‘There’s going to be more change’: Phil Spencer speaks on Indy PS5 news

[anonpuffs]

A lot. But it was a multiplatform release so that helped a bunch.

Not really. What helped it was viral marketing. Same with helldivers. You are literally mistaking a black sheep event for some positive effect from being multiplatform. Did being multiplat help Wukong? No, it would have sold basically just as well being a PC exclusive. As long as a game is good enough people will buy it and the platform necessary to play it. You saw this with a huge upsurge in Switch sales whenever their big games come out. You see this whenever a big PlayStation exclusive comes out.

It'll come to PC about a year later. They always do this.

But again, notice how the franchise started as a platform exclusive and has since gone multiplatform?

Am I having a stroke? How is this not easy to understand?

It's easy to understand why a 3rd party publisher would want a game to be multiplat. What I don't understand is your refusal to come to terms with a platform holder's need to have exclusive content to draw people to their storefront. Sony makes far more money taking a 30% cut of externally developed software being sold on their storefront than all of their first party games, by almost an order of magnitude.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Not really. What helped it was viral marketing. Same with helldivers. You are literally mistaking a black sheep event for some positive effect from being multiplatform. Did being multiplat help Wukong? No, it would have sold basically just as well being a PC exclusive. As long as a game is good enough people will buy it and the platform necessary to play it. You saw this with a huge upsurge in Switch sales whenever their big games come out. You see this whenever a big PlayStation exclusive comes out.

Viral marketing is a byproduct of multiplatform releases. You're able to generate more buzz when a larger percentage of gamers can play your game.

Have you seen what the top selling games are every year? It's all multiplatform releases. These companies are moving away from platform exclusivity because it so obviously doesn't work.

What I don't understand is your refusal to come to terms with a platform holder's need to have exclusive content to draw people to their storefront. Sony makes far more money taking a 30% cut of externally developed software being sold on their storefront than all of their first party games, by almost an order of magnitude.

Because as the plastic box diminishes in value, a phenomenon that's occurring before our very eyes, the game as a platform is rising.

What you must realize is that GAAS is relatively new in the gaming space. To be so new, and to take over the industry so quickly, with such little investment up to this point...yeah, the dominoes are going to continue to fall in the direction they're falling.

Btw, did you know that that PlayStation Network gets about 100 - 120 million MAU? Did you know Fortnite alone has over 100 MAU? Minecraft has over 160 million MAU.

Games are the platform, not plastic boxes. The power has shifted dramatically over the last 10 years.

 

[anonpuffs]

Viral marketing is a byproduct of multiplatform releases. You're able to generate more buzz when a larger percentage of gamers can play your game.

Have you seen what the top selling games are every year? It's all multiplatform releases. These companies are moving away from platform exclusivity because it so obviously doesn't work.

Because as the plastic box diminishes in value, a phenomenon that's occurring before our very eyes, the game as a platform is rising.

What you must realize is that GAAS is relatively new in the gaming space. To be so new, and to take over the industry so quickly, with such little investment up to this point...yeah, the dominoes are going to continue to fall in the direction they're falling.

Btw, did you know that that PlayStation Network gets about 100 - 120 million MAU? Did you know Fortnite alone has over 100 MAU? Minecraft has over 160 million MAU.

Games are the platform, not plastic boxes. The power has shifted dramatically over the last 10 years.

The plastic boxes are decidedly not diminishing in value. The PS5 has earned Sony more than all of their other generations.

Also, GAAS is not new lmao, ultima online is 3 decades old

 

[Shmunter]

The plastic boxes are decidedly not diminishing in value. The PS5 has earned Sony more than all of their other generations.

Also, GAAS is not new lmao, ultima online is 3 decades old

Not to mention platform holders take revenue from all the GaaS micro transactions. The more successful the game the more money for platform holders.

Odd to dismiss consoles as the inroad to a cash cow for the platform holder.

Nothing has changed, you want to create a compelling environment for people to play in so you can get the biggest slice of the pie from all the games played, the games business structure is irrelevant.

Only Xbox is different because they have failed to sell their console and subsequently the storefront. Compounded by massive acquisitions that only ever stacked up in value due to being wide publishers.

Sony hasn’t helped by releasing their games on pc somehow giving legitimacy to Phil Dispensers false rhetoric. It’s still an odd approach.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

The plastic boxes are decidedly not diminishing in value. The PS5 has earned Sony more than all of their other generations.

Both PlayStation and XBox consoles are selling worse than their previous units when launch aligned.

Also, GAAS is not new lmao, ultima online is 3 decades old

Ultima is only 26 years old and was released when the PC market was miniscule compared to today. The true GAAS birth really occurred with Destiny, which was only 10 years ago.

BTW, I see you avoided my Minecraft and Fortnite MAU numbers. I wonder why...

 

[Shmunter]

Both PlayStation and XBox consoles are selling worse than their previous units when launch aligned.

Ultima is only 26 years old and was released when the PC market was miniscule compared to today. The true GAAS birth really occurred with Destiny, which was only 10 years ago.

BTW, I see you avoided my Minecraft and Fortnite MAU numbers. I wonder why...

Covid throws off those numbers to compare like for like. But beyond that, the consoles are still carrying day 1 pricing. Any movement down - which will come at some point will create a frenzy, no doubt.

GTA6 being console only will also spur massive sales.

Console gamers are not automatically PC Games, a market for a plug and play set top box that plays games at a high quality will always be there.

 

[Sircaw]

Nice to see a good constructive and intresting discussion going on.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Nothing has changed

The only constant in nature is change itself.

To suggest the market isn't going through a rapid evolution right now is frankly, insane.

PlayStation made 0% of it's revenue from GAAS a mere 10 years ago. Now the majority of their revenue is from GAAS.

That rapid change occurred both unbelievably quickly (around 10 years) and it happened when the vast majortiy of resources were spent on non GAAS titles. The next 5 years of the industry is going to leave many of you speechless.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Console gamers are not automatically PC Games, a market for a plug and play set top box that plays games at a high quality will always be there.

We don't disagree here. I'm just saying the people who think companies like PlayStation and Nintendo will remain immune to multiplatform release are only trying to fool themselves.

 

[Shmunter]

The only constant in nature is change itself.

To suggest the market isn't going through a rapid evolution right now is frankly, insane.

PlayStation made 0% of it's revenue from GAAS a mere 10 years ago. Now the majority of their revenue is from GAAS.

That rapid change occurred both unbelievably quickly (around 10 years) and it happened when the vast majortiy of resources were spent on non GAAS titles. The next 5 years of the industry is going to leave many of you speechless.

GaaS is a game model filtered down from mobile. Its relevance to the platform holder business is zilch. A storefront always sits over the top of all games, GaaS or otherwise.

In what possible sense are they mutually exclusive?

On topic of GaaS, there is a point of saturation. And when too many chase a trend, a window of opportunity opens in the void. What’s the biggest game right now? A single player monkey brawler.

 

[Shmunter]

Nice to see a good constructive and intresting discussion going on.

The only issue in other areas are militant weirdos that take personal offence when people have a laugh at a game, like it’s their mother.

 

[anonpuffs]

Both PlayStation and XBox consoles are selling worse than their previous units when launch aligned.

Ultima is only 26 years old and was released when the PC market was miniscule compared to today. The true GAAS birth really occurred with Destiny, which was only 10 years ago.

BTW, I see you avoided my Minecraft and Fortnite MAU numbers. I wonder why...

They're selling worse because the economy is worse and the PS5 hasn't had a price cut. Xbox hasn't put out a compelling reason to own the box and has collapsed due to poor management, not because "plastic boxes are disappearing". You ignore the fact that the best selling console of the generation thrives on large single player releases, not gaas, and has sold the most consoles since the PS2 and may even beat it. Also imagine thinking destiny started the gaas trend when world of Warcraft is the first true gaas titan and it came out 20 years ago.

 

[Sircaw]

The only issue in other areas are militant weirdos that take personal offence when people have a laugh at a game, like it’s their mother.

You talk shit about Volcano High again, and I will have you.

 

[Shmunter]

You talk shit about Volcano High again, and I will have you.

What!!? I’ve got the deluxe on preorder. The pink leotard is simply to die for.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

GaaS is a game model filtered down from mobile. Its relevance to the platform holder business is zilch. A storefront always sits over the top of all games, GaaS or otherwise.

In what possible sense are they mutually exclusive?

What percentage of the market do you think the first PlayStation had in the late 90's? Now what percentage of the market do you think the PlayStation 5 has?

As PC gaming, mobile gaming, and cloud gaming skyrocket in popularity...PlayStations number diminishes.

The above is half the reason why all these giant, super successful publishers are shifting away from platform exclusivity. That, plus the fact that games continue to rise in cost means sticking your game on a single piece of plastic has become increasable less attractive.

And again, in 5 years...10 years...PlayStations share of the market will only continue to shrink.

On topic of GaaS, there is a point of saturation. And when too many chase a trend, a window of opportunity opens in the void. What’s the biggest game right now? A single player monkey brawler.

That is true. There is a point of saturation. We're not there yet.

Ultimately we'll get to a small number of games (platforms) that support the vast majority of the game playing audience. The platform is switching from a piece of plastic, to a piece of software.

 

[anonpuffs]

What!!? I’ve got the deluxe on preorder. The pink leot*rd is simply to die for.

Sir we don't use the L-word here

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

"plastic boxes are disappearing"

It's important to recognize that I never said this nor did I imply this.

I'm saying the power of the plastic box in terms of market sway, will continue to diminish. These things will be Steam machines in the blink of an eye.

 

[Shmunter]

What percentage of the market do you think the first PlayStation had in the late 90's? Now what percentage of the market do you think the PlayStation 5 has?

As PC gaming, mobile gaming, and cloud gaming skyrocket in popularity...PlayStations number diminishes.

The above is half the reason why all these giant, super successful publishers are shifting away from platform exclusivity. That, plus the fact that games continue to rise in cost means sticking your game on a single piece of plastic has become increasable less attractive.

And again, in 5 years...10 years...PlayStations share of the market will only continue to shrink.

That is true. There is a point of saturation. We're not there yet.

Ultimately we'll get to a small number of games (platforms) that support the vast majority of the game playing audience. The platform is switching from a piece of plastic, to a piece of software.

As mobile computing and internet power has increased, more options have opened- no disagreement there. But the bottom line is - console gaming is still a major part of the landscape and therefore will be nurtured forever.

Sony is playing with fire devaluing their market dominance in the space, but I’m fully confident they are continually balancing the proposition of having an alluring console vs the cheap ports of already existing games to make some extra bucks. They can’t be as idiotic as not to recognise this.

Dev costs will find a balance, like everything in an open market - whether it be through AI instead of manual labour or emerging AAA dev markets like China and Korea. Games will continue to give players what they desire, as soon as interest wanes, it will self correct.

 

[Shmunter]

It's important to recognize that I never said this nor did I imply this.

I'm saying the power of the plastic box in terms of market sway, will continue to diminish. These things will be Steam machines in the blink of an eye.

Looking forward to the Steam machine to see how it sells. Prediction - it won’t : as it hasn’t the 1st time.

Why? Brand still matters, hardware cost matters, frictionless experience matters.

What void does a steam machine fill that is lacking in peoples lives?

 

[Kokoloko]

GaaS is a game model filtered down from mobile. Its relevance to the platform holder business is zilch. A storefront always sits over the top of all games, GaaS or otherwise.

In what possible sense are they mutually exclusive?

On topic of GaaS, there is a point of saturation. And when too many chase a trend, a window of opportunity opens in the void. What’s the biggest game right now? A single player monkey brawler.

I agree with everything you have been saying but Gaas has nothing to do with mobile. Online games like that have been around for ages, maybe even before the first mobile games