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Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:30 Activision Blizzard Buyout Motivated by Mobile Gaming
5:28 Sonic Frontiers Good Signs Going Forward
7:21 Xbox Game Pass Made Pentiment Possible
13:07 Sony Santa Monica Unannounced Games
15:13 Poll of the Day ( Game of the Year Snubs )
Sources:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/phil-spencer-says-the-xbox-business-will-become-untenable-if-it-remains-irrelevant-on-mobile/
https://steamdb.info/app/1237320/graphs/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sonic-frontiers-is-a-global-playtest-and-there-are-still-improvements-to-be-made-director-says/
https://www.resetera.com/threads/josh-sawyer-i-never-would-have-proposed-making-pentiment-without-game-pass.654804/
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-14/sonys-santa-monica
https://twitter.com/Okami13_/status/1592880888173719558
Obsidian Entertainment Pentiment Xbox Game Studios PS5 Games PlayStation 5 Unannounced Games PlayStation News PlayStation leaks 2022 PS5 2023 Games Upcoming PS5 Games 2023 God of War Ragnarok The Outer Worlds 2 Avowed
Foreign You know one pretty persistent debate Out there that I always find to just be Absolutely ridiculous is the bottom of The barrel Xbox game pass comments you Know you know the concern trolling for Xbox game pass being nothing but fodder Is it sustainable and is it actually Good for game developers it's these Questions here this concerned trolling That is just so absurd to me because We've seen success from them time and Time again and for those that choose to Subscribe because yes it is an option Those fans well they do seem to Absolutely love it it really is just Another option if you don't like it just Don't subscribe but you know let's go Back to those developers again because It does have some pretty big supporters For a multitude of reasons and you can Now add Obsidian Entertainment to that List because Josh Sawyer had a pretty Glowing response on how it's benefited Them as creators so we're gonna talk all About that a little later on today as Well as a Hush Hush secret PlayStation Game that might be coming sooner than Expected yeah definitely some pretty Exciting stuff there so lots and lots to Go over today per usual though if you're New to the channel and if you like this Type of content just a little bit of a Reminder of those buttons below they're
Pretty magnificent I have to say so go Ahead hit that like subscribe and yes Whack that Bell as hard as you possibly Can Let's just go and jump right into things Though starting off with the Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition once Again because why not there's there's Always something happening with this Buyout but actually this is a little bit Of a change of pace here because According to Xbox Phil Spencer the main Reason that they're trying to buy them Out is not solely because of Call of Duty in all of their AAA Studios instead And this might actually come as a Surprise to some people but he claims That Microsoft is looking at King and Their mobile division as a big driving Force behind the nearly 70 billion Dollar buyout now this is not the first Time that they've mentioned something Like this but as we've got more Information Microsoft's desire to enter The mobile game Market has become more Evident over time and that was made Clear here in an interview with the Decoder podcast where he said this in Terms of the Activision opportunity and I keep saying this over and over and It's true it definitely starts with a View that people want to play games on Every device that they have and and in a Funny way the small screen that we play
On is actually the biggest screen when You think about the installed base in Phone that's just a place where if we Don't gain relevancy as a gaming brand We're not alone in seeing this over time The business will become kind of Untenable for any of us if we're not Able to find customers on phones but on Any screen that someone wants to play on You really are going to get segmented to A niche part of gaming that running a Global business will become very Challenging now he continues on to talk About how the mobile market is growing Whereas console gaming is relatively the Same each generation in terms of a user Base and that companies like tencent are Really capitalizing on that by Purchasing a lot of Studios at a very Rapid pace so he was then asked if this Buyout was actually more about Candy Crush than Call of Duty and this here Was his response absolutely and in Addition the number that's not in the Candy Crush King number is Call of Duty Mobile and Diablo mobile which are big Franchises that exist in the Activision Bucket and in the blizzard bucket that Are also major players on phones if you Look at the totality of an Activision Blizzard King does where their customers Come from where they make money it's the Same reason that take two looked at Zynga and said we've got to build our
Mobile capability I'd say Activision Blizzard King did a better job of doing That earlier definitely better than we Did and they're now in a position where They've got great PC franchises great Console franchises and great mobile for Us the real differentiation that they Add to us is their mobile capability So I mean there it is that that mobile Division and their expertise there is Actually a big part of this Activision Blizzard buyout now I'm sure other Things play a major role as well such as More content for something like Xbox Game pass but Microsoft does seem to Have some real desire into getting into That mobile market it was actually Spotted earlier this year that they're Planning on a Xbox mobile game store Which that could actually end up being Very interesting they they could tie all Their Xbox stuff together in one place For just absolute maximum exposure to That that mainstream market having Something like Candy Crush Call of Duty Diablo other mobile games that they make I mean they can make up halo mobile game Something Gears of War related they did Actually do gears pop before and then Also have all their cloud content and Xbox game pass in one single store that Could actually be very interesting again To really expose all this to that mass Market now I know most of us don't
Really care about mobile games ourselves I'm not really into it myself but this Is something that we are starting to see More of Nintendo they make mobile games They pointed out take two they're Jumping into that with that big Zynga Purchase also Sony they're preparing for A bigger push as well and it does sound Like Xbox is doing the same so over the Next few years don't be surprised if we Start to see more mobile games come from Xbox in addition to their already well Established AAA style games Now we do also have another update for Sonic Frontiers actually there's a few Different things happening here so we'll Just go over each one by one and that Starts with it breaking a new record for The franchise you know obviously this Was a big shift for Sonic opting out in A more open World experience and so far Seems like it has paid off or at least That's how it appears because Frontiers Has reached a new pikai of 19 000 Concurrent players on Steam now that Might not necessarily sound ginormous But this is a significant jump compared To their previous High which was for Sonic Mania that topped out at 11 987 concurrent players so that is a good Sign going forward that they've gotten Off to at least a better start than Their previous entries now the more Interesting update here though comes in
The way of what's going to happen to Sonic going forward are they gonna stick With this open world formula or will They go back to that more linear design Well the Sonic Frontier is game director Did say this we are checking out the Opinions of the critics and players as You have pointed out there are still Areas where we are not quite there yet And we will take this seriously like a Global play test now I don't know if the Translation was absolutely perfect here But the way this makes it sound is that They do intend to evolve this open Reformula even more whether that be with A sequel an expansion or maybe just a Completely new game but as he notes There's still areas that they can Improve in now the obvious Improvement That they need to make is the pop-in Because that that is a glaring issue I Mean the game is still fun but improving That would go a long way I I do think They're on to something here fans really And I mean really seem to be enjoying Sonic Frontiers over on Steam it's got Overwhelmingly positive reviews and I Mean if you do like Sonic Frontiers I'd Say that these are relatively good signs Going forward Let's go and talk about this Xbox game Pass situation though because I mean how Many times have you heard something like Game Pass isn't good for developers it's
Got no games they don't review well how Does developers make money on something Like this and I mean you just hear this Type of stuff get regurgitated over and Over and over again well we've seen Several developers come out and talk About how it's actually helped their Game succeed now it's not necessarily a One size fits-all type of deal each Developer will need to take a look at it To see if it best fits their own Individual game but Microsoft does pay Them money to include it into their Service which that's already a big bonus There and it also gives their games a Lot of added exposure which translates To not only success for Xbox but also on Other platforms that word of mouth as We've talked about countless times this Channel is a major major thing Especially for some of these smaller Games then as for the quality of their Games that there's the one that I just Kind of roll my eyes at because you Don't even have to look very far to find Out that that's not true at all a Plateau Requiem this game launched last Month and I mean it is a game of the Year Contender you have games like tunic That released earlier this year it's up For multiple Awards you have immortality Guess what it's up for rewards as well You have something like Persona 5 Royal That game has like a 90 plus overall
Score on Metacritic and then you just Have a host of well-received games like Ghost song you have tinykin and the list Just kind of goes on and on and on all These games are releasing into game past Day one and yeah they've been received Very very well I think if anything if You like a wide variety of games it's Pretty easy to see the value and the Quality content that you get on a pretty Much monthly basis but in terms of Developers outside of obvious Financial Situations what else can Xbox game pass Do for game developers well that that's Actually that it offers them more Creativity and that's exactly what Josh Sawyer from Obsidian Entertainment Mentioned Josh Sawyer is the game Director behind pentiment which released Yesterday and has been received very Very well does have an 86 overall score On Metacritic but the thing about this Specific game is that it's a little bit More on Niche side of things this is not Your big AAA Blockbuster title that's Going to sell millions up on millions of Copies it's gonna be for a smaller Market an Obsidian Entertainment they Absolutely know that in an interview With Waypoint radio Josh Sawyer said This this was transcribed by Tiger over On resettera and it says I never would Have proposed making pinchment without Game Pass like I literally just wouldn't
Have done it I just don't think that it Would have been possible the old Mentality of Publishers and developers Is generally focused on larger Investments with higher return on Investment and that's not the point in This environment in this ecosystem game Pass is the only way in which I conceive Of pentiment being viable for my own Sake making a game so different I've Completely shifted my thinking for Pentiment it is so unusual so Niche it's For a small audience and as long as that Audience is into it that's fine and this Is something that we have briefly talked About before something that Xbox game Pass needs is content and sometimes that Comes in a way of a big Blockbuster Title like a play tell Requiem but in Other situations it might be a little Bit more creative maybe even a little Bit more experimental it allows these Developers to truly do what they want to Because Xbox game pass does have 25 plus Million subscribers and there absolutely Will be people that try something out That maybe they wouldn't have tried Otherwise this is one of the exact Things that I pointed out with the Activision Blizzard buyout with Activision Blizzard under the Xbox Umbrella there is that possibility that Could unlock their creative freedom I Mean there's so many studios currently
Working on Call of Duty right now Practically every Activision studio for That matter and that's at the detriment Of other IP at the detriment of Creativity but under the Xbox umbrella Under the Xbox game pass model there is A chance that those Studios could work On other IP games like Spyro 4 maybe Another Crash Bandicoot game there's Also the chance of something like a new Starcraft game as Phil Spencer mentioned Or just a completely completely new IP The Game Pass model promotes that type Of stuff because they're not just Looking for one new game every year Subscriptions are more about consistent Content and when you look at a studio Like Obsidian Entertainment that's Exactly what they're displaying right Now they have those big games in Development like avowed in outer worlds Too those are going to be your massive Big tripoi titles but then they also Have these smaller games like grounded And pinchment both of which have been Well received and have been greatly Enjoyed by a lot of fans out there and Are gaining track action on something Like Xbox game pass again that's a great Thing for developers so that discussion On why developers might want to push Their content into Game Pass is Partially because of something like this It allows developers to both be creative
And get that added exposure that they Need so yeah Xbox game pass I mean in a Lot of ways it just makes things better It's a great option for fans to have but Something that people do tend to ignore At times is that it's also a great Option for developers it's by no means The only option but we have seen a lot Of developers come out and talk about The success that they've had and what Type of benefits it gives them and I Think pintamint and what Josh Sawyer Said here kind of shows one of those Reasons That also sounds like a secret PlayStation game or multiple games Actually are being teased from a studio That just released a game of the year Contender ping of course the studio Behind God of War Ragnarok Sony Santa Monica yeah your ears should already be Perked up just from that alone but What's happening here is that Corey Barlog the director behind God of War 2018 in an interview mentioned that the Studio currently quote unquote is spread Out on a lot of different things so they Do have some other projects that they're Working on which kind of begs the Question here what are they working on Well the thing about Sony Santa Monica Is that they have published smaller Games in the past so we can't Necessarily rule that out they did
Publish journey and I I believe they Published that princess as well I really Enjoyed that game but what's really Interesting here is that even though Corey barlog doesn't get into specifics Here back in October he was asked on Twitter how long does it take you from Conception to start working on a game And which he responded a year or two Depends my current thing has been many Years so he is being a little bit more Open about it there and his game Apparently has actually been in Development for quite a while now I Think some people forget that he Actually did not direct God of War Ragnarok this time Ragnarok instead was Handled by Eric Williams which by the Way kudos to him he did a great job but Corey barlog I mean he has been doing His own thing for apparently many years As he says here now we still have no Idea what this game is so not really Much to go off right now but the fact That you have a proven director like Corey barlog working on a brand new Unannounced project that's been in Development for years Yeah I said that's pretty exciting stuff This game might be closer than what we Think I I don't know if it'll Necessarily be ready next year but maybe 2024 and if that is the case That that's pretty good output for Sony
Santa Monica at the very least I Wouldn't be surprised if we get another Sony Santa Monica game sooner rather Than later Let's go take a look at the poll of the Day that we're asked you all what do you Think is the biggest snob for game of The year and this this really is a Discussion every single year is you know Not every game is going to make that List and some fans will be left Disappointed so I wanted to see y'all's Thoughts on this and as you can see here Tunic actually was the one that won this One with 26 of the votes but actually Just closely after that you have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's revenge At 25 then bound out of three at 19 Pokemon Legends Arceus at 17 and then 14 Of you voted for other where you all did Comment below we'll we'll get into that Just here in a moment but yeah tunic Does come away as the winner and and I Do agree with this this definitely was a Very close poll result and actually all Four of the games uh received a good Percentage here but yeah I agree tunic Was honestly an exceptional game also Really really like Pokemon Legends Arceus I think that was like the big Surprise game for me this year I did go Into that one a little hesitant but I Mean I left extremely extremely Impressed I'm very curious to see how
Pokemon scarlet and violet compares to That in just a couple of days I'm pretty Pretty excited for that game Honestly Though I think all these games are are Good games but that that's kind of the Thing when it comes to nominees every Year there's always going to be a couple Of games that unfortunately just doesn't Make the cut and people will be Disappointed by that this year though I Thought it was a pretty good list Overall I pretty much agreed with most Of them except for maybe stray that's The the iffy one in my opinion I mean I Think it's a good game I like seriously Don't get me wrong I really do Play Straight is a good game but I don't Think that I ever looked at it as a game Of the year Contender whereas something Like tunic that's the one I would have Went with I really think that tunic is Absolutely excellent but then you also Have games like Bayonetta three that That was that was a big missed Opportunity here and then like you just Kind of look into the comments I mean You have games like Mario plus Rabbids Sparks of hope that was a good one Splatoon 3 Nintendo actually really Really good year you had triangle Strategy this year I mean there was a Lot of I think pretty solid titles this Year but all in all I think all the Nominees are good games I mean my still
Top two are easily gonna be gone for Ragdrock and Eldon ring those are the Two big ones looking through the Comments though there was a lot of Different games that was mentioned Starboy Viper mentioned both Dying Light 2 as well sifu those were great games I Saw grounded pop-up Sonic Frontiers as We talked about earlier fans seem to be Absolutely loving that game and some of You all did mention that in the comments Neon white that was a highly highly Praised independent game that's another One of those Indie Darlings we were Talking about vampire Hunters that Popped up I mean and that's just kind of The thing about this gear I feel like There wasn't just those consistent Blockbuster hits I mean there was a lot Of delays this year but there was still A lot of really really good games and Unfortunately not every game can Necessarily be nominated Anyways though that's it for this Episode but if you like the video don't Forget to Bell notification And Subscribe button for more content just Like this also if you'd like to support The channel to patreon thank you for Making this content possible peace out
