TheFrenchiestFry

@SegataSanshiro I wouldn't call DQ niche at all lol

It's not Final Fantasy big but it has a monolithic following in Japan and a continually growing worldwide playerbase, especially thanks to stuff like DQXI and the Heroes being put into Smash

DQXIS on Xbox was probably one of the biggest announcements of that showcase given a franchise that big has never touched Xbox with a 10-foot pole before

@mousieone I think Octopath got such low attention because by the time it came out it was out for 3 years on Switch and about 2 years on PC, and both just have a way stronger install base in general, as well as a way larger playerbase for JRPG content compared to Xbox. The game came out on Xbox when it probably made all the money it could've or potentially continues to make on other platforms so it being on Xbox will probably barely increase the volume of people picking it up, especially given most of that Square team's other games are Nintendo exclusive (e.g. the Bravely games, that Triangle Strategy game)

DQXIS at least had some traction because it came out alongside other platforms like PS4 one year after the Switch version, and it was the first ever Dragon Quest game on Xbox as a whole

I'm starting to think this might be Game Pass for Switch

It's clear Microsoft's long term ambition for the service is to just have it on damn near everything under the sun to maximize their audience and the revenue generated from their services

@GateCrasherUK It's never going both ways

Nintendo is even less platform agnostic than Sony is, especially given gaming is just their whole business and so they care way more about selling hardware

@mousieone Honestly especially after Sony paid for exclusivity on not just one but two of Square Enix's major upcoming games on PS5 (Forspoken & Final Fantasy XVI) I don't think they care that much anymore about extending the existing contract for Remake, especially given it's highly likely the PlayStation timed exclusivity will probably apply to every subsequent entry for FFVII Remake as well

@Chaudy They never said anything about Intergrade being PS5 exclusive, just that it was coming to PS5

The exclusivity window just applied to Remake in general, and they likely couldn't flat out say it would be coming to anything else because a. it was announced during a Sony presentation and b. this was still like a month out from when the exclusivity period was meant to expire

I'm calling that Intergrade will end up being announced for Xbox Series X/S and PC and it'll come out same day for them as it will for PS5, but it won't get the Game Pass treatment immediately. Definitely not day one

It wouldn't be of any use releasing vanilla Remake on Xbox One since it'll probably be left without the Yuffie DLC which is also not coming to PS4 and is exclusive to the Intergrade release so I think the game's just going to skip Xbox One and go straight to the new hardware

@KilloWertz Well I was comparing Gears 5 to stuff like Spider-Man Remastered and Demon's Souls which came out at launch for PS5, not the Last of Us thing which is genuinely unnecessary

@Hypnotoad107 Assuming it's a REMAKE like the Bloomberg article suggested it'll probably be full price like Demon's Souls was, but honestly what's the point if the game hasn't even aged that badly. It already looked pretty stunning as a PS3 game and the remaster looks great on PS4 and PS5

@mousieone Atlus is hella unpredictable. It's honestly a 50/50 chance whether they do more console ports specifically for Persona or they keep those relegated to PC

Maybe Microsoft managed to smooth talk them into putting them on Game Pass or bringing P4G to Xbox One or the Series consoles but considering how poor Atlus' Xbox output has been compared to other platforms it's completely up in the air, even if they're known for out of left field stuff

@Darylb88 I have a feeling Persona's happening at some point. MS had to have brought it up when discussing stuff like Yakuza and PSO2 given how huge that franchise is for SEGA now

@gingataisen I'm pretty sure Gears 5 got a standalone re-release on Series X at launch unless I'm mistaken. Like not just a patch to optimize it for the new console

Like basically what happened with Spider-Man Remastered but it wasn't bundled with another game. I think it even came out physically for Series X

@GateCrasherUK No offense but you can't really criticize PS5 for launching with a remake of an old game when Microsoft literally did the same thing with Gears 5 at launch on Series X

Neither launch lineup was particularly strong but potentially having to wait until the midpoint of the generation for some of the recently announced original projects from first party that weren't part of an acquisition on Xbox's end isn't necessarily instilling much confidence from that front. At least to Sony's credit there's actually original stuff coming specifically for their platform that will be available to play between the next two years before some of these Xbox projects start coming out excluding maybe Hellblade 2 and Starfield (which was already pretty far in development prior to the acquisition)

@CrazyJF Honestly I think Wolf 3 might be in parallel development. Indiana Jones seems like it's in the incredibly early stages, possibly in pre-production just like where Elder Scrolls VI was when that game was first announced

I feel like Wolf 3 might be in full scale production now and a smaller team might be doing prep work for Indy, especially given how it's been emphasized Todd Howard is pretty involved in that project but he's also too preoccupied with Starfield right now to really commit to it

Shame that these are far off. They're honestly the only first-party exclusives I'm interested in so far. Hopefully Hellblade 2 isn't in that same timeframe because that's a game I really want to play

@awp69 I think the only one from Bethesda that isn't Deathloop or GhostWire that we can expect before something like Starfield is probably a new Wolfenstein from MachineGames. I think other stuff like a new DOOM, or a new Evil Within or Dishonored are years off from happening and might have a better shot of coming out between Starfield and TESVI

@LtSarge They really don't need to acquire SEGA to add their stuff to Game Pass. I'm pretty sure SEGA and Microsoft have a close enough relationship based on Yakuza and their timed exclusivity deal on PSO2 that they can just sign off on it without everything being bought, especially since Microsoft probably has no interest whatsoever in stuff like their pachinko business or the animation divisions like Marza and TMS

I'm honestly certain when talking about Yakuza coming to Game Pass or PSO2 coming to Xbox first Microsoft had to have brought up something like Persona at one point in the conversation. It's clear they're on pretty good terms

Definitely not the full year. Probably until maybe Fall at most

Fully in support of what is basically the PlayStation trophy system. Gamerscore feels outdated by comparison and very obviously reflective of the time period that achievement system was created

I feel like without Game Pass this game would've ended up in the same troubled position Avengers was so it was a nice shot in the arm that was probably needed for it to have longevity

Wait what?

But all the platforms that are getting the game have similar online functions even if their capabilties differ

Maybe it's because I never played the multiplayer in these games but I still don't really understand what would've stopped the game from releasing on certain platforms if online multiplayer was included

@Arcnail Yeah Death Stranding has actually been slated for PC since about 2014 or 2015

It was actually public knowledge the game would get a PC version before we even knew Sony was collaborating on its development and that it would be coming to PS4 at all

When thinking of comic characters who had apt material for a solid game adaptation this was definitely not that high on the list

@SegataSanshiro I personally think this early on they're going to worry more about retaining the strong playerbase they accumulated on PS4, especially given a lot of the launch window stuff expands on their big PS4 first party offerings like Rift Apart, Forbidden West and God of War

I think starting next year we should be seeing more of them preparing ways to respond in a sense to the value proposition Microsoft has going for them. The Bethesda thing probably came out of nowhere for them and it was way too late in the pre-release cycle for them to be quick on how they went about things, but going forward I think they're going to shift the focus more to bringing in new players and offering their own perks for going with their hardware or services

I don't think it's a matter of if they respond to Microsoft at all but rather when and how personally.

@Arcnail These rumors are probably completely unsubstantiated because Kojima always said even before the Sony deal was announced that his next game, regardless of platform would always be slated for PC, and Sony themselves in early interviews also confirmed that the game was also coming to PC as well. It was only billed as a PlayStation exclusive whenever Sony put out promo material for it at their conferences or on their social media since it's still technically a console exclusive

The PC version of Death Stranding was always meant to happen. It wasn't a reactionary thing to how well it did on PS4

@TrueAssassin86x Honestly at worst it's going to end up being a bad look for Sony but it was mostly MLB's call

I bet the people who are actually losing their sh*t about this have never even played the 3 million other Show games they made. This is the kind of thing that everyone will probably forget in a few months anyway if they're getting the game regardless

@Senua It'll probably come to Game Pass like immediately after the exclusivity period ends. Same with GhostWire

@Medic_Alert Honestly I think the publicity around it coming out after Bethesda became a first-party Xbox studio might actually end up helping it ironically

Just the pure irony of an Xbox Game Studios game coming out first on PS5. I think with how hard Sony pushed it during all its pre-PS5 launch showcases it'll at least do better than Prey did

@IronMan30 Considering I think only PlayStation's social media has reposted info about this showcase I think it's another situation where they won't talk explicitly about specific things for other platforms outside PS4, PS5 like the last showcase

@SegataSanshiro PS Now needs a massive revamp

I've only ever used it on PC but it feels like such a half hearted way to technically get PS3 games on the system and especially given what they had to do to even get it off the ground in the first place it's still a super uncompelling proposition as opposed to just buying the games outright, especially given a lot of PS3 remasters are already on PS4

I honestly hope that PS Plus Collection thing they have going on expands to more than just PS4 games. That's probably the best possible answer to Game Pass they could have that would be subscription based and still necessitate the pushing of hardware sales since it's only for PS5 users. The lineup on the Collection as is curates a solid selection of the key PS4 first and third party titles but it could totally use past consoles as well if they really want something that isn't as cobbled together as the limiting selection on PS Now where even the first party games rotate

Makes sense

He has way more freedom and leverage as an independent developer and he's obviously very much in demand from numerous publishers as a result of being let go from Konami, and especially after Death Stranding's release where it was a marquee PS4 game

I don't think this signifies him jumping ship from Sony at all since he really only had one game with them post-Konami. He's just very in-demand talent right now as far as developers go

Should this deal go through though, It'll signify how genuine Microsoft are about getting a foothold into the Japanese market after years of that region being their Achilles' heel

@SegataSanshiro I think the same can be said about backwards compatibility as well

I still have a gut feeling them taking down the PS Stores on pre-PS4 consoles this soon, which is especially concerning given Vita was actually still getting some content from smaller developers, is signalling them having some sort of plan for that they're not telling us about. I feel like they know how well received Xbox's program is and despite the fact I actually think how the PS5 plays PS4 games is actually pretty amazing especially in the case of Sony's first party content, they have to do more. They released some PS2 Classics here and there but not nearly to breadth they used to, so either them scrapping the PS Store on those other consoles really proves they genuinely don't care about their legacy, or best case scenario they're either revamping PS Now to be taken more seriously or even supplying a BC program of their own for their own past systems like Microsoft's initiative

Either way I think we won't hear about their responses to stuff like Game Pass or BC until at the earliest, maybe 2022 considering I think they at least want to get the launch window first party titles out the door first, but I suspect they know that how upfront Microsoft is with the consumer by comparison is something they can't ignore

@SegataSanshiro If anything I hope this gets Sony to realize they're potentially sitting on a gold mine of opportunities when it comes to their services

PS Now right now is underpromised as hell and it predates Game Pass by a few years. It has so much potential to be this amazing way to stream games from across PlayStation consoles in the same way xCloud is but they just aren't using it. I also hope their current initiative for PS Plus where one of the games in each monthly pool is a PS5 game expands to include more noteworthy titles. It baffles me that considering what's happening with MLB, they didn't offer that up to Plus subscribers as the free game as opposed to Oddworld, which would've been more than enough imo to counteract something that big, and I don't even care about that game. Right now the biggest reason to get a PS5 is purely its games, and they're great games, but they could be doing so much more to just bring people to their side. In fact I think that's kind of what they're going for with their PC releases but it's not enough given the statement Microsoft has made about how upfront they are about their content

@SegataSanshiro I personally care way too much at this point about PlayStation's exclusives to ever trade them in exchange for Bethesda's, but again going back to Microsoft deemphasizing their focus on just selling Xbox as a console platform, I don't have to at all because since I have a PC, I'll just get the exclusives I'm interested in and I don't have to own multiple consoles past the ones I already do own which is how Xbox approaches that kind of value proposition. Now I just have a PS5 for my Sony-exclusives, a Switch for the Nintendo ones and a PC for my multiplats and whatever Xbox puts out from first party

I'd honestly argue if the Series X just came out without being prefaced by stuff like them buying Bethesda, or the absence of first-party at all at launch barring the Gears 5 port, they'd be in an almost completely different place than they are now, especially given how poorly received their initial "gameplay" showcase for Series X was back in the summer in comparison to Sony's

Announcing stuff like acquiring Zenimax and all its associated companies ensuring that stuff like Elder Scrolls would be day one on Xbox and specifically Game Pass was really something at the very last minute that shifted everyone's perception towards how serious they actually are about staying in gaming. I hope it doesn't become a recurring thing simply because I hope they don't luck out at any attempt to maximize their existing IPs as opposed to absorbing new ones since they have a dense back catalogue of franchises, but it definitely made a statement and its made this back and forth between Sony and Microsoft a lot more interesting compared to last gen where Sony was clearly wiping the floor with them almost the entire way through

The developer's name is Midgar Studio lol

@TimG13 If they were positioning Splinter Cell as basically the Xbox Metal Gear equivalent it's kind of hilarious in retrospect given how quickly a Metal Gear game ended up coming to Xbox to begin with

I'm pretty sure MGS2 Substance was launch window

@SegataSanshiro I think Sony will still ultimately outdo Xbox worldwide simply due to the fact there's larger worldwide appeal and recognition for the PlayStation brand even to more casual consumers especially after last gen, but it's going to be extremely close. I think Sony's IPs at this point have more mass market appeal as a result of Xbox struggling to really branch out last generation with franchises that weren't Halo, Forza or Gears, and the IPs that were introduced last gen like Ghost of Tsushima and Spider-Man garnered widespread attention in general, but the thing is Xbox's strategy this gen also doesn't seem to be purely about the dedicated hardware so I don't know if that really matters to them

There will be pockets of time where Microsoft does end up pushing out more Xbox units especially if stuff like Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI end up being completely exclusive to Xbox/PC, and I also expect xCloud to be somewhat popular in particular regions like Japan where mobile and handheld gaming is more preferred over home consoles, but overall especially if Sony keeps up the software momentum they had going during the PS4 era where pretty much the large majority of their exclusives were super high quality and got very good word of mouth, at least in the hardware space I can see Sony barely edging Microsoft out. The sales differences between them right now is way closer than it was last gen so clearly announcing the Bethesda acquisition right before Series X/S preorders went live definitely turned things towards their favor

@SegataSanshiro Even as someone who didn't go Xbox this generation I have to commend Phil for the work he's done in turning the brand around. This time 7 years ago people were genuinely starting to doubt that Microsoft would even be in the business of making consoles past that generation but even if there are definitely steps they could take to make Xbox a more prominent brand in the space, they've done an excellent job making the right moves that cause more than just footnote in the industry with stuff like Game Pass & xCloud as well as the Bethesda buyout. He's definitely a more respectable face in person as well and communicates the kind of image a brand like that was sorely missing after people like Peter Moore left the company. He definitely stands toe to toe with people like Andrew House, Shawn Layden, Reggie and Iwata in terms of presenting and just having a pretty outgoing passion for what he talks about

As someone who's supported Sony for years I genuinely hope they can pull their act together because I love the PS5 so far of what I've played but I know that in terms of consumer transparency they could be doing a lot better in being more forward thinking about what consumers really want outside of the games

@SegataSanshiro That is true

I wouldn't say Sony is back in the PS3-era predicament they were in but despite the strong first impression in terms of software Xbox has definitely become hyper-aggressive this gen amidst fears they might not even have a place in gaming anymore which is why Bethesda was a big deal

I personally think Microsoft's long term ambition of having Game Pass just be this giant ecosystem that encapsulates a lot of content is them basically saying they aren't focusing on just the consoles anymore due to the fact Sony and Nintendo are quite formidable in that space even still, but I also think Sony can't exactly ignore the kind of proposition that has. I wouldn't say the solution is for them to do everything Microsoft is doing since they obviously can't, but they have to have some form of long term goal specifically to get more people into the ecosystem. Even if whatever they do doesn't match the Bethesda acquisition, there are a lot of things they could do that definitely wouldn't go unnoticed. The Show going to Xbox is a bad look for them, but I also hope Sony also felt their mortality there and that they probably need to start embracing their own services and making them better, especially where PS Now is concerned.

@SegataSanshiro I wouldn't say SMT has reached the level of Persona yet

I think SMT V has the potential to be probably the most popular mainline entry given both the platform of choice and the decision to make it a worldwide simultaneous release but Persona has become so gigantic of a name in the JRPG space as of late no matter how popular SMT gets, I honestly can't see it reaching Persona numbers, especially given Persona was actually introduced first before the other subseries or mainline in the West

I think the Bethesda acquisition will probably result in something big from Sony. I feel like they know the kind of ripple effect this causes for the industry and they probably have to respond, so I think someone's getting acquired on their end as well or potentially some major third party collaborates with Sony's internal teams on some massive exclusive like what's been rumored as of late regarding Konami which I personally hope happens for sure

I think just based on Sony and how they've talked about Persona, they make it sound like it's so important to them and their brand image it honestly astounds me there isn't some sort of exclusivity thing behind the series. I feel like by communicating to everyone it's this thing that is really important to them, especially using terms like "platform holder", they're planning something, I just think they're planning something big. I ain't saying moneyhatting exclusivity over Persona 6 is Bethesda joining Xbox-levels of big but given how big Persona is now, it would turn a lot of heads, and it could definitely help and repair the perception that they don't care about the Japanese market

@SegataSanshiro See the thing with Strikers is that firstly this was way back when Atlus was way less platform agnostic and their big releases were usually restricted to just one or two platforms, like SMT being only on 3DS/Switch and Persona only being on PS4, so I just wrote Strikers off as at the time, an Arena situation where they obviously wanted it on PS4 given how successful P5 was, but also the Switch is basically the Xbox 360 in this situation where it has a rapidly growing install base and they wanted to tap into some of that, especially coming off of Joker being announced for Smash at the Game Awards

The thing that kind of recontextualizes everything for me now is the fact P4G did so well on PC, because Nocturne and Strikers' Steam ports I will put money on being decided at the last minute. Had neither of those games gotten PC ports I think they would've come out way sooner than they did. Should Persona go multiplatform. I wouldn't hold my breath for an announcement until way closer to Persona's 25th anniversary in the fall, especially if they want to do a concert again like they did in 2019 and especially given SMTIII HD and SMT V are both still not out worldwide. I'd say that probably has the best chance of an announcement that Persona 5 is going to other platforms

I think a bigger prediction I almost think is safe is given that Sony has been super aggressive on exclusivity deals, and given one of the SIE reps at a P5 Royal event in Japan acknowledges Persona has this unique relationship with the PlayStation brand, I can see them moneyhatting P6 for exclusivity. I think it'll definitely come out on PS5 for sure but I can almost see it being a console exclusive or a timed one even while also being on PC due to the success of the series on that platform so far.

@SegataSanshiro I don't doubt it's happening, I always thought given Microsoft seems to be in close partnership with SEGA they'd bring Persona into the conversation

I just think that there's something about it launching on Xbox before a Nintendo system that just sounds weird. For Atlus to basically go almost 8 years without anything on Xbox barring an SMT game that bombed, two Persona fighting games and an original IP that sold way better on PS3 anyway and didn't even get its enhanced port released on Xbox One, there's just something weird about SEGA suddenly deciding to go straight to mainline Persona, specifically Persona 5. I personally think if a numbered entry goes to other consoles first, P4G is way more likely imo

@SegataSanshiro E3 2013 is one of those things I'm honestly never going to forget, between Sony basically winning the generation in a few minutes and Mega Man being announced for Smash

I bet some execs who were there at the company back then probably still have nightmares about that video Sony put out about how to share used games

@SegataSanshiro I thought Yakuza was good to test the waters considering I think despite it being billed as a JRPG it definitely has a lot of elements that have mass appeal regardless

Persona occupies the same boat but Atlus have never played well with Xbox as a platform even before they were acquired by SEGA so that obviously puts everything up in the air for me. My assumption is that if Persona 5 or practically any of the numbered entries come to Xbox, I feel like they also have to come to Nintendo either day of or shortly after because that series is just in a weird predicament where it's a franchise that has mass appeal but considering how much larger Japan's audience for Persona is I don't know if SEGA or Atlus want to take the risk of only putting out on Xbox if it does go multiplatform given Atlus' history with the console

I think it's a publisher-by-publisher thing considering obviously if Square Enix puts out something like Final Fantasy or a new Kingdom Hearts game on Xbox it's going to do at worst, decently given those IPs just have such broad recognition and iconography. FFXIII going to Xbox after the series was firmly PlayStation-exclusive in terms of main installments for years was a big thing back then, same thing with what happened with DQXI recently, but I think SMT/Persona is a riskier sell especially given Atlus' core audience and their ambivalence towards Xbox in general

@SegataSanshiro Honestly if mainline Persona goes to Xbox first before Nintendo I'd be stunned

Especially given the rest of MegaTen have basically been treated like a second party franchise to Nintendo for years and Atlus' games have historically sold extremely poorly on Xbox dating back to the time they actually got a mainline SMT game as an exclusive that never left Japan

I think Microsoft is probably partnering with SEGA rather than buying them out. They have timed exclusivity on PSO2 New Genesis and it managed to score them not just the Yakuza ports on Xbox but Yakuza 7 launching with Series X. I can see some other stuff coming out of this like Catherine Full Body finally coming to Xbox and maybe Persona, but that one's still really up in the air for me

I think in most cases this should be the way to go. I don't want this gen becoming a competition of who can buy out more studios and lock more things to their platforms unless it's a developer that has a super healthy working relationship with said console manufacturer specifically

Same with what's happening with Kojima Productions if the LUDENS figure on Spencer's shelf was anything to go by

@GunValkyrie I mean I'd prefer if nobody bought SEGA out personally just saying

I swear if Starfield isn't here

@InterceptorAlpha Not even actually

The game was technically first announced well before the PS4 and Xbox One were public knowledge around 2012

It only went into full scale development after Witcher 3 was finished

Couldn't care less about the game coming to Xbox. Great for everyone who's excited, great for MLB, and Sony is probably getting a cut of the profits regardless given they developed the game so everyone wins

Weirder things have happened, like that one time a Sony-owned studio put out a Nintendo-exclusive Wipeout game