Cliff Notes
- Microsoft’s Decline: The ongoing struggles of Microsoft in the gaming industry have led to increased prices and a diminishing fanbase, raising concerns about the future of Xbox as a console manufacturer.
- DLC Missteps: The recent Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC highlights a disconnect between investment groups and the gaming landscape, resulting in poorly timed releases and potential financial repercussions for developers.
- Nintendo‘s Strength: Amidst the turmoil, Nintendo’s hardware continues to receive praise for its tactile design, suggesting a strong future for the company in both hardware and software development.
Games Inbox: Are there still any Xbox fans left?
Are you still a fan? (Microsoft), or are we a little delusional in the west. The Tuesday letters page is unimpressed by the Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC, as one reader enjoys the friendly tactility of Nintendo consoles.
Spilt milk
As soon as Microsoft started to go into their death spiral, in the last few months, I started thinking back to the whole Activision Blizzard court case and how everything Microsoft promised never happened and everything people warned about did happen. I see the people involved did too.
So here we are and Microsoft has wrecked the games industry, prices have gone up, and their days as a console manufacturer are numbered. I’d like to say that everyone lost but of course those pesky multi-millionaire execs get away scot-free.
I also remember all the Xbox fans demanding that the acquisition be allowed because… reasons. A couple of years later and I’m not sure there even is such a thing as an Xbox fan anymore. That Reader’s Feature at the weekend was the most positive thing I’ve read in the last couple of weeks and even then they basically admitted they’d ditch Microsoft the second they stopped offering good deals.
There’s no use crying about it now, the damage has been done and it can’t be undone, but we warned at the time and it should’ve been obvious that this would be the outcome.
Benson
Infinite abyss
‘Too big to care’ definitely sounds like the sort of attitude Microsoft would have about itself and I suppose as far as the whole company is concerned it’s true. But Xbox is definitely not in that position. The head guy clearly doesn’t care about games at all and the second it doesn’t look like they’re going to make enough money for him he’ll junk the whole thing.
Exclusive gaming analysis
What an absolute worse case scenario for Xbox and gaming in general. Add the nightmare of EA to the pot and I really don’t know how it could get worse except… GTA 6 being bad? Nintendo’s next game being Welcome Tour 2?
All I can hope is that we’re at the bottom of the barrel now and it literally cannot get worse, but I know that’s not true. Things can always get worse, just please don’t prove that to us video games industry!
Zeiss
Scoring the year
While it has been a pretty solid year overall for gaming releases, featuring the release of the Switch 2 (if nothing else, the Zelda upgrades are phenomenal) and quality titles for PC and Sony and Microsoft’s offerings, there have been missteps and failures along the way as well. How will the gaming community ultimately view 2025’s output?
For me, the last few months (Ghost Of Yōtei, Metal Gear Solid Delta, Death Stranding 2, Borderlands 4, Hades 2, and Switch 2) have proven to be fruitful, with Battlefield 6 coming out soon too. Metroid Prime 4 will also be one to track this December. I’ll score this year an 8/10. A quality scope of gaming titles, but lacking in all-time, generationally revered games.
Good tidings from across the pond.
Andrew
Satisfying parts
Having recently got a Switch 2, I can finally feel for myself how satisfying it is for the magnetic Joy-Con to snap into place (even if a small part of my brain is worried the magnetism is going to fail at some point!)
Thinking back, Nintendo’s consoles often do come with satisfying moving parts (stemming from their roots in toy manufacturing?). From the eject button for ‘launching’ SNES games, the lovely ‘whump’ sound of closing the DS Lite, to the click of snapping the original Switch Joy-Con into place.
I’m sure Nintendo will continue to make great games for generations to come but I really hope they never drop out the hardware business (as some occasionally predict). Their hardware and software always go hand in hand.
ttfp saylow (gamertag)
Now playing: Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza
Smoking hot
For all Broken Sword fans like me, Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror has just been announced. It is available to add to your wishlist on Steam and also they are looking to see who is interested in a collector’s
edition of the second game. If you are interested in getting the collector’s edition you can register your interest on Kickstarter.
I bought the collector’s edition of the first game and this month, or next month, I will be receiving it. It includes the game with my name in the credits (!), a George figurine, and other various high quality
collectibles.
Andrew J.
Gaming cafe
Six months into opening my cafe, along with caring for my firstborn who is now 15 months old, and I’m still able to find time to play video games. Sleep be damned.
I played the Call Of Duty beta and thought it was naff. Uninstalled after a few games. They are doubling down on small maps and repetitive gameplay. Happy to see fellow Inboxers agreeing.
I manage a few hours each night on either Kingdom: Come Deliverance 2 or Hades 2, if my wife wants to game. Both games are the pinnacle of their genres. I am rushing to try and complete Kingdom: Come Deliverance 2 before Battlefield 6 comes out.
Over and out.
Tommyfatfingers
PS: Here’s my cafe, in case you’re wondering. 10% off for any fellow GCers!
Funny gamers
There is a brand new podcast that has started up which I feel would be of interest to current and old school gamers.
The podcast does cover various gaming topics and does also have its own YouTube channel. It is presented by comedians Glenn Moore, Sarah Keyworth, and Pierre Novellie. Here’s the link so anyone interested can check them out.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
The money men
The recent Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC is just the latest evidence that these large investment groups don’t have a clue about how the games industry works. The PIF, and its subsidiary Savvy, want to establish Saudi Arabia as a major hub for the games industry – the only problem is that they don’t have the bedrock to build from. Their solution? Throw money at the problem. Ubisoft had stated no DLC was planned for Mirage, but that was likely before Savvy drove a truck full of money up to their headquarters.
And I’m not against that. Getting Saudi showcased in a popular franchise is a great way to build a positive reputation and show that they’re delivering on this promise of being a hub for the video game industry. The thing that bothers me is how out of touch it is with the games landscape. Mirage came out two years ago, and we’ve since got a newer, sleeker sequel in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
It’s clear that the execs in the space made the connection that promoting Assassin’s Creed Mirage would be good PR for Savvy, the PIF, and Saudi Arabia. But because no one wants to make a decision quickly, and there are likely thousands of layers of red tape, this investment came way too late, causing the development of the DLC to launch after a sequel had gone live. The impact is going to be DLC that flops, and investors will hold off on any future collaboration because of the associated risks involved.
And this marks a big problem. If the people with all the money are not aware of how the games industry works, then they’ll continue to make these decisions, which will continue to result in poor results, which will make them less inclined to put money into the sector. The cycle continues, and the industry will face ongoing problems with getting funding.
The real tragedy is that individual developers and teams have put hard work into making this DLC a reality, and they’ll be facing a lot of heat from the PIF because the content was doomed from the start.
Arnold Lister
Inbox also-rans
I would second the recommendation for Cocoon. It is a fantastic game and while it gets super confusing towards the end it’s never quite as difficult as you think and I enjoyed every minute of it.
George
I’m sure everyone completely believes everything Microsoft says about its next Xbox. I mean, it’s not like they haven’t said one thing and done another before!
Prolo