would think that having the backing of Microsoft would allow you to take great risks that others could not afford to take. Under Phil, that hasn’t been the case. They’ve operated like a boring company who has no intention of adding any value to the industry.

Great for Microsoft that they bought ABK. How does that benefit me as a consumer? It doesn’t. I can already play all those games. All it does is segment the market and help to compensate for the fact that Xbox in its current structure can’t make jack shit. The same is true for the Bethesda purchase and there in lies the problem with Xbox. I think Steve Jobs said it best. Microsoft just has no taste. The old guard at Xbox during the og Xbox and Xbox 360 days took huge risks. There was a serious consequence for failure. There were times when Microsoft management and investors questioned the viability of Xbox. They had to prove their worth and their value. The pressure lead to the creation of great consumer products. A rarity for Microsoft. Now we have Phil Spencer dragging Xbox down for 13 years and getting promotion after promotion. They don’t even release sales numbers, solid revenue breakdowns, etc. Now they hide behind meaningless metrics and creative accounting.
One thing I'd like to add to the conversation about Mattrick and Spencer, is that regardless of what the opinion of Mattrick were at the time, his vision for what Xbox One could be are being realized throughout the industry. Many games have forced online check ins. And physical releases are beginning to be seen as not necessary by some publishers and retailers. Media consumption from set top boxes via apps like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu (TVTVTV) and the like is commonplace, perhaps more common than traditional TV.. The Kinect stuff sort of worked its way into other devices. Voice controls come standard with many smart TVs now, and Nintendo has continued to support motion controls and using the Joycon's sensors for everything from tracking movement with Labo devices to tracking heartrate with Ringfit. What Mattrick, or more accurately his team, got wrong was the messaging. They weren't able to convey to the public why any of their ideas were good, and somehow managed to help the public remember all of the downsides of these ideas.
Other than always online and periodic check ins, most people weren’t opposed to the other ideas. The point of contention was prioritizing those ideas over the most important reason people buy consoles. That is to play games. Till this day, Microsoft still doesn’t get it. Phil Spencer was out on a podcast saying “it doesn’t matter how many good games they create”…. This is coming from a guy who over a decade created very little good games or established any new ip. A guy who’s modus operandi was to churn out sequels of tired ips. The worst part about it is his hubris. Instead of acknowledging that he’s incapable of accomplishing it by himself, he surrounds himself with ineffectual yes men to prop up his ego. The likes of Matt Booty and Aaron Greenberg. Other leaders seek out talent to cover in areas that they lack. This guy just comes out telling lies all the time.
Are they buying Microsoft games? No. At least that was the answer prior to the purchase of ABK. Now they’ll leech revenue off COD till it dies.
The video game market is changing and I wonder if historical precedent for what it means to win a console generation is even going to matter anymore.
People go where the content is and Microsoft’s poor sales are indicative of a lack of compelling content. If consoles disappear tomorrow, Microsoft would still be facing the same struggles they are today. Furthermore, a large amount of Gamepass subscriptions come from Xbox consoles. It’s the pillar for all things gamepass. If Xbox consoles go away, gamepass will drastically decrease in quality. Having a console opens up a ton of revenue streams that other publishers don’t enjoy. Accessory sales, console sales, marketplace sales, advertising revenue, to name a few.
 
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The whole point of Xbox or any of the big 3 from a consumer perspective is to play great games. Of the big 3, they’re the least creative, they take the least amount of creative risk and they deliver the worst games.
Really? Have you looked at Sony's first party output this year? Hell, the last 2 years. Lets take a look.
God of WarMicrosoft WindowsJanuary 14, 2022Jetpack InteractiveRe-release for PC
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves CollectionPlayStation 5January 28, 2022Naughty Dog
Iron Galaxy
Re-release for PS5
Horizon Forbidden WestPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5February 18, 2022Guerrilla GamesSequel
Gran Turismo 7PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5March 4, 2022Polyphony DigitalSequel
MLB The Show 22PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5April 5, 2022San Diego StudioSequel, Licensed IP
Ape EscapePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Japan Studio PSN PS One Classic Re-release
EchochromePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Japan Studio PSN PSP Classic Re-release
Hot Shots GolfPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Camelot Software Planning
Japan Studio
PSN PS One Classic Re-release
I.Q.: Intelligent QubePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Epics PSN PS One Classic Re-release
Jumping Flash!PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Exact
Ultra
PSN PS One Classic Re-release
Syphon FilterPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Bend Studio PSN PS One Classic Re-release
Wild ArmsPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Media.Vision
Japan Studio
PSN PS One Classic Re-release
Super Stardust PortablePlayStation 5June 23, 2022Housemarque PSN PSP Classic Re-release
EchoshiftPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5July 19, 2022Artoon PSN PSP Classic Re-release
LocoRoco Midnight CarnivalPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5July 19, 2022Japan Studio PSN PSP Classic Re-release
No Heroes Allowed!PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5July 19, 2022Acquire PSN PSP Classic Re-release
Marvel's Spider-Man RemasteredMicrosoft WindowsAugust 12, 2022Nixxes SoftwareRe-release for PC, Licensed IP
The Last of Us Part IPlayStation 5September 2, 2022Naughty DogRe-re-make for PS5
Kingdom of ParadisePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5September 20, 2022Climax Entertainment PSN PSP Classic Re-release
Syphon Filter 2PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5September 20, 2022Bend Studio PSN PS One Classic Re-release
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves CollectionMicrosoft WindowsOctober 19, 2022Naughty Dog
Iron Galaxy
Re-release for PC
Sackboy: A Big AdventureMicrosoft WindowsOctober 27, 2022Sumo DigitalSequel
God of War RagnarökPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5November 9, 2022Santa Monica StudioSequel
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMicrosoft WindowsNovember 18, 2022Nixxes SoftwareRe-release for PC, Licensed IP
The Last of Us Part I[5]Microsoft WindowsMarch 28, 2023Naughty DogRe-re-release for PC
ReturnalMicrosoft WindowsFebruary 15, 2023Housemarque
Climax Studios
Re-release for PC
Horizon Call of the MountainPlayStation VR2February 22, 2023Firesprite
Guerrilla Games
Sequel
Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartMicrosoft WindowsJuly 26, 2023Nixxes SoftwareRerelease of the sequel on PC
Firewall UltraPlayStation VR2August 24, 2023First Contact EntertainmentSequel
Marvel's Spider-Man 2PlayStation 5October 20, 2023Insomniac GamesSequel, Licensed IP

Where is this creative, pro-risk output from Sony? Microsoft owned studios made or published Redfall, Starfield, Hi-fi Rush, Pentiment, Ghostwire Tokyo As Dusk Falls, and Deathloop in that time, and while they aren't all bangers, it's certainly more risky, new IP than Sony launched in that time. Grounded technically released in that period as well, but was available via early access earlier than 2022 so I omitted it.

Sony's first party releases on PS5 have been scant this year, anyway, with only a couple VR games (both based on existing IP) and Spider-man 2 (a sequel based on licensed IP).

Are they buying Microsoft games? No. At least that was the answer prior to the purchase of ABK. Now they’ll leech revenue off COD till it dies.
But somehow pre-ABK Xbox generates 75% of the revenue of Playstation with less than 50% of the installed base. Also Microsoft doesn't want people to buy games, they want them to subscribe to Gamepass.
 
Really? Have you looked at Sony's first party output this year? Hell, the last 2 years. Lets take a look.
God of WarMicrosoft WindowsJanuary 14, 2022Jetpack InteractiveRe-release for PC
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves CollectionPlayStation 5January 28, 2022Naughty Dog
Iron Galaxy
Re-release for PS5
Horizon Forbidden WestPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5February 18, 2022Guerrilla GamesSequel
Gran Turismo 7PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5March 4, 2022Polyphony DigitalSequel
MLB The Show 22PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5April 5, 2022San Diego StudioSequel, Licensed IP
Ape EscapePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Japan StudioPSN PS One ClassicRe-release
EchochromePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Japan StudioPSN PSP ClassicRe-release
Hot Shots GolfPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Camelot Software Planning
Japan Studio
PSN PS One ClassicRe-release
I.Q.: Intelligent QubePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022EpicsPSN PS One ClassicRe-release
Jumping Flash!PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Exact
Ultra
PSN PS One ClassicRe-release
Syphon FilterPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Bend StudioPSN PS One ClassicRe-release
Wild ArmsPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5June 13, 2022Media.Vision
Japan Studio
PSN PS One ClassicRe-release
Super Stardust PortablePlayStation 5June 23, 2022HousemarquePSN PSP ClassicRe-release
EchoshiftPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5July 19, 2022ArtoonPSN PSP ClassicRe-release
LocoRoco Midnight CarnivalPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5July 19, 2022Japan StudioPSN PSP ClassicRe-release
No Heroes Allowed!PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5July 19, 2022AcquirePSN PSP ClassicRe-release
Marvel's Spider-Man RemasteredMicrosoft WindowsAugust 12, 2022Nixxes SoftwareRe-release for PC, Licensed IP
The Last of Us Part IPlayStation 5September 2, 2022Naughty DogRe-re-make for PS5
Kingdom of ParadisePlayStation 4, PlayStation 5September 20, 2022Climax EntertainmentPSN PSP ClassicRe-release
Syphon Filter 2PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5September 20, 2022Bend StudioPSN PS One ClassicRe-release
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves CollectionMicrosoft WindowsOctober 19, 2022Naughty Dog
Iron Galaxy
Re-release for PC
Sackboy: A Big AdventureMicrosoft WindowsOctober 27, 2022Sumo DigitalSequel
God of War RagnarökPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5November 9, 2022Santa Monica StudioSequel
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMicrosoft WindowsNovember 18, 2022Nixxes SoftwareRe-release for PC, Licensed IP
The Last of Us Part I[5]Microsoft WindowsMarch 28, 2023Naughty DogRe-re-release for PC
ReturnalMicrosoft WindowsFebruary 15, 2023Housemarque
Climax Studios
Re-release for PC
Horizon Call of the MountainPlayStation VR2February 22, 2023Firesprite
Guerrilla Games
Sequel
Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartMicrosoft WindowsJuly 26, 2023Nixxes SoftwareRerelease of the sequel on PC
Firewall UltraPlayStation VR2August 24, 2023First Contact EntertainmentSequel
Marvel's Spider-Man 2PlayStation 5October 20, 2023Insomniac GamesSequel, Licensed IP

Where is this creative, pro-risk output from Sony? Microsoft owned studios made or published Redfall, Starfield, Hi-fi Rush, Pentiment, Ghostwire Tokyo As Dusk Falls, and Deathloop in that time, and while they aren't all bangers, it's certainly more risky, new IP than Sony launched in that time. Grounded technically released in that period as well, but was available via early access earlier than 2022 so I omitted it.

Sony's first party releases on PS5 have been scant this year, anyway, with only a couple VR games (both based on existing IP) and Spider-man 2 (a sequel based on licensed IP).


But somehow pre-ABK Xbox generates 75% of the revenue of Playstation with less than 50% of the installed base. Also Microsoft doesn't want people to buy games, they want them to subscribe to Gamepass.
This is a surprise. Of all places, this was not where I expected to come across disingenuous bad faith arguments. It’s frankly laughable. Almost every single IP you listed was in multi platform development prior to Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda. Some of them even came out as timed console exclusives for PlayStation. Yet here you are attempting to attribute games whose development had nothing to do with Microsoft to Microsoft. I’m not here to play console wars with you friend. I see you’re not a person who can be taken seriously.
 
But somehow pre-ABK Xbox generates 75% of the revenue of Playstation with less than 50% of the installed base. Also Microsoft doesn't want people to buy games, they want them to subscribe to Gamepass.

It's interesting that with ABK, Xbox revenue will end up matching or exceeding PlayStation's revenue. Sure there is some reliance on sales on PlayStation in that, but the most important PlayStation revenue generators for ABK (COD) will remain on PlayStation, so they aren't likely to lose that revenue unless they royally screw up COD. Even without PlayStation there is significant revenue generated on other platforms with Blizzard revenue being dominated by PC and King revenue almost entirely dependent on mobile.

Regards,
SB
 
I'm glad that it's working for you and you're enjoying your experience. Unfortunately, it's not working for most consumers and they're picking other consoles. Most people purchase one console, maybe 2 and they're picking PS5 and Nintendo switch most of the time. It's just an undeniable fact. Of the AAA games that are released, the best come from Sony and Nintendo. 3rd party AAA are mostly time wasters like you said and are not worth playing. Barring rare exceptions like Rockstar, your multiplayer FPS, and Sports games, the rest is just unremarkable. This is especially true for Ubisoft games.

So why do you own a PC for gaming then? Sounds like such a waste...
 
This is completely unrelated but listening to DF on the direct try to blame Don Matrick 13 years later is low key disappointing. Phil Spencer took over the lead of Xbox game studios in late 2009 - early 2010. Coincidentally, that’s when Xbox games took a downturn for the worse. The quality and quantity drastically decreased and started the long loss of creativity that bled into the Xbox one generation. Later in 2014, he took Xbox as a whole after Matrick was canned.

Now if you’re going to try to blame Mattrick for that Xbox one direction, then Phil spencer shares a huge portion of that blame. To attribute it to Don Mattrick alone is frankly unrealistic. Phil was part of the leadership team. So now, Phil Spencer has been very influential in Xbox for 14 years and under his leadership, Xbox has gone full circle in terms of mindshare to the og xbox era levels of mindshare. The games are worse and lack serious quality, the corporate strategy is fighting with itself, the brand is tarnished. I’m sorry but when you’ve had the helm for almost a decade, you can’t keep blaming Matrick.

Look at the launch of the ps3 and the $599/second job debacle. That was almost as bad as play online only. Yet I think it was Jack Trenton who came in and salvaged the situation. Huge investment into software, marketing, corporate structure. Huge risks were made to salvage the situation and just at the end of the gen, ps3 managed to barely outsell the 360. Now compare that to when Spencer took over Xbox. Poor investments into software, no exclusives, improper corporate structure, and poor marketing. Instead, Spencer invested tons into a Gamepass, a no profit service that actively devalues the brand. Investments into the cloud which is dead. People don’t want it, the utilization rate isn’t great. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who ok’d the release of a new console with no new UI, no notable improvements to the controller, no exclusives, no must have software. The difference between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft is competence. In Nintendo and Sony, Phil Spencer would be long gone because decisions are made based on competence. The same cannot be said about Microsoft.

I get that DF is all chummy with Phil Spencer because of the unique access they get but, there’s no reason to drag Don into this. Nobody asked them to mention Don and it was unnecessary. Reiterating these false tired tropes only adds to the list of questionable comments made by DF that causes one to question the integrity of the firm. It’s at best lazy analysis and at worst maliciously suspect.
I think the reason is that Microsoft has different priorities.
For Sony and Nintendo, their console is the main product.
For MS, the console is the sub product to support Microsoft's main strategy which is Windows and it's ecosystem of entertainment services
 
Yeah. This whole thread is just sour grapes 🍇 from a disgruntled former Xbox fan. It's pathetic. If the average joe could afford a 4090 PC and afford to buy and sell his XSX over and over again then I'm sure he wouldn't see the point in getting the console and yet 25 million people do and most of them have GamePass.

What I think we're learning is that MS is penetrating into the market of console players that are willing and able to give them $150/yr for GP to play their 8.5/10 games, but don't want the hassle or expense of getting a high end PC.

Also, individual tastes are irrelevant. I think the Xbox library is fantastic, some don't. The reality is that MS is actually publishing more unique content like Pentiment, Grounded, HiFi Rush, Psychonauts 2, Flight Sim, Gears Tactics than Sony that are just pumping out sequel after sequel.

I'll admit that Sony has a few stellar sequels like Spider-Man 2 and Ragnorok that I'd love to play, but the Xbox releases have been far more well rounded and higher average quality this gen.
 
This is a surprise. Of all places, this was not where I expected to come across disingenuous bad faith arguments. It’s frankly laughable. Almost every single IP you listed was in multi platform development prior to Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda. Some of them even came out as timed console exclusives for PlayStation. Yet here you are attempting to attribute games whose development had nothing to do with Microsoft to Microsoft. I’m not here to play console wars with you friend. I see you’re not a person who can be taken seriously.
So take those games out. Remove every game that was released by a company Microsoft owned at the time of release that should be excluded by whatever special rules you feel should be applied to them. If you do that, you'd still have one or two titles left, likely As Dusk Falls and Pentiment, judging by your comments. You still have 2 more new IPs than Sony has launched in the last 2 years. You can remove As Dusk Falls if you want, since it was developed by an outside studio. And Pentiment as well, because it starts with P just like Playstation. Even at zero new IP Sony still wouldn't have launched more new IP than Microsoft in the last 2 years.

I'm not trying to play console wars games here. I don't even own a Series console or PS5. I don't find either of their libraries compelling enough to justify the cost of either console. What I do care about are facts. Sony hasn't released a new IP in over 2 years. To my knowledge they've announce 3 games that aren't based on existing IP (Concord, Stellar Blade, and Fairgame$), though none of them have a release date. Microsoft has, through publishing deals, studios they've owned, and ones recently purchased.

Want to know more about why I don't own any of the newest consoles (not even Switch)? It's because nearly every game is a sequel or spin off of an existing IP. Games that take risks now almost always come out on PC. I play more Evercade than I do Playstation or Xbox, because I enjoy physical games with physical instructions and physical game cases. And I find their indy releases to be fantastic little packages at just the right price. But yeah, I'm some sort of Xbox console warrior who can't be taken seriously. My Xbox hasn't even been plugged in for months.
 
Btw, all the Xbox users I know don't care why Xbox and GP are entertaining them so well. My brother has 150 hours in Starfield and doesn't even know who Bethesda is. When MS likely shadow drops BG3 on GP next week all my friends and I won't care that MS spent huge money to make it happen; that they ... boohoo... aren't supposedly as creative as Sony 1st party. We don't care. For $120 a year we're playing $300 to $500 worth of great games. Thank you Phil!
 
Yeah. This whole thread is just sour grapes 🍇 from a disgruntled former Xbox fan. It's pathetic. If the average joe could afford a 4090 PC and afford to buy and sell his XSX over and over again then I'm sure he wouldn't see the point in getting the console and yet 25 million people do and most of them have GamePass.
That’s one way to look at it. The other way is to acknowledge the giant elephant in the room which is that Xbox series is tracking behind the Xbox one. If that’s not an impressive disaster, I don’t know what is…
What I think we're learning is that MS is penetrating into the market of console players that are willing and able to give them $150/yr for GP to play their 8.5/10 games, but don't want the hassle or expense of getting a high end PC.
All while tracking behind the Xbox one. Furthermore, their sub growth has stalled significantly. They’ve failed to hit their projected growth numbers multiple years in a row.
Also, individual tastes are irrelevant. I think the Xbox library is fantastic, some don't. The reality is that MS is actually publishing more unique content like Pentiment, Grounded, HiFi Rush, Psychonauts 2, Flight Sim, Gears Tactics than Sony that are just pumping out sequel after sequel.
If the library was so fantastic, people would be flocking there in droves. Services that have fantastic content attract positive attention which is not what’s happening with the Xbox. Phil admitted as much in court.
 
Hardware sales aren't the only success metric. Also, I wouldn't take anything an exec said on the stand as anything more than spin. I like Phil, but I wasn't buying his "boohoo we need ABK or Sony is going to bury us" routine. It helped seal the ABK deal though. Good job Phil!
 
Yet you wrote a whole 3 paragraphs which can be reduced to two words, “list wars”. Like I said, I’m not interested in participating in any console war discussions.
I guess. Really what happened is that you made a claim, that Xbox are the least creative and take the least risks. I simply cited evidence to the contrary. They you accused me of console warring.

There are plenty of ways to gauge success. Perhaps you won this one by your own metric.
 
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Yet you wrote a whole 3 paragraphs which can be reduced to two words, “list wars”. Like I said, I’m not interested in participating in any console war discussions.
All you're interested in is ranting from your perspective and dismissing every argument to present an objective, reasoned argument. If you don't like Metacritic, fine, but come up with a measure you do like and use that to compare and contrast XB over the years, and Sony over the years to get a baseline. Until someone does the leg-work, this thread is just subjective ranting.

What measure are you going to use to determine how well MS (and Sony) are doing and have been doing the past three generations? What evidence can you point to to show games are getting worse? Pick a metric besides your own feelings and present the evidence that illustrates your objective point.

Without that actual reference point that can be graphed or tabulated and show a visual decline, this thread serves no use and will be closed.
 
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All you're interested in is ranting from your perspective and dismissing every argument to present an objective, reasoned argument. If you don't like Metacritic, fine, but come up with a measure you do like and use that to compare and contrast XB over the years, and Sony over the years to get a baseline. Until someone does the leg-work, this thread is just subjective ranting.

What measure are you going to use to determine how well MS (and Sony) are doing and have been doing the past three generations? What evidence can you point to to show games are getting worse? Pick a metric besides your own feelings and present the evidence that illustrates your objective point.

Without that actual reference point that can be graphed or tabulated and show a visual decline, this thread serves no use and will be closed.

Unfortunately, reviews are no longer something a person can trust. They do not analyze a game for its playability, graphics, story quality, and other objective items, but by personal opinion and taste. And sometimes, console preference!
I ask... can a person that doesn't like RTS review an RTS game? And the answer is yes, it can. But it must be professional and remain objective on what it is reviewing, and not just kill the game's note because he doesn't like it.
And why can't a person judge the quality of a game like Tlou II without being affected by its sexual choices, or the fact that the story follows a plot that isn't the one they would like it to be? Does that make the Story bad?
Why then can´t some professional websites review games without beeing influenced by the console the game is meant to?

User reviews are also not a good measurement. For starters, people will most likely spend time reviewing a game they did not like, than a game they did like. And passion makes people rate games regularly with 10 or 100%, a grade it should only happen on rare cases happen since that would mean a perfect game. And no game, no matter what, it's perfect, although some do deserve that grade because they simply are way above the average even when compared with other great games. Same goes with haters, and their Zero's.

What may then be a good metric? I know this may sound a bit stupid... but we need to go to the basics. And they are games sales... and above all... console sales!

In my opinion, currently, the only way to really see what a product is really worth is by looking at global market acceptance.

Even player engagement may be fake. Just look at Starfield in the first month, and how the game is now. When a game is offered on a service, player engagement may be faked due to people wanting to try it out. So player engagement may be a good metric, but only if sustained for a long period.

In that regard, sales are the best metric to judge a product's success... Not only because sales do dictate a product's success or failure, but also because it shows how the market is reacting to the product.

In that regard, the current Xbox situation is grim, to say the least.

A 93% PS5 market share in France, a 25:1 volume sales in Spain in PS5's favor, an over 300% sales increase in PS5 sales in Germany vs 30% decrease of Xbox, a 108k PS5 sold in Japan vs 2k Xbox, a 52% drop on Xbox sales YoY globally in Europe, and now, a market share drop in US, and an apparent 25:1 sales in PS5 favor in Brazil on the Brasilian Amazon's Black Friday, shows Xbox is losing it.
 
A 93% PS5 market share in France, a 25:1 volume sales in Spain in PS5's favor, an over 300% sales increase in PS5 sales in Germany vs 30% decrease of Xbox, a 108k PS5 sold in Japan vs 2k Xbox, a 52% drop on Xbox sales YoY globally in Europe, and now, a market share drop in US, and an apparent 25:1 sales in PS5 favor in Brazil on the Brasilian Amazon's Black Friday, shows Xbox is losing it.

Let's be honest for a moment.

My impression from french/spanish gamers is that they are supremely fanatic about it. Something *really* earthshaking would need to happen to break the PS grip on these markets. I don't even think it's the current game portfolio/HW which caused this here because I don't see a huge difference at the moment between both portfolios.

IMHO only exclusivity and *really* *long* *patience* over a generation will break this. It's like trying to convince them that Madrid is better than Barcelona or vice versa. Similar to the situation with Japan though without the national pride for Sony/Nintendo.

That's where I really disagree with Spencer who thinks this tribal console warfare is pointless because it's not rational while gaming and its "fans" have never been rational. Some are even more irrational than others....

Fuel the fire(create passion) is imho the only approach. Shock&Awe over a generation that people really feel humiliated and insecure in these nations that their choice is a loser's gamble.

Approaching this with "we're all friends" won't win over these markets, *ever*. They need to be conquered.

UK/German console markets are imho following the leader in the business.
 
A 93% PS5 market share in France, a 25:1 volume sales in Spain in PS5's favor, an over 300% sales increase in PS5 sales in Germany vs 30% decrease of Xbox, a 108k PS5 sold in Japan vs 2k Xbox, a 52% drop on Xbox sales YoY globally in Europe, and now, a market share drop in US, and an apparent 25:1 sales in PS5 favor in Brazil on the Brasilian Amazon's Black Friday, shows Xbox is losing it.

And yet despite that, Xbox revenue (which is mostly games as hardware sales are only half of PS5s) is roughly 75% of PlayStation revenue going by industry analyst numbers. That indicates roughly similar gaming revenue (revenue generated by games) for Xbox as for PlayStation.

Keep in mind some games for MS will never appear on a sales chart because they are GAAS. Sea of Thieves, for example, generates a healthy amount of revenue but will never appear on a sales chart. If you want to look at sales data, you should use World Wide sales data.

MS also spreads this out among smaller experimental new-IP titles that will never hit sales charts but still sell well to people in those niches.

So yes, MS may not sell as many games for any single title as Sony but their games make about as much money for them as games make for Sony. Although it would be more correct to say their platform (Xbox) generates a similar amount of game revenue as PlayStation.

That said, this is still problematic for them as they also have more studios and thus a higher aggregated development cost from all of those studios that is mitigated by many of those studios having a smaller non-AAA budget. IE - some of the studios will be cheaper to operate than any of Sony's internal studios.

At the end of the day, what matters for the company is if revenue and more importantly operating income are increasing. And both of those are increasing for Xbox.

Regards,
SB
 
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