Gaming Industry

For something that is pretty niche. It was always going to be difficult for Sony to gain momentum on a PSVR2 hardware. But back when it launched, PlayStation fans who bought the original were ready to give Sony their money based on their track record of supporting the previous platform. For some reason that hasn’t happened this time around.

Everything at this moment in time feels a bit off at Sony for some reason. There are just so many negatives and it’s difficult to really pinpoint exactly why they’re allowing PSVR2 to just pretty much lose any sort of momentum it could of had with a full support and software to go with it. It just doesn’t seem like there is any pathway here on anything anymore. A proper launch and steps to continue with support. It’s just been so mishandled so far.

I don’t want to be negative, I’ve grown up as a PlayStation fan since the beginning and owned the 5 and others. What I will say though, after Jim Ryan leaves. Even if they’re commercially hitting their strides. They’re way off in terms of consumer satisfaction. If you really think Spiderman 2 is good enough for this year alone. I question that viewpoint. In fact, I question every viewpoint that says that PlayStation has been as good as the last generation. They haven’t. There is a reason why they’re bringing new management to oversee the remainder of the transition period. Who they pick to lead PlayStation going forward is going to be crucial.

PlayStation have launched some good exclusives in the past three years. The same point remains. Everything comes at a cost. Because at every turn there have just been some things that could have been handled better in every department because they’ve chosen to run on their ambitions of market conditions and try and go for the popular live service. It’s a failing decision so far. Which is why delays and lack of information is coming out.

It’s just so frustrating to see Sony this generation the way they’re leading the charge on pretty much every wrong decision you can make. Whether it be price rises or just poor planning and letting good hardware go to die.

You’re probably wondering, why should you care? You’re an Xbox and Nintendo gamer these days. Sure, I’d agree, but if you want to see the competition continue to be strong by making strong pro-consumer moves and ones that don’t hinder the competitive nature of the industry. I don’t think you know how this all works. Because we need all three companies being the best versions of themselves that they can be. That way, we all win as consumers because we have more choices, better prices, and the most important thing is more innovative content and not just your bog-standard sequels.

Will PlayStation turn it around at The Game Awards and what exactly is their next phase? All legitimate questions that need answering.

Who would have thought that Xbox would be adding the likes of PlayStation and Nintendo to their community? Of course, how they do this is through the games they’ll be publishing now through Xbox Studios with third-party. It really is becoming a company that focuses on its reach for players everywhere. It’s almost as though Microsoft is saying, even if you don’t want us to acquire you we will work with you on games and publishers we acquire anyway.

It’s simply a win-win for Microsoft. Because they’ll almost certainly be accumulating player bases from franchises that are some of the biggest in gaming entertainment. Personally, as a prime Xbox and Nintendo player these days. I welcome the competition. I think Phil Spencer said it best in an interview I watched a few weeks back. Microsoft are now in a position with Xbox where they’re the custodians of so many franchises that they need to handle in such a way that major care is given. This brings us to the management shake-ups recently.

I think the Sarah Bond position especially is the right decision because she brings the right character and vision to the company. She has pretty much been handling Xbox Game Pass for a while. Which has come on leaps and bounds since it launched. I mean, Xbox fans are consuming some really good content at the end of this year.

That focus on a major game every three months takes a point and is completely feasible. Especially with the production of games they now have in the pipeline. Restructuring their whole company personnel to adapt to the rising amount of workload that is going to need to be shared to continue to make decisions in the best interest of Xbox. It’s a smart move and certifies that it’s a team effort.

There’s even more possibility of more to come in terms of acquisitions. What I will say though, is this signifies the best interest of the Xbox community as a whole primarily. But it’s also a start of reaching out to other players on other platforms and saying jump in and come and join us. We’re building momentum and we’re heading in the right direction.

After so much discontent over the years, Xbox’s future looks brighter than ever on all fronts. Even if you don’t necessarily play on an Xbox.

The narrative will say Jim Ryan wasn’t a good PlayStation CEO. It will be around his failed attempts to battle Microsoft in court and his demands for Bethesda to release on PlayStation. It will be about Call of Duty, which he has secured for the next 10 years. Whatever your thoughts about Jim Ryan. His direction has led PlayStation to a really successful period commercially speaking. One could argue, that he’s been riding the wave of success of the PS4 and I’d agree with you there. But fundamentally, PlayStation hasn’t been in a better position commercially. But here lies the problem and why he needed to go.

PlayStation has lost its way over the last three years. Most PlayStation fans know it and so do the scribes who do great work at Push Square. They’ve always echoed the sentiment of PlayStation has been too quiet and that there are communication issues. These have been around since Jim Ryan took over. It’s imperative then that PlayStation now moves in a new direction next year and gets itself back on track. Not commercially, because they’re doing great. But back on the side of their customers. The alarming thing for Sony will be the uptake and growth in Game Pass, it’ll be the success of the Series S. You might laugh that off, but if you think Sony doesn’t need to be worried about one of its biggest rivals then that’s a little bit naive. To say it simply, we don’t know much about the future of PlayStation beyond Spiderman 2 in terms of its game line-up. It’s been an alarming discourse that live-service games are coming and nothing much beyond that right now. The same could be said about Nintendo and Xbox who have their own ilk of videogame styles but are heading in their own directions to great success.

But getting back to the point, however, you remember Jim Ryan’s stint at PlayStation. We’re not going to know the full story until this generation is over. Ultimately, Jim Ryan’s work as CEO probably sees itself through to the latter end of this generation in terms of how he’s run the ship and the direction it’s heading in. But what I will say, is that this is great news for PlayStation fans that are disillusioned with PS5 right now. Those fans who want more reasons for why they bought a PS5 in the first place. With the change now taking place, we might see PlayStation come back to the table in terms of its communication with fans and a full blowout of what’s to come from its games with the PS5 Pro. This could be the reset Sony needs at the top to get them sailing back in the right direction again. For PlayStations fans. This is the change people want. For Sony, it’s the one they needed to make right now because of a resurgent Nintendo and Microsoft and to continue their dominance potentially as the market leader.

It’s the great reset at PlayStation then. Let’s just hope that greatness doesn’t continue to wait for fans and they start firing on all cylinders again.

Whatever your platform preference, know this. This industry benefits highly from a competitive Microsoft which is investing in the Xbox platform. After Starfield, that’s exactly what the Redmond firm continues to do with its software slate. Sony needs that competition because it has been anti-consumer arguably recently. That software will come and it’s going to transform the platform’s reputation over the next few years.

Everyone still sees Xbox as a brand for their infamous Xbox One launch and policies back in the day. The fact of the matter is many of those features whether we like it or not are implemented in platform generations today whether it be online games only or whatever. The only difference was Microsoft was ahead of the curb with it and Sony was able to naturally take advantage as being a white knight. Fast forward to now and they’re anything but that based on how they’re now running things. People are saying, the Activision court case has hindered Sony’s ability to reveal things. I don’t actually believe that’s true.

PlayStation needs this competition from Xbox because it benefits our industry and because of the direction PlayStation is heading in. No matter what you think of each platform’s way of doing things. Modern gaming has been on a bit of a downward trend in terms of innovation for a long time.

I mean, a focus on live service games, really? The jury is out on that one. Most of the highest-selling games are Call of Duty, GTA, or FIFA. The innovation that has transpired has been in the indie space. It’s gotten to the point where sequels are the bread and butter of gaming. You’re probably thinking, well it depends on what games you play. But let’s not pretend that games are better these days than they ever were. If that was the case, everyone wouldn’t be selling us remakes of other remakes with many getting on that bandwagon lately. It’s also been pretty disappointing with sequels of existing franchises as well.

So you’re probably wondering where Microsoft fits into this. I actually think the line-up that Microsoft has coming is more varied than it has ever been. From a game-play point of view as well as for the amount of genres they’re covering. It’s with that belief that I feel that Microsoft has really set up Xbox to do incredibly well over the next few years. Now I don’t proclaim to say that Microsoft is going to be the saviour of the gaming industry. Not by a long shot. But what I am saying is that an industry where we have a strong Xbox and Nintendo gives consumers real choice. Whether it’s from a platform point of view or otherwise.

But as always, players everywhere when it comes to Xbox will believe it when they see it. This is what Microsoft has to do now and that’s continue to invest in the brand and push gaming to audiences with that increased investment. Studio acquisitions are one way of doing that but also focusing on standing out from the crowd could with innovative games set them on that right upward trajectory. The full story is yet to be written on this. It’s going to be an interesting few years ahead.

It’s not going to be popular with the majority of players out there. But I think that GTA VI is going to be a digital-only release. The reasons for that are based not just on the limitations of the Blu-ray disc but the possible ambitions for the next entry in the GTA universe.

I just think the trajectory that gaming has been on with more announcements of games going digital-only. As well as the potential May-June release date of 2024 for a potential and much-rumored release date for this game. The time scale to go to publish on Disc would be short. I also think publishers are pushing digital-only. We have major companies like Sony really pushing the digital aspect of their console with separate attachments for physical media.

It’s becoming more of a theme of how the industry is going to be moving forward. And although this is totally speculative it wouldn’t surprise me if GTA was one of those franchises that needed to be digital-only. If it did that, it would make a big statement in itself, but based on how Sony is focusing on digital aspects of their consoles in the future with disc attachments. It just feels this is where the industry is heading with them spearheading this movement. If it isn’t GTA that goes digital-only it will definitely be something else that’s just as big. And I think as players, we have to be ready to accept that ambitious games might struggle to fit because of just how big these game worlds are getting.