The Tuesday letters page wishes someone would form a new publisher to rival EA and Ubisoft, as one reader asks when the next Nintendo Direct is.
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Jumping out
The news that a former creator of Xbox thinks that Microsoft has given up, willingly or not, on making hardware came only a day after I sold my Xbox Series X in order to fund a Nintendo Switch 2. I didn’t do it primarily because of the Switch 2 though, that was kind of just the excuse.
I’ve had an Xbox console since the 360 and, like Phil Spencer said, I’m stuck in the ‘ecosystem’. But I’ve had enough of it. I’m not going to get another next gen system that’s going to be playing runner-up all generation, especially when I know it won’t have any exclusives.
I don’t like anything Microsoft is doing at the moment, including the focus on AI and the upcoming job cuts. They bought Activision and then they just became Activision. The company that I used to like in the Xbox 360 era is gone now and it’s not coming back.
The Switch 2 is just an aside though. I can afford it now but what I’ll look for now is getting a PlayStation 6 when It comes out. It’ll be my first Sony console since the PlayStation 2 but I’m looking forward to it.
84Colbat
Almost there
I know Microsoft has announced their next gen plans already but I don’t think there’s anyone optimistic enough to think that it’s anything more than a token effort. That exec has been working on Xbox since the beginning, and I’m sure knows lots of people that are still there, so if she thinks Xbox hardware is ‘dead’ I’m not going to call her wrong.
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Whether it matters or not I’m not sure, from Microsoft’s business point of view, but I don’t really care. There’s no way I’m going to buy an Xbox console again, not after the last two generations, and clearly I can play anything I want on PlayStation 5. Plus, if I was that desperate for Game Pass or any future exclusives they might make, I’d just play it on PC.
As I understand, designing and manufacturing a console is expensive so given how things are going not making them anymore may actually save Microsoft money, but either way I’d say in terms of gaming they are at least 90% software only already.
Tamos
Hardcore audience
What I don’t get about the Xbox hardware plans is who do they think is going to buy their new consoles, given how badly the Xbox Series X/S is doing? I wouldn’t say they’d be able to count on hardcore fans at all. In fact, I’d assume they’re the least likely to give them another chance, given how the last two generations have gone.
And I don’t see them attracting new fans either, because that means more casual gamers who certainly aren’t going to pay £500+ for a PC handheld. I don’t imagine they’re likely to pay around that for a new home console either, unless there’s something very special about it.
There’s no sign that Microsoft is pivoting to casual friendly games, so I’m not sure what options are left. What I could understand is if the next gen Xbox was basically a PC in a box, but they specifically said it wasn’t that, so I guess I just don’t get it.
Hammeriron
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Evil evolves
The interesting thing to me about Resident Evil Requiem not being open world is just how tightly focused it feels. Village wasn’t exactly open world, but it did have a lot of areas you could go back and forwards from. Requiem seems to be mostly set in a spooky hotel and a bombed out Raccoon City, and apparently Raccoon City isn’t in it much anyway.
Maybe there’s more, I’m sure there is, but I like the vibe so far. There’s almost a Silent Hill feel to some of it so far and that means Resident Evil is yet again evolving. I think that’s great, whether I even like the changes or not. Constant change is why Resi is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and other franchises could learn a lot from that.
Grando
Direct information
I see that Elden Ring on Switch 2 seems to be getting ready for release, since it has an age rating now, but would that just be released without warning or would they do it in a Nintendo Direct? I know it was briefly in the April one but with a game that big I wouldn’t have thought it would just slip out.
Surely it’s time for Nintendo to do a post-launch Direct that can give us a clearer picture of what the second half of the year is going to look like. We know about games like Elden Ring, and Hyrule Warriors 3, but they have no date or much information about them. I like my Switch 2, but I want to know what’s next.
Probst
GC: We’d be shocked if Nintendo didn’t have multiple Directs this year. Although there is a possibility that all or most of them will be focused on a single game, like the recent Donkey Kong Bananza one.
New players
I don’t know what the chances are of EA Sports FC 26 being a flop, or even just not selling as well as EA hoped, but personally I hope it doesn’t. Not because I have any love for the series or EA but we cannot afford to let any other big publishers go under.
It’s very unlikely EA will go bust any time soon but the second they start doing badly they become prey for the likes of Microsoft and Sony, and then that’s another independent publisher gone. It’s the same with Ubisoft. They might not be anyone’s favourite publisher, but we do not need any less choice in gaming. Or even more well-known companies to be owned by the same giant corporation.
What I’d really like to see is new publishers being created but I think the only real attempt like that was Embracer Group, which took the usual dumb venture capitalist approach of trying to buy up other smaller companies and then getting impatient when they didn’t immediately start making money.
I think CD Projekt may eventually grow into a large publisher, that publishes more than their own stuff, but not any time soon. If I had the money, I’d set one up and sign up a bunch of AA indie games – ones like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that look almost like AAA games – and take it from there. You don’t have to own the developer, just publish them and take your cut and help nurture new studios.
That sort of long term thought just doesn’t seem to happen anymore though.
Pinky
Horrific soundtrack
I’ve just had the best evening going about domestic mundanities but with the chip music of World Of Horror playing in the background (courtesy of a streaming site). Can’t believe how good this is.
I’ve promptly moved the game from saved for later to buy now. It’s so good. I’ve no idea how the game will sit with me but when the music is this good then I don’t think I can go wrong. Classic chiptune goodness.
D Dubya
Movie tie-in
So, what are people’s guesses as to what the next big Nintendo game to be announced will be? We’ve had Mario Kart and that’s really it in terms of mainline entries, unless you count Donkey Kong as a 3D Super Mario.
That’s a whole question in itself and I have no idea of the answer, except I assume that there’s going to be some kind of actual Mario game out around the time of the movie sequel next April. Whether that’d be 2D or 3D though I don’t think there’s any way of telling.
So I guess that might be the next one, but I’d be surprised if Animal Crossing wasn’t also announced within the next eight months or so. We all know how weird it was that they stopped supporting the old one, so surely that means work on the Switch 2 game must’ve started a long time ago?
Unfortunately, most speculation for Nintendo is along the lines of not understanding why they haven’t done it already. A spin-off instead of Splatoon 4 is weird, no Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe at launch is weird, and Hyrule Warriors 3 instead of a remake or better spin-off is also quite the choice.
The Mario Bros. movie coming out next year is really the only thing you can base a prediction on but even then, it’s nothing you can take to the bank. After all, Nintendo did exactly nothing for the first one.
Badgerman
Inbox also-rans
I’m willing to bet that whoever used the term ‘liquid metal’ did it specifically to make a Terminator 2 reference. If you heat it up all metal is liquid and I’m pretty sure there’s not a load of mercury, or whatever, sloshing about in my PlayStation 5.
Whistler
RE: EA Sports FC 26 vs. Rematch. I would rather play a game where thousands of real players are in it and tons of leagues and teams agree to be in the game than Rematch. Especially on how you can build your team and how fun it is when Team of the Season and Beyond starts.
Anon
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