Former PlayStation CEO Ponders About Xbox Game Pass Long-Term Sustainability

Xbox Game Pass has emerged over the last several years as a new publishing strategy for Microsoft. The subscription service was not exactly the first of its kind, but definitely the first to be done on the scale it has been. The service has been a boon for players, too, as a constant stack of games come and go from the service, not to mention the ever growing slate of first party titles that will remain there forever. But it's still a new venture, and one that leads to much speculation about just how sustainable a model it is for the future, as pondered by one former CEO of PlayStation. 

Speaking with GamesIndustry, former Sony executive Shawn Layden, who served as many different major positions within the platform holder, spoke about a lot of things relating to the current gaming industry. When talking about Game Pass, he expressed some doubt that the service could be sustainable on a long-term basis. He cites the ballooning budgets of game developer as doubt that the service can continue without some changes.

"It's very hard to launch a $120m game on a subscription service charging $9.99 a month. You pencil it out, you're going to have to have 500 million subscribers before you start to recoup your investment.

"That's why right now you need to take a loss-leading position to try to grow that base. But still, if you have only 250 million consoles out there, you're not going to get to half a billion subscribers. So how do you circle that square? Nobody has figured that out yet."

Layden's thought isn't a new one, by any means, but it's also something that is difficult to know without some type of inside information. Xbox's Phil Spencer has been largely dismissive of concerns of sustainability for Game Pass, saying the service is less about numbers of players and more about engagement and overall the revenue from gaming has been in the net positive for Microsoft. What that means for the math Layden is referencing here is simply unknown for anyone outside the office, so to speak, but it'll be interesting to see what changes come to the service as time goes on.

 

A Total War Saga: Troy To Get Mythological In Upcoming Mythos Expansion

The Total War series has slowly built up to being one of the biggest and best-selling RTS series of all time. The game has weaved back and forth between real world and grounded conflicts and pure fantasy. Of the latest entries in the series, A Total War Saga: Troy, stuck its toe in both. It covered the Trojan War of Greek lore, a conflict that is heavily debated as even really happening. Despite its possible fantastical nature, Creative Assembly aimed to create a still grounded approach. Well, it seems that is out the window a bit now with the first major expansion.

Today, the expansion called Mythos was announced with a trailer that you can see below. The trailer lays out that the expansion will bring forth actual mystical creatures into the game. While the base title did have nods to Greek mythology, they were often done in a grounded and 'realistic' way. This seems to be going more the way of pure fantasy. If you don't want that however, there will also be a Historical mode that will keep things to an as accurate as possible historical context.

A Total War Saga: Troy is available now on PC via Epic Games Store, where it was downloaded quite a lot. Mythos will launch on September 2nd, which will be the same time the base game will come to Steam.

Xbox Series X/S Are the Fastest Selling Xbox Consoles Ever, Microsoft CEO Says

The Xbox Series X and Series S have clearly gotten off to a great start, what with the consoles having been consistently selling out since their launch in November of 2020. The two, in fact, enjoyed the best ever launch for an Xbox console, selling more units during their launch month than any other Xbox console in the past. That pace of sales has persisted well past its launch.

During Microsoft's recent quarterly earnings call (via Tom Warren on Twitter), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the Xbox Series X and Series S are the fastest selling Xbox consoles to date. They have sold more units from launch up until this point than all previous Xbox consoles at this point in their respective life cycles. Given that, it's not surprising to hear Nadella say that Microsoft is "all in on games."

It's been many years since Microsoft released actual sales figures for consoles, but at this point in its life, the Xbox One had sold over 5.5 million units, so the Xbox Series X/S have sold more than that, at the very least.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is Out Now for Switch, PS4, and PC

Ace Attorney fans outside of Japan have been waiting to get their hands on the Great Ace Attorney games for years, and after a long, long wait, that time has finally come. The duology has launched in the West at launch in the form of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, and Capcom has released a launch trailer that focuses on some of the most important characters (and their voice actors) across the course of both games. Check it out below.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles compiles The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve, which released for the 3DS in 2015 and 2017 respectively, and never released in the West (until now, that is). The games are set in late 19th century England (and partly Japan), and fledgling lawyer Ryunosuke Naruhodo – an ancestor of original series protagonist Phoenix Wright – serves as the protagonist. Sherlock Holmes also plays a crucial role in both games, though here, he's called Herlock Sholmes, because of copyright issues.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is available now on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, "Great use of its setting along with the usual dose of charm, humor, smart writing, and a great cast of characters help The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles deliver an incredibly strong package, one that ends up being well worth the very long wait." You can read our full review through here.

Activision Blizzard Employees Are Planning a Formal Walkout to Call for Improved Working Conditions

Activision Blizzard is current caught in the midst of lawsuit with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DEFH) having recently filed against the company, with allegations of widespread and persistent sexual harassment and discrimination (among other things) having come to light as a result. The company itself has responded in poor fashion, leading to even greater outrage, to the extent that thousands of Activision Blizzard employees recently wrote an open letter to company leadership, criticizing the aforementioned responses and calling for improvements in working conditions.

Following that, as Kotaku reports, a group of employees at Blizzard Entertainment is planning a formal protest in the form of a walkout tomorrow (Wednesday). A protest event called the Activision Blizzard Walkout for Equality will be held tomorrow virtually from 9 AM to 6 PM PT. A live event will be staged at Blizzard's Irvine campus. More than 50 employees are expected to join, while others will be attending virtually due to COVID-19 considerations.

A statement of intent has also been addressed to Activision Blizzard management by the group organizing the walkout. It states: "As current Activision Blizzard employees, we are holding a walkout to call on the executive leadership team to work with us on the following demands, in order to improve conditions for employees at the company, especially women, and in particular women of color and transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups."

The demands set forth by the organizing group are as follows:

1. An end to mandatory arbitration clauses in all employee contracts, current and future. Arbitration clauses protect abusers and limit the ability of victims to seek restitution.

2. The adoption of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and promotion policies designed to improve representation among employees at all levels, agreed upon by employees in a company-wide Diversity, Equity & Inclusion organization. Current practices have led to women, in particular women of color and transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups that are vulnerable to gender discrimination not being hired fairly for new roles when compared to men.

3. Publication of data on relative compensation (including equity grants and profit sharing), promotion rates, and salary ranges for employees of all genders and ethnicities at the company. Current practices have led to aforementioned groups not being paid or promoted fairly.

4. Empower a company-wide Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion task force to hire a third party to audit ABK's reporting structure, HR department, and executive staff. It is imperative to identify how current systems have failed to prevent employee harassment, and to propose new solutions to address these issues.

Baldo: The Guardian Owls Launches on August 27

Naps Team announced Baldo: The Guardian Owls a couple of years ago, and the game instantly grabbed the attention of many. Its gorgeous Studio Ghibli-inspired visuals and art style and its focus on dungeons, puzzles, and exploration inspired by classic Zelda titles seems like an exciting combination- and soon, we'll be able to dive into it.

It's been confirmed that Baldo: The Guardian Owls is launching on August 27, a month from now. Its release date announcement trailer, which you can view below (courtesy of IGN), showcases the game's gorgeous visuals, combat against a wide variety of enemies, many different environments and biomes in its open world, various dungeons, and more. It's looking quite good- be sure to check it out below.

When Baldo: The Guardian Owls launches next month, it will be available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam), and Apple Arcade. Stay tuned for more updates on the game until then. You can also check out quite a bit of gameplay footage through here.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is Available Now on Xbox Series X/S

Microsoft Flight Simulator was met with widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike when it launched for PC last year, and now, nearly a year on from its original launch, the game is available for Xbox Series X/S as well. Check out its launch trailer below, which shows off plenty of gorgeous looking gameplay.

Microsoft has emphasized on no few occasions that Microsoft Flight Simulator offers an experience on consoles that is on par with its PC version, which is really saying a lot, considering how technically demanding it is even on PC. Of course, just as it was with its PC launch, the game is available to all Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox Series X/S as well.

In our review of the game's PC version last year, we awarded Microsoft Flight Simulator a score of 9/10, saying, "Microsoft Flight Simulator does little wrong in terms of its simulation elements and the gameplay it's aiming for." You can read our full review through here.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Guide – All Sword Upgrades and How to Get the Hylian Shield

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD offers a myriad of upgrades for nearly every item (check out our guide here for more details). So it only makes sense that the Goddess Sword can be upgraded as well, making it stronger and opening up new avenues. Let's take a look at the different upgrades for the weapon, how to get them and what their effects are.

You receive the Goddess Sword by default.It can be used to slice Goddess Cubes, thus allowing you to open Goddess Chests. To upgrade it to the Goddess Longsword, you'll need Farore's Flame. It's obtained by defeating Koloktos in Farore's Flame Chamber located in the Ancient Cistern. Along with longer reach, it deals eight points of damage with a regular slash, 12 points with a Spin Slash and four points of damage with a Skyward Strike.

To upgrade the Goddess Longsword to the Goddess White Sword, Nayru's Flame is needed. It's obtained by defeating Tentalus in the Sandship. The Goddess Longsword provides improved Dowsing, which means locating Treasure, Rupees and so on becomes easier.

Upgrading the Goddess White Sword to the Master Sword requires Din's Flame. It can be obtained by defeating Ghirahim in the Fire Sanctuary. The Master Sword deals even more damage – regular slashes output 16 points of damage while the Spin Slash deals 24 points and the Skyward Strike deals eight points of damage.

To obtain the True Master Sword, you'll need the Master Sword and Hylia's Blessing. This is obtained in the Temple of Hylia and bestows the power to defeat Demise.

How to Get the Hylian Shield

The Hylian Shield is one of the best shields in the game simply because it can't lose durability. Obtaining it can be tough though – you need to defeat eight bosses in the Lightning Round. Head to Lanayru Gorge and speak to the Thunder Dragon Lanayru to participate in the mini-game.

Only the tools available at the time of fighting the boss in the main story are available for each Lightning Round fight. You can't use bottled items but if you consume a Guardian Potion, Air Potion and Stamina Potion before beginning, their effects will persist between fights. Any damage done to your shield or health will also carry over between fights.

You can choose the first boss battle to tackle before beginning the Lightning Round but depending on your performance, the Lanayru will choose the next fight. Go in prepared and try to practice each boss beforehand to ultimately complete the challenge.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Is Leaving Xbox Game Pass Very Soon

Rockstar's incredibly popular Grand Theft Auto 5 seems to be leaving its subscription service very soon, which is surprisng since the game was added only three months prior. As spotted by PureXbox, the game is listed for removal on the official app.

Grand Theft Auto 5 also made an appearance on the service last year, and the availability period is definitely quite small when compared to other games on the service. Red Dead Redemption 2 also remained on the service for a short while in the same vein. Speculation suggests that GTA 5 would be leaving the service next month, possibly in the early weeks.

Fans wanting to play the game should do so now, since chances of it returning anytime soon seems to be slim. Next-gen versions of GTA 5 are on their way, and Rockstar probably wouldn't want to hurt its sales by putting the game on the service at launch.

Ex-PlayStation Boss Shawn Layden Expresses Concerns About Acquisitions

In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, former PlayStation studios head Shawn Layden talked about his concerns with the growing number of acquisitions in the industry. He also experesses his concerns about how it could lead to industry consolidation as well as its tangible impact on the diversity of games produced.

Shawn Layden explains it with a great example, citing how music nets a fraction of the income that games do but have exponentially more impact on culture. The abundance of acquisitions and buyouts considerably diminish the variety of games fans get to experience, with expermental titles now being mostly limited to indie developers.

"Consolidation is the enemy of diversity in some ways. It takes a lot of playing pieces off the table as they grow into these larger conglomerates. And again, we end up with this problem with diversity. Music on a revenue basis is probably one fifth of the games space. But their cultural impact is 100x what gaming is. Right now, we are narrowing ourselves down into genres and sequels and certain types of games. Favourites like my own, like Parappa and Vib-Ribbon, those things don't seem to get a chance to come out on stage. That's bad for the industry and for fans. Over time, that leads to a crumbling of the games industry if we just keep talking to the same people and telling the same stories in the same way."

This sentiment resonates strongly against Sony's current business strategy, as the Tokyo-based giant seems to keep burning bridges with indies and smaller developers to pump out more blockbuster exclusives. Currently, it seems both Sony and Microsoft are at a direct battle of acquisitions with one another, constantly looking out for opportunities to one-up its competitor.