Sunday, December 15th 2024
Rumors Of End to Xbox-Only Exclusives Swirl As More Game Studios Embrace Simultaneous Launch Strategy
It looks like the end of the console-exclusive era is marching ever forward. On the one hand, more game studios are embracing simultaneous launch strategies, as was recently emphasized by both Square Enix and Ubisoft adopting multi-platform simultaneous launches for Fantasian Neo Dimension and Assassin's Creed Shadows, respectively. The latest game to join this trend is Outer Worlds 2, which will launch on all platforms—Xbox Series S|X, Windows, PlayStation 5, and even Game Pass—simultaneously in late 2025. The surprising bit about the multi-platform launch of The Outer Worlds 2 is that Microsoft purchased Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind The Outer Worlds, leading many to believe that future games in the franchise would be Xbox/Windows-first. While the original Outer Worlds was released after Microsoft bought Obsidian, the launch contract predates the acquisition, so it also had a simultaneous launch, regardless of Microsoft's ownership.
In addition to the swathe of new games embracing multiple simultaneous platform launches, Jez Cordon, executive editor at Windows Central and well-regarded source for gaming rumors, recently also sparked rumors with a post on X suggesting that no future games developed by Microsoft or its subsidiary studios will be permanent console exclusives. In a reply to a comment criticizing Microsoft for seemingly keeping some games on Xbox and others not, Cordon said "They don't. They're all coming to PlayStation over time."
Cordon also goes on later in the discussion to suggest that the only reason Microsoft hasn't forced its smaller subsidiary studios to pivot to the day-one cross-platform launch strategy is because of development load and those studios not being well-equipped to deal with a simultaneous launch. This is something that Square Enix veteran, Naoki Yoshida, also alluded to when he was talking about Square Enix's shift to the simultaneous launch strategy.
Sources:
Jez Cordon on X, Xbox on YouTube
In addition to the swathe of new games embracing multiple simultaneous platform launches, Jez Cordon, executive editor at Windows Central and well-regarded source for gaming rumors, recently also sparked rumors with a post on X suggesting that no future games developed by Microsoft or its subsidiary studios will be permanent console exclusives. In a reply to a comment criticizing Microsoft for seemingly keeping some games on Xbox and others not, Cordon said "They don't. They're all coming to PlayStation over time."
38 Comments on Rumors Of End to Xbox-Only Exclusives Swirl As More Game Studios Embrace Simultaneous Launch Strategy
Console manufacturers releasing on all platforms....games that were pulled off steam to be hosted on the publishers own launcher now back on steam where new titles from said publisher will also be released. What an insane time to be alive.
This way, there would be a scale of cost reduction for the hardware developer (AMD), for the manufacturers of the parts (TSMC/Hynix) and for the hardware assembler (Foxconn?).
And the game developers would need much less rework to adapt the games from one console to another.
I've always thought it should be illegal to make a game for only 1 platform/device, which essentially gives the developer a monopoly over that title, which is supposed to be a no-no in the business world..
I say make it MANDATORY for every game to be released on EVERY platform at the same exact minute, and let the gamrs decide what platform/device they wanna play it on...and whahlah, problem solved/monopoly erased :D
And FYI, for those who aren't familiar with me & my opinions, I don't do gamz, so I don't really give a crap either way, but I DO do business, and will always prefer an equal chance be given to every company to succeed, or fail, on their own merits...
Sony's closure of Japan Studio was like "pruning a bonsai", says former PlayStation boss | Eurogamer.net
They'll do what they need to do to survive.
What everyone here is parading around is gonna eventually cause harm to them. Stagnation of game development has somewhat already happened and with any lack of competition, it's gonna drive it further to the ground with nothing but Medicare titles.
Yes, unpopular take. But it is true. Sony, Sega, Nintendo and Microsoft had banger games that drove sale of their systems.
I thought bribery in the business world was a big no-no, because that’s essentially what it is.
AMD is doing exactly that, reusing the desktop architecture for the both consoles chips. The rest of the supply chain varies as it should.