Google, Netflix, Apple and Amazon are the "barbarians at the gate" of the games industry, says ex-Sony boss
Google, Netflix, Apple and Amazon are the "barbarians at the gate" of the games industry, says ex-Sony boss
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.one/post/3417167
The only way they can actually disrupt gaming is by putting out something people want. Once upon a time, Microsoft and Sony seemed like “Bizarrely unfamiliar foreign invaders of gaming” but slowly settled into understanding what their customers wanted.
As the article points out, tone-deaf or imperfect offerings have really bounced off. Heck, this is an age where many of Sony and Microsoft’s signature ventures have failed.
Gamers don't know what they want half the time. On one hand, posts like these seem to elicit the idea that gamers are united against predatory, bad publisher fuckery. But we aren't. Activision Blizzard still make the most money in the entire industry shitting out garbage. People line up in droves to play the latest Assassins Creed. And mobile games have never been more popular. Many people play games simply because it's in front of their face, not because they understand the nuances of game design or have any investment in the industry itself.
Another article mentioned that this guy is now working for Tencent (announced in 2022). Before becoming yet another Galactus in the industry, Tencent is originally an online service provider and (mostly) an ad company.
What about barbarians trying to ruin the glorious video game empire now?
Funny how this small detail doesn't show up in that article, where he's only "ex-Sony boss".
Tencent has been around for a decade, that's past being "at the gate"
Like anyone is worried about more Google gaming. It's like an idiot tax on people who are too dumb to have learned not to trust them.
Honestly I really like Play Pass on android. Mostly because it's only 3usd here thanks to regional pricing and there's a lot of great value! My issue is that Google generally sucks at keeping things going so I'd never invest anything beyond that with them.
My Steam account from 2006 is still going, all of the games work, it's mostly the same platform but better. I don't think Google can match that.
This. Valve is doing a lot of good. People can claim they are doing a lot of bad as well but I can't mention many companies with purity from top to bottom.
I did some of my gaming for like 2 years for basically free thanks to Google's refund, and got free gaming hardware (controllers)... call me an idiot or call me a genius, but, that was a heck of a deal. I'd do it again.
Anyone else just getting to a point where, given the writing on the wall, they feel gaming sort of already peaked? Amazon gaming? Netflix gaming? Apple? Yeah. No thanks. None of those companies are game companies. All of their offerings are going to be excessively monetized. All of it is going to be about data gathering instead of engaging fun games. It's going to be AI driven. Yuck. Good thing I still have Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 3 to play.
People have been saying that gaming is dying and that its reached its peak for like... decades now. With the advent of game creation being more accessible and more available than ever (still), gaming isn't going to die.
The same thing was said about Microsoft when they released the Xbox as well when it was first announced
If the gaming industry is Rome, I'm Team Odoacer.
Still waiting for Amazon to release a game that doesn't give me Fire Phone flashbacks
Gatekeeper reports, Outsiders are scary and different
Who do you want shaping your console gaming experience? Sony or Amazon?
“Or”? I’d rather have the consoles makers and game developers working independently so that we don’t have to wait twenty years for Crash Bandicoot to become available on Nintendo. Fuck Amazon but Sony isn’t looking out for the gamer when they make Spider-Man a PS exclusive.
i imagine Netflix games would end in a cliffhanger then cancelled before a sequel, google games will track your usage for personalized ads, apple games will eventually require accessories & dongles, amazon will slowly buy smaller studios & become the next EA
Oh great, yet another launcher.
I'm not worried. They literally titled it "Vaporware". If that doesn't show how insanely out of touch they are then nothing will.
Dozens of companies have tried to make storefronts and launchers to claw back some market share but none have come close to feature parity with Steam.
The main problem is that its not enough to be competitive with Steam at this point... you need to put out something so good that it give people enough of a reason to leave the comfort of Steam... you need Steam and then another layer of goodness on top of Steam.
This is the same issue that a lot of MMOs had when trying to become a WoW killer. You not only needed to have pretty much everything Blizzard put into the game, but more on top because otherwise why would anyone bother to leave the comforts of Azeroth to play something that is maybe marginally better, or a possibly worse experience?
Could they be any less original?
Their competitor to Steam is just… another word for Steam.
My guess it's just an internal name to boost morale, inside joke sort of thing. Many software projects do that. Would be funny if that was the name though
Don't worry, they havent made a game worth playing yet.
They already have one where the put most of the prime games called "Amazon Games App". So if "Vapor" is something new it is more of another another launcher.
If they however just update the game app to also be a store front, it be fine I guess. I'm not thrilled about everyone needing there own launcher, but Amazon already has one, so can't really blame them for spicing it up a bit, to be at they other launchers level.
Amazon already tried, with a Twitch branded game launcher and included game licenses for that platform in Amazon Prime.
Obligatory xkcd