The Microsoft FTC trial is in its final stages and has yet to issue a verdict, but we have learned a lot of industry insider information that isn’t normally made public.
From the drama surrounding exclusive rights to Starfield and other Bethesda titles, to the production costs of huge AAA games like The Last of Us Part II, there were plenty of explosive revelations in this week’s legal battle. Here are 12 big things we learned from the Xbox FTC hearings.
Xbox Admits Losing The Console War
The entire Xbox/Activision Blizzard saga has been replete with both Microsoft and Sony downplaying their respective achievements in order to appear as docile to regulators as possible. The FTC hearings were no exception, and the week started with the following news: Microsoft officially claims Xbox has ‘lost the console war’.
Microsoft claimed the original Xbox was killed by Sony and Nintendo when it entered the market in 2001, and said the company has “continued to lose” the “console wars” ever since. Microsoft, citing 2021 figures, said Xbox holds a 16% share of the home video game market. Xbox’s Phil Spencer also spoke out about console wars during his testimony, referring to them as “social structures within the community.”
Microsoft announces next-gen could launch in 2028
Years of hardware shortages and the massive release of games across generations can make this console generation feel like it’s just getting started. But the reality is, we’re getting closer to his third birthday party for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. In court documents reviewed by IGN, Microsoft says it expects the next generation, the successor to the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Series X|S, to feature: starting in 2028.
If Microsoft’s predictions remain accurate, we’re only a year and a half away from the midpoint of this generation. In 2028, the PS5 and Xbox series will be in an eight-year cycle. That’s a year longer than the PS4 and Xbox One, and about as long as the Xbox 360/PS3 generation.
Microsoft wanted to buy Bungie, Sega, Square Enix, Zynga and more
The past few years have seen a series of acquisitions by some of the biggest companies in the gaming industry. We’ve seen Sony buy Bungie and Microsoft buy Bethesda. But court documents reveal that Microsoft had planned several big deals that never materialized.
In other words, Microsoft discussed: buy sega, square Enix, Zinga, and even Bungie before Sony bought it. But Microsoft’s ambitions went far beyond those giants.revealed in internal documents List of 100 developers Microsoft considered at one point, before narrowing it down to eight finalists. The list included Hades developer Supergiant Games, Pokémon GO’s Niantic, and IO Interactive.
AAA Sony game cost more than $200 million to produce
We’ve always known that producing a modern AAA video game costs a ton of money. But now I realize how expensive some of these games are. In a poorly edited document submitted by Sony Interactive Entertainment, we learned: The Last of Us Part II cost $220 million to develop, while Horizon Forbidden West cost $212 million. PlayStation said in a statement that the cost is justified because AAA games “create a deep and ongoing engagement with players.”
These costs describe the current situation in more detail. Comment from Matt Booty of Xbox Game StudiosHe said a big-budget AAA game would take more than five years to produce and failure could spell doom for the studio.
In fact, Call of Duty is worth a lot of money
Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty was at the center of almost the entire legal battle last week. Activision’s biggest asset has been repeatedly talked about, with the FTC voicing concerns about exclusivity and the possibility that Activision will release a bad version of his Call of Duty for his PlayStation version. .
Call of Duty’s influence makes sense, given that the same poorly edited document from Sony revealed: ‘Call of Duty’ made over $800 million It will be released for PlayStation in the US only in 2021. Phil Spencer testifies under oath Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Claims Xbox Will Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation Threatens to pull Call of Duty out of Xbox We’ve learned a lot about the value of this franchise for both Sony and Microsoft unless Microsoft gives Activision a higher revenue share.
Jim Ryan doesn’t think Starfield’s exclusivity is anti-competitive, says PlayStation is fine
PlayStation head Jim Ryan has made it clear he’s not a fan of Starfield’s Xbox exclusivity. Having said that, he admitted he didn’t think it was anticompetitive. In public, PlayStation was the biggest opponent of the Microsoft Activision merger. But personally, it’s a little different story.
In an email sent after Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard, Ryan said, “I am confident that we will see Call of Duty on PlayStation for years to come.” said. PlayStation will be fine enough if the deal goes through.
Starfield almost completely skipped Xbox
Starfield will release as an Xbox exclusive this September, but that hasn’t always been the case. Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed. Starfield Could Skip Xbox Completely Before Microsoft acquired ZeniMax.
Xbox was concerned about losing competition in Starfield after PlayStation signed exclusive deals for Bethesda games like Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop. Spencer said Microsoft needed to secure content for the Xbox to “stay in business.” Xbox did this by buying ZeniMax outright and pinning Starfield as his Xbox exclusive.
Bethesda exclusive drama: Indiana Jones, The Elder Scrolls and more
The FTC sought to prove that Xbox’s treatment of ZeniMax games could demonstrate how Xbox handles exclusivity when it comes to Activision Blizzard games. One piece of evidence used was a chat exchange between Xbox’s Tim Stuart and Matt Booty. The chat log focused on the November 2021 conference. Phil Spencer apparently decided to make all Upcoming Bethesda Games Xbox Exclusivesit’s not just a new IP.
Various exclusive topics surfaced at the hearing, especially regarding ZeniMax studios. It turns out MachineGames’ upcoming AAA Indiana Jones game was slated at some point. Expected to be a multi-platform release before the Microsoft acquisition changed plans. As for other future games, Spencer claimed that final decisions will be made regarding platforms for Bethesda’s upcoming games, including: Obsidian’s Outer Worlds 2 and The Elder Scrolls 6 from Bethesda Game Studios Not yet made. However, with Mr. Spencer’s apparent decision in mind, at this point it looks like the Xbox exclusive decision for these titles could be more of a formality than an actual decision.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is still a long way off
Speaking of The Elder Scrolls 6, don’t expect a Skyrim sequel to play anytime soon. We already knew that Bethesda Game Studios’ next priority after Starfield would be The Elder Scrolls 6 (Fallout 5 comes after TES6), but Spencer said: The game is still “more than five years away.” Five years from now, it will be 2028, and the next-generation console I mentioned earlier is just around the corner. As such, it’s entirely possible that The Elder Scrolls 6 will either release across generations, or skip this current generation of consoles altogether.
Everyone says they don’t like proprietary things
Despite all the talk of monopoly games, several industry insiders have taken a stand and said they are not big fans of monopoly games. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: He ‘has no love’ for console exclusives, and that Microsoft is playing a proprietary game to stay competitive with the market leaders. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick agrees, stating: Making Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive isn’t in Activision’s best interestsactually negatively impacts business.
“We are alienating more than 100 million active players each month. Half of them play on mobile phones, while the rest play on computers and PlayStation. If you take it down, there will be an uprising,” Kotik said. one platform. Gamers are very passionate…so putting that kind of investment, time and effort into it gives you a group of enthusiastic and passionate people. ”
Sony’s Jim Ryan and Activision’s Bobby Kotick Talk About Game Pass
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said: Strong words for Xbox Game Pass, he claimed, “I’ve spoken to all the publishers and they all agree that Game Pass is a value destroyer and they don’t like it.” Ryan also argued that Game Pass would not benefit his Microsoft. IGN reached out to Xbox for comment, and Xbox noted that all Game Pass titles announced at this month’s Xbox Games Showcase are from creators who have previously worked with the subscription service. And with multiple examples of publishers endorsing Xbox Game Pass, it’s not entirely clear who exactly Ryan was referring to.
we know that Activision’s Bobby Kotick doesn’t want to see his games on subscription servicesHe said: “While we disagree with the idea of a multi-game subscription service as a business proposition going forward, we [Activision and Microsoft] You can agree or disagree. ”
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Regrets Not Supporting Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is an undeniable blockbuster. But in 2017, when Nintendo was coming out of the Wii U era, it wasn’t clear to anyone. In fact, even Activision’s Bobby Kotick underestimated the Nintendo Switch when he saw the Nintendo Switch prototype.now he thinks it’s It’s a mistake not to develop more software for Switchand Activision says it will consider bringing Call of Duty to future Nintendo consoles as soon as the specs for the next device are finalized.
While we’re all awaiting verdict, there’s a lot more to read about this week’s big lawsuit. Read our analysis article on How Microsoft’s mask is misalignedand Activision claims the FTC “doesn’t really understand our industry.” And IGN Senior Reporter Rebecca Valentine has been in court all week, writing analysis and summaries. every day Day of of Hearing. Or for all the news highlights Full Summary of Microsoft FTC Hearings.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over 7 years of experience in the games industry and has written byline articles for IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
