General gaming discussion

Zero-Cool · 08-07-2025 09:46AM

It's like the guy who thinks he's up 50 quid in poker but ignores that he spent 150 quid to get to that point.

Penn · 08-07-2025 09:49AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123613981#Comment_123613981

My car is very economical to run*

(* does not include cost of diesel)

brady12 · 08-07-2025 10:34AM

🤣👍🏻

Jordan 199 · 08-07-2025 11:10AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123613886#Comment_123613886

So tell me Officer Kim, did you ever arrest somebody for dropping a Lion Bar wrapper on a footpath?

awec · 08-07-2025 11:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123613869#Comment_123613869

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123613924#Comment_123613924

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123613969#Comment_123613969

I think people (including Chris Dring) are maybe getting confused here.

What they don't do is book the complete cost of developing first party games against Game Pass because this wouldn't make sense.

Unless the game is exclusive to Game Pass (which as far as I'm aware, has never happened?) you can't lump all the costs against it. You can't charge Game Pass for the dev costs for a game that's also going to go on sale on PlayStation for example, or that you can buy on Xbox / PC.

I think that guy Chris Dring has already corrected his misunderstanding.

Kimbot · 08-07-2025 11:28AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614238#Comment_123614238

No, I only arrest if its a mars bar wrapper :P

Jordan 199 · 08-07-2025 11:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614293#Comment_123614293

😂 I didn't have a Mars Bar in a while.

Penn · 08-07-2025 11:39AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614288#Comment_123614288

Edit: Update from Chris Dring below clarifies things a bit better

johnny_ultimate · 08-07-2025 11:43AM

Here’s Chris Dring’s more detailed post / clarification for the record - only fair to include it! Definitely downplaying his initial claim.

I still think some creativity is likely needed on Xbox’s side to make the numbers work (running those studios isn’t cheap), but doesn’t seem as dramatic as Dring’s original posts suggested. Though seeing the huge impact Game Pass has had on first party game sales on Xbox and, to an extent, PC, it’d be really interesting seeing the arithmetic involved in ‘profitable’.

https://twitter.com/chris_dring/status/1942469649423052857?s=46&t=nwvJe3fJtU0siJ7wj5mjTA

CatInABox · 08-07-2025 11:52AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614339#Comment_123614339

Yes, the accounting of all this stuff is more than a bit opaque, but realistically, all companies do this kind of thing

For example, the movie Return Of The Jedi has never made any money, which is just utterly ridiculous.

johnny_ultimate · 08-07-2025 12:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614373#Comment_123614373

It’s called ‘Hollywood accounting’ for a reason :)

Particularly interested in the Game Pass maths as it has completely upended the usual industry model. Given the huge acquisition (and ongoing) costs and the struggles of Xbox hardware, it surely makes the finances more difficult. Especially since there’s been multiple developers claiming traditional sales on Xbox are dismal due to Game Pass dominating the ecosystem.

That said, going multi-platform is surely a welcome boost for any game - as we’ve seen with the likes of Forza Horizon on PS5.

Potential-Monke · 08-07-2025 02:26PM

Jesus I might get to say I told ye so twice! Interesting times for MS ahead, but i knew day 1 AAA games were never going to be a good idea for a sub service. They're scrambling to make back the merger money. [Trigger warning] Sony was right...

Cordell · 08-07-2025 02:40PM

On the other hand without day one AAAs there's little value to the sevice. I think they are now in a tough spot where they spent a fortune on some AAA flops and another fortune on acquisition of already bloated studios but eventually the subscription model will work. It works for films, it will work for games.

Zero-Cool · 08-07-2025 03:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614902#Comment_123614902

I hate the fact that Sony were right on this.

recyclops · 08-07-2025 03:18PM

I think people underestimated how reluctant people are when they get stuck into a digital ecosystem, its rarely worth moving from one to another if you have bought even one digital game or have friends lists.

Thats all that matters nowadays to majority of people across different devices, phones etc

brady12 · 08-07-2025 03:19PM

You would worry about xbox's long term future way it's going . Microsoft be ruthless enough id say . Although are they judging by how xbox leadership is still there 😅

McFly85 · 08-07-2025 03:50PM

I don’t know if I’d go as far to say Sony was right, but it’s a high risk business model that maybe 5 companies in the world could probably afford to setup and only one of them is in the games industry. An incredible amount of money has gone into creating that library, including first party development and acquisitions(even if MS don’t count those in bookkeeping).

It’s unlikely to move the needle though as it’s simply too expensive at €18 a month to keep long term. I currently have it for expedition 33 and Tony Hawk but will get rid of it after. I think a games subscription sweet spot is under €10, with AAA first party added 6-12 months after release and discounts for subscribers day 1. Keeps the price down to something it’s easier to consider keeping and incentivises players to purchase games on release.

Penn · 08-07-2025 03:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123615165#Comment_123615165

Yeah I don't think Sony could have afforded to do it even if they wanted to. Xbox had the Microsoft warchest behind them, plus PS was roaring ahead of Xbox at the time so they probably felt like they didn't need to directly compete.

As much as I wanted a Sony equivalent of Gamepass (which they tried with PS Now but it was never on a level with Gamepass), I also felt it could do more damage than good, particularly as Sony's exclusives were nearly always single-player story-focused games and that was what appealed to me. If they went subscription service, there would have been more of a push to have monetisation in their games.

So I don't so much know if it's a case that Sony were right, but rather that it didn't make sense for Sony to do it.

Zero-Cool · 08-07-2025 04:46PM

More like Sony will use this as confirmation that they were right. I'm still jealous of the awesome day ones xbox get but yeah, looks like there was a big price to pay.

Potential-Monke · 08-07-2025 04:46PM

I know it's each to their own, and Xbox is the better choice if you're a multiplayer gamer, but PS+ i consider is excellent value for money. I play games i never would have, I save loads not buying games and now having the patience for (most of) them to come to Plus/GP. And Premium is currently less than 2 full price games. It even allows me the option to buy a new game physical, and if I dont love it I trade it in while it's worth money and finish it when it comes to Plus (Forspoken, Dead Island 2, Dying Light 2, AC Valhalla and probably eventually Shadows, etc). I currently have GPU for €15/month for some reason, but if they up it to €18 I'll probably cancel and subscribe if/when they add something i like/can run on my pc.

Zero-Cool · 08-07-2025 05:52PM

So who wants to play The Last of Us 2 again!!!???? New patch ads chronological node so you can play the game in, well, chronological order.

Jordan 199 · 08-07-2025 08:25PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123615532#Comment_123615532

No thanks.

Penn · 08-07-2025 08:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123615532#Comment_123615532

I'll probably replay it at some point, maybe before Season 3. Odds are I'll play it in same order as it was released though. I think once you know that's what's going to happen and you're expecting the huge shift in tone, pacing and progress, you probably get over it quick enough.

Nice of them to work on and give the option though. Can't fault them for that.

Higgo84 · 08-07-2025 10:35PM

I went to the gun shop near your apartment to buy ammo in CyberPunk 2077 and what do you know they have ammo for all guns except my favourite gun. The SMG. That was a bit of a weird one but I can probably buy some else where.