By complaining that PS5 will get Indiana Jones in Spring 2025 at $70 because 20-30% (at a maximum) of Game Pass users in December won't get Indiana Jones but will still be able to get it for $70 or $20 with a single month of Game Pass Ultimate. See my point about why the comparison was an odd complaint? Xbox owners will get Indiana Jones months earlier than PS owners and PS owners will still pay full price, while Xbox owners either pay full price, $20 or those on existing GP standard subs will get Indiana Jones anyway.

It's funny that I'm having a great year compared to some and I had surgery in the middle of the year, Lmfao.

I've got no shortage of great titles to play on Game Pass and paid titles, a decent backlog, I think I'll end up using my Xbox Series more this year than any other year since launch. They had great showcases between the Dev Direct and June Showcase on the things that matter most, the games. Their Gamescom presence was strong, a TGS is upcoming despite Xbox fans dooming that they weren't going to be there. They had a few notable Japanese IP announced as coming to the platform recently things like Atelier for the first time ever, and from China, Genshin Impact.

Age of Mythology was great. Looking forward to Indiana Jones, Stalker 2, Shatter Space. Maybe Flight Simulator 2024 and even Black Ops 6. Towerborne is receiving strong impressions so I look forward to that now but I may wait for the full-release since they're wiping the saves before full launch and I don't really want to pay $25 to get access to a F2P title, Lol.

Obviously there is bad stuff affecting the industry at large lately with layoffs and shutdowns, nothing I can do about that except support developers best I can (and support things like unionisation for better worker rights). No billion dollar corporation is ran by good people, they aren't your friends and never were, they all answer to investors who only care about endless growth.

I think a large thing that helped me was trying to go back to my X360 days where I didn't give a fuck about anything except playing games, I wasn't doom scrolling Twitter or ResetEra, I wasn't obsessively seeking out what "the next L" would be for Xbox, Lol, which is what some Xbox fans were doing lately and not realising how they were themselves feeding the negativity machine by "jokingly" seeking out any thing to criticise.

It's not about simply paying an extra $5 to play Indiana Jones now. It's what it means going forward. If they're already nickel and diming you now with their current position, what do you think they'll start doing the moment they actually start to feel successful again? You think they'll just suddenly become a good consumer-friendly corporation?

Of the platform holders they easily have the least justification for pushing these tactics on consumers, yet they continue to push ahead and remain tone deaf to their audience.

Microsoft will lay off approximately 650 people from its gaming team, the company's head of gaming, Phil Spencer, told employees in an email to team members this morning.

Spencer framed them in the context of Microsoft's October 2023 $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard.

"As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming—mostly corporate and supporting functions—to organize our business for long term success," Spencer wrote.

The majority of the cuts will impact people in those corporate and support roles at Activision Blizzard, according to a source familiar with the matter.

This time around, "no games, devices or experiences" will be cut, per Spencer's note.

None of the business unit leaders at Xbox or its affiliated gaming teams will be cut either, according the a source familiar.

Microsoft to Cut 650 More Gaming Jobs - by Stephen Totilo

For Fuck Sake.

Seems like a "redundancy" cut affecting mostly Activision-Blizzard...Really feels like Microsoft is trying to merge Activision-Blizzard ASAP...Zenimax took years before they received "redundancy" cuts and even then it wasn't a large hit. Anyway as always, corps suck.

Subject: Changes to Microsoft Gaming

For the past year, our goal has been to minimize disruption while welcoming new teams and enabling them to do their best work. As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming—mostly corporate and supporting functions—to organize our business for long term success.

I know that this is difficult news to hear. We are deeply grateful for the contributions of our colleagues who are learning they are impacted. In the US, we're supporting them with exit packages that include severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services to help with their transition; outside the US packages will differ according to location.

With these changes, our corporate and supporting teams and resources are aligned for sustainable future growth, and can better support our studio teams and business units with programs and resources that can scale to meet their needs. Separately, as part of running the business, there are some impacts to other teams as they adapt to shifting priorities and manage the lifecycle and performance of games. No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today.

Throughout our team's history, we have had great moments, and we have had challenging ones. Today is one of the challenging days. I know that going through more changes like this is hard, but even in the most trying times, this team has been able to come together and show one another care and kindness as we work to continue delivering for our players. We appreciate your support as we navigate these changes and we thank you for your compassion and respect for each other.

Phil

No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today.

What about after today?

Another week, another layoff in the industry, this is the biggest thing that makes me just want to leave following gaming news.

Figured this would happen eventually but not this soon, mergers always lead to "redundancy" cuts eventually, the only comfort is that no games, devices or experiences are being cancelled, no studios closed and gaming teams for the most part not impacted. Though what's the point in limited integration if you then make redundancy cuts? Xbox is assuming control of Activision-Blizzard, that's not limited integration.

Depressing that we're at the stage of having to say "oh hey, at least games aren't impacted"

Hah. Gaming industry has another ~1 year of layoffs in it at least, so he's covering his ass by saying "today" in case any future layoffs happen, I don't think things will look good until around GTA 6s release and that's putting a huge amount of stupid pressure on Rockstar. Until then the industry, investors, shareholders, etc. Will be pissing their pants.

Only Nintendo has their shit sorted out *knock on wood*

One of the things I tried to do (multiple times for some reason) was cover behind walls like in Gears, Lmao.

Maybe it's cause I haven't played a Gears in a while, I feel like Space Marine 2 is a lot more brutal and bloody, I wouldn't mind Gears touching that up a notch, though don't go to an extreme because it won't fit the world, COG Army aren't Space Marines, they're regular roided humans, Lol. Few moments like those in Space Marine 2 though of those massive swarms heading your way are so good.

Though I want Gears to go back to more horror-like, close corridors, dark, spooky atmosphere.

I wish they remastered Gears 1-3...Been so long since I played them. I replayed Halo like 20 times through TMCC, Lol.

Walls are heresy, Brother. They block your heart from the Emperor.