Gaming Ramble Weekly

How has it only been a week since I lost posted?  With the level of news that we’ve seen in the last seven days, it feels like I’m about a month behind, and to top it all off, we are yet to see a resolution to today’s main topic!  I hope you’ve had a good week yourself, and that you’ve been playing some good games.

If you’ve been playing those games on Xbox, it may just be an interesting time for you.  At the start of last week, the rumour mill was operating at full capacity with the news that Xbox are potentially looking to move some first party exclusives, including Starfield and the Gears of War franchise to other platforms, including PlayStation.  While there is no official announcement as of writing, many people believe that Xbox’s strategy is going to change, with no one sure just how much of a change this is going to be.

Xbox chief and self-proclaimed gamer, Phil Spencer, was quick to put an announcement on Twitter/X, see below:

There is currently no news of when this announcement is due, but I’m sure next week, there will be plenty to discuss when the time comes.

But if true, what does all this mean for the industry as we know it?  Well, it signifies probably the biggest shift in the industry since GamePass was introduced, and represents a shift in the Xbox business strategy.  My feeling is that the most likely idea is that Xbox will release their exclusives on PlayStation a year or two after they release on Xbox, and while this still might hinder Xbox console sales, it would certainly not be as catastrophic as releasing first party titles on release day on other platforms.

Thinking of this as a business move, I think this is actually a smart play.  Last week, it was found that PlayStation 5 consoles outsold Xbox series consoles by 2:1, and while exclusive titles can be profitable for PlayStation, who have refused to release these Day One on PS+ (the right move in my opinion), Xbox have committed to releasing their biggest exclusives on GamePass Day One.  With a more limited player-base, it feels that Xbox are exploring options to increase revenue on their largest first party titles, double dipping, you could say.  Phil has said in the past that Xbox are third in the console war, but it is recognised that Xbox have the best cloud streaming technology that allows their games to be played in many different places on various devices.  This strategy (which I must stress, is all hypothetical right now) would allow Xbox to expand their vision of playing their games anywhere. 

Next week, we may know more about this situation, and I will cover that in full once firm details are established!

Helldivers 2 Captures the Imagination

Last week saw PlayStation Studios publish their first title of 2024, with Helldivers 2 releasing on PS5 and on PC, a move that has seen a massive level of success.  Helldivers is a 3rd person live-service shooter, and despite some connection issues when the game first released on Thursday, the game has received good press across the board.  While not the same genre, it is easy to compare some of the numbers with last week’s flop, Suicide Squad.

Suicide Squad has peaked at 13,459 concurrent players since its release on Steam on 1st February, and despite being critically panned, has managed to receive a pretty favourable reception amongst its player-base.  While it’s fair to say that this title is more likely to have a higher player-base on console, it is still slightly concerning that Marvel’s Avengers peaked at almost 18,000 more concurrent players.  VG Insights is estimating that Suicide Squad has been purchased by 164.7k players on Steam in its 12 days since launch (averaging at 13.73k purchases a day).  Helldivers 2 however, has peaked at 155,926 players and is currently Steam’s top seller, with VG Insights estimating that the game has been bought by 704.7k players since release (averaging at 140.4k purchases per day).  This is undoubtedly a big success story for PlayStation to kick-off 2024, and with Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth releasing exclusively to PlayStation at the end of this month, it seems that a big month is in store for the blue brand.

Cyberpunk is Great, Shame about its Release

I’ve been playing a decent amount of Cyberpunk 2077 over the last week, and have just finished up Act 1.  It’s a genuinely brilliant game, with stunning visuals, a deep RPG system, and character writing to rival the best in the industry.  The combat is so good, and the gunplay feels rewarding and well balanced.  For someone who has always struggled with first person shooters, this has been a blast to get stuck into.

One of the things that has struck me playing it, is how much of a shame it is that it has taken over 3 years since its original release for the game to be at its final state.  I think it’ll be interesting to see how CDPR are scrutinised and tested for their next big release, and just how much trust they’ll have earned from the player-base.  The work that’s been done to bring Cyberpunk to the brilliant position it is in now is truly commendable, however, it’s important to remember that this should never have happened in the first place.

With all that being said, I remain fascinated by the story, and picked up the Phantom Liberty DLC to give myself the most complete experience.  I’m looking forward to sharing my full thoughts when I eventually finish the game, although this could easily take me a month.  Stay tuned for then!

Finally, Take a Look at this…

I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t leave you with a recommendation to look for this week, and those who know me will not be surprised that I’m highlighting the Zelda in concert show that Nintendo released last week.  28 minutes of The Legend of Zelda music played by a full orchestra was not on my bingo card for last week, but trust me, if you’re a fan of the franchise, this is an absolute must-listen.  Also, the Skyward Sword theme is an absolute banger, especially with a live orchestra.

That’s it from me this week, thanks so much for taking the time to read this!  Have a super week, whatever you get up to, and I’m expecting we get some news on two things: the Xbox “stuff” and a potential Nintendo Direct (there’s always one in February…).  Let’s loop back to these next week to see how good my predictions were!