https://www.gematsu.com/2021/09/actraiser-renaissance-announced-for-ps4-switch-pc-ios-and-android-now-available  Square Enix snubbed Xbox yet again, for what feels like the 20th time in just the last few years. 

Edit: Make that a double Squeenix snub in one day- https://www.gematsu.com/2021/09/voice-of-cards-the-isle-dragon-roars-launches-october-28-for-ps4-switch-and-pc

Not sure what's so wrong about it. I think this has been discussed over and over again in this thread whenever something like that happens. Square Enix isn't obligated to release their games on all platforms. You always seem to blame Square Enix for such decisions, but the real problem is on Xbox community. There is not enough interest in these types of games among Xbox gamers, so Square Enix makes a wise business decision to not bother with the platform because they know in advance that these games will not sell there. It's based on years of their own internal data. They know that. I think it's time to just simply stop expecting any small games from Square Enix to hit Xbox and make unnecessary drama out of it every time.

How do I download the Halo beta?

I mean, I personally don't care, because I'm part of said Xbox majority audience that are incredibly indifferent to these games...

but I'm not sure the excuse of the potential audience being too small is really all that relevant anymore. PC, PS, and Xbox are so alike now in terms of architecture, and how you build games for them, that the cost and effort of porting from one to the next has got to be so absolutely minimal as to basically guarantee you'll either come out of it with straight profit...or, at the very least break even (or lose some super miniscule amount), at the trade-off of potentially reaching new audiences if you're consistent about making the effort over time. Square is kind of stuck in the mindset of a company from the past decade tbh.

I'm not sure how I feel about Crystal Dynamics "helping" to create Perfect Dark. On the one hand, I mostly love their work on Tomb Raider, and I'm sure they'd do a pretty good job on PD.

On the other hand...I thought the whole point of The Initiative was for MS to build a new AAA studio from the ground up, to add to their stable of developers another top tier team that could be relied upon to help deliver a steady output of games. This is giving me the impression that The Initiative is going to be very heavily reliant on outside studios to deliver on various visions/concepts they may have for some potential franchise or other. What use is that to MS? They could have just payed Square/Crystal Dynamics straight up to make a PD game...or pay some other 3rd party dev to make whatever other game. Sure, the price would probably be higher, cus you're not taking ANY work off their hands, and you'd have less control over how that game turns out, but at the end of the day....if that game turns out to be a big hit...you're still gonna need the shell out money every time you want that dev to come back and help you make sequels or whatnot. And you gotta pay everyone at TI. So...how much cheaper is it really? It doesn't serve the same purpose as a proper first party studio.

Idk...I don't really get it. It would make a lot more sense to me if the studios that TI was collaborating with where at least within Xbox. But whatever. Hope it's a cool game.

I'm not sure how I feel about Crystal Dynamics "helping" to create Perfect Dark. On the one hand, I mostly love their work on Tomb Raider, and I'm sure they'd do a pretty good job on PD.

On the other hand...I thought the whole point of The Initiative was for MS to build a new AAA studio from the ground up, to add to their stable of developers another top tier team that could be relied upon to help deliver a steady output of games. This is giving me the impression that The Initiative is going to be very heavily reliant on outside studios to deliver on various visions/concepts they may have for some potential franchise or other. What use is that to MS? They could have just payed Square/Crystal Dynamics straight up to make a PD game...or pay some other 3rd party dev to make whatever other game. Sure, the price would probably be higher, cus you're not taking ANY work off their hands, and you'd have less control over how that game turns out, but at the end of the day....if that game turns out to be a big hit...you're still gonna need the shell out money every time you want that dev to come back and help you make sequels or whatnot. And you gotta pay everyone at TI. So...how much cheaper is it really? It doesn't serve the same purpose as a proper first party studio.

Idk...I don't really get it. It would make a lot more sense to me if the studios that TI was collaborating with where at least within Xbox. But whatever. Hope it's a cool game.

Well, it seems like The Initiative is going to be responsible for creating the concept for games(Story, art, gameplay mechanics) and then get someone to make it for them. Like Mistwalker did with Lost Odyssey and other games.

I dont think Crystal Dynamics will have any creative input.

What this announcement says to me is that design and prototyping phase is over. Its now time to actually make the game.

Honestly wouldn't be surprised if this has saved Crystal Dynamics for a few more years, Square doesn't have an absolute clue what to do with their Western studios and are slowly destroying them but I like this move, I really enjoyed the Tomb Raider reboot, especially from a gameplay perspective, I was just getting a little tired of the "origin story" dragged out across multiple titles and Croft constantly being a massive screw up which leads to her slaughtering hundreds like a madwoman, Lol.

But I'm 99% sure that Perfect Dark's story will be entirely led by The Initiative so we're good.