The Thursday letters page is curious to see what difference Call Of Duty will make on Game Pass, as one reader wants God Of War on Xbox.
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Charm offensive
Xbox exclusives on Nintendo Switch? I know it technically happened before with Ori, but that seemed like it was a special case, now it’s become something else. Will we see Halo on Switch? It seems unlikely but I think the only thing that would keep it off is whether it’s technically possible, but since it’s also on Xbox One I bet they could do it.
Gaming is changing and we’ll just have to wait and see whether it’s a change for the better or not. Clearly Grounded and Pentiment aren’t going to change anything though – it was funny how the Nintendo Direct didn’t even give the second game its own slot – but this is just the tip of the iceberg. My guess as to what will be next is The Outer Worlds, and then maybe Psychonauts 2, but I think basically it’s going to be anything and everything they can get working on Switch.
My biggest question is if and when these games will come to PlayStation 5. There’s no reason they couldn’t have been a joint announcement with Nintendo, except that clearly Nintendo didn’t mind them being Xbox games but Sony probably does. I think Microsoft is going to have to do a lot more sweet-talking to win round Sony, let alone its own fans.
Benson
Call Of Duty effect
I’m very interested to see what effect, if any, Call Of Duty will have on Game Pass. Although, if it’s anything other than stellar news I just assume Microsoft won’t tell us. What’s for certain though is that if this doesn’t push the needle on Game Pass being more than just a thing for hardcore gamers then nothing else will.
Well, I suppose they could try and get EA Sports FC on there from day one, but I imagine that’d cost a fortune to organise.
Obviously, you don’t get much more mainstream friendly than Call Of Duty but what we’ve seen over the last few years is that casual gamers just aren’t interested in a subscription service for games. My guess is that they’d still rather just buy Call Of Duty and not get tied down with a new subscription that they have to keep to or they can’t play it anymore.
Johnson
Incomprehensibly impressive
Well, that Elden Ring DLC trailer was exactly what I expected: completely incomprehensible and completely amazing looking. I have no idea what’s going on with the story, and no expectation that I will know any better by the time I’ve finished it, but I’m 100% sold.
The new bosses look fantastic and very different to each other, which I think was one of the few complaints of the original. I am curious to know if the light/dark rumours are true though but I’m not even clear if there will be another trailer before launch, if it’s out in June. There probably will be but I still doubt it’ll actually explain anything.
I love From’s work and I’m so pleased that Elden Ring sold so well, which I would not have expected. Here’s to sinking another few hundred hours into the best game of the current gen!!
Walt
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One format future
I am grateful for exclusives coming to other devices, even if I have to wait for it. I’ve been doing it for a while now on PC as it is. Epic Games Store exclusives usually show up on Steam. Metro did it and I had to wait a year, so I could have all the franchise on the one launcher. Small things matter.
I hope this means that the next God Of War can come out on the Xbox Series X, so I don’t have to get a PlayStation 5, providing they don’t wait another five years and a new console, otherwise I hope it comes out on Steam or Epic Games Store.
I just want to play the games I like without spending another small fortune on a new console. I’ve stuck with PlayStation mostly due to God Of War but if I can do without buying a new one I will.
Bobwallett
Day of the dead
So, it’s happened: former Xbox exclusives are definitely coming to other formats and that’s clearly not going to be the end of it. I fear these people clamouring for the end of exclusives are going to have a rude awakening when they realise that companies only spent that much on the games because they were designed as system sellers. When that’s no longer their purpose I don’t think they’re going to be nearly as indulgent.
Exclusives serve a very particular goal and if they disappear so will a certain type of video game, the sort of prestige product that other publishers don’t really make. Does anyone think that Nintendo’s wouldn’t suffer if it went third party? The same will be true of Xbox and PlayStation.
Of course, it’ll take several years for that to be proved but I fear this is the beginning of the end for console gaming and as the time of the exclusives ends the day of the live service game will come.
Terry Gold
Traffic jam
RE: Dragon’s Dogma 2, Rise Of The Rōnin, and Princess Peach: Showtime! releasing on the same day of 22nd March 2024: the answer to this madness is likely a simple corporate one.
All of Capcom, Sony, and Nintendo’s year-ends are 31st March 2024, so they will look to dress their balance sheet up somewhat, with it showing (even more, in Nintendo’s case) healthier than usual cash reserves before the year-end once they are released. Of course, this will appease investors when these figures are published later in the year.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t understand the logic when you can make more money releasing the game another time of the year with less competition, but hey-ho.
NatorDom
GC: You’re absolutely correct but why all on the same day, let alone week? There’s nothing out at all on the following Friday (and barely anything the previous one) and that would still be within the same financial year.
Other formats
I don’t think Sony means their games going on Xbox, I think they mean their games going on PC. They have already tested the water by a few going on and they must be happy if they have said more are on the way.
If Sony bring their games to Xbox stick a fork in me, I’m done. Because I really can’t see that happening. I can see why Xbox need to but I can’t see Sony saying yes, we need to.
David
GC: That’s not what he meant. He said PC and ‘other formats’.
A false sense of disappointment
I’m going to take my (imaginary) hat off to Nintendo, that Partner Direct was actually really good. Once again we see that they’re by far the best at these sort of showcases: fast paced, no time wasting, and gets the point across with every game. They started off with the Xbox revelation, then lull you into a false sense of disappointment with some boring reveals, and then a whole bunch of interesting ones.
OG Star Wars: Battlefront? New Super Monkey Ball? World Of Goo 2? It’s not exactly GTA 6 but I’ll definitely take it. And then they add on Rare games coming to the Nintendo Switch Online virtual console and a new Endless Ocean.
I’d say the Switch was going out in style. Maybe not guns blazing, but sitting comfortably in a chair, with a gin and tonic in hand, complementing itself on a job well done. If Metroid Prime 4 really does come out this year then that will be a great way to wrap up the console, I’d say.
Especially if there’s a reveal of the Switch 2 in the summer and then we’ve got that to look forwards to as well. I’m feeling increasingly less interested in what Xbox and PlayStation are up to at the moment, primarily because none of it involves releasing any games!
Gadfly
Inbox also-rans
Add me to the list of people that no longer believe a word Phil Spencer says. When they do drop physical games, probably next gen, he’s clearly setting himself up to just blame it on gamers.
Franky
That Nintendo Direct was actually really good! Yet again we see that Nintendo – Nintendo of all companies! – is far better at communicating with its fans, and giving them what they want, than either Sony or Microsoft.
Banshee
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Sterling, who asks what is your favourite Xbox or PlayStation exclusive?
It’s obvious where this idea came from but, ignoring Nintendo for now, what is your favourite game published by Microsoft or Sony, regardless of whether they made it or not? For clarification, that means Final Fantasy 7 Remake, for example, doesn’t count, but Bloodborne and Microsoft Flight Simulator do.
How important do you feel exclusives are and have you ever bought a console primarily based on the exclusive games available for it? Do you think exclusives are unfair or a necessity for consoles to distinguish themselves from the competition?
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