Playstation is upset about Microsoft and CoD

CriticalGaming

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Sony has had a long standing relationship with Activision and especially in regards to Call of Duty. From three day head start exclusivity to exclusive multiplayer maps, CoD has been a big name on Playstation for a long time.

Microsoft now ALMOST owns Acitivision and with that power has the ability to keep Sony locked out of any future Call of Duty games beyond ones already developed for Playstation systems in the works currently. Which makes sense from a Microsoft point of view considering they are running out of franchises to fuck up. Halo Infinite is basically done from community feedback off latest moving forward plans. Fable is under development hell according to last news we've heard from that thing. And Forza is too niche to hold up a console.

Meanwhile Microsoft also owns Bethesda who's latest game looks like an impending disaster and wont even be out until 2023. Which begs the question as to what Xbox even got this year? It's September did Xbox get anything new in 2022?

Sony CEO says in the article, " “After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, [The Microsoft] proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”

And I ponder this statement. Does Sony really give a shit if they lose Call of Duty on Playstation consoles? Or are the worried that Microsoft will fuck it up like they've fucked up everything they've touched in the last ten years.

Personally I don't give a shit about CoD and never will. Nor do i care about exclusives on Xbox because I have both systems. But I do worry about good games become shit because Xbox doesn't care.

I want Fable to be good. I want Starfield to be good. I want Diablo 4 to be good. But every major studio Microsoft has bought has been a studio already fucking up shit themselves, and Microsoft doesn't have a good track record of turning shit around themselves.
 
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BrawlMan

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This is old news. There was a similar story a few months back. Oh, boo hoo Sony! You got all these other ips, and you got Killzone. How about putting the ones you don't use to good use?
 

hanselthecaretaker

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This is old news. There was a similar story a few months back. Oh, boo hoo Sony! You got all these other ips, and you got Killzone. How about putting the ones you don't use to good use?
Killzone is dead thanks to Horizon’s success, and Sony’s shift to focus on more story-driven games. They have a right to complain about losing CoD since all those millions of console gamers will eventually be forced to play it on Xbox. But meh, I say let Microsoft give this franchise the kiss of death as well though.





Sony has had a long standing relationship with Activision and especially in regards to Call of Duty. From three day head start exclusivity to exclusive multiplayer maps, CoD has been a big name on Playstation for a long time.

Microsoft now ALMOST owns Acitivision and with that power has the ability to keep Sony locked out of any future Call of Duty games beyond ones already developed for Playstation systems in the works currently. Which makes sense from a Microsoft point of view considering they are running out of franchises to fuck up. Halo Infinite is basically done from community feedback off latest moving forward plans. Fable is under development hell according to last news we've heard from that thing. And Forza is too niche to hold up a console.

Meanwhile Microsoft also owns Bethesda who's latest game looks like an impending disaster and wont even be out until 2023. Which begs the question as to what Xbox even got this year? It's September did Xbox get anything new in 2022?

Sony CEO says in the article, " “After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, [The Microsoft] proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”

And I ponder this statement. Does Sony really give a shit if they lose Call of Duty on Playstation consoles? Or are the worried that Microsoft will fuck it up like they've fucked up everything they've touched in the last ten years.

Personally I don't give a shit about CoD and never will. Nor do i care about exclusives on Xbox because I have both systems. But I do worry about good games become shit because Xbox doesn't care.

I want Fable to be good. I want Starfield to be good. I want Diablo 4 to be good. But every major studio Microsoft has bought has been a studio already fucking up shit themselves, and Microsoft doesn't have a good track record of turning shit around themselves.

Sony would of course prefer to keep the millions of gamers who probably only play CoD on PlayStation, because they don’t have a suitable replacement for it when it’s gone. It will be interesting to see how it fares under Microsoft’s wing.
 
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Killzone is dead thanks to Horizon’s success, and Sony’s shift to focus on more story-driven games. They have a right to complain about losing CoD since all those millions of console gamers will eventually be forced to play it on Xbox. But meh, I say let Microsoft give this franchise the kiss of death as well though.

Sony would of course prefer to keep the millions of gamers who probably only play CoD on PlayStation, because they don’t have a suitable replacement for it when it’s gone. It will be interesting to see how it fares under Microsoft’s wing.
Sony really has no right to complain. They're the equivalent of a kid crying for toys that was never theirs to begin with. The reason why they're sweating bullets right now, because they know they need more than just a single player driven games. Killzone doesn't have to be dead, but they don't want to go through with it because it's not the "hot thing anymore". Their arrogance wasn't helping the neither. Funny, because Sony had no problems acting and talking on us gamers beforehand. Be they hardcore or common. They keep repeating the same shit yet never learn (or only "learn" when it's convenient).
 

Casual Shinji

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Sony really has no right to complain. They're the equivalent of a kid crying for toys that was never theirs to begin with. The reason why they're sweating bullets right now, because they know they need more than just a single player driven games. Killzone doesn't have to be dead, but they don't want to go through with it because it's not the "hot thing anymore". Their arrogance wasn't helping the neither. Funny, because Sony had no problems acting and talking on us gamers beforehand. Be they hardcore or common. They keep repeating the same shit yet never learn (or only "learn" when it's convenient).
Uhm, was Killzone ever the hot thing? Honestly, one of the best things that could've happened to both Sony and Guerilla was ditching that franchise - the only identity it had was 'Halo killer', and once Halo was no longer the game to compete with anymore it even lost that sliver of worth. I don't know, maybe unbeknownst to me there's a section of gamers clamoring for a new Killzone, but I kinda doubt it.
 

CriticalGaming

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Uhm, was Killzone ever the hot thing? Honestly, one of the best things that could've happened to both Sony and Guerilla was ditching that franchise - the only identity it had was 'Halo killer', and once Halo was no longer the game to compete with anymore it even lost that sliver of worth. I don't know, maybe unbeknownst to me there's a section of gamers clamoring for a new Killzone, but I kinda doubt it.
Probably the same crowd that demands a new Armored Core.
 

Casual Shinji

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Probably the same crowd that demands a new Armored Core.
Yeah, but that's one of those niche franchises.
Yes. I may have not been a big hardcore fan, but it did and still does have a following.
Really?!

I mean, once Horizon: Zero Dawn got announced, then released, and became a hit, I don't think anyone was really going 'but what about Killzone though'. This franchise is mainly viewed as a failed attempt to syphon off Halo fans. It never really succeeded much beyond trying to sell itself as a big deal, needing Sony to speak for it rather than being able to speak for itself. Compared to God of War and Uncharted at the time, and even somewhat smaller franchises like Infamous and Little Big Planet, Killzone never really got past the 'floundering trying to establish itself' phase.
 

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Yes. Look, I am not out here saying the series was underrated or sold more than God of War and Uncharted. The franchise still made a lot of money during the 7th gen era. Not every single person picked up Killzone, but Killzone 2 did help boost some sales with the PS3. The only reason Shadowfall got such tepid reception, because everything was run of the mill, and played out by that point. I am glad Guerilla Games moved one and are doing great with Horizon, but there is nothing wrong with revisiting the IP. Or at the very least port these games over to modern consoles. They port the Resistance Trilogy while they are at it too. Sony ain't gonna lose much money over doing so.

They can't focus on "cinematic" 3rd person action games forever. What happened to their sci-fi military shooters can happen to those as well. It's called having variety instead of focusing on just one thing. They'll only end up making the same mistakes again, but of a different flavor. Sony shutting down JAPAN Studio was and is their biggest mistake! Once a new thing catches on, they'll happily abandon LOUS, Horizon, and possibly God of War (I highly doubt the last one) when they have no more use. Especially with Jim Ryan at the helm of the ship. Fuck that ungrateful and selfish douchebag!
 

hanselthecaretaker

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Yeah, but that's one of those niche franchises.
Really?!

I mean, once Horizon: Zero Dawn got announced, then released, and became a hit, I don't think anyone was really going 'but what about Killzone though'. This franchise is mainly viewed as a failed attempt to syphon off Halo fans. It never really succeeded much beyond trying to sell itself as a big deal, needing Sony to speak for it rather than being able to speak for itself. Compared to God of War and Uncharted at the time, and even somewhat smaller franchises like Infamous and Little Big Planet, Killzone never really got past the 'floundering trying to establish itself' phase.
KZ2 was never going to be or planned as being a "Halo killer" (media-inspired tagline) or expected to outsell those games, but it and KZ3 were arguably the PS3's biggest and best exclusive shooters. The series had a big enough following to warrant a total of six games in the franchise overall including the two portable titles. With the right writers they could do something worthwhile with the lore foundation if it was given the same reboot treatment that God of War had.
 
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FakeSympathy

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God it's like watching mom and dad fight over pettiest things.
“After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, [The Microsoft] proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”
And this is under the assumption that COD had some sort of high quality standards, and sony wasn't guilty of the very thing they are arguing about. Didn't they hog all of the timed exclusives since Advanced Warfare?

Also, there's that supposed TLOU multiplayer game, which I believe will generate at least some playerbase via fanboys and shills. But I highly doubt it will live long enough.

Honestly, Destiny can be a fun pve co-op experience, but it has so many issues. If they release Destiny 3 the same way as a Playstation exclusive, I am not sure how well it'll do. I found many people seem to ignore f2p games.

If they won't release another Killzone, maybe bring back Resistance? I think the multiplayer can work.

Or maybe they can create a whole new ip for ps5
 
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Bob_McMillan

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Didn't Microsoft respond with a "Actually, COD isn't THAT good".

Meh. All three parties involved can go fuck em selves.

Anyway, wasn't Microsoft more tied to COD in the past than Sony? I thought COD ditched Xbox for PlayStation only after the Xbone imploded.
 

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Yes. Look, I am not out here saying the series was underrated or sold more than God of War and Uncharted. The franchise still made a lot of money during the 7th gen era. Not every single person picked up Killzone, but Killzone 2 did help boost some sales with the PS3. The only reason Shadowfall got such tepid reception, because everything was run of the mill, and played out by that point. I am glad Guerilla Games moved one and are doing great with Horizon, but there is nothing wrong with revisiting the IP. Or at the very least port these games over to modern consoles. They port the Resistance Trilogy while they are at it too. Sony ain't gonna lose much money over doing so.
Yeah, but as you said, that type of shooter has kind of run its course. Call of Duty is really the only one left and even it tried to change things up with the military shooter falling out of favor. Resistance had the same issues as Killzone, where it never really got off the ground, and Sony sticking with it for as long as they did was kind of out of portfolio obligation, so they could put a mark next to the 'shooter' category.

They can't focus on "cinematic" 3rd person action games forever. What happened to their sci-fi military shooters can happen to those as well. It's called having variety instead of focusing on just one thing. They'll only end up making the same mistakes again, but of a different flavor. Sony shutting down JAPAN Studio was and is their biggest mistake! Once a new thing catches on, they'll happily abandon LOUS, Horizon, and possibly God of War (I highly doubt the last one) when they have no more use. Especially with Jim Ryan at the helm of the ship. Fuck that ungrateful and selfish douchebag!
Sony's strength never really lay with sci-fi military shooters, but they're definitely putting all their eggs in one basket now. Though that's the opposite of abandoning what they have to jump onto the next fad. If that were the case they'd still be forcing multiplayer in most of their games. They've carved out their spot in the industry and holding on with everything they have, which if the industry were to ever shift away from the blockbuster game experience will make things very difficult for Sony. I don't know how bringing back IPs like Ape Escape would help in that, though I definitely wouldn't mind.

And yeah, Jim Ryan is a fucking shmuck.
KZ2 was never going to be or planned as being a "Halo killer" (media-inspired tagline) or expected to outsell those games, but it and KZ3 were arguably the PS3's biggest and best exclusive shooters. The series had a big enough following to warrant a total of six games in the franchise overall including the two portable titles. With the right writers they could do something worthwhile with the lore foundation if it was given the same reboot treatment that God of War had.
With the way shooters are now, they'd probably have to change it virtually beyond recognition though.
 

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Yeah, but as you said, that type of shooter has kind of run its course. Call of Duty is really the only one left and even it tried to change things up with the military shooter falling out of favor. Resistance had the same issues as Killzone, where it never really got off the ground, and Sony sticking with it for as long as they did was kind of out of portfolio obligation, so they could put a mark next to the 'shooter' category.
A new Killzone could try and change things up. GG would have to not the make the game completely straight. It could still be linear, but have open ended level design, multiple paths, or secondary objectives. As for Resistance, mainly R2 suffered the most from being too much like COD. R3 brought back the weapon wheels (with upgradeable weapons) and health meters. The main problem with R1 is the game is too hard and has sparing checkpoints.

Sony's strength never really lay with sci-fi military shooters,
Never said it did, nor it should be its only avenue.
They've carved out their spot in the industry and holding on with everything they have, which if the industry were to ever shift away from the blockbuster game experience will make things very difficult for Sony.
Like I said before, it fine for now, but they can't rely on it forever. Some Sony fans are already getting tired of the format, nor can I exactly blame them.
I don't know how bringing back IPs like Ape Escape would help in that, though I definitely wouldn't mind.
It would add some much needed variety. There is still an audience for these types of games, but similar to other AAA companies, Sony wants all the money in the universe. Having some of the money is not enough. There are fans that want a Gravity Rush 3, despite the mess ups GR2 made.

With the way shooters are now, they'd probably have to change it virtually beyond recognition though.
Fine by me. A change up is fine. Let's say it's so unrecognizable, and becomes a new FPS IP, then go for it.
 
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Sony would of course prefer to keep the millions of gamers who probably only play CoD on PlayStation, because they don’t have a suitable replacement for it when it’s gone.
This is pretty much the only statement that matters. Sony is killing it with singleplayer games, but has mostly ignored the multiplayer space. If CoD were to suddenly disappear, Sony currently doesn't have an answer for it.

I know that CoD is basically being a bit of a meme at this point, but it is still a mammoth franchise that attracts millions of players, and would be a massive selling point for any Xbox if it were to go exclusive.

It is in Sony's best interests to kick and scream about this acquisition, and I think that they are right to do so.

The one thing that really sucks about this console generation is that the third party space is really contracting. Microsoft has absorbed two major publishers, as well as a smattering of developers, and Sony has fought back with a few of its own. I really hope that it doesn't contract any further.

It is a bit of a shame that Microsoft had to buy (and then lock away) talent, instead of fostering it itself, but after the sheer mediocrity of the Xbox One generation, and the Series S/X so far, I don't really blame them - even if it really does suck for everyone outside of their ecosystem.
 
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It's in everyone's best interest if Microsoft does not aquire Activision.
 

hanselthecaretaker

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This is pretty much the only statement that matters. Sony is killing it with singleplayer games, but has mostly ignored the multiplayer space. If CoD were to suddenly disappear, Sony currently doesn't have an answer for it.

I know that CoD is basically being a bit of a meme at this point, but it is still a mammoth franchise that attracts millions of players, and would be a massive selling point for any Xbox if it were to go exclusive.

It is in Sony's best interests to kick and scream about this acquisition, and I think that they are right to do so.

The one thing that really sucks about this console generation is that the third party space is really contracting. Microsoft has absorbed two major publishers, as well as a smattering of developers, and Sony has fought back with a few of its own. I really hope that it doesn't contract any further.

It is a bit of a shame that Microsoft had to buy (and then lock away) talent, instead of fostering it itself, but after the sheer mediocrity of the Xbox One generation, and the Series S/X so far, I don't really blame them - even if it really does suck for everyone outside of their ecosystem.
Everyone who doesn’t game on Xbox can blame them though. Their goal basically seems to be becoming the Jabba The Hutt of the game industry.