Sony's announcement that it will cease physical disc production by January 2028 has had a seismic impact on the gaming industry,. As players look forward to a disc-less future with the arrival of the PlayStation 6 (and the likelihood that Xbox Helix will follow suit), everyone has been weighing in on the debate at a volume I've not seen before.

Celebrities like comedian Trevor Noah have weighed in, and even fast food outlets like KFC and Dominos have jumped on the bandwagon, but now one of the industries most legendary creator, Hideo Kojima has weighed in.

Speaking at the Il Cinema in Piazza Film Festival in Italy, Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Kojima expressed deep anxiety over the erasure of physical media. His translated remarks have been widely ciculated by Genki_JPN on X and we can be pretty certain the translation is correct given it's been reposted by Kojima himself.

"You don't actually possess the data"

Kojima, a notoriously devout cinephile and physical media collector, didn't hold back when asked his thoughts on the industry-wide push toward digital distribution.

"Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad.

Currently, I’ve been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too. The situation is different for games, as they are downloaded to the hard drive, that means the game data remains on your own hardware.

However, if things shift to streaming in the future, that won’t be the case anymore. With streaming subscription services, like Netflix or Amazon, there is a server somewhere, and you essentially just have the right to turn the tap, and when you do, the data flows out. That’s how movies work on these platforms, right? You don't download the data, you access it directly through a subscription.

And the consequence of that is that you don't actually possess the data yourself. There are companies that own these servers and let you 'turn the tap' for a monthly fee. However, with nations, politics and various ways of thinking, one naturally has to consider the possibility that if there is a change, the data inside will stop being distributed.

And if that happens you won’t be able to watch or play the movies and games you like. That is what is frightening. So, what is happening to video games in 2028, might also happen to movies. I’d like everyone to keep that in mind."

"We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved."

This isn't the first time Kojima has spoken out about the move to online-only access for entertainment. His posts from 2001 have been circulating again, when he had a very similar warning to us all:

"Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off.

We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That's what I'm afraid of. This is not greed."

Kojima's words directly mirror the concerns of today's gamers. When Sony first revealed the timeline within which it plans to kill off physical game discs, the immediate outcry centered around consumer choice and market control. Without a secondhand disc market, publishers gain total authority over pricing, forcing players to rely entirely on the PlayStation storefront sales. Whether you have already made the move to digital or not, this will impact the price of games for everyone.

We have already seen the consequences of the "turned off tap" that Kojima warns us of. Sony recently sparked fury by revoking consumer access to over 500 paid digital movies, proving that digital ownership is merely a temporary license.

While the PC ecosystem has safely transitioned to digital due to its open nature, community modding, and DRM-free options like GOG, consoles remain strictly gated communities.

How long will corporations acquiesce to gamers' wants and needs?

Microsoft's upcoming next-gen "roject Helix console is also highly likely to drop the disc drive, but they are building a bridge. New details regarding Xbox's "Positron" disc-to-digital program suggest a seamless system where physical discs can be permanently converted into digital licenses tied to your Microsoft Account.

Amidst all the corporate doom and gloom, there are still minor victories for collectors. Halo Studios recently confirmed that the highly anticipated Halo: Campaign Evolved remake will actually ship on an actual physical disc for both Xbox and PlayStation boxes.

But as Kojima heavily implies, these anomalies will soon become a relic of the past. When the servers go dark, and the corporate giants decide to twist the valve shut, players will finally realize the true cost of convenience.

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To say that Sony's decision to cease production of physical PlayStation game discs sparked controversy would be the understatement of the 2020s.

Almost every gamer under the sun is angry about this decision, and companies in and out of the video game industry have responded with satirical content mocking Sony.

However, this controversy has escalated so quickly that it's even garnered the attention of politicians such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon. This man, who is running for President of France, responded to this event, as well as Grand Theft Auto 6 being digital-only, by citing the dangers of gaming going digital-only with this (translated) proclamation:

"With GTA 6 without a disc in 2026 and Sony's announcement of the end of physical disc sales for games in 2028, the question arises of how we view these products. Tomorrow, you will pay without ever owning anything. No loan, no resale, no guarantee of keeping what we've paid for."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon then states that he is willing to support gamers' right to own the games they purchase by saying, "Video games are not mere merchandise; they are cultural assets, and the law in force must apply to them. We will open the project in 2027. Players have rights too!"

This isn't the first time Jean-Luc Mélenchon has stood up for video games, as, according to @L'insoumission on X, he described them as a "total art that breaks with previous forms of art" in 2022, and has been advocating for them since 2017.

With this controversy reaching mainstream attention, will games going purely digital in 2028 cause other politicians or even world leaders to chime in with their thoughts on the subject?

We surely won't have to wait long for further developments regarding one of the biggest shake-ups in recent gaming history.

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Sony has made the controversial decision to axe production of physical PlayStation games going forward in 2028, sparking massive debates regarding game preservation and whether or not piracy is the only way to preserve them.

This decision has been met with universal vitriol from gamers, mocking the company for what they feel is ultimately Sony shooting themselves in the foot while making funny jokes about it on social media.

Even some of us here at Windows Central are baffled by Sony's decision, asking, "What's the point of a console without discs?" as PC gaming offers more ways to preserve games and allow players to own games they buy without DRM restrictions via GOG, for example.

In fact, it's garnered so much attention that big-brand companies in and outside of the gaming industry have started making various responses to Sony on social media, making fun of the company while supporting gamers who prefer physical media.

First off, we have Domino's Pizza, of all things, making this humorous response mocking Sony's decision on X, stating that they'll be "ceasing production of physical pizzas and shift to production of digital pizzas only" and saying that "Consumers will be able to download our full range of delicious pizza codes, and using the power of imagination, enjoy them in an entirely virtual sense."

One of Domino Pizza's biggest rivals, KFC, also made a similar response on its Spanish X account, saying via translation, "BREAKING NEWS: KFC will stop offering its physical format starting today. Its products can only be consumed through its app in fake PNG format."

The VPN company, ProtonVPN, also responded with a rather hilarious joke announcement on X by saying that it will make its services entirely physical starting April 1st, 2027.

It will send smart employees to your current location to help with FAQs and tech support, and mail encrypted letters, among other funny services meant to mock Sony's decision.

The cybersecurity firm, Malwarebytes, has made a similar joke announcement on X, by stating that starting on April 1st, 2028, it will dispatch a member of its team with an 'M' suit to a customer's house and escort them to their doctor's appointments to stay clean of viruses.

Malwarebytes also stated it will "microwave any fish in the office of any company that leaks your personal data."

Other companies within the video games industry have made similar comments online. For example, Esports Awards made fun of Sony's decision by stating that it will no longer produce physical trophies for Esports winners starting in 2028, while saying that winners will be able to download their trophies as JPEG or PNG images to be put on virtual displays.

The gaming chair manufacturer, RESPAWN, also made a similar joke announcement on X, stating that it will stop producing physical chairs and switch to making digital chairs only, which will be distributed to customers via premium chair codes.

Not all responses are entirely satirical, however. The online rental retailer, GameFly, took to X to announce its disappointment in Sony's decision to axe physical PlayStation games.

It believes in the power of physical entertainment media and will continue to support gamers and collectors who prefer physical media by proclaiming, "We are committed to renting physical media, be it games or movies until they pry the discs from our soft, moisturized hands".

The gaming collectible and vinyl retailer, iam8bit, expressed similar disappointment in Sony regarding this decision on X. iam8bit states that physical games are a vital part of game preservation, ownership, and consumer choices, values which the retailer has believed in for a decade and will continue to do so while proudly shouting "Long live physical media".

Other retailers like Evercade, which specializes in selling consoles compatible with retro games stretching back to the 1980s arcade era, made a parody video of Sony's "Used Game Sharing Instruction" advert from 2013, which has now aged incredibly poorly.

It shows Evercade's employees sharing physical retro games, while promoting their new Evercade Nexus gaming handheld, which uses physical game cartridges to play games instead of relying on digital copies, and it currently supports over 700 classic games including Banjo Kazooie, Tomb Raider, Broken Sword, and more.

There's no doubt that many more companies will respond to Sony regarding this industry-changing decision, both satirical and serious in the weeks to come.

But will these responses, as well as massive gamer backlash, cause Sony to reverse this decision as well as backpedal on its equally controversial decision to close the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita digital stores?

Stay tuned to find out as we keep on further developments regarding whether more companies make similar responses to Sony's decision and what Sony plans to do next.

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Xbox looks likely to follow PC gaming by doing away with physical media, and Sony is already taking heat for its plans to stop PlayStation disc production by 2028. Whether or not Microsoft's next-gen, PC-like "Project Helix" console ships with some kind of external disc drive option is up for debate, but we know that Xbox executives are rethinking their strategy around production and shipping, mostly thanks to the unending RAM crisis affecting Xbox console prices.

An understandable knee-jerk reaction across social media has been to quiz PC gamers on why they're comfortable with Steam's approach to digital-only game sales and its implied digital rights management, even if the executable DRM wrapper in Steam is apparently optional. Plus, the popular, if runner-up, GOG maintains its stance on DRM-free digital ownership, though it relies on a proactive backup mentality from buyers.

However, regardless of how any retailer pitches itself as supposedly being on the side of consumers, there's no denying that there's a scary implication for the future of gaming, whether that's on Windows PCs or whatever hybrid consoles come next. Sony already plans to close its digital PS3 and PS Vita store, and has withdrawn ownership of digitally purchased movies for UK gamers, due to "content licensing agreements".

The slow, miserable death of ownership

There's understandable pushback from some gamers, who ask whether physical discs serve a purpose in 2026, with many questioning whether their peers have even bought a game outside digital stores in the last few years. However, our own readers say they'll "miss buying physical games", and I'm firmly in the same boat. Still, the status quo is seemingly shifting to digital purchases (or rentable licenses, depending on who you ask), whether we like it or not.

Besides the obvious benefit of allowing a friend or family member to borrow your games with ease — something Sony is also suffering criticism for on social media, given its previous tongue-in-cheek video response to Xbox's stance at the time — other elements of physical media now feel stranger in their absence as time goes on. Midnight launches, quirky in-box booklets, and money-saving second-hand sales are relics of the past.

At the risk of sounding like a budding applicant for a nursing home, midnight launches were a huge part of the hype surrounding games. Sure, they've been irrelevant for a few years already, but the FOMO effect of seeing hundreds of people queuing to buy a game even piqued my interest in some that I previously had no real desire to play, now replaced by refreshing web browsers to pre-order a digital GTA 6 code for $100.

Even today, after picking up a Switch 2, I'm borrowing Switch 1 cartridges from friends to catch up on Nintendo's modern era, spending a grand total of zero dollars on second-hand titles. Now, as the company moves towards Virtual Game Cards, it feels like this will likely be the last generation that lets me borrow games. Sorry to all the younger siblings out there, but you'll need to buy your own copies — no more hand-me-down goldmines.

Frankly, I rarely even spend the full amount on PC games, opting instead for discounted CD keys from Loaded or somewhere similar. I'm so regularly frustrated when I see pre-owned boxed games grow cheaper — depending on their rarity — while some digital copies remain expensive. From now on, we can only hope for sales events and pray the platform owners never shut down and take our licenses away.

Are you concerned with the disappearance of physical game discs, or are you fine with digital ownership — perhaps as long as there's a plan in place to transfer licenses in the future? I'm interested in takes from both sides, and the justifications for anything in between. Let me know in the comments, because it's certainly a turbulent time for gamers, no matter what opinion you hold.

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Many people raised their pitchforks believing that it would be Xbox that ultimately killed physical games. However, as Xbox and Sony continue to trade blows over who can make the most questionable decisions, Sony appears to have thrown Xbox a left hook.

In a new PlayStation Blog post, the company revealed that, and I quote, "physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles."

Ah, it's nice being the market leader. When you're in that position, you can make what I'd consider anti-consumer decisions, and realistically, there's not much anyone can do about it. Within the blog post, Sony explained its reasoning, stating:

"This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."

Personally, I think the bigger motivation is that digital gives Sony far more control over how players buy and access games. If physical releases disappear, the second-hand market largely disappears with them. That means if you've been waiting months for a game to become affordable, you can no longer pick up a used copy from a retailer or even borrow a game from a friend. Instead, you're relying on Sony deciding when, or if, to discount it on the PlayStation Store.

To add insult to injury, however, Sony is also closing digital storefronts for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in July 2027. Now, admittedly, Xbox had already closed the Xbox 360 store awhile back, and I was mad at that too.

All of this does raise the question of whether the next generation of consoles will even include a disc drive on the PlayStation 6, and I think it’s a pretty clear: no. As things stand, I'd be surprised if Sony even offered an optional external disc drive. As for Project Helix, our sources also suggest that Microsoft's next-generation console will drop the disc drive, too.

At least, if reports are true, Xbox are working on a disc to digital scheme which could help make the move to digital an easier pill to swallow (assuming it’s done well).

It's certainly a far cry from the days when PlayStation was mocking Xbox on how to share physical games with friends. Oh, and don't forget to pour one out for game preservation, as that's pretty much dead outside of certain Nintendo Switch 2 games.

Don’t worry though, guys; I’m sure good news is right around the corner and nothing bad is about to happen across the gaming industry. Which of course is sarcasm on my part.

Do let me know your thoughts on all of this in the comments and do be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Thanks to the rise of AI and its insatiable hunger for all the silicon its manufacturers can get their hands on, the last several months have been very rough for the tech industry and any consumer interested in purchasing new electronics. Ongoing RAM and shortage shortages show no signs of recovery any time soon, with prices continuing to rise and supply continuing to fall.

Gaming is one of many verticals that's been hit hard by the hardware crisis, with Microsoft recently announcing huge Xbox console price hikes that go into effect in August and Valve debuting the Steam Machine with a controversial $1,000+ price tag that was set with current market conditions in mind.

Naturally, many have wondered if PlayStation maker Sony also plans to raise the cost of its PS5 consoles soon — and interestingly, according to an answer from a recent Q&A session within the company, it sounds like a price increase may be in consideration.

"First, we regard hardware as the base for providing the gaming experience, and by offering products such as the PlayStation Portal Remote Player (PS Portal), we aim to provide experiences tailored to users’ play styles beyond the living room, which has traditionally been considered the primary usage environment," Sony replied to a question about hardware prioritization and profitability moving forward.

"As for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases, and we have already implemented some price increases outside Japan," the firm continued. "At present, however, sales are proceeding as planned, and we do not believe this has led to a decline in customer demand."

The key takeaway here is that Sony doesn't "intend to sell hardware at significant losses," which suggests that it might follow in Microsoft's and Valve's footsteps by raising the price of PlayStation consoles to offset the ballooning costs of RAM and storage.

"As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach," it added. "We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing."

It's worth noting that as Sony mentioned, it's already given the PS5 a price hike once this year, and clearly doesn't want to make them more expensive again. That being said, if component costs continue to become more and more untenable, it may not have a choice if it wants to avoid "significant losses."

All in all, right now is just a bad, bad time for tech hardware, whether you're looking to buy devices or market and sell them to the masses. I don't envy console makers like Microsoft and Sony right now...even if it's not lost on me that these companies have contributed to the problem by helping to fuel the push for AI.

I fear the business has some dark years ahead of it, and that we'll see next-gen consoles like Xbox's Project Helix and the PS6 retail for over $1,000 like the Steam Machine has. I can only hope that won't be true, but according to analyst Joost van Dreunen, "north of a grand is the floor." My hopes aren't exactly high.

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On Thursday morning, bad news that many were fearing unfortunately came to pass, with Destiny 2 and Marathon developer Bungie hit by major layoffs from PlayStation maker Sony, its publisher.

The cuts have affected "a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members." Additionally, it's been confirmed that some Sony workers that assist Bungie have been impacted by the workforce reductions as well.

Though the layoffs were, sadly, somewhat expected — Bungie announced the end of Destiny 2's live-service development last month, and it was recently reported that the developer would soon be struck with "significant" cuts — they're no less devastating for the studio's staff, and represent a large cutback of its resources from Sony.

Notably, separate from Sony CEO Hermen Hulst's memo to his employees on the matter, Bungie itself has also publicly shared a letter about the news to its fans and staff members, both former and current. I've embedded the post below, and the text of the letter has been included below that:

With great sadness, we are announcing a reduction in force as we reorganize Bungie.

As the leaders of Bungie, past and present, we recognize Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years. Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size.

We know this decision has a profound impact on the people affected, their families, friends, and teammates. While these changes are necessary to best position the studio now and for the future, that does not lessen the difficulty of this moment or the impact it has on those affected.

Later, we will share more about that future with you all but today is not that day.

Today, we wish to extend our gratitude and compassion to every member of the Bungie team who has been impacted and to those who remain.

We hope you will do the same.

— Bungie

This is the third and largest wave of layoffs that Bungie has faced after being acquired by Sony in 2022, with the studio also hit in October 2023 as well as in July 2024. At the time, 155 employees were shifted from the developer's workforce to Sony's as well.

The letter directly references Destiny 2's gradual decline throughout the last several years, which is all but assured to be the primary reason for the cuts we've seen. It's worth noting that recently, former Bungie and Destiny 2 community manager Liana Ruppert asserted that "A lot of money didn't go into Destiny" due to leadership "greed," leading to a lack of valuable resources for the game's development.

She then reported the lack of adequate funding became so severe that the merger between Bungie and Sony was done as an "emergency acquisition," and that if the PlayStation publisher hadn't absorbed the studio, it would have been "very close to shutting its doors."

We may never know the exact truth of what's happened at Bungie, but one thing is clear: the studio's last few years have been quite tumultuous, and sadly, its employees have suffered as a consequence.

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Original article: Just over a week after it was reported that Bungie — the developer of the 2017 live-service shooter Destiny 2 and this year's extraction shooter Marathon — would soon face "significant" layoffs, major cuts at the studio have now come, having been announced by Sony CEO Hermen Hulst.

Hulst revealed the news in a letter to Sony employees that was also published publicly, writing that the layoffs have impacted "a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members." Sony teams tasked with supporting Bungie have also been affected.

He went on to explain that "This decision was made only after extensive discussion and careful consideration," and that Sony worked with Bungie's leadership to evaluate its long-term plans, resource demands, and place within the PlayStation portfolio "before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals."

"What Bungie has accomplished with Destiny over the past decade has been truly remarkable," Hulst wrote, of the space fantasy looter shooter's legacy. "The franchise has left a lasting mark on players and the industry, and everyone who contributed to its success should be proud of what they helped create."

He also made a point of mentioning that "Marathon remains an important part of our portfolio, and we will continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects." Though the sci-fi extraction shooter reboot hasn't been a massive hit for Bungie and PlayStation, it does have a passionate and dedicated community of players.

"Our immediate priority is supporting affected employees through this transition. We are providing transition support and, where possible, working to identify opportunities across SIE and our global network of studios," Hulst continued.

"I want to sincerely thank every affected employee for their hard work, creativity, and contributions to Bungie, SIE, and the broader gaming community," he added. "I know today’s news is deeply difficult not only for those leaving, but for those colleagues and friends that remain. Please take the time you need to process this news and support one another."

These cuts come a month after Bungie announced the end of Destiny 2 development would come with its final Monument of Triumph content update on June 9, capping the title's nine-year lifespan. Though fans passionately rallied to try and save the game and get a Destiny 3 greenlit, there's been no sign that they've influenced Sony's plans.

In the weeks that followed, ex-Bungie community manager Liana Ruppert took to social media to claim that "A lot of money didn't go into Destiny" due to leadership "greed," leading to funding issues for the game. It also came to light that Sony's $3.6 billion merger with Bungie in 2022 was also reportedly an "emergency acquisition" that was necessary to keep the studio afloat.

Ultimately, after everything that's happened and come out in the last several weeks, I had a bad feeling that these steep layoffs were inevitable — and now that they've come down, I can't help but be very worried about Bungie's future as a developer. I also want to extend my best wishes to everyone affected at Sony and Bungie. I hope you're able to find new success in the industry or elsewhere as soon as you can.

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After nearly 10 years of standing tall as one of the industry's biggest and most popular live-service multiplayer games, Bungie's space fantasy looter shooter Destiny 2 is coming to an end. The studio announced development for the title was ending last month, with its final content update Monument of Triumph releasing last week.

Fans have rallied to push Bungie and Sony — which acquired the developer in 2022 — to greenlight the creation of a Destiny 3, with a Change.org petition for a sequel reaching nearly 400,000 signatures and player numbers skyrocketing for Monument of Triumph. Ultimately, though, I can't help but feel that the future for Destiny as a series looks bleak.

For many (myself included), that feeling has only been worsened by recent reports that Bungie will soon face a large wave of layoffs in the wake of Destiny 2's end. The first of these came from journalist Sylvain Trinel on Tuesday, who wrote that "at least 50% of the workforce" — potentially including roughly 400 in-house developers and contractors — will likely be cut this summer.

Paul Tassi, Forbes' Bungie and Destiny expert in contact with sources at the studio, then went on to partially corroborate Trinel's report. Though he doesn't "want to commit to a percent," Tassi says layoffs at Bungie are coming, and that they'll be "significant."

"I don’t want to commit to a percent, but it’s going to be significant. They don’t have a greenlit new project, and they can hardly throw 400 more devs on Marathon," Tassi wrote.

He also noted that he expects some veteran talent and devs in leadership positions to depart next month as they collect cash payouts from Sony: "You will also see some leadership/OGs leave in I believe July, which is when Sony deal cash vests for many of them."

These reports come soon after former Destiny 2 community manager Liana Ruppert provided insight into the game's steady decline in recent years that ultimately led to the conclusion of its development.

Specifically, she asserted that "a lot of money didn't go into Destiny" and that leadership pocketed many of the game's potential funds, stating that Bungie's new extraction shooter Marathon had much less of an impact than many fans assume.

Ruppert also claimed that Sony's merger with Bungie was an "emergency acquisition" agreed to for financial reasons, and that the studio would have been "very close to shutting its doors" if it didn't sell to the PlayStation publisher.

Assuming these reports are accurate — and do keep in mind that Tassi in particular has a track record of reporting on events at Bungie very accurately — the studio and its Destiny IP has some very dark days ahead. Even more game industry layoffs on top of the countless cuts suffered at Bungie and other studios would be devastating, and they'd also dash many hopes for an eventual Destiny 3 made by the talent responsible for so many years of Destiny 2's success.

How do you feel about Bungie, Destiny 2, and the possibility of a massive layoff wave at the studio? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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To say that the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster if you're a fan of Bungie and its long-running space fantasy looter shooter Destiny 2 would be an understatement. In late May, the developer suddenly announced that development of the game would end on June 9, with one final massive Monument of Triumph content update sending the title out with a bang.

Destiny 2 has experienced a steady and severe player count decline over time due to slow and disappointing updates, though fans rallied to demand a Destiny 3 and vowed to flood the servers for the final patch — something they've followed through on while also gathering upwards of 400,000 signatures for a Destiny 3 Change.org petition.

The push for Sony and Bungie to greenlight a third Destiny and not end the series on such an abrupt note has also driven lots of conversation about what went wrong behind the scenes. That led former Bungie community manager Liana Ruppert to speak out, claiming that "A lot of money didn't go into Destiny" due to leadership "greed."

Now, she's commented on the health of Bungie's business once again — this time alleging that the studio "was below the red line" before Sony initiated its plan to acquire it for $3.6 billion in 2022. The merger with the PlayStation maker, she says, was an "emergency acquisition."

"Bungie was below the red line before the Sony acquisition. If it wasn’t acquired right then, the studio was very close to shutting its doors at the very least on Destiny," she wrote in a social media post. "It was an emergency acquisition."

Notably, this news lines up with previous comments from Ruppert and other ex-Bungie developers who fiercely criticized the studio's leadership for long-standing issues when major layoffs came to Bungie in 2024, after it had already gone through cuts in late 2023.

All signs point to grave resource mismanagement at the developer that put it in dire straits and drove it to strike a deal with Sony. At first, Bungie was given wide creative freedom under the PlayStation publisher, but its independence has been "getting tighter" since last year, and it's "becoming more part of PlayStation Studios."

Just last month, Sony reported a $565 million impairment loss attached to Bungie. That's further called the studio's autonomy into question, and has left many wondering how much control Sony now has over its future plans.

With Destiny 2 content development now over, the performance of Bungie's new PvPvE extraction shooter Marathon will undoubtedly play a large role in determining what the studio does next. The game hasn't exactly been a massive hit since it arrived in March, though it does have a passionate community of dedicated players.

Ultimately, if Bungie's financial troubles have been as severe as Ruppert describes them for several years now, it's likely going to take a long time for its workers and Sony to right the ship and stabilize the situation at the studio. I just hope that effort is actually invested, and that Destiny — and Bungie itself — has a place in the future.

How do you feel about Bungie and the end of Destiny 2? Share your thoughts in the comments, and also let me know if you want Destiny 3 or not in our poll.

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It’s hard to come up with words to describe what Destiny fans are, or rather have been, over the past few weeks, but relentless certainly comes to mind. After Bungie announced it would close the book on Destiny's live-service development, I've seen nothing short of an onslaught of pleas from fans begging Bungie and Sony to revive the franchise and give them Destiny 3, a sequel to Bungie's FPS, RPG, MMO-like looter shooter.

Players have gone so far as to flood Sony’s recent State of Play broadcast, creating petitions, and rallying behind a community-wide push to log in yesterday, on June 9, 2026, in an effort to send a message to Bungie and Sony. Well, they showed up in force, and then some.

For those unaware, SteamDB is a popular free-to-access database that tracks all things Steam, including player counts, game updates, and sales data. Thanks to an influx of more than 167,000 players jumping into Destiny 2, the site struggled to keep up and briefly crashed under the load.

It wasn’t just SteamDB that struggled under the pressure, either. Destiny 2 itself had trouble handling the massive influx of players, with many across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC reporting login errors as they attempted to get online.

The surge in activity also propelled Destiny 2 to the No. 1 spot on Steam's Global Top Sellers chart, and even I managed to finish getting the remainder of the DLC I needed due to a massive sale. This just further highlights how many players turned up for the game's final major update.

Now, while I’m certainly not one for pointing fingers, many were quick to point out that during this same period, Bungie’s other live-service game, Marathon, had just 5,000 players on Steam. Even as I write this, Destiny 2 is sitting at around 60,000 players, while Marathon is at roughly 7,000, so make of that what you will.

It’s also worth mentioning that Destiny 2 blasted past Marathon’s 88,000-player peak on Steam within minutes, which, for lack of a better phrase, feels like a bit of a middle finger to Bungie. More than anything, though, it’s also a testament to just how much people still care about Destiny, and I’m genuinely impressed.

I never really got into Destiny myself, but I do now own all the DLC, having recently started playing it with a friend, and I must say I can definitely see the appeal. So, I say fight on, Guardians, and I hope Bungie takes notice of this massive outcry from fans.

But enough about me. Did you take part in the Destiny 2 mass login, or have you already moved on? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

2026's Summer Game Fest week has begun, with its first major event, the Sony State of Play, already in the books. While it focused mostly on PlayStation 5-exclusive games, with Marvel's Wolverine stealing the show, there were plenty of games shown there that will also be coming out soon for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Some of these highlights include a new Rayman game, a closer look at Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a new playable demo released for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and much more.

Here is every Xbox and PC-related announcement at the June 2026 State of Play.

Rayman Legend Retold

First up, we have Rayman Legends Retold, a new entry in the classic Rayman platformer series that promises a high-flying, wacky adventure where Rayman and his friends must save the Glade of Dreams from evil.

You can punch, kick, and slice your way through obstacles and bad guys solo or with your friends in 4-player co-op.

Rayman Legends Retold is scheduled to launch on October 1, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, with pre-orders now open.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

Next, we have a new trailer for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a new entry in the classic Tomb Raider action-adventure series.

In this second reimagining of the original Tomb Raider from 1996, you play as the legendary explorer, Lara Croft, as she explores ancient ruins across the world to uncover lost history and ancient relics while fighting off beasts and dinosaurs.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is scheduled to launch on February 12, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, with pre-orders now open.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the long-awaited comeback entry in Capcom's Onimusha franchise, has a new trailer showcasing more of its swordfighting gameplay and its epic story of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi fighting to save Japan from the evil Genma.

This trailer also confirms that Onimusha: Way of the Sword's release date is September 25, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, and that pre-orders are now available.

On top of that, Capcom has announced that a playable demo for Onimusha: Way of the Sword is now available on all platforms for players to whet their appetites in the meantime.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

Bandai Namco took the stage to announce Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the next entry in its long-running aerial combat series, Ace Combat. In this game, you play as an elite fighter jet pilot tasked with defending your country from invaders by engaging in aerial dogfights.

The game will feature an epic single-player campaign and various co-op and PvP multiplayer modes with cross-play support.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is scheduled to release on October 2, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, and pre-orders are now available.

Dune: Awakening

Dune: Awakening is an open-world survival game based on the dystopian, sci-fi universe of Dune, where players must scavenge for supplies to survive the hostile, sandworm-infested world of Arrakis.

It was originally released for PC on June 10, 2025, but now it's coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Game Pass on September 22, 2026, with a new single-player campaign, more storylines, and various gameplay improvements and additions.

Control Resonant

Control: Resonant, the sequel to the cult action-adventure game Control, received a new trailer that showed off more of its reality-bending gameplay and complex story, where you must track the protagonist of the previous game, Jesse Faden, and save the world from supernatural, cosmic threats.

Additionally, the trailer confirms that Control: Resonant will be released on 24, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, and pre-orders are now available.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered

The Dynasty Warriors series is revisiting one of its most classic entries and giving it a modern-day upgrade with Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered.

Take control of one of 40 warriors from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and charge into the fray to cut down literally thousands of enemies on-screen in a glorious power fantasy only the Dynasty series can provide.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is scheduled to release on October 1, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, with pre-orders now open.

Silent Hill: Townfall

Silent Hill: Townfall, the next entry in Konami's Silent Hill series, received a new trailer confirming that it will release on September 24, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC and that pre-orders are now open.

In this game, you play as Simon Ordell, a man who has come to the island of St. Amelia to 'put things right' but runs into a seemingly abandoned town covered in an eerie fog.

What follows is a living nightmare as Simon must use his wits and limited combat prowess to avoid getting murdered by monsters and solve devious puzzles to uncover the truth behind this horrifying town.

Stuntman Hollywood

A pleasant surprise for racing fans showed up in the form of Stuntman: Hollywood, a new entry in Saber Interactive's Stuntman franchise. In this game, you play as a Hollywood stuntman, and your goal is to perform death-defying stunts and tricks that will be filmed for movies and TV shows.

This game will allow you to drive in iconic vehicles used in classic movies and shows like Back to the Future, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Death Race, and much more.

Stuntman: Hollywood is slated to be released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC at a later date, and it's now available for wishlisting.

ILL

A new story trailer showed up for a dark, disturbing, first-person survival horror game simply titled ILL. In this game, you are trapped inside a research fortress, and it is infested with all kinds of horrifying monsters that have broken containment.

You will need to scavenge for weapons to defend yourself and medical supplies to keep you alive as you struggle to find a way to escape this rotten fortress and uncover its dark secrets.

ILL will be released for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC at a later date, and it's now available for wishlisting.

What did you think of Sony's June 2026 State of Play event? Were there any games that got you excited to play them?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll below, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

I stopped checking Marathon’s Steam charts within a week of it coming out, not because I wanted to see the game fail or anything, but because I got caught up in all the internet drama surrounding it. Having played the game myself and, quite frankly, disliking it, I was curious to see how it would hold up long term. Well, we now have some numbers thanks to Sony’s earnings report from last night.

For those unaware, PlayStation purchased Bungie for over $3.6 billion back in 2022 as part of Sony’s infamous, and now largely failed, live service gaming push. That strategy gave us games like Concord, alongside numerous canceled projects after the initiative failed to deliver the results Sony likely hoped for.

Successful as Bungie may once have been, Sony has now recorded another impairment loss tied to the studio totaling roughly $565 million. That comes on top of the $204 million impairment Sony reported last year, meaning the company has now written down well over half a billion dollars tied to Bungie in just two years.

As Xbox fans likely know all too well, Bungie was once heavily associated with Xbox thanks to Halo, a franchise many, myself included, still consider one of the greatest trilogies of all time. At the time, Sony's acquisition of Bungie probably made perfect sense. The studio had already moved on from Halo and found massive success with Destiny, proving it could build and maintain a huge live service audience.

I will say, just to keep things clear, an impairment loss does not mean Bungie itself lost $565 million directly. Rather, it means Sony believes Bungie is now worth less than it was when the company was originally purchased.

With that in mind, though, it still naturally raises questions about Bungie’s future, especially regarding Destiny and Marathon. Bungie recently stated it has years of plans mapped out for Marathon, but with numbers like this, it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine the studio, and potentially even its current games, remaining in a healthy position just a few years from now.

It’s a sad day for Bungie, and a worrying time for the studio’s future. With that in mind, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you have any specific opinions on this situation, or did you expect it?

Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Yesterday, PlayStation made one of the most head-scratching decisions I’ve seen a major publisher make as it shut down one of its globally beloved studios, Bluepoint Games. Matching, maybe even surpassing the closure Microsoft handed to Tango Gameworks, Sony has done something that I can only ask, “But why?”

Bluepoint Games was the mastermind behind some of the most incredible remasters and remakes I’ve ever seen. Heck, let’s be truthful, Demon's Souls was quite possibly the best remake of all time, and that’s coming from a former die-hard Xbox guy.

When I opened Demon’s Souls for the first time in 2020, you could have told me it was an entirely new game, and I would have believed you. Nothing about it screamed 'remake' to me, and to this day, it feels like one of the best demonstrations of PlayStation's hardware potential.

What this closing does is further signal that the industry at large, and not just Microsoft, is facing massive issues. While the internet bemoaned the closure of Tango Gameworks (rightfully so), there have been a number of layoffs and studio sunsets in the last few months.

Just now, I was busy going through the layoffs a few weeks ago at Ubisoft, and only discovered while writing this piece that Ubisoft laid off another 40 employees at their Toronto studio who were working on a Splinter Cell game. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the previous layoffs were "built to create the conditions for a return to sustainable growth." It seems this new round of layoffs is another step toward that “major reset.”

I can’t even begin to fathom what it’s like to work in the gaming industry at this moment, where you’re either one poor game release or a delay away from being closed. And that’s coming from someone whose day job is working in the ever-fluctuating tech industry and the growing popular demand for AI.

Layoffs have continued

I feel like I’ve said this before, but every time this happens, I’m reminded that we really are only at the beginning of what I imagine will be another long year of studio closures. If the last couple of years have taught me anything, with studios failing to make absurd 30% profit margins, to others being closed thanks to inept leadership, the craze of AI and other markers is only going to make it worse.

Supposedly, Bluepoint Games had been working on a live-service God of War game over the last five years. On top of that, some influencers say it was on the chopping block because it hadn’t released anything in the last six years.

If that’s the case, whose fault is it exactly that the studio, known for making single-player remasters and remakes, wasn’t fast at making a live-service God of War game?!

Can you truly blame the development team for those mistakes? Or do you blame the leadership team for making that decision? For going all in on your development in the search for obtaining more live service games?

Well, those live-service games need to hit, otherwise they'll be lost in the slop amongst the rubble of games that have come and gone and failed to capture an audience. The majority of that reason is all due to a single game.

Distracted gamers — they're playing Roblox

All these closures aren’t only to blame on leadership decisions. There’s another problem that’s been brewing over the last decade as well, and that’s gamer attention. You see, console and mobile gaming aren’t the top dogs at the moment. Neither is Fortnite, PlayStation, Minecraft, nor Steam.

One game stands above all, and holds the attention of more gamers than Fortnite, PlayStation, and Steam combined. That’s Roblox. Thanks to Matthew Ball's latest report, we know the world of game development, as we know it, is a battle against the juggernaut that is Roblox.

Attention span be damned, the generation of gamers that the likes of Steam, Sony, and Microsoft are looking to pick up and play on their devices or platforms have grown up and continue to play Roblox. Just take a look at the top games in the industry compared to games within Roblox. These numbers are absolutely insane to think about!

In an industry where time is money, publishers are facing an uphill battle when it comes to fighting for time shares. Against the likes of streaming services, TikTok, and social media at large, gamer hours are increasingly being spent on Roblox.

Microsoft has its own form of this mini-game format with Minecraft, but against the likes of Fortnite and Roblox, it has little to no chance. Even Sony is beginning to fall behind games like this.

All of this is happening while the developers still making traditional games are fighting against one another at an all-time high. With indie games coming out left and right that become hits, players are less likely to be waiting for the next Elder Scrolls, Uncharted, or even Call of Duty.

The likes of ARC Raiders proved that AAA development is no longer needed. Games like Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 are clinging to the old methods of development while smaller studios and tighter experiences outshine them.

I mention all of this to explain the upheaval we’re seeing in our industry. Most of us exist within our microcosm of gaming and don’t realize the trends or habits of gamers we’re not familiar with.

Heck, I’m willing to bet most people who read this article have little to no interest in Roblox, and probably haven’t even played it. We’re quickly becoming the minority of gamers. I guess I'm going to go download Roblox now.

How do you feel about the current state of the industry?

Are you as bewildered by the closure of Bluepoint Games? Can you believe the total number of hours players are spending on Roblox? Share your thoughts below.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Marathon is Bungie and Sony’s upcoming FPS. Similar in some ways to ARC Raiders, it is an extraction shooter that tasks players with gathering loot, gear, and weapons while fighting off other players and NPCs.

Sony typically secures exclusivity deals to strengthen its own ecosystem, especially as it doesn’t have the wide portfolio to do so itself. That has often meant games skipping Xbox and, previously, PC too. PC eventually became part of these arrangements, as excluding it proved unsustainable for many publishers, leaving Xbox as the platform most frequently left out.

Now, while Marathon is releasing on Xbox, many, myself included, expected it to at least offer exclusive in-game benefits only to PlayStation users. The assumption was that Xbox and PC players would miss out on certain perks.

That does not appear to be the case, so let’s take a look at what was actually said.

Xbox and Steam players won’t be left out

Marathon, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), responded to a user, @iSeekRest, who commented on exclusive PlayStation content. The original post detailed weapon charms for PlayStation Plus members featuring Helldivers 2, Death Stranding 2, and Ghost of Yotei.

Marathon was quick to clarify that weapon charms are also coming to Steam and Xbox players, however, whether they’re exclusive or not is unknown. This does immediately raise the question of what those platforms might receive.

As a long-time Halo fan, my first thought was simple: a Halo-themed weapon charm. It is not outside the realm of possibility, especially considering Bungie’s history and the fact Helldivers 2 has already featured a Halo crossover.

For Steam, it is less obvious. Most PlayStation titles are already available on PC, so it will be interesting to see whether it leans into Valve games or simply expands on existing PlayStation-themed cosmetics, given most PlayStation games are playable on PC.

Despite ongoing negativity around Marathon, with some comparing it to Concord 2.0, or even 3.0 following Highguard, which recently laid off most of its development team. However, sentiment has started to shift. Bungie appears to have gone back to the drawing board and listened to feedback, and the game is generally looking much better lately.

Marathon’s Server Slam begins February 26, 2026, and runs until March 2, 2026. The full release follows on March 5, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Over to you

Will platform specific charms influence where you play Marathon, or does it not matter to you? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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Unless you’ve been stuck in a Fallout bunker for the last few years, you might have noticed both Microsoft and Sony putting their first-party games on platforms other than their own.

While Microsoft is definitely the leader when it comes to putting its own content on places other than Xbox, Sony has been doing quite a lot of work, too.

To make the point, Derek Strickland with TweakTown posted on X, “Sony has made at least $2.37 billion from selling first-party games & content on PC and Xbox."

From his article, ”A bit ago, Sony reclassified how it records earnings for its PlayStation division, adding in another segment called Other Software. As per Sony, the Other Software segment is defined as ‘revenue from sales of first-party titles, including add-on content, on platforms other than PlayStation consoles.’"

His source comes from Sony’s FY025 Q3 earnings report. In it, they report that their earnings from those other segments have reached a staggering $2.37 billion. That’s right, Sony has made billions bringing games to Steam and Xbox alike.

That’s a lot of moolah, money that will make Sony think twice before not releasing their games on other platforms. Take, for example, the recent announcement of Horizon Hunters Gathering, which is coming to both PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. Sony is looking at this as a perfect opportunity to gather some easy cash for the coffers.

While this won’t be the first time Sony has simultaneously released a game on multiple platforms, I’m willing to bet we’ll begin to see more games coming to multiple platforms.

Heck, look at the number of players MLB The Show had when the game was simultaneously released on Game Pass. With a massive influx of players, microtransactions were going hot off the racks. Although this is anecdotal, one of my best friends was spending hundreds every year on the game and its packs.

More to come?

I’ve written in the past that Sony is crazy for not launching their games on PC day and date and that they’ll be looking to generate more income from PC releases, if not more on Xbox. Why wouldn’t they? At this point, they can pick and choose which games to bring to Xbox and PC while maintaining a veneer of exclusivity, since Xbox has given up entirely on the idea.

The only hitch in these plans has been Sony's recent cancellations of GAS games. Following the failure of Concord, Sony pulled the plug on multiple games in development before they met similar fates. It’s these service games that Sony is most likely to allow on other platforms.

With that, what will Sony have to release on other platforms? They don’t have any major multiplayer-focused games in the pipeline; their only titles are Intergalactic, Wolverine, and Saros.

Saros seems to be an easier pick as a likely title coming to Windows PC; it’s Wolverine and Intergalactic that would have to break the mold. The Last of Us and Spider-Man games have all come to PC, but only much later. Would either of those games be released simultaneously?

That all comes down to whether Sony thinks a simultaneous release of these games would generate more than it would lose or somehow damage their brand. In light of Xbox releasing all its games everywhere, I think Sony could get away with releasing on PC.

Much of the gaming I do in my downtime is now split between a ridiculously overpowered desktop PC, loaded with power-hungry components and unnecessary RGB, and the rest on my beloved Steam Deck. It's a sound system, and one that gets me away from the same desk I sit at all day to work, but it could be even better.

The problem is, handheld gaming PCs like Valve's iconic progenitor and Windows-based responses like the high-scoring ASUS ROG Ally and its Microsoft-centric offshoot, the equally appreciated Xbox Ally X, are just too damn big to be genuinely convenient. Sure, they're portable, and I've traveled around the world with both types, but they take up too much space in my carry-on luggage.

We're already craving more affordable, strange handhelds to offset the ultra-premium options like the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the Lenovo Legion Go 2. As Rebecca says, "It would be great to see some smaller designs like this that are actually, truly portable and better protected." She's right, and I recently found a relic that perfectly demonstrates how PlayStation did it right in the past.

That faint rumbling sound is thousands of rolling eyeballs from gamers who don't appreciate my comparison between Valve's fully fledged PC and Sony's 333 MHz PSP Go from 2011, but hear me out — it's the pocketability that I miss. Yes, the singular hockey puck-esque thumbstick wasn't ideal, and the shoulder buttons were a spongey mess, but the sliding-screen mechanic was clever.

We came close to seeing its form factor return in 2024 with AYANEO's Slide, but it only revealed a hidden QWERTY keyboard, like some mutated BlackBerry with tacked-on joypad controls. Still, if Mr. Mobile and CrackBerry Kevin can spearhead the Clicks Communicator on the back of that kind of nostalgia, why shouldn't I yearn for a spiritual PC sequel to the PSP Go?

After all, why not? What's preventing manufacturers from returning to this pocket-sized convenience category anyway? Well, even a light pondering of the topic reveals at least two answers: the ergonomics of built-in controls will be compromised, and smartphones are already capable of running modern games without issue — but I hate playing games on my phone.

The most straightforward answer to both is a detachable joypad, something like the Backbone Pro, but it isn't quite right for me. It's another thing to carry, and I want to avoid carrying a bag full of extra gadgets. Plus, I'm far too precious about my phone's battery to force it into playing AAA games. If only there were something closer to a PC— you can probably guess where I'm going with this.

The solution was Windows Phone

You know we used to be called Windows Phone Central, right? We're never letting it go, especially when I think about modern uses for a smartphone running Windows — or even Linux, for that matter. Naturally, I couldn't expect this fantastical phone-turned-handheld to use any standard PC parts like M.2 solid-state drives, but the software side could work.

In fact, people are already running x86-64 Windows PC games on Android via Winlator, so it isn't that far-fetched. However, possibility rarely goes hand in hand with viability, and there's just no reason for this strange in-between hardware to exist. I know how powerful smartphones are and that they can play AAA games, but Android isn't good enough. I want Windows in my pocket.

Big surprise, the Windows Central guy wants Windows. I can hear the "just buy a better phone" crowd, but that's not what I'm craving. I want some entry-level, budget-friendly, compact, and pocketable handhelds that won't threaten to replace any of the high-end category leaders — no dropshipped trash, either. I'm definitely in the minority, but I miss those cute and compact consoles.

Am I just a sad old man yelling at clouds? Did the Temu-flooded clones solve this already? Let me know.

@4nt1r34l on X (formerly Twitter), or Fern Hook, is an artist whose work was stolen and used in Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon. She publicly accused Bungie in May 2025, sharing comparisons between her designs and what appeared in the game, and some elements were shown to be 1:1 with her original work.

The issue became a significant controversy, especially because players were already testing the game, and early impressions were not positive. The art theft only added more pressure on the studio and fuelled wider criticism around the project.

As the situation gained traction, Bungie eventually responded and issued an apology to the artist. Art director Joseph Cross released a statement confirming the misuse of assets and described it as an oversight within the early stages of development.

The dispute is over, but Marathon still faces an uphill battle

Fortunately for @4nt1r34l, the dispute has now been resolved. The response to her post has been positive, with many replies showing stacks of money implying she received a satisfactory payout for the misuse of her work, but this, of course, is just speculation.

Bungie and Sony have not commented on the resolution since her announcement, and the terms of the agreement will likely remain unknown.

It is reassuring to see that she has been compensated for her art, and despite the wider issues at Bungie, its willingness to reach out and “do right” by her was encouraging.

Development of Marathon continues. The game was delayed after the controversy and is now expected to launch by March 2026, after originally being planned for September 2025.

However, fan sentiment remains low, and with competing titles like ARC Raiders has shown just how successful an extraction shooter can be, if done right. Gaining positive attention in the multiplayer space means it may be difficult for Marathon to build momentum around a project that is already facing negativity and even more difficult to remain relevant in an ever-changing gaming landscape.

Death Stranding 2, a PlayStation 5 exclusive, has now been rated by the ESRB for PC. The timing is much earlier than many expected when looking at how long it took the first game to reach other platforms, something we’ll break down shortly.

It is currently nominated at Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards. Death Stranding 2 released on June 26, 2025, and serves as the sequel to Death Stranding, which originally launched in November 2019.

The new rating suggests that we might not be far out from the release of Death Stranding 2 on PC. The ESRB has given it the same M for Mature rating on Windows PC that it already has on PlayStation 5.

What does the Death Stranding 2 for PC rating suggest?

Looking at the first game’s rollout gives us a rough idea of what could happen next. Death Stranding launched on PlayStation 4 in November 2019. It reached PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store in July 2020, then arrived on the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass in August 2022. It later came to Xbox Series X and S on November 7, 2024.

With that timeline in mind and Sony’s shift in strategy since then, this still depends on agreements between Kojima Productions and Sony. A PC release could land very early next year or even as soon as December this year.

Many games are released within one to three months of receiving their ESRB rating, especially when it comes to ports. And an Xbox release could follow a full year after the game's initial release on PlayStation 5, giving Xbox fans the chance to try it out as soon as June 2026.

Sony’s broader strategy for bringing games to other platforms has also shifted over the last five years. Having made significant revenue from Steam and Helldivers 2 becoming a success on Xbox, shows how valuable multi-platform support can be. It makes little sense for Sony to hold back a sequel when its predecessor is already available on both PC and Xbox consoles, but only time will tell.

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Since 2020, Sony has been porting a select group of its games to PC after their initial launch on PlayStation hardware. Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam marked the start of this shift. A new dataset from Alinea Analytics now outlines how these PC releases have performed over the past five years.

Over that period, PlayStation titles on Steam have accumulated 43 million sales. Combined revenue reaches 1.5 billion dollars before Valve takes its cut. Sony ultimately keeps around 1.2 billion dollars, which highlights how successful this strategy has become. Steam is now a reliable part of Sony’s wider revenue plan, and it has not disrupted sales of its console hardware.

The full breakdown of Steam sales

Unsurprisingly, Helldivers 2 leads PlayStation’s Steam sales with 12.7 million copies and more than 400 million dollars in revenue. Horizon Zero Dawn follows with 4.5 million copies sold, which still surprises me, as I think it is the weakest PlayStation franchise. God of War comes next with 4.2 million sold, followed by Days Gone at 3.4 million, and Spider-Man Remastered at 2.7 million.

These figures come directly from Alinea Analytics, which often reports accurate sales data before companies publish official numbers. Its dataset shows that Helldivers 2 has sold more than double the copies on Steam compared to PlayStation 5. It also indicates that sequels sell less than half of what their predecessors managed on Steam during identical timeframes. Each sequel still brings in millions for Sony, but the gap is noticeable.

Alinea Analytics believes that delayed PC releases might contribute to this decline. Shorter gaps between PlayStation and Steam launches could help maintain audience excitement and improve performance on PC. Poor PC ports likely play a role, too. Spider-Man 2 was widely described as Sony’s worst PC port so far, and performance issues on launch are always a concern for PC players who depend on stable optimisation.

Why Sony should commit to more PC releases

Sony’s Steam results show that PC ports are a reliable source of revenue. Even with Helldivers 2 carrying most of the weight, it is challenging to ignore the 1.2 billion dollars earned from bringing existing games to PC. That alone makes the strategy worthwhile.

Shorter gaps between PlayStation and PC launches could help sustain momentum. There are also major PlayStation franchises still missing from Steam. Ratchet and Clank collections, Gravity Rush, Infamous, the original Uncharted trilogy, Bloodborne, and the Demon’s Souls remake all feel like easy wins that could bring in significant revenue.

I have been enjoying PlayStation titles on my Xbox Ally X through Steam, and I am even considering picking up Spider-Man Miles Morales and Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart. If Sony ports more of its catalogue to PC, those games will also be playable on Xbox hardware through Xbox Ally devices, and potentially on the rumoured PC based Xbox console that is expected to run Steam.

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Sony is raising the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S, the company confirmed via PlayStation Blog on Wednesday.

"Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21," Sony says.

Here are the new prices for each PlayStation 5 console model currently available:

• PlayStation 5 – $549.99
• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
• PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99

This is a flat $50 increase across the board from the $500, $450, and $700 price points each console previously commanded. Sony adds that at this time, accessories are not going up in price.

It's worth keeping in mind Sony previously raised the price of all PlayStation 5 DualSense controllers.

It's also worth noting that while this is the first price hike for the system in the U.S. this year, the cost of a PlayStation 5 already went up outside of the U.S, with Sony raising prices for certain models in Australia, Europe, the U.K, and New Zealand back in April.

This also comes as Microsoft raised prices on its consoles and accessories back in May, increasing the cost of a standard Xbox Series X to $599.

Nintendo has opted not to raise the prices of its brand-new Nintendo Switch 2 console just yet, but the company has raised the prices of accessories and the original Nintendo Switch, which launched all the way back in 2017.

Why are console prices going up?

Console manufacturers continue to dance carefully, weaving threads of "Macroeconomics" and "challenging financial climates" but ultimately it all comes back to safe factors, with the U.S. Trump administration implementing tariffs on various countries where console components are sourced.

As the prices go up, these companies are deciding it's better to raise the cost of a product rather than taking certain financial losses.

Notably, while we did get a release date of October 16 for the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally handhelds during Gamescom 2025, Microsoft has not yet confirmed the prices for the devices (though leaks peg the higher-end Xbox Ally X at $900, with the regular Xbox Ally at $550) instead saying that more details are coming in the weeks ahead.

Hardware skyrockets, but publishers seem skittish on raising game prices...for now

While hardware continues to go up, game publishers are significantly more hesitant to try and increase the prices of gaming software. Nintendo has introduced the $80 price point with Mario Kart World and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Following that, Microsoft announced that it was raising the prices of some of its games this fall, starting with Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming science-fiction role-playing game, The Outer Worlds 2.

This decision was then reversed a couple of weeks ago, and so far, no other gaming publishers have stepped up to announce an $80 price for games.

It's possible (even likely) that this could change next year, but at least for 2025, $70 appears to be the upper-limit outside of a handful of Nintendo titles.

The main question point is around the impending arrival of Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games' upcoming title, Grand Theft Auto 6. This game is slated to arrive in May 2026, and is widely expected to be a cultural juggernaut.

The game's official price has not yet been announced, but if it does go above $70, I can easily envision multiple game publishers again trying to push for a similar new price point.

It’s a far cry from when Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, with the promise that the studio would remain independent under the PlayStation umbrella. At the time, Bungie was expected to operate on its own terms, despite technically becoming a Sony-owned company.

Since then, however, things have become more uncertain. Destiny 2 has seen mixed responses to recent updates, with player engagement fluctuating, granted the game is getting on in years now. Meanwhile, Bungie’s upcoming shooter Marathon faced heavy backlash over stolen artwork and was delayed as a result.

Sony says Bungie’s independence is “getting tighter” says Sony

Sony CFO Lin Tao has confirmed that Bungie is now becoming more integrated into PlayStation Studios. Describing it as a gradual shift, Tao stated that the studio’s independence is “getting tighter,” a notable change from Bungie’s original status as an “independent subsidiary” following its $3.6 billion acquisition.

At the time of the deal, Bungie was promised creative freedom and operational autonomy. But in the years since, the studio has faced mounting challenges. In 2024, Bungie laid off around 220 employees amid declining player engagement. Reports also surfaced that CEO Pete Parsons had spent $2.4 million on classic cars since the Sony buyout, drawing criticism from fans and former staff.

Bungie’s involvement within Sony already felt significant, as it was tasked with consulting on other live-service projects in development across PlayStation Studios. One of the most notable examples was The Last of Us: Factions. According to multiple reports, Bungie raised concerns about the game’s long-term viability, which ultimately led to the project being paused and later cancelled.

Meanwhile, Bungie’s next big project, Marathon, has struggled publicly. The game received backlash for its visual direction and was further delayed after fans uncovered stolen artwork used in-game. Bungie has since removed the assets and scaled back its marketing while addressing community concerns.

Bungie’s PlayStation shift likely won’t impact Xbox

Bungie’s growing integration into PlayStation may cause concern for some Xbox players, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Sony appears to be shifting its strategy, becoming more open to supporting platforms it once overlooked.

In the case of Destiny, there’s no indication of a pullback. Seasonal content is still rolling out as planned, with Ashes and Iron launching in September across all available platforms.

For Xbox players, nothing is expected to change; Bungie’s titles will likely always remain available on Xbox hardware, even as the studio becomes more closely aligned with PlayStation. It’s a strange moment where Sony is tightening control over its studios while also opening up their games to more players than ever before.

Marathon and Helldivers 2 signal Sony’s growing interest in Xbox releases

Despite criticisms of the game, Marathon — Bungie's upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter — is still confirmed to be released on Xbox and PC, alongside PlayStation. Initially, this seemed possible only because Bungie retained a level of independence following its acquisition by Sony.

However, recent developments suggest that Sony itself is leading the change when it comes to bringing live-service titles to Xbox. Helldivers 2, published by Sony, is now officially coming to Xbox in August 2025.

Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani clarified on Discord that “it was all PlayStation,” confirming that Sony pushed for the release. The move marks a noticeable shift in strategy, showing that Sony is increasingly open to expanding its reach beyond its own console and PC platforms – especially for games designed to thrive with larger, cross-platform audiences.

My very favorite set of headphones is currently on a Lightning Deal sale as part of Amazon Prime Day, reducing them to their lowest price ever.

That's right, the Sony WH-100XM4 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones, which have an MSRP of $349.99 are reduced to just $183.00 at Amazon while stock for this Lightning Deal lasts.

That's a whopping 48% off to anyone with a Amazon Prime membership. These headphones aren't the latest model, but they're still worth getting, especially at this price.

The lightning deal has ended, but there's still a really nice discount on these amazing headphones

Chances are, you are already familiar with Sony's headphones, or at least have heard someone talk about them at some point.

They offer some of the best active noise cancelling (ANC) of any premium headphones on the market while having a comfortable design that many can wear for hours.

The WH-1000XM4 model from 2020, in particular, is a few years old at this point, but still a fantastic choice for anyone who wants to enjoy their music, podcasts, audiobooks, and other media while blocking out most of the rest of the world.

I've put my own WH-1000XM4 headphones to the test recently by traveling across the world from the USA to Taiwan. First hand, I can tell you that I love how well they block out the sounds of the plane and other passengers (including three crying babies on my last flight).

Audio comes through beautifully, and all I have to do is lift one cup away from my ear to talk to someone, and my music automatically gets paused.

The right earcup has two physical buttons, one of which is the power button and the other toggles through noise-canceling modes. Outside of that, I can tap the outside of my earphone to skip a song, adjust volume, play, or pause.

The controls are all very convenient and easy to interact with directly, so I don't have to whip out my phone to make adjustments unless I want to.

I'm also very partial to the look of these headphones. All three color options (black, blue, and silver) look sleek and attractive. Of course, the blue version has the best sale going on now, dropping the price to just $194.00 at Amazon.

However, the silver and black ones only cost a little more right now, so you can grab them if you really like the look of them better. They are both selling for $193.00 at Amazon while this Lightning Deal lasts.

In addition to the headphones, this purchase gives you a carrying case, an adaptor plug for airplanes, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and a headphone cable.

Something I appreciate about this headphone's carrying case is that it is significantly smaller than some other cases I've used. When I traveled with it to Taiwan, it didn't take up nearly as much room in my tech bag (Tomtoc Navigator-T66), which allowed me to pack more total.

If you're in need of a new pair of headphones or want some high-quality ones that block out the world's sounds more effectively, I highly recommend grabbing the Sony WH-1000XM4.

They aren't the latest model, but that just makes them more affordable. Plus, they still offer some of the best audio quality and ANC available right now, so this purchase is definitely worth it.

I also recommend...

PlayStation maker and publisher Sony has made a strong effort to expand into the PC gaming market in recent years, as the firm has brought many of its first-party PlayStation Studios console exclusives to Steam months or years after their original launch on PS4 and PS5.

This initiative has proven to be very successful, though it's been hampered by Sony effectively shooting itself in the foot by region locking its games and delisting them from sale in the 170+ countries where its PlayStation Network (PSN) isn't offered — even if those games don't require the use of a PSN account in the first place. Now, though, Sony is finally walking that decision back.

On Friday afternoon, players in these territories began noticing PlayStation games appearing on their Steam client, leading to widespread speculation that Sony was lifting its region locks. This was soon confirmed by looking at data from SteamDB — a third-party site that can be used to track changes made in Steam's backend.

Indeed, in the update history for titles like Helldivers 2, God of War Ragnarök, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2, nearly all blacklisted regions have been removed. And as a result, all of these games are now available to buy in these countries again.

Sony's decision to region lock its PC releases out of all non-PSN countries came over an entire year ago after it tried to force Helldivers 2 players to make a PSN account to continue playing the game they'd already purchased. After an intense review bombing of Arrowhead's co-op shooter, Sony backpedaled and chose not to implement its PSN requirement.

However, it did delist Helldivers 2 from sale in these areas, and ever since, all other PlayStation releases on PC have been unavailable in those same territories regardless of whether or not they require PSN. Fans have continuously rallied and protested against this policy for many, many months, leading to Sony axing PSN requirements from four games in January before now finally lifting these region locks.

Something important to note, however, is that they're not entirely gone. Of the original 170+ countries blacklisted, seven still remain: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam (Vietnam banned Steam entirely in 2024 over an issue regarding licensing games to be sold). Russia's ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine may explain why Sony still isn't selling its games there, but ultimately, the reasoning for the remaining blacklists is unknown.

Still, it's great to see Sony finally budge on this issue — even if it's one that should have been resolved a long time ago, and frankly never should have been a problem in the first place. The PlayStation publisher has faced constant and intense criticism from players, content creators, and outlets alike since the very first day regions were blocked, as nobody understood the point of the decision or how it even benefitted the firm.

Regardless, what matters most is that the company's stubbornness with this matter has come to an end, and that fans who live in the previously blacklisted regions can now enjoy PlayStation's games (widely thought to be some of the best PC games available). And for Sony, that means plenty of new sales.

While on a recent 12-hour flight to Taiwan, I found myself in the middle of three crying babies. Thankfully, my newly acquired Sony WH-1000XM4 ANC wireless headset helped me block out the noise well enough that I could sleep through the shrill sounds.

I absolutely love these headphones and recommend them to everyone. Right now, they are $120 off thanks to a Memorial Day deal. This means you can grab the black, silver, or blue versions for just $228.00 at Amazon, instead of their usual $348.00 price.

Block out the world and zone in on your media

Over the course of the last few weeks, I've travelled roughly 25,628 miles on planes for work trips, first to and from Brazil and then to and from Taiwan.

During my Brazil trip, I had an inferior set of ANC earbuds that didn't do enough to block out crying babies on my flight. It made it so when I landed I wasn't well rested at all.

When I got home from that trip, I was determined to get better ANC headphones, and so I bought the Sony WH-1000XM4. And I'm so happy I did.

To be clear, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is older at this point, having launched in 2020, so they are no longer Sony's flagship headphones. But, I argue that they are still the ideal option to get since they offer fantastic features while costing less than newer offerings.

They are extremely comfortable to wear, offer touch controls, provide great audio quality, and block out far more noise than many other headphones do.

On my flights to and from Taiwan, I managed to block out shouting passengers, three screaming babies that I was sitting in the middle of, thrumming airplanes, and even an older man who was playing his phone out loud in the airport. Seriously, why do that?

I can feel like I'm alone at times while wearing the Sony WH-1000XM4, which brings a great deal of peace when I'm stuck in public for so long. As such, these headphones made my second set of long flights far more relaxing than my first set.

Another thing I love about these headphones is that they have a good battery life that can last up to 30 hours. If someone comes up to talk to me, I simply have to pull one cup away from my head, and the headphones automatically pause my music and then start it up again when I place the headphone back in place.

They really are fantastic, and I highly recommend picking some up for yourself while they're at this great discount for Memorial Day.

Sony's PlayStation 5 consoles might be next in line for a price hike, according to comments made by the company's leadership in a call accompanying its latest financial results.

The prices of everything are going up right now, with the impact of tariffs imposed by the U.S. Trump administration being felt everywhere, but especially in the technologicial sector.

When asked directly about how tariffs would impact Sony's hardware business, chief financial officer Lin Tao noted that the company was considering passing on part of the increase in costs to consumers.

Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki touched on PlayStation 5 directly, saying that the console was already being manufactured in multiple countries, and that on the topic of manufacturing in the U.S, "It needs to be considered going forward."

This comes as Microsoft recently announced a price hike for Xbox hardware and accessories, with some games reaching $80 later this year. It's worth noting that PlayStation 5 hardware did already see a price hike this year, but only in select countries, with the console's price going up across Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.

Sony previously stockpiled PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. earlier in the year in order to buy time for options when tariffs went into effect, but this stockpile will obviously only last so long. The U.S. and China recently reached a 90-day deal that sees tariffs reduced for the time being, but when those 90 days are up, it's unclear what companies can expect.

Nintendo has not yet raised the price of its upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console ahead of its June launch, but the company has raised the price of several accessories.

Setting up manufacturing in the U.S. will be extremely expensive and time-consuming for any company, and as such, it's not likely that we'll see any movement on that front in the near term.

A recent report indicates that as the trade war continues, consoles could see a 69% price increase.

I know my opinion will likely spiral this topic into somewhat of a console war, or that's where some might take it. So, I'll preface this entire piece with some facts about my feelings on remasters like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Sony in general.

While I haven't beaten it yet (too many things on my plate), I own and have played through at least 16 hours of Horizon: Zero Dawn's remaster on Steam. I love it.

I also own the previously exclusive Days Gone on PC and have been waiting for the Broken Road DLC to drop on Steam. While the release of Oblivion Remastered and the upcoming Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will keep me busy, I'm getting that thing downloaded and ready to play. Backlog be damned.

Additionally, I own a PlayStation 5, and I'm currently playing through the PC-absent Bloodborne with my oft-mentioned brother-in-law. We'll get to Sony's failure to remaster that title later.

I had to fight for that PlayStation, too. I literally had to fend off a gunman who was trying to rob me outside my home. That's not some made-up story for the sake of momentum in this piece.

Needless to say, I love Sony and their games, but what the hell are they doing with these remasters?

Sony, wake up, brother

We need to have a chat. It's time to stop releasing yet another version of The Last of Us on PC. Stop remastering games that you released only a few years ago, and make something that wasn't even made in the last decade.

Look at comparisons in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered and show me anything you've remastered that's similar to their work on this game. It's a game that was released in 2007. Is that too old for you?

Capcom has it figured out with Resident Evil, Microsoft with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Activision with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, and EA with Dead Space. Those are proper remakes, some of which you've done yourself with Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls.

Let's face it: the first Last of Us game is universally loved and respected. I'm not going to sit here and argue with people who are more critical of the sequel; it was rightfully another banger to me and millions of other fans.

However, what the heck is Sony doing with these remasters? These aren't even that good of remasters. In most instances, you're redoing games that are only just starting to show signs of age. In some cases, it's been less than two years!

The Last of Us Part 1 has been remastered twice in less than 9 years, with the sequel having just released its own. Horizon: Zero Dawn had its own after only seven years on the market.

The further you look, the worse it gets. Nioh 1 and 2 both received remasters for their launch on PlayStation 5. Nioh 2 was released the previous year! Spider-Man got its own remaster only two years later.

Needless to say, Sony has a terrible track record when it comes to remastering games that don't need remastering while ignoring games that would blow up in an instant if the company even bothered.

You were born of blood and so many other renowned franchises

Bloodborne! What are you waiting for? Even FromSoftware saw the outcry and had the wherewithal to create The Duskbloods, which looks to be a spiritual successor to Bloodborne, in the same vein as Dark Souls was to Demon's Souls.

You got it right when you remastered Demon's Souls! Hell, that's one of the greatest remakes I've ever seen.

It not only looks incredible but plays like it was made for the modern audience. Side note: I'm unsure why Bloodborne hasn't received a PC release. Does Sony break out in hives at the sight of cash? Does its skin itch when it touches a dollar bill? Unlikely.

Why your company refuses to construct the money printer that is a Bloodborne remaster after choosing to release another version of "Joel and Ellie: Buddies Go Hiking Adventure" is beyond me. You have the Holy Grail of Souls games on the back burner, stuck at 30 frames per second. Fix it!

You have so many other games that deserve a proper remaster or remake. What about the original God of War games? I'll even take an Infamous title at this point; just pick one, or any!

You also have the fondly remembered Killzone, Twisted Metal, SOCOM, and Resistance trilogy. The last two were some of the first games I ever played online over broadband Internet. You have so many other beloved franchises that deserve a glow-up on PC alongside a wealth of ported Xbox titles. It's like you loathe good press.

Other companies aren't off the hook either

I don't want this to only be about taking shots at Sony. If I did that, I'd be wasting my opportunity to beg other developers to also figure this out.

Bethesda, you did a good job with this one, but for the love of God, if I see another Skyrim edition before Elder Scrolls VI comes out, I will post one heck of an angry rant on social media (you've been warned).

The meanest 250-word count essay you've ever seen.

Capcom, where's our Dino Crisis remake? Again, you figured it out with Resident Evil, but were you aware you have one of the world's largest and most loved gaming IP collections?

Could you imagine how hard a remaster of Super Mario 64 would hit for Nintendo on Switch 2? As long as they retained the original glitches and physics, we would be able to watch peak performance speed runs in HD.

Ubisoft, sometimes I wonder where your priorities lie. You still have Michael Ironside; where's my Splinter Cell remake? You could, and I know this may seem unusual to hear, create a sequel to something that doesn't start with the phrase "Assassin's Creed" (as successful as that has been).

I digress. We may be stuck in a loop where we'll only see the latest titles remastered forever, with the rare exception where something like Oblivion Remastered is created. I hope I'm wrong.

What does the reader think? Is there something you'd like to see Sony or another company remaster? Tell me about it in the comments or on social media. I want to hear what you have to say. Convince me.

Yesterday, PlayStation had its State of Play event, a semi-regular showcase of upcoming games from both first and third-party. More so than ever, State of Play featured a ton of multi-platform games, both slated for Windows PC and Xbox Series X|S in addition to PlayStation, which accentuates an evolving industry.

Right now, costs are outstripping growth for players in the console space. Sony has seen a modest increase in users year over year, but the overall pie chart shows Windows PC as the main growth vector for the game industry right now. To that end, PlayStation has begun supporting PC more than ever, with first-party titles like Helldivers 2 demonstrably performing better on Windows than it did on PlayStation itself. Even Sony's biggest franchises like God of War and Spider-Man have begun hitting PC, and it seems almost inevitable that future PlayStation games will hit a "day and date" PC launch cadence in the future, similar to Xbox.

Things have progressed even more quickly on the Xbox side. Microsoft was the first to begin supporting PC to find new users and revenue, as the console player on the lowest rung on the ladder. That strategy has been quite devastating for Xbox's hardware sales, which have shown yearly declines at a breakneck pace for several quarters now. Microsoft has started putting its games not only on PC, but now even PlayStation in order to make up for the slow death of its own hardware platform.

IGN Executive Editor Ryan McCaffrey reacted to the PlayStation State of Play to highlight the strange times Xbox finds itself in. Go back five years and tell people the above might actually come true. I would argue that nobody seriously predicted this, but in 2025, it may well and truly be the first year Xbox publishes more games on PlayStation than Sony itself.

Microsoft is bringing long-time multiplatform titles it purchased like Call of Duty and Minecraft to PlayStation as usual, but it's also bringing first-party made games like Forza Horizon 5, Indiana Jones, and Age of Empires across to PlayStation as well. We've heard that even more games are slated for PlayStation in the near and long term future too. Recently, I've been hearing from trusted sources that Hellblade 2 was slated to be launching on PlayStation 5 as soon as this April, although it could be later as Microsoft aims to spread out its game launches throughout the fiscal year. Indiana Jones is on the docket for around that time frame too. There's no reason to think upcoming Xbox games like South of Midnight, Avowed, and even Fable won't hit PlayStation in the future as well, as Xbox deems Windows PC and Xbox Series X|S as a limiting factor to its short term revenue goals. Xbox fans, of course, remain concerned that the viability of long-term investment in the Xbox platform is potentially misplaced.

Content creator and IGN alumni Destin Legarie put a poll up to gauge reactions to the PlayStation State of Play, with many users voting "D." There has been frustration in the PlayStation camp over the lack of clarity regarding the firm's long term roadmap for its first party studios.

PlayStation is publishing open-world ninja fantasy Ghost of Yōtei and Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding 2 this year, but updates on projects from the firm's heavy hitters like Sony Santa Monica, Insomniac, and Naughty Dog are typically what seems to generate the big headlines. Naughty Dog did recently reveal its next game, which is a sci-fi outing, though, and Insomniac just shipped Spider-Man 2 on PC fairly recently.

But indeed, the elephant in the room is that, all of these games are inevitably coming to Windows PC as well, via Steam or otherwise.

Content creator and sauce connoisseur Gaz reacted to the discourse with the inevitable truth: PC has increasingly become the de facto best place to play if you truly want everything. Steam is the only platform that incorporates PC exclusives, PlayStation exclusives, and Xbox exclusives into a single place, and with Steam doubling down on its home-grown gaming Linux distro SteamOS, the possibility of a more traditional "console" for your TV from Steam has become increasingly likely.

As someone who grew up unable to afford a gaming PC for the vast majority of my life, the idea of PlayStation and Xbox simply giving up on their respective ecosystems is a bit depressing. Not everyone can afford a high-powered gaming PC rig, and to go further, not everyone wants one. Windows is only useful in a desktop environment, and a pain to command from a sofa with a controller, although Xbox VP of next-gen Jason Ronald insists the plan is to improve this. At least for right now, Windows is the opposite of intuitive on devices like the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go, letalone via a sofa on a TV.

At least for now, there are no signs of PlayStation or Xbox fully bending the knee to PC.

Indeed, as gaming news curator Hazzador points out in the tweet above, Sony's recent financial report revealed that the firm saw +16% year-on-year growth for its hardware delivery, with a +7% growth in console users. The PS5 Pro doubtless helped out Sony here over the holiday period, but it'll be interesting to see if PlayStation can maintain the momentum given the rise of PC. The X factor for 2025 is Grand Theft Auto 6, which is not launching day and date on PC, and could drive users on Xbox One and PS4 to upgrade in irregularly large amounts.

RELATED: The PSN outage should be a reminder to Xbox on the benefits of having its own ecosystem

Xbox doesn't release its figures for active console users, but I would guess that they are on the decline at this point, with users flocking to PC in increasing amounts. Xbox hardware has declined non-stop for several quarters, as the firm pretty much stops marketing its products, and didn't even bother to do serious sales and deals over Black Friday last year. Xbox is still pledging to build next-gen console hardware, though. To that end, I've recently been told that Xbox's next-gen console hardware has now moved past its early pitch stages and has been fully approved and costed all the way up the chain. I doubt we'll see a reveal of their hardware strategy any time soon, but what is perhaps more interesting to me is how Xbox will seek to entice developers to support its efforts on PC. So far, developers have completely shunned the Microsoft Store for delivering their PC games, which doesn't seem sustainable if Microsoft is to maintain its own ecosystem.

It's the strangest of times, friends.

While E3 is still dead, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has a new gaming conference on the way, as shared on Thursday. Titled the Interactive Innovation Conference (iicon), this gathering is being geared toward "visionaries, thought leaders and innovators" in order to "harness the power of interactive entertainment."

iicon is being held from April 27 through April 30 in 2026 at Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada in the U.S. There's a long list of big names across the gaming industry that are already confirmed to attend, including Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and more.

“At Xbox, our mission is to bring the joy of gaming to players anywhere they want, while creating opportunities for the amazing creators behind them,” said Sarah Bond, president of Xbox. “We appreciate the ESA establishing iicon as a platform to deepen connections among executives and thought leaders from within gaming, and from a wide range of partner industries. Together, we will collaborate, invent and create – and together we will all grow.”

Per the press release, attendees will be taking part in workshops and keynotes with "elite networking opportunities." The conference is not open for registration, and attendees will be selected on an invite-only basis.

E3 remains long gone

While the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was originally put together as a show focused on developers, publishers, and retailers, it opened up more and more as time went on. Many gaming companies held press conferences in conjunction with the event, revealing details on upcoming games and hardware just as much for fans as for the rest of the industry.

In the twilight years of E3, more and more publishers pulled out, choosing instead to hold their own events at their own pace in digital-only showcases like PlayStation's State of Play. The weakening of E3 also gave rise to a slate of shows hosted by Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards. Keighley organized Summer Game Fest, a presentation with a limited industry gathering, as a quasi-replacement for E3.

It's interesting to see the ESA again putting its weight behind a conference, but at least for now, iicon is clearly not meant to replace E3. Instead, this is a networking opportunity for executives. Truthfully, I'm not sure that was really needed, given the existence of game development industry gatherings at GDC and D.I.C.E that already allow for networking, but I'm not the target audience.

While countless PC gamers have come to enjoy the plethora of PlayStation exclusives that have been ported to Steam and other storefronts in recent years, a policy that Sony recently began enforcing has angered many in the community: PlayStation Network (PSN) requirements. Since last year, the firm has made signing up for one and using it while playing mandatory for nearly all newly released PlayStation Studios titles.

This began last May, when Sony began requiring PSN accounts for new and existing Helldivers 2 players alike, leading to an uproar that eventually saw the firm backpedal. But while Arrowhead Game Studios' co-op shooter didn't require PSN accounts anymore, Sony quickly started asking for them in new ports like Ghost of Tsushima, and even prevented players in the 100+ regions where PSN is not available from purchasing those games. And despite constant protests from PC players, the company hasn't budged on the matter...at least, not until now.

On Wednesday, Sony announced that four PlayStation games on PC will no longer require PSN accounts in order to play them. Specifically, these titles include Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (releasing tomorrow on January 30), God of War Ragnarök, The Last of Us Part II Remastered (coming April 3, 2025), and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered; without PSN requirements, all of these will presumably become available to all players globally, though that will require Sony relisting them for sale in the territories where you can't sign up.

"An account for PlayStation Network will become optional for these titles on PC," reads a statement from PlayStation's senior vice president head of publishing Asad Qizilbash in a new article. "Players who still opt to sign into a PlayStation Network account will also enjoy added benefits like trophies and friend management."

Sony's decision to walk its policy back for these games came within a larger post about benefits it's going to offer to people who do use PSN to play them. The bonuses you'll get in each game for signing in with a PSN account are listed in the table below:

Ultimately, it looks like Sony is shifting to try and entice PC players to use PSN instead of forcing them to, which is probably what it should have been doing from the get-go in order to avoid drawing the ire of the community.

Notably, the publisher says it's starting its benefit offers with these four games, but plans to bring more to players in the future.

"Game creators at PlayStation Studios will continue to work on bringing more benefits to players who sign up for a PlayStation Network account, so be sure to follow studio channels for more information. You can find more details on account sign-in at our website," wrote Qizilbash, linking to Sony's official guide on PSN usage on PC. "Thank you to our PlayStation PC fans around the world for your support."

Overall, it's great to see Sony change its mind about its PSN policy, and I'm hoping it won't be long before the firm makes it optional to sign up for an account in other PlayStation games on PC, too. With any luck, the requirements will be lifted across PlayStation Studios' full library in short order; titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Until Dawn still require one, after all, and that's stopping a ton of players from enjoying them. And hey, if you live somewhere where PSN is available and you don't mind using it, you'll likely be able to snag yourself some extra in-game goodies.

MLB The Show is the premier baseball game in modern gaming. Gone are the days of other titles, such as Triple Play, MLB 2K, and MVP Baseball. MLB The Show now stands alone as the leading franchise for the MLB experience. Published by Sony, MLB The Show 25 will skip Game Pass for the first time since coming to Xbox.

Sony announced earlier this morning, spotted by some keen eyes, that MLB The Show 25 will not be coming to subscription services in 2025.

"We are also thrilled to announce that MLB The Show 25 will launch on March 18, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The game will not be on platform subscription services in 2025. Early Access begins on March 14, for anyone who purchases the Digital Deluxe Edition."

The choice not to come to Game Pass may surprise some, as MLB The Show has continually pushed player counts to all-time highs due to being part of the service. In 2023, the game had over six times the number of players on Xbox than it did on PlayStation 5. It also finished as the 14th most-sold game in 2023, which was actually "bad news."

See, MLB The Show 2023 was the first MLB game since 2019 to land outside the top 10 in sales. While finishing 10th overall on PlayStation, it's possible Sony is looking to boost the purchase numbers a fair amount by excluding it from Game Pass. Only time will tell if this move makes the company more profit, when compared to the engagement bonuses and licensing fee Microsoft would pay up for its inclusion into Game Pass.

Game Pass losing MLB The Show is a shame

Doubtless at least partially thanks to Game Pass, there was a surge of new MLB players since it hit Xbox, and gamers there could theoretically more freely spend their money on their ultimate teams. Gamers could also buy player packs or players directly. The game being "free" as part of Game Pass might've theoretically boosted overall spending. What we don't know is how it affects game sales, and whether the cannibalization potential might've affected overall profitability.

As an Xbox and PlayStation gamer, I was always more willing to play MLB The Show on Game Pass. However, I stopped purchasing the game altogether. I didn't care about the early access period, so I used some of the money I saved to get an early jump on the season through special launch deals in the game.

I've always wondered what PlayStation gamers thought of this move. Why was a Sony first-party title available on the competitor's subscription service but not PlayStation Plus? Now, those players don't need to wonder anymore.

Reading the news this morning has bummed me out a bit, as it's always been a joy of mine to launch into MLB The Show and compete against friends. Looks like if I want to join the fun this time, I'll need to put up the cash separately. And I will, but it's going to feel weird paying extra for something that's been part of Game Pass for years.

How about you? Are you bummed to see MLB The Show skip Game Pass for 2025? Let us know below in the comments or on social media if you plan to buy or skip it as a result. I'll be reading and conversing with everyone!

In a new interview, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer discussed the Xbox Series S, the future of Xbox, and its approach to hardware innovation and the future.

In recent years, the Xbox Series S has been the subject of at least some controversy. The Xbox Series S is the yin to the Xbox Series X yang, offering the current most affordable path to entry for this generation of gaming hardware. The Xbox Series S retails for $299, far less than the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, while boasting the ability to play all current gen games. The Xbox Series S targets 1080p HD resolution using more affordable chips, helping Microsoft pass on savings to consumers who don't feel the need to hit 4K resolution. Typically, the Xbox Series S sacrifices other visual milestones like 60 FPS in some cases, but well-optimized games can still hit 60 or even 120 FPS in rare cases, when built with the console in mind.

Therein lies the controversy with the Xbox Series S, though. Many games simply aren't built with the Xbox Series S in mind — and to ship on Xbox Series X, Microsoft requires developers to build for the Xbox Series S. Games like Black Myth Wukong and previously Baldur's Gate 3 were either delayed or outright omitted from Xbox in its entirety, with blame falling on the Xbox Series S' 10 GB RAM allocation, compared to the PS5 and Xbox Series X' 16 GB. Developers that build games for PS5 or Xbox Series X first struggle to retroactively port the game to the Xbox Series S, which has created headaches for some. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer isn't worried, though.

In a new interview with industry heavyweight and generally lovely bloke Destin Legarie, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer discussed the Xbox Series S, essentially confirming that the so-called "parity clause" will not go away. The parity clause stipulates that games need to ship with feature-parity between Xbox Series X and S, although exceptions have been made for RAM-intensive features like couch co-op in Baldur's Gate 3 — which, by the way, just arrived earlier today for the Xbox Series S.

When asked if Microsoft would ever consider dropping the "parity clause," Spencer described how the Xbox Series S spec "maps pretty well" to lower-power battery-bound devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Nintendo Switch 2.

"In a way, I think about it in almost exactly the opposite way. With the rise of handheld PCs and the Nintendo Switch 2 — as developers we're building on more device specs from lower power devices, battery powered devices, all the way to things that plug into the wall. I actually think we have a real advantage, because we've been targeting the [Xbox Series S] for quite a while," Spencer explained. "I think that helps us. Frankly, the scalability of engines today allows [games] to scale from ray-trace enabled multi-thousand dollar graphics cards on desktop, all the way through to a battery-powered handheld device. So, for me, [Xbox Series] S has been helpful in our portfolio."

Spencer says it's "an important design point" for developers to consider, given the rise of battery powered devices. Legarie asked Spencer about the previously-teased "Xbox handheld," which Microsoft confirmed were in a prototype state. Spencer remained coy about Microsoft's own handheld efforts, describing how the firm has been working to improve Windows on OEM partner handhelds, like the Lenovo Legion Go. It remains true that having a library of games that target Xbox Series S-like specs should help Microsoft's developer partners target any potential "handheld" Xbox, if Microsoft can actually ship one, that is.

What type of differentiator could Xbox have in hardware?

Microsoft has been working to reduce its reliance on the Xbox hardware ecosystem in recent years. Microsoft has begun shipping games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but has also been growing out its own Xbox cloud and PC operation too. When asked why someone should buy an Xbox console in that universe, Spencer emphasized that he wants to return to hardware innovation as the key differentiator between platforms.

"I want us to innovate and make hardware the differentiator. We've got into this space where the differentiation on the hardware has gone down, and it's really been 'locked games' that have become the identity of the hardware. I love when I see handhelds, when I see unique things that hardware manufacturers do. I want our hardware to compete on power, and on innovation. So let's have our platform continue to innovate with services and the hardware work that we're doing — whether it's controller, power, or mobility."

I have to say, what brought me into the Xbox ecosystem in the first place wasn't necessarily some gimmicky hardware feature, but instead, pure value. The modularity of the Xbox 360 helped Microsoft severely undercut the PlayStation 3, giving it its first real anchor in the console market space.

Microsoft has Xbox Game Pass, and Microsoft gives me a PC license alongside an Xbox console license with every game it sells. But what if the plan is to go even further? Given that console hardware is subsidized by software and service sales, could Microsoft pull off a similar price coup with the next Xbox against the PlayStation 6? If its games are shipping everywhere, that would mean more subsidization, right? Could we see the death of the Xbox multiplayer paywall? Could we see Xbox win on price and power? Might the next Xbox console have some kind of space-age brain implant tech that simulates how it feels to get incinerated by a dragon? Who knows, but Microsoft's recent attempts at "hardware innovation" haven't exactly lit the world on fire ... it'll be interesting to see what emerges from Microsoft's labs in the future.

Sony's mission to create an adaptation of every popular PlayStation console exclusive is progressing apace, with the firm announcing yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that it plans to make films based on both Helldivers 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn. The company has confirmed that the movies are in development, though nothing is currently known about the expected release date or involved talent of the productions.

"Looking ahead as to what might come next, I'm excited to announce we are working with Sony Pictures on developing a film adaptation of our amazingly popular PlayStation game Helldivers 2," said head of PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash on-stage during Sony's CES 2025 conference. The Horizon Zero Dawn project was then revealed shortly afterwards, with the Sony calling the franchise "one of our most exciting IPs filled with so much potential to expand into new categories and genres." Notably, one such case of Horizon, well, expanding its horizons came in November of last year, when Guerilla Games and Studio Gobo released a family-friendly, action-adventure game spinoff of the open-world series called LEGO Horizon Adventures.

When published, both films will join big-screen PlayStation adaptations already developed by Sony and its leading movie subsidiary Columbia Pictures. These include 2022's Uncharted and 2023's Grand Turismo, both of which were successful; there's also an Until Dawn movie scheduled to debut on April 25 this year, as well as a live-action Ghost of Tsushima film on the way. For television, Sony has produced the extremely popular The Last of Us show and Twisted Metal, and is working on a God of War TV series with Amazon and a Ghost of Tsushima anime with Crunchyroll.

I wasn't shocked to see an announcement for Horizon Zero Dawn come, as the cinematic journey of tribal warrior Aloy and her mission to hunt predatory machine animals in the post-apocalypse always struck me as a natural fit for the big screen. What did surprise me, however, was the news of an adaptation for Helldivers 2. Arrowhead Game Studios' sci-fi co-op shooter franchise only recently got massively popular with the sequel's explosive release last year, and its emergent, player-driven live-service story isn't one that you can just copy-paste into a motion picture.

Then again, the grandiose visual effects spectacle of Helldivers 2's various weapons and stratagems would be perfect for a Michael Bay-style action movie, and I can totally see the film's producers putting together a satirical anti-fascist narrative much like Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers — a series that Arrowhead has directly pointed to as one of Helldivers' biggest (and most obvious) inspirations. Starship Troopers star Casper Van Dien was even pushing for a crossover last year.

Something worth pointing out is that amusingly, Sony actually owns the rights to both Helldivers 2 and Starship Troopers, so we could see some funny easter eggs and references to the 1997 classic make their way into the former's upcoming movie. Perhaps Van Dien will be cast as one of its characters, though only time will tell if something like that actually ends up happening.

Either way, as a huge fan of Helldivers 2 myself, I'm pretty excited to see what Sony cooks up for the game's cinematic premiere. I can't say the same for the Horizon Zero Dawn movie — I've never really found that series very enjoyable, personally — but I'll still probably give it a watch. After all, I was never big on The Last of Us, either, but I thought the TV show was fantastic.

Helldivers 2 itself has had peaks and valleys (mostly peaks) since its launch in February last year, but right now, it's at a particularly high point. The long-awaited Illuminate faction got a big shadow drop during The Game Awards last month, and as someone who's spent dozens of hours fighting the squid-like aliens since, I can say with confidence that it's pretty much everything I could ask for out of a new enemy for Super Earth to contend with. The update that added it led to a huge boost in concurrent players and propelled the game's sales past Marvel Rivals and Path of Exile 2.

Helldivers 2 stands tall as one of the best PC games and best PS5 games to play if you're into co-op shooters, intense sci-fi action, goofy physics antics, and goofy satirical writing. It's typically $40, though you can often get it for less if you shop around for discounts. Right now, the best one is CDKeys' sale that shaves $10 off the price, allowing you to get the bombastic title for just $30.

In early October, I picked up a code for Horizon: Zero Dawn on PC from CDKeys, anticipating the remaster launching later that same month. Right after Sony removed the original game from Steam, I bought it quickly before the key market dried up. Heck, for an additional $10 later on top of the $12 that key cost, I figured the remaster was worth a purchase.

I was right; it ended up being freaking sweet. While it was somewhat dated mechanically, I still had a ton of fun running through the wilderness, knocking off robot parts like some slow-motion tribal Max Payne. I just wish the sequel had trophies on Steam; I know, it's a weird complaint. I like my shiny things.

While I mainly game on Windows PC and within the Xbox ecosystem, that doesn't mean I have some kind of dislike for Sony. My second favorite game of all time, right behind the original Red Dead Redemption, is Uncharted 4. It's another title that's been available on PC for years. Therein lies the problem.

PlayStation, like a child being dragged out of the store by their parent for being naughty, has been reluctantly releasing its games on PC. Often without fanfare, and with some taking years to launch on PC, the pace has gradually grown. Just this year, their biggest hit, Helldivers 2, was a simultaneous release on PlayStation 5 and PC. An experiment that will likely end up changing their strategy.

Having been released in February, Helldivers 2 found massive success on PC. In March, it was estimated that over 60% of sales were made on PCs. That means for the first time, a major PlayStation exclusive's biggest platform was not on their hardware. This is a reality that will snowball in the next few years, and as we know, it has already begun happening for Xbox.

The future of PlayStation games is on Windows PC

So, what does that mean for the future of PlayStation games? Should PlayStation be worried about PC? Somebody else had that feeling and brought this exact question up in November during a shareholder's meeting. Keep in mind this is a translation from Japanese to English, so some of it may not be fully representative, as noted in the original document shared by Sony itself.

A shareholder asked, "You seem to have a lot of PS5 exclusives in your line-up of third-party software titles for the second half. Is that intended to encourage the transition from PS4 to PS5? I think that there is a risk of more users opting for PCs. What do you think about the risk and opportunity?"

Sony responded, "We are in the latter half of the console cycle for the PS5, and the number of PS5 titles has been increasing. We have also confirmed internally that the transition of users from the PS4 to the PS5 is trending well. In addition, we see users tending to purchase more software when they switch to the PS5, which we see as a positive. In terms of losing users to PCs, we have neither confirmed that any such trend is underway, nor do we see it as a major risk, so far."

We'll overlook the part where even a shareholder pointed out the visceral amount of third-party exclusives Sony pushed this year and get to the main point. Sony is seemingly not scared of a potential future with PC domineering. At least, not yet. There are some key takeaways here from the language used.

Specifically, they mention that PlayStation 4 players are trending well to PlayStation 5. While minor, the PlayStation 5 has been trending behind the PlayStation 4 in terms of overall sale numbers. There may be some PC players going to console, we can safely assume the vast majority of PlayStation 5 players are shifting either from PlayStation 4, or another console like Xbox One. PlayStation has previously suggested that Nintendo Switch kids often "graduate" to PlayStation, too. However, the overall console market is not growing, per most market analysts like Newzoo and Circana. As costs go up, platform holders like Sony and Xbox are having to find new places to deliver their big margin software offerings.

Indeed, this is all while Steam numbers continue to hit new records every year. Just three weeks ago, Steam rose to an astonishing 39,319,632 concurrent players online. Yesterday, they were only 200,000 under that number, which means this is an everyday thing. Forty million is coming in 2025, probably by March.

For comparison, the NFL had a record-setting Christmas day with 64 million viewers. Steam is pulling two-thirds of that every single day. That's absurd. It paints a picture more console gamers need to realize.

Forgetting about the mobile market, which is already the largest and is set to grow, PC gaming continues to grow at a steady rate that hasn't seen a decline in years. With PlayStation sales trending behind its former console, what exactly does that mean for the future of their games? The answer? That phrase everyone argues about: day and date on PC.

PlayStation moving to "day and date" PC launches is coming

I don't know why so many argue against this, but days of non-simultaneous PlayStation releases are nearing their end. Said end won't be tomorrow, but with every year, we get closer and closer. Last year, the success of Helldivers 2 pushed the company to admit it would be releasing live-service titles everywhere all at once. Tomorrow, there will be some other game that will cause Sony to rethink its strategy yet again.

I have a PlayStation 5, but I generally wait for game releases on my Windows PC. They're coming, so why not wait for them on my preferred platform? Sure, some absolute bangers might come out, but what first-party titles have there been on PlayStation that haven't come to PC as well? For 2025, we have Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, both sequels that have already seen their predecessors come to PC. In the case of Death Stranding, Kojima Productions even launched it on Xbox for the added income.

While Sony has said they'll continue to release single-player games on PlayStation first, at what point do they experiment with one of those as well? When they do, what happens if it's a massive success? Sony has changed course multiple times already.

Going back to Horizon: Zero Dawn, it initially reached 56,000 concurrent players on Steam and was a decent success for Sony. However, Uncharted and The Last of Us Part 1 struggled by comparison. The issue with these launches comes down to a few factors, like performance and replayability, but there's one noticeable difference that can't be ignored: the launch timetable.

Uncharted took years to come to PC, where anyone who wanted to play either already had or, by that time, lost interest. The Last of Us Part 1 was a remaster of a game that was a decade old. PC gamers are used to upgrading their own experiences through mods or free updates. Why pay for something that's generally free? Unless you can get it cheap on a site like CDKeys or GreenManGaming like I did for Horizon: Zero Dawn.

It's not just game development costs going up; marketing costs are going up too. If you're spending literally tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing efforts, to obtain the best return on that investment is to ensure your game is everywhere all at once, cutting through the zeitgeist, generating conversations, and busting social media algorithms. If you launch your games on one small corner of the overall industry pie, increasingly, publishers are realizing they're simply hurting themselves. Square Enix and various other major publishers, who previously sought platform exclusivity deals, are famously now rejecting them.

PlayStation manages to make more money on other platforms every year than it did the previous year. In 2024, I would bet they almost reached a billion, if not over. In the pursuit of higher profits and better margins, it only makes sense to continue tightening that release schedule until the "day and date" PC launch become the norm. Trust me, it's closer than you think.

What do you think? Is Sony growing closer to day and date on PC? What about games coming to other platforms like Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S? Let us know below in the comments.

It took me far too long to search for the best deals on the most acclaimed wireless active noise canceling headphones, but I fortunately wasn't too late. The greatest sonic cans from Sony, Bose, and even Sennheiser are all enjoying similarly massive price cuts across the board, and those deals even survived the final hours of Black Friday and into the approaching dawn of Cyber Monday. There's no telling when these deals could end, though, so don't take too long deciding which pair of headphones is best for you (I know which one I'd choose).

The legendary Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless ANC Headphones are $198 at Amazon in the color of your choosing. The fantastically comfy Bose QuietComfort Wireless ANC Headphones are $1 more, or $199 at Amazon, and you have even more colors from which to choose. Even my personal, beloved pair of headphones are joining the party, with the luxurious Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Headphones coming in at $229.95 at Amazon.

Peak noise cancelation with Sony? Unparalleled comfort with Bose? Beautifully clear audio with Sennheiser? Take your pick, you're saving a lot of cash no matter which way you swing.

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The holy trifecta of amazing wireless ANC headphones

I could do my best impression of a history teacher and discuss at length the years-long feud between Sony and Bose, but I'll keep it succinct. For a long time, Sony and Bose have battled it out for the crown of "best wireless ANC headphones," and there has been a lot of back-and-forth. Both companies have produced some truly incredible headsets, with the former progressively improving its technology and the latter refining the traits that made it king at first.

The brand recognition for these two noise canceling goliaths is strong enough that there are thousands of people who will battle on behalf of their preferred headphones, occasionally making it difficult for us so-called "normies" to make the choice between Sony and Bose. On top of that, there are plenty of other great wireless ANC headphones carving out their own slices of the market — I myself have championed my personal favorites during past sales events.

So, what's the run down? Well, at least for the final hours remaining in Black Friday, all three of what I'd consider the best mainstream wireless ANC headphones are enjoying substantial discounts, and they're all neck-and-neck when it comes to pricing. I'll highlight your options and why you should choose (or not choose) each one, but rest assured you'll be getting an amazing pair of cans with one hell of a deal. All of these headphones will feel good, sound good, and block out all the unwanted noise in life.

First, the iconic Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless ANC Headphones are $198 at Amazon in all three colorways, a cool $151 discount. Sony's persistently confusing naming scheme aside, these headphones elevated Sony's active noice canceling prowess to a new level and upped the ante when it came to extra features and ease-of-use. They're not the most comfortable in the business and some of that extra tech can be a little finnicky, but thousands of happy customers gladly put up with those weaknesses.

Next, the legendary Bose QuietComfort Wireless ANC Headphones are $199 at Amazon in many colors, saving you $150. Bose has gently refined the QuietComfort line over many years, resulting in a mature design with unparalleled comfort and reliable performance. Bose can't claim to make the best-sounding wireless headphones you can buy, but no one would blame you for forgetting you're wearing them with how comfy they are.

It's worth mentioning that you can pay an extra $100 in either case to obtain the latest and greatest version of each respective pair of headphones. The Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless ANC Headphones are $298 at Amazon, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless ANC Headphones are $299 $349 at Amazon.

Finally, we have the headphones that won me over. While often found on sale, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Headphones can be found at an even lower price of $229.95 at Amazon, with some of the designs costing an extra $10. I won't pretend that Sennheiser thrashes the industry greats in every category, but the Momentum 4s best both Sony and Bose when it comes to pure audio quality, and come closer than anyone likely expected in both comfort and noise canceling ability. They also look the most stylish, although that may just be my personal opinion.

What you need to know

• A report from Bloomberg indicates that Sony is in the early stages of working on a PlayStation gaming handheld.
• This handheld is meant to provide an option to play PlayStation 5 games on the go, and is still years away from being released.
• Sony has worked on handheld devices before, including the popular PSP and the ill-supported PS Vita.
• Microsoft is also working on a handheld Xbox of some kind, and this company's offering is similarly years away from launching.

All three major console platform holders are working on handheld devices.

That's according to a report from Bloomberg, which indicates that Sony is early in development on a new gaming handheld that's meant to play PlayStation 5 games. This new device is "years" away from arriving, and it's possible it could be canceled before ever reaching full production. The report notes that Sony originally intended the PlayStation Portal to be a handheld device that could natively play games, before instead pivoting the device's direction.

The PlayStation Portal allows PlayStation 5 owners to stream games from their console to the handheld, with testing recently opening up for direct Cloud gaming. The device cannot play games natively however, meaning that unlike something like the ASUS ROG Ally, Steam Deck, or Nintendo Switch, a strong, consistent internet connection is required.

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Handhelds are exciting, but we'll be waiting a while

This comes as Microsoft and Nintendo are also working on handheld devices. The latter is widely expected to be announcing and launching its successor to the uber-popular Nintendo Switch sometime in the coming months. Meanwhile, the former's confirmation is far more recent, with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently confirming that an Xbox handheld is in development, but (like PlayStation's possible handheld) is years away from launching.

Sony has prior experience with gaming handhelds, crafting the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the PS Vita. While the PSP found a good degree of success, the Vita struggled, lacking significant first-party support past its first year, a problem that has more recently plagued the PlayStation VR2 headset.

Both Microsoft and Sony are seeking to expand their audience by making new pushes into Cloud gaming. Microsoft recently launched its long-promised feature that allows Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to enjoy games they've bought through Cloud gaming, though the program is limited to 50 games for now.

For my tastes, any Xbox or PlayStation handhelds will face the same challenges of making sure an ecosystem feels consistent. If there's exceptions or specific games that can't be played on the hardware, they'll end up feeling like branded Steam Decks.

What you need to know

• Reuters is reporting that Sony is in talks to purchase Kadokawa, a Japanese media publishing conglomerate.
• Kadokawa currently owns FromSoft, the studio behind games such as the Dark Souls franchise, Elden Ring, and Armored Core.
• Trading on Kadokawa stock has gone "bid-only" at the daily limit of 3,745 yen.

According to reports from Reuters, Sony is potentially in talks to purchase Kadokawa, the Japanese conglomerate and media powerhouse that currently holds the keys to FromSoft.

FromSoft titles are widely revered in the gaming space. The studio has created the iconic Dark Souls franchise, Bloodborne, the Armored Core franchise, and 2022's smash hit, Elden Ring. Elden Ring was particularly notable as it was developed in partnership with George R. R. Martin, the author behind the popular Game of Thrones series. Martin provided the narrative story for Elden Ring.

The game was already in the headlines following recent announcements that its Shadow of the Erd Tree DLC had received a nomination for Game of the Year from The Game Awards for 2024. The nomination sparked many to question whether a DLC should be considered a Game of the Year contender.

However, FromSoft may only be a small part of the reason behind Sony's interest in Kadokawa. Kadokawa has a robust cross-media catalog that consists of books, manga, film, and games alike. Sony may be looking to expand their publishing prowess further or to acquire anime and manga IP for the future in addition to adding FromSoft to its gaming portfolio. Sony already held a 2% stake in Kadokawa, as well as an additional stake in FromSoftware, and had already made anime a focus of growth ahead of the potential acquisition.

Sony's market value is currently sitting at roughly $115 billion, while Reuters reports that Kadokawa's market capitalization was around $2.7 billion. This isn't the first major acquisition Sony has attempted this year, as the Japanese company previously attempted to purchase Indian publisher ZEE Entertainment Enterprises. While that acquisition was originally announced in 2021, it failed to come to completion and the merger was ultimately scrapped in January 2024.

Sony's attempt at acquiring ZEE Entertainment was going to cost the company $10 billion. There has been no confirmation of how much Sony would be willing to purchase Kadokawa for, but if the ongoing talks are successful, a deal could be reached within weeks, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. Neither company commented on the report.

This story is currently developing...

What you need to know

• Sony has announced it's closing two of its PlayStation studios in an internal email from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Herman Hulst to employees that was published publicly by the company.
• The studios being shuttered are Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios. The former was developing an action mobile game, while the latter created the ill-fated PS5 and Windows PC hero shooter Concord.
• Hulst wrote that Sony ultimately came to the conclusion that these decisions were "the right ones to strengthen the organization," with the company moving to "concentrate on titles that are in-line with PlayStation Studios’ pedigree and have the potential to reach more players globally."
• Reportedly, 210 employees in total have been affected, with 172 employees at Firewalk and 38 at Neon Koi losing their jobs. Hulst did note that Sony will work to move affected workers to other PlayStation positions "where possible," however.

Yet again, I'm reporting on studio closures and developer layoffs in the midst of what have been some of the most tumultuous years in the gaming industry's history.

The latest cuts come from Sony, the creator of the PlayStation brand and the company that oversees its first-party game projects. Specifically, the firm is shutting down two studios — mobile game developer Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios — with the former's unannounced action game and the latter's unsuccessful hero shooter Concord both cancelled and sunset permanently.

An internal email from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Herman Hulst to employees published publicly reveals that Neon Koi is being shuttered as part of an approach to "concentrate on titles that are in-line with PlayStation Studios’ pedigree and have the potential to reach more players globally." The decision to close Firewalk and retire Concord, meanwhile, came after Sony "spent considerable time these past few months exploring all our options" and came to the conclusion that there wasn't a better alternative.

"After much thought, we have determined the best path forward is to permanently sunset the game and close the studio," wrote Hulst.   "I want to thank all of Firewalk for their craftsmanship, creative spirit and dedication."

Concord was sensationally taken offline in early September less than two weeks after its launch, with the game completely failing to attract an audience from the oversaturated hero shooter market. Refunds were given to all players immediately afterwards, and many speculated the title may never return. Now, those predictions have come true.

A spokesperson reportedly told Bloomberg News that 210 developers across the two studios are losing their jobs in total, with 172 employees at Firewalk and 38 at Neon Koi. The internal email does indicate Sony will attempt to move workers to other PlayStation teams "where possible," though doesn't include any specific details.

"I know none of this is easy news to hear, particularly with colleagues and friends departing SIE. Both decisions were given serious thought, and ultimately, we feel they are the right ones to strengthen the organization," wrote Hulst. "Neon Koi and Firewalk were home to many talented individuals, and we will work to find placement for some of those impacted within our global community of studios where possible."

These closures come eight months after Sony laid off 900 PlayStation Studios employees in February, and three after Destiny 2 maker Bungie cut 220 developers as it integrated further into PlayStation. Sony recently acquired the studio after announcing its plan to buy it for $3.6 billion in 2022.

Analysis: What a colossal shame

It's devastating to see even more gaming industry layoffs this year after well over 20,000 jobs were already cut in 2023 and 2024, but here we are. Admittedly, I'm not surprised to see Concord itself shut down forever — I always thought the game was okay, but it's clear that it didn't do anything to stand out from the strong competition in the market — but it's awful to see Firewalk Studios itself get axed from the PlayStation Studios lineup. The developers at Neon Koi will never get to release the game they were working on, either, which is a shame.

As always, both my thoughts and my heart go out to everyone affected by this decision and their families. I sincerely hope that you're able to find new positions inside PlayStation or otherwise quickly, and also hope the wider industry starts to recover sooner rather than later.

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What you need to know

• Helldivers 2 is a third-person co-op shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios that released on Windows PC and PS5 in February.
• The game quickly became a massive hit shortly after its launch, with fans falling in love with the game's chaotic action and hilarious Starship Troopers-inspired satire. Unsurprisingly, many Xbox users have been asking for a port of the game.
• However, Helldivers 2 is published by Sony and is a PlayStation console exclusive, so whether the game eventually gets an Xbox version or not is up to Sony.
• Arrowhead community manager Thomas "Twinbeard" Petersson explained this on the official Helldivers 2 Discord server on Wednesday morning, noting that Sony might bring the game to Xbox "if both partners think it would benefit them from a financial/brand standpoint."
• An Xbox release could help raise Helldivers 2's player count higher, and would also mean lots of extra profit. However, Sony has to weigh the value of this against the game's ability to help sell PS5 hardware.

Arrowhead Game Studios' chaotic co-op shooter Helldivers 2 rapidly became a colossal hit and one of the best PC games when it launched on Windows PC and PS5 in February, with players falling in love with the game's high-octane action as well as its hilarious Starship Troopers-style satire. It's not surprising, then, that Xbox users have been clamoring for a release on Microsoft's consoles since its release — but since it's a PlayStation console exclusive, it's ultimately up to Sony to greenlight an Xbox version, which is what Arrowhead has told fans throughout 2024.

The studio's community manager Thomas "Twinbeard" Petersson reiterated this to players in a statement on Wednesday morning, though he included some additional context that goes over why the PlayStation maker might eventually agree to bring Helldivers 2 to its rival console.

"Who says it couldn't? It's not up to us but to Sony and Phil to duke out, but hypothetically speaking, if both partners think it would benefit them from a financial/brand standpoint, it could. If Sony believes it won't though, it won't," Petersson wrote in reply to someone asking about an Xbox port in the official Helldivers 2 Discord server.

Ultimately, this really isn't anything that we didn't already know, though Petersson's comment reminds me of the reasons why Microsoft and Xbox brought Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves to PlayStation earlier this year. At the time, Xbox head and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer explained that the former two were smaller titles that were no longer selling much, while the latter pair are live-service "community" games that benefit from having as many players as possible.

Helldivers 2 definitely fits into the latter category, and given that there's no real developer-made alternative to the Helldivers gameplay experience (Halo Infinite Forgers are making something pretty fantastic), I'm sure tons of Xbox players would flock to the shooter if it got a port. In fact, those reinforcements may even elevate Helldivers 2's overall player count near the heights it reached closer to its launch, especially if the game runs well on Xbox Series X|S.

Sales of Arrowhead's co-op title also seem to have slowed down quite a bit since February, with the game currently ranked in the 37th position on Steam's top sellers list; previously, it was in the top five for several months. I'm sure Helldivers 2 is still making good money, and it's already proven to be more successful than anyone ever hoped it'd be, but an Xbox release would help rake in even more profit.

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Sony has to weigh the benefits of a higher player count and extra revenue against Helldivers 2's ability as an exclusive to move PS5 hardware, and that's data only it is privy to. As Petersson said, the firm may approach Microsoft and try to work something out if the value is there, but if it determines the best course of action for its business is to keep the game exclusive, it's all but certain that that is what will happen.

Helldivers 2 itself is in one of the best states it's been in for months right now, with recent tweaks and balance patches striking a very nice difficulty and sandbox balance. I've had a ton of fun going back to the front lines of the Galactic War with my friends lately, and all of us are looking forward to the game's faux "Liberty Day" holiday on October 26. In the original Helldivers, players were given surprise new weapons and stratagems to take into battle on this day, so I'm hoping something similar happens in the sequel this weekend.

Xbox (and Windows PC) users, meanwhile, can look forward to Helljumpers — the community-made Halo Infinite Helldivers 2 mode I linked to above — coming out a day earlier on October 25. Made by the talented The Forge Falcons team, the mode uses the entire budget of Halo Infinite's robust Forge level editor, uses over 4,000 code scripts, and features everything from randomized objectives and drop pod spawns to custom-made stratagems. Notably, since Halo Infinite multiplayer is free-to-play, you can try it out on Xbox and PC without spending a penny.

What you need to know

• The critically acclaimed PlayStation exclusive God of War Ragnarök finally arrived on PC last week, nearly two years after its initial release on PS5 and PS4 in 2022.
• I played through several hours of the title on my gaming laptop this past weekend, and my experience with the PC port has been excellent thus far. Your mileage may vary, though.
• Unfortunately, the game has come under intense fire due to Sony's decision to make Steam users sign into a PlayStation Network (PSN) account and always stay online in order to play the single player game.
• These requirements mean that users in over 170 countries and regions can't buy the game, and also that you'll be kicked out of your session if you lose your internet connection.
• Notably, this isn't the first time Sony has drawn the ire of PC gamers over PSN requirements. This also happened earlier this year with Helldivers 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, though this is the first time the company has demanded the use of PSN for a single player experience.

Along with the highly anticipated Final Fantasy 16, the biggest game to land on PC last week was God of War Ragnarök — the critically acclaimed sequel to Santa Monica Studios' first modern God of War title that released in 2018. Originally launching in November 2022 as a PlayStation 4 and 5 console exclusive, it's finally arrived on Steam two years later as part of Sony's wider effort to bring first-party PlayStation games to Windows PC in recent years.

Tempted as I was to hold off on playing the game until I get home from family travel next week and can hop on my beefy desktop rig, I ultimately chose to dive in right away on my Razer Blade 15. After all, even though my 2021 model with an RTX 3070 Mobile GPU, an Intel Core i7-10700K CPU, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 360Hz FHD display is a few years old, it still gives strong performance and meets the God of War Ragnarök PC requirements for playing on High settings. With that in mind, I proceeded to spend many hours this past weekend hacking and slashing through Kratos' latest odyssey — and so far, my experience has been great.

On High and at 1080p, I've found the performance of the Ragnarök PC port to be excellent, with my Blade 15 achieving an average of 70-80 frames per second (FPS) in exterior areas and upwards of the high 80s and even 90s in interior ones. It's not perfect, as there's the occasional FPS dip or mid-combat stutter here and there, but these occur so infrequently that I don't really consider them a problem. And honestly? After how rough many other PC ports have been in recent years (cough, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), it's nice to get ones like this that are polished and stable. I wish they came more often.

Of course, your mileage may vary depending on your hardware specs and chosen settings — something made apparent by some negative Steam reviews that mention issues with stutters and crashes. Frustratingly, though, most "thumbs down" ratings from players bring up an issue that has nothing to do with performance at all: the fact that God of War Ragnarök requires players to sign in with a PlayStation Network (PSN) account and remain online in order to enjoy the game.

At first glance, asking fans to create a PSN account doesn't seem like a big deal, as they're free to make and Microsoft has put similar requirements in some of its own games without noteworthy controversy. The difference, however, is that PSN isn't available in over 170 countries and territories worldwide, effectively preventing anyone who lives in these regions from buying Ragnarök. The hook into PlayStation's network here also doesn't benefit the player in any way, and just seems to be a form of always-online DRM that forces you to stay connected to the internet while playing the single player title.

Predictably, players are pretty vexed about this, just as they were when Sony implemented a similar policy for Helldivers 2 earlier this year and then did it again with Ghost of Tsushima earlier this year. The firm eventually reversed its decision in Helldivers 2's case since the requirement came long after the co-op shooter's February launch, though it stuck to its guns in Ghost of Tsushima's. In Sucker Punch's action-adventure game, though, a PSN sign-in is only needed for its co-op mode, which makes the requirement for it in Santa Monica Studios' single player-only Ragnarök uniquely irritating.

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As a result, Ragnarök has gone through a bit of review bombing, with 30% of its ~4,600 reviews negative and most of those zeroing in on this issue. "Separate accounts for single-player games should never be required," reads one review from user SeismicPik. "I would understand if it was optional, but it's not (for SOME people it is, it depends on regions). People can view this as petty all they want, but stuff like this should not become common practice."

"The game is amazing and I'm really enjoying it, however I can't recommend it in it's current state," writes player fiend in another. "A single player game requiring a Sony PSN login and not being able to play it offline? Really Sony? Are you serious?"

Sony hasn't explained why it's so stubbornly committed to integrating PSN requirements into its new PC ports, though the likely answer is that it's willing to take the hit to its reputation to implement more DRM. Evidently, it must not be missing a significant amount of revenue from customers in the 170 regions PSN isn't usable in, though those players are no doubt upset that they can no longer enjoy some of PlayStation's best games. So much for "Play has no limits."

Overall, it's just sad that the arrival of a great port for a great game has been marred by this recurring PSN debacle, and that some aren’t able to play Ragnarök even though they were able to enjoy its predecessor a few years ago. I hope Sony eventually budges, though I’m far from confident that that will actually happen.

I love console gaming. I've been mainly playing on console since my parents bought my first Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis as you may know it) back in the early 1990s (yes, I'm dating myself there). As the years went by, the new consoles of the time were always the things I desired the most. When I started earning my own money, I branched out into having Xbox and PlayStation, as well as dabbling with others like the majestic Sega Dreamcast. 

Already, this generation has seen me slim down to a single console. I have owned a PS5, but it wasn't being used much, so I sold it. Despite an increase in the amount of PC gaming I do these days, especially with the Steam Deck, I'm a console guy at heart. I've owned every single iteration of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles to date. 

That looks like it's in serious jeopardy, though. The PS5 Pro just debuted at an eyewatering $700, without a disc drive and without even including the vertical stand. Absolutely outrageous. Xbox isn't sitting pretty here, either, with the special edition sparkle-clad 2TB version only undercutting this by $100, without any increase in the performance offered. 

If this is the new normal, after more than 30 years, this generation will be my last. 

I'm clearly not alone in an intense dislike of the price

I'm not going to start speculating or analyzing markets or earnings, but one thing I am fairly confident of is that Xbox has a better overall position. I'll touch on that shortly, but Microsoft has been building the Xbox ecosystem for a number of years to be more than just the box under your TV. 

I'm clearly not alone, though, in my shock and dismay at the price of the PS5 Pro. It was bad enough that Microsoft decided to jump the price to $600 for a 'new' Xbox Series X with a sparkly paint job and another 1TB of storage. This ain't it, chief. 

The reveal trailer has a crazy number of dislikes, and people are trashing the price literally everywhere you go on the internet. $700 is a lot, whatever you're buying, but let's not also forget this is a mid-cycle refresh. At some point, there will be a true next-generation release, and it wouldn't take much of a leap to imagine that when these drop, we'll be hovering around this price point. 

Consoles used to be a more affordable and much easier way to play games. The PS5 Pro is at a point where it's officially no longer true. Throw around 4K60 and as many buzzwords as you like, it's now in gaming PC territory. So, what's the point of having a console anymore? Especially since your $700 investment is for a fixed piece of hardware that will limit the performance you can get out of newer games in years to come. You may as well buy a PC and deal with a little frustration over drivers and settings and be better off in the long run. 

There's simply no need to spend megabucks on a console

The landscape of gaming is so different in 2024 compared to even four years ago when the current generation kicked off. Despite the loss of Google Stadia, cloud gaming continues to grow steadily, and the influx of gaming handhelds is opening up PC gaming to an ever wider audience. 

I feel like the overall landscape is beginning to shift more towards just enjoying games again versus an obsession with resolution and the absolute highest detail settings. The Steam Deck is a prime example of this. It's not even as powerful as the likes of the ROG Ally X, but it's affordable and has an enormous library of PC games to play. It gets back to what matters most: the games. 

With services like NVIDIA GeForce Now, a high-performance gaming PC is at the fingertips of anyone who owns basically any device with a web browser. With the top subscription tier, I can play Forza Horizon 5 on a better rig than my own desktop gaming PC with access to an RTX 4080. Xbox's own cloud does the same thing, and it's now like playing on an Xbox Series X without the need to buy one and be stuck to the same display in your house all the time. 

Or, you know, there is that gaming PC or laptop. Nowadays, you don't have to spend a fortune to have a great experience. Black Friday is coming up, and you can guarantee there will be one or two absolutely scorching deals. A PC is, by its very nature, more useful than a console. And if you absolutely have to play on your big fancy TV, it's not like you can't still do that, even if you might have to sacrifice some resolution. But seriously, 4K gaming isn't all that. It's just more pixels. A higher frame rate will still make a game feel better to play. 

Time to talk with our wallets

I am fortunate that I get to play with a lot of incredible hardware at work. But when it comes to what I own and buy with my own money, I think the time has come to seriously think with my wallet (and my head) rather than my heart. 

Microsoft already has a $600 console now, and Sony has one at $700. I already have to leave my Xbox Series X at home when I go anywhere, which is where the Steam Deck has really shown its value. But I need a PC to work from, and if I'm going to have to plow that kind of money into something that I can only play games on, it just doesn't make sense anymore. Microsoft and Sony are both bringing their first-party games to PC, so why not just go all-in and have the benefit of playing both on a single platform along with everything else available on Steam, Epic Games, EA, Ubisoft, and so on? 

Microsoft and Xbox will be fine; after all, Xbox is as much a PC platform now as it is a console. PlayStation, well, players voting with their wallets is the only thing that will force any form of change. Concord is living proof of that. We're at a critical moment now, and I'm all but convinced my own mind is made up. 

What you need to know

• After a year of rumors, the PlayStation 5 Pro was finally confirmed, and it's going to cost $699.99 for the base version, which is all-digital.
• Buyers will need to pay extra for the disc drive and vertical stand, which are sold separately.
• The PS5 Pro will be available for sale on November 7, 2024.
• People have been making memes about the insanely high price point, but even the Xbox isn't safe.

Well, the PS5 Pro is real, and it's going to cost a real pretty penny, or shall we say a LOT of pennies. Coming in at an eye-watering $699.99 in the United States, £699.99 in the UK, and €799.99 in Europe — and that's before you've even purchased a disc drive or the vertical stand, which cost $80 and $30, respectively. It may beat Xbox to the AI graphics punch but still... $699.99?!

Everyone has been weighing in on the announcement from all sides of the gaming camp, the Sony fans, the Xbox fans, the PC players who still don't understand why anyone would spend $699.99 and not just buy a gaming PC. Even the Steam Deck clan have been weighing in. Here's our favorite memes so far:  

Steam Deck users weigh in

Many have pointed out that for the princely sum of $699 you can build a decent gaming PC, but also you could just purchase the top of the range Steam Deck OLED and have access to a much larger library of titles on the go. It's not as powerful sure, but certainly a compelling argument. 

Xbox Series X catching strays

Xbox will also be launching new hardware soon, on October 15 we'll get a white disc-less Xbox Series X, a 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition Xbox Series X and a 1TB white Xbox Series S. The Galaxy Black in particular has drawn criticism and astute observers have pointed out that it will cost only $100 less than the PS5 Pro. That's $599.99 for extra storage and "sparkles". 

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This price point doesn't bode well for future generations...

While many are balking at the price point of the PS5 Pro, time will tell how well the sales of this mid-gen refresh play out. Either way, the $699 base price and the $599 of the Galaxy Xbox Series X do not bode well for what we can expect from the next generation of consoles. As gamers demand more in performance and visual fidelity from their consoles, Microsoft and Sony may be less willing to put their hardware out at a loss-leading price in return for access to their games. The Xbox Series S offers the cheapest console entry point, but it's received a lot of bad press lately over a perceived issue with developers struggling to produce their games on the console with parity to the Series X. It's not yet known if Xbox will continue with the two-tier price system into the next generation. 

While Microsoft doesn't have a direct answer to the PS5 Pro right now, it appears to be investing in other avenues, such as building a cloud gaming empire and opening up its studio titles like Sea of Thieves and, soon, Indiana Jones to PS5. Despite a generally tense mood around Xbox and its new strategies, Phil Spencer insists that the console audience is bigger than ever. Microsoft says its next Xbox will represent "the biggest technological leap" for an Xbox console, but will that audience be willing to pay $699 and over for their next-gen consoles? It certainly looks like Sony is pushing us closer in that direction.

What you need to know

• Bloomberg Intelligence is a firm that that delivers analysis on a variety of industries to help investors. 
• A recent report from the firm shared to us describes how the cloud gaming market (that Bloomberg describes as cloud streaming gaming or CSG) could expand to become a $40 billion industry in the next ten years. 
• Bloomberg cites markets like India leading the way. Coupled with the roll out of more powerful internet options, traditional console gaming plays second fiddle to mobile play in the region. 
• Bloomberg analysists describe how Xbox is poised to lead the way in the segment, but warn against strong competition from PlayStation and NVIDIA. 

Today, Sony revealed its $699.99 PS5 Pro, while Microsoft focuses on making Xbox more affordable than ever. 

A recent report from Bloomberg Intelligence shared with us by the firm details how Xbox and Microsoft could be at the forefront of a major cloud gaming boom over the next decade. One of Microsoft's most prolific innovations with Xbox in recent years is its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which as of right now, is tied to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In essence, cloud gaming allows users to avoid paying the upfront cost of a console, which can run into hundreds of dollars, and instead pay a subscription to use one of Microsoft's servers to deliver the game to their local device. 

The limitations of the tech at numerous, though. Light can only travel so fast, and even with the best fibre optic conditions, the end user's physical distance to a data center can introduce latency or pixelated visuals. Furthermore, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also quite expensive at $19.99, particularly if you have no plans to use its additional features. You're also limited to games within the Xbox Game Pass library, which contains roughly 300~ games on a revolving basis. However, Microsoft is on the cusp of fixing some of these limitations — more on that shortly. 

RELATED: Best controllers for Xbox Cloud Gaming

Microsoft is always expanding its data center footprint to accommodate its users, and is currently constructing a server farm in Hyderbad, India, which is of particular interest to today's topic. 

Bloomberg Intelligence is a firm that provides analysis on a variety of industry topics to help investors make better decisions. Recently, the company shared a report with us detailing how it thinks cloud gaming is set to expand ten fold over the next decade, growing into a $40 billion industry globally. 

"Cloud-streamed gaming (CSG) services took in $3.5 billion of revenue last year, a sliver of the $184 billion generated by video-game makers globally, yet we think the share will increase rapidly as streaming lets gamemakers reach a bigger addressable market that includes mobile devices, not just consoles and PCs. This will be crucial for emerging markets, where people rely more on mobile devices and less on expensive, fixed hardware."

The full report details how it will be India, rather than the United States, that leads growth in this segment. India is a nation dominated by more flexible mobile gaming, instead of more traditional console gaming. The upfront cost of a video game console is simply well beyond the current purchasing power of some regions, which has led to the near-total domination of mobile gaming to fill the gap. Bloomberg emphasizes that the roll out of improved network infrastructure in countries like India over the next decade could lead to a cloud gaming boom, owing to the pending availability of global heavy hitters like Call of Duty appearing on cloud gaming services. 

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Bloomberg specifically cites AI technologies as supporting cloud gaming aspirations too, owing to the ability to potentially artificially generate frames on the local device to offset latency issues. Frame generation is widely expected to be ready to play a major role in the next console generation, and it's undoubtedly going to have some role to play in mobile gaming as well. Microsoft has also been on the cutting edge in this sector, committing to Snapdragon processors for its Copilot+ PC range, which come with local NPU cores for generative AI without necessarily needing to fully leverage the cloud for video encoding. Future phones, consoles, and maybe even TVs will eventually have neural processing as standard, too, potentially enhancing the usability of cloud gaming beyond its current technical limitations. 

Bloomberg expects that Microsoft (with Xbox) and Sony (with PlayStation) will "dominate" the cloud gaming market to the tune of 40% and 15% respectively, owing to both firm's massive content back catalogs and their head start in the sector. 

Pain points

There are a variety of pain points Microsoft and its fellow cloud gaming providers will need to overcome in this report, though. For example, Bloomberg cites the fact Apple has "opened up" its app store to cloud gaming as of January 2024, but the reality is far from the case. Xbox was in court just last week complaining to regulators about Apple. Apple's "opening up" of its store amounts to what is essentially a lie, with its fees and rules about in-app purchasing making the business unviable. Google Play has been marginally better, but the regulations and policies of both Google's Android and Apple's iOS has led Microsoft to double down on developing its Xbox Cloud Gaming web version instead, which exclusively features Fortnite, as Epic Games also sought to avoid Apple's history of regulator-mocking anti-competitive behavior. Cynically, I'm not sure Microsoft can rely on Apple to grow its business, but perhaps Bloomberg has more reasons to be optimistic here. 

Bloomberg also projected that Microsoft will introduce ad-based tiers in 2025 for Xbox Cloud Gaming to improve access to the service for lower-income customers. However, as of right now, our sources suggest that Microsoft isn't planning on introducing ad-based tiers for Xbox Cloud Gaming any time soon, despite some exploration into the possibility. Plans could change, though, and it's undoubtedly a good idea. We did confirm that Microsoft will introduce a separate Xbox Cloud Gaming tier in the future to potentially bring down costs instead, splitting it off from the more expensive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass, which cloud-only users wouldn't necessarily want or need. Microsoft is also planning to let users buy games to own via Xbox Cloud Gaming as well, possibly as early as this winter. 

The report also presumes that Microsoft will place games like Call of Duty and Diablo on its cloud service, but that might not be the case for anywhere up to fifteen years. The UK competition regulator (CMA) forced Microsoft to give up the cloud gaming rights for all Activision-Blizzard titles, handing Ubisoft exclusivity to license all cloud gaming versions of these titles on a global basis. As of writing, it's NVIDIA GeForce Now that has benefitted from offering cloud versions of these titles, rather than Xbox. There's no evidence to suggest Ubisoft plans to provide access to these titles for Xbox Cloud Gaming users. However, given the recent jitters over XDefiant and Star Wars Outlaws' performance coupled with the cratering of its share price, Ubisoft may be more willing to make a deal than they were previously. Plans here could definitely change quickly, given the circumstances. 

Massive potential, massive uncertainty

The report's author and Bloomberg analyst and researcher Nathan Naidu emphasized Xbox's "grip" over the sector, but warned that Sony remains a huge potential competitor despite Microsoft's technological advantage.

"Xbox has a solid grip on the cloud streamed gaming (CSG) market thanks to its lead over major rivals in games library and cloud technology, with a greater emphasis on cloud technology in the earlier half of Bloomberg Intelligence’s forecast period as that sets its apart from Sony and other key competitors in the CSG market," Nathan continued. "[Xbox's] strength in cloud technology underpins better-than-peer user experience and subsequently successes in its user acquisition. Sony’s [PlayStation Now] still has the largest game catalog, which includes first party games that are at the same calibre to those offered by Xbox, and we think that is Sony’s strongest defence against its arch-rival. We expect Sony’s cloud gaming strategies going forward to be more reactive in nature as it anticipates other actions that Microsoft’s Xbox unit may take, particularly around platform exclusivity of key games franchises." 

Microsoft's gaming business is in a bit of a weird place right now. I wrote a while ago about how Xbox is undergoing some growing pains, and its vast size and vast purchase of Activision-Blizzard has similarly increased its need for vast cash flow. To that end, Microsoft has begun doing the unthinkable — putting Xbox exclusives onto PlayStation, with no sign of stopping. 

It's a capitulation in essence, that Microsoft admits it has lost the console war so Sony's dominating PlayStation platform, which has outsold Xbox 3:1, or even higher, according to some analyses. Microsoft insists it has "more Xbox console users than ever," and it now has an addressable audience of half a billion users, owing to mobile titans like Candy Crush Saga, and the juggernaut that is Call of Duty. To find growth in a stagnant console market, Microsoft has spread its tendrils out across to mobile gaming and PC gaming, where it faces a variety of other challenges, from Steam's dominance on PC to Apple's anti-competitive policy behavior. 

Microsoft's diversity has always been its strength. However, its tendency to pivot into new industries has often come at the detriment of others, as its attention wavers. Microsoft's Xbox console platform still servers tens of millions of users, but various issues from major publisher games skipping the platform to independent Xbox devs having to reach out publicly on social media to get client support speak to an Xbox that has utterly divided attention, and may be spreading itself far too thin in the process. 

If the cloud gaming market well and truly is poised to grow ten fold in ten years as Bloomberg projects, Microsoft certainly can't afford to take its eye off the ball. 

What you need to know

• Concord is a new team-based PvP hero shooter from PlayStation Studios and Firewalk Studios that was released on Windows PC and PS5 on August 23, 2024.
• The game has completely failed to get off the ground, with concurrent players on Steam never surpassing 1,000 and now averaging between 30-100 just a little over a week after its launch.
• PlayStation and Firewalk have ultimately decided to take the game offline for an indefinite hiatus, which will begin on September 6. In the coming days, refunds will be issued to all players on PC and PS5. Note that if you purchased a physical copy of the game, you'll have to follow the refund process of the retailer you got it from.
• Whether or not Concord will return is currently unclear, though Firewalk says it will "determine the best path ahead" and "explore options, including those that will better reach our players."

The catastrophic performance of PlayStation's Concord has been the talk of the town since the PvP hero shooter dropped in late August, and now — just a week and a half after the disastrous launch — the game is being put on ice until Sony and developer Firewalk Studios decide what's next.

The news came in an official blog post penned by game director Ryan Ellis that was published Tuesday morning, with Ellis noting that Concord will be taken offline and stay that way indefinitely starting on September 6, 2024. While "the best path ahead" is determined, full refunds will be offered to players who've purchased the FPS on Windows PC and PS5.

"Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar. Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us," reads the article. "However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players."

Based on the way the post is written, it sounds like the refund process for digital sales is being handled automatically in the coming days by Sony, Valve, and Epic Games for PS5, Steam, and the Epic Games Store, respectively. If you purchased a physical copy of Concord, however, you'll have to follow the process of whichever retailer you bought the game from. Note that once you get your refund, you'll lose access to the title.

Given that Concord has failed to break 1,000 concurrent players on Steam — SteamDB data shows that it peaked at 697, only rises to about 100 daily, and currently has 30 people in-game at the time of writing — I'd say the writing for a takedown like this was on the wall. Even so, it's shocking that it came so soon — and it all but confirms that Concord's PlayStation numbers haven't been meaningfully better.

While some will see the Concord's failure to get off the ground as an indicator of terrible quality, many reviews (and a 62/100 Metascore) suggest that it's actually an okay game. Ultimately, what I think actually happened here is that a market heavily oversaturated with hero shooters has completely rejected Concord, with most players simply not interested in an Overwatch-y experience that both doesn't stand out in any noteworthy way and costs $40 at a time when most of its competitors are free-to-play with zero barriers to entry.

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I'm not really sure where Sony and Firewalk can take Concord from here, but I'm in full agreement with my colleague Richard Devine that it has to start with a shift to a free-to-play model. I just don't see a reality in which players will be willing to spend $40 upfront on something that's made other recent flops like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Redfall look good by comparison, especially since it will be coming out of an eyebrow-raising hiatus.

Only time will tell, I suppose. But even if Concord — a game that was in development for eight entire years — does eventually resurface and perform decently, there's no question that this has been a huge blunder for Sony and PlayStation. And in the shadow of the wild success of Helldivers 2, the contrast couldn't be sharper. High highs and low lows.

What you need to know

• Concord is Sony's latest PlayStation title to launch on PC, following the same day-and-date launch as the PS5 that we saw earlier this year with Helldivers 2. 
• Alas, unlike Helldivers 2, it's been what can only be described as a catastrophe, with a peak player count not even breaking 1,000 concurrents. 
• Its position in the sales chart on PlayStation doesn't make much better reading, leaving the question of when it'll go free to play to try and rescue it. 

Ah Concord, the game we didn't ask for, and it seems, nobody wants to play. I'll admit, I was initially interested when Sony first fired up its debut trailer, right until the point I learned it was another hero shooter. Then when I found out it had a $40 asking price, I turned off altogether. 

But I'm rarely representative of gamers at large. However, since Concord launched simultaneously on PC and PS5, it's fair to say it's been a disaster. Not just bad, but catastrophic. 

Forbes' Paul Tassi has been following it closely and as he's pointed out, the numbers for Concord, they are bleak. 

There are a few things to unpack from that singular post. First is a massive yikes that at that point there were less than 100 players in Concord on PC. The second is that even at its peak, Concord hasn't broken 1,000 concurrent players. The final stab in the heart is that it's doing about as bad as Suicide Squad, though that at least had a far greater number of players at its peak. The follow-up post from Tassi also points out Concord is only 56th on the sales chart on PS5, too. Holy moly. 

But why is it so dire? I haven't played it, so I can't comment on the actual game, but let's be real. It's a $40 hero shooter in a world where we already have plenty of free to play games to choose from. Why would you buy a game like this when you can play Valorant, or Apex Legends, or Overwatch 2, or even the upcoming Marvel Rivals, all for free? 

Surely Concord will go free to play? 

I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of free to play models, but it's the sad reality we live in. Games which have no cost barrier to get started and then monetize with battle passes and cosmetics and the like just seem to work. I have no shame (ok, maybe a little shame), in the money I've dropped on The First Descendant so far, because I could at least experience the game and start to love it without being asked to pay anything up front. And that's not even a competitive game. 

Unless you're the Call of Duty goliath, asking folks to pay up for a competitive game in the present day seems foolish. Concord could well be a lot of fun, but most of us clearly have no idea, and I'd wager a big part of that is its asking price. 

It feels inevitable, then, to ask when Concord will go free to play rather than if. It's clearly not working out, and it's the people who made the game I feel most sorry for. Were it free, like Overwatch 2, I know I'd have at least downloaded it and given it a try. I also know I'm not alone. 

It's just the market we live in. Competitive games are almost entirely dominated by free to play titles. The top 5 competitive multiplayer games on Steam as I write this are all free to play. Meanwhile, Concord is losing out heavily to Sony's other PC games. About 10x more people are playing Spider-Man Remastered right now than Concord, and that's been out for years. 

Sony's games on PC have, to this point, been a hit. Helldivers 2 was a surprise smash, so the market is definitely there. But it looks like they've made a huge mistake with this one, and there's only one thing they can do to try and save it. 

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What you need to know

• Sony's Destiny 2 and Marathon developer Bungie is seeing another wave of job cuts, with 220 employees being let go. 
• An additional 155 employees are being moved into different jobs across Sony Interactive Entertainment, with another handful forming a new team under PlayStation Studios. 
• This comes months after Bungie let 100 employees ago shortly before the delay of multiple projects.
• Bungie launched its widely-anticipated expansion, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, to critical acclaim just weeks ago. 

After a brief recess for summer announcements, the nonsense is continuing. 

Sony-owned Destiny 2 developer Bungie announced on Wednesday that the company is making even more cuts, with 220 roles being eliminated, which makes up around 17% of the current staff. This comes not even a year after Bungie already laid off around 100 employees, which was 8% of the company's 1,200 employees at the time.

Further cuts at Bungie are planned beyond these layoffs, but these cut employees won't be losing their jobs. Instead, they'll be transitioned over to new roles at Sony, with 155 workers (an additional 12% of the existing workforce) taking new jobs across Sony Interactive Entertainment. Finally, another handful of Bungie employees are being spun out as a new team under PlayStation Studios, where they will be working on a science-fantasy action game. 

"We were overly ambitious, our financial safety margins were subsequently exceeded, and we began running in the red," says Bungie CEO Pete Parsons. "After this new trajectory became clear, we knew we had to change our course and speed, and we did everything we could to avoid today’s outcome. Even with exhaustive efforts undertaken across our leadership and product teams to resolve our financial challenges, these steps were simply not enough. "

Bungie has not detailed if any members of leadership took pay cuts or were also affected by the layoffs. 

Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion back in 2022, with the intent for Bungie to become a become a "global multi-media entertainment company" assisting PlayStation.

Bungie employees blame leadership

Current and former Bungie staff are outspoken regarding this decision, with former Destiny 2 community manager Liana Ruppert calling on Parsons to step down.

These words were echoed by another former staffer, Griffin Bennet. 

Destiny 2 global community lead Dylan Gafner, often known to players as "DMG," called the cuts "inexcusable."

Analysis: Unbelievable

Bungie's prior round of cuts was certainly disappointing to see, but not out of line with the rest of the gaming industry. Microsoft's Xbox division, Sony's PlayStation, Riot Games, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, and many, many others all grew near-exponentially during the years of the pandemic, and all of them have cut roles and studios in the reset that began in 2023. 

Now, it appears Bungie is cutting even further right on the heels of great success, with Destiny 2: The Final Shape being acclaimed for its storytelling that wove together disparate narrative threads across the last 10 years into one of the best games available across Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC. It's clear that Bungie will be full steam ahead on Marathon, but the future of Destiny is certainly more unclear following this round of layoffs.

Otherwise, my remaining thoughts right now are with the employees and their families. 

What you need to know

• A security miss from Sony allowed players using PlayStation game streaming to briefly access unreleased content from The Final Shape, the upcoming expansion for Destiny 2. 
• This leak has been stopped and the content is no longer available through game streaming. 
• Some story spoilers from the first mission of the expansion have leaked, alongside details on gear like weapons and armor, including Raid loot. 
• There's a number of actions you can take to avoid seeing any spoilers ahead of Destiny 2: The Final Shape's official launch on June 4, 2024.

Unfortunately, there's a big leak out now for the finale to the last 10 years of Destiny 2's story. 

A Sony security issue early on Thursday allowed players using PlayStation's game streaming to access some content from Destiny 2: The Final Shape, the upcoming big expansion that concludes the Light and Darkness story arc. Players who accessed the leaked content were able to see the first mission of the game, as well as extensive details on upcoming gear, including Raid rewards. This also includes a number of extremely vague terms related to Raid mechanics, but this isn't comprehensive enough to truly spoil the Raid's details. 

How to avoid leaks and spoilers for Destiny 2: The Final Shape

To avoid leaks and spoilers for Destiny 2: The Final Shape, there's a few different actions you can take, though bear in mind that with the internet being...well, the internet, only completely taking yourself offline can possibly guarantee 100% safety from seeing any leaked information.

On Twitter, you can go to Settings, then to Privacy and Safety, and then Mute and Block. From here, you can mute words, keeping any posts that contain these words from showing up for you. Some recommended terms to mute include "The Final Shape," "Destiny 2," "The Witness," and "The Traveler."

Within Destiny 2 itself, you can also go into the gameplay menu, then select "Hide Chat" to keep from having any spoilers blasted away when you're hanging out in social spaces. 

Finally, there's a Google Chrome extension, Spoiler Protection 2.0, which is perfect for muting key phrases or words that you select when you're browsing the internet.

On top of all this, I will stress it's important not to panic. Yes, a lot of things have leaked, but the leak did not include the finale of the game or any big twists that would've taken place outside of the first mission. If someone claims to be spoiling the ending of the game, they're lying to you. 

Analysis: Man, this is disappointing 

I feel extremely bad for all the Bungie staff right now, as The Final Shape is just a few days away, and by all accounts the Destiny 2 community is extremely excited to finally see the conclusion to the story that first began almost a decade ago in the original Destiny. These spoilers don't go as far some initially feared, but even so, take care and take actions to mute things so you don't have any part of your experience ruined. 

Destiny 2: The Final Shape is slated to launch on June 4, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.

What you need to know

• Speaking at a Sony business event, the company's upcoming co-CEO and current SVP, Herman Hulst, has outlined PlayStation's plans regarding day and date releases on PC. 
• Live service titles, such as 2024's Helldivers 2, will be coming to PC the same day they launch on PS5, but the same cannot be said of the platform's extensive (and enticing) library of single player games. 
• It's apparently part of a strategy that hopes to get players buying into PlayStation hardware in order to enjoy sequels, which seems a little misguided but highlights Sony's reliance still on selling hardware. 

The launch of Helldivers 2, a PlayStation console exclusive, day and date also on PC has been nothing but a runaway success. One of the year's most popular titles, most of us hoped it would set a precedent for Sony to put more of its games onto PC at the same time as its console. 

That appears to be the case going forward, but only partly. At a Sony business event (via Tom Warren), Herman Hulst, soon to be Sony's co-CEO, has been talking about PlayStation's plans for future games. Sony will indeed put more games out on PC on the same day as console, but is limiting it to live service titles like the aforementioned Helldivers 2. 

The shortened version is that for games that Sony can generate a consistent income stream from, PC players can join in on day one. For its single player, narrative-focused titles, that's not going to be the case. The strategy is apparently to still drip feed these onto PC, in the hopes that players will then drop close to 500 bucks on buying a PS5 to play the newer titles and sequels. 

Yes, let's all do that. I'm palming my face pretty hard right now. 

Where Xbox has a larger presence cross-platform to offset shortfalls in console sales, and, of course, a now insanely stacked first-party portfolio, Sony is still pushing hard to sell as many consoles as possible. But I still feel like it's a mistake. 

For one, this model expects that PC gamers are going to throw another $450 minimum on a piece of hardware to play some games on without needing to wait for them to hit PC. Gamers are known for spending money, but that's a big ask. 

I've a little experience of my own that fits into this, too. When the PS5 and Xbox Series X launched close together, I went out and bought both. I'm heavily invested in the Xbox ecosystem, so the latest console here was a no-brainer. The PS5 was always second fiddle, and I don't have it anymore. I didn't use it, so I sold it. The only first-party games I was excited by were the likes of Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine (whenever that appears) and it felt silly keeping it around for that. Especially since, one day, you'd expect Spider-Man 2 to join the first two games in the series on Steam. 

So it's a good news bad news situation. Sony seems to think it's a good strategy to help them sell a few extra consoles, but honestly, I'm not so sure. I'm still waiting on Spider-Man 2 on PC, I haven't got FOMO and gone out and bought another PS5 to play it. I doubt I'm alone, either. 

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You can't go wrong with either of these headphones

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Sony and Bose have been competing for years on making the best possible pair of ANC headphones, and both companies have released some incredible products. For Memorial Day, you can save a ton of the best from each, letting you enjoy peace and quiet wherever you are. For many, the optimal selection will be the Sony WH-1000XM4, one of the highest-rated pairs of headphones ever released — but you can't go wrong with any of these.

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What you need to know

• The PC release of Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR'S CUT, the definitive version of the award-winning 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by PlayStation maker Sony, has been delisted from Steam in over 170 countries.
• This news comes after Helldivers 2, another game published by Sony, was heavily review bombed when Sony tried to reintroduce a PSN account linking requirement despite selling the game in non-PSN regions.
• Sony reversed its decision, but not before Helldivers 2 was delisted from the same non-PSN countries that Ghost of Tsushima is also now unavailable to purchase in.
• The news also comes after Sucker Punch announced PSN account linking would only be necessary for users playing the co-op multiplayer mode Legends, and a few days before Ghost of Tsushima's scheduled May 16 launch on Steam.
• At the time of writing, it's unclear if Sony or Valve — Steam's developer — chose to halt sales of the game in these regions.

One week ago, the popular PC and PS5 co-op shooter Helldivers 2 went into a review bombing uproar when PlayStation publisher Sony announced plans to reintroduce a PlayStation Network (PSN) account linking requirement despite the fact that the game was sold in over 170 countries where PSN isn't available. Though Sony reversed its decision, the game was (and still is) delisted from Steam in those regions — and now, the impending PC release of PlayStation's Ghost of Tsushima has been as well.

SteamDB data shows that earlier on Friday, sales of the port of developer Sucker Punch's award-winning action title were halted in non-PSN countries in an update to its backend. Notably, this news comes after Sucker Punch publicly announced players would only need to link their Steam account to a PSN one for Ghost of Tsushima's co-op multiplayer mode Legends, and also less than week before the PC release's scheduled May 16 launch.

"Just so you are aware, A PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay," wrote the studio in reply to someone protesting against PSN account linking requirements. "It is not required to play the singleplayer game."

Additionally, Valve — Steam's creator, developer, and overseer — now appears to be auto-refunding preorders of Ghost of Tsushima made in these regions, as is Steam key seller Green Man Gaming. "You are receiving a refund for a game you pre-purchased — Ghost of Tsushima," reads the notice sent to players. "The publisher is now requiring a secondary account to play portions of this game — and this account cannot be created from your country." 

A confusing development

This situation is very confusing, as we've yet to see an officially stated reason why Ghost of Tsushima has been delisted. We also don't know for sure if Sony or Valve is behind the takedown. I'll be sure to update this article if and when we learn more, but until then, we can't do much more than speculate.

Compared to last week's Helldivers 2 ordeal, this one is significantly different; according to Sucker Punch, having a PSN account is only required for the Legends multiplayer mode, as opposed to Sony's plan for Helldivers that would have forced all players to link one to their Steam. This fact is made very clear on Ghost of Tsushima's Steam page with a pinned and outlined box of text. 

The reasoning given by Valve and other Steam key retailers for cancelled and refunded preorders in non-PSN countries suggest that they don't want to sell the game to customers they know won't be able to access all of its content. And since Ghost of Tsushima's Steam page notices imply Sony is (or was) willing to sell it to players that will only have single player access, I initially thought Valve was responsible for delisting the game.

However, a message sent to a Helldivers 2 fan by Steam Support confirms that Sony was responsible for removing that game from sale, which makes me think it's also behind the takedown of Ghost of Tsushima. Perhaps the PlayStation firm just doesn't want to deal with the fallout that will inevitably come from only giving non-PSN users partial content access.

Again, though, this is all just speculation, and ideally either Sony or Valve will give Steam users some thorough clarification sooner rather than later. If either company does so, I'll share the latest developments here.

Analysis: Please figure this out, man

Overall, this whole situation is a mess, and I really hope Steam and Sony can work together quickly to iron out a solution and let customers know what's going on. I never played Ghost of Tsushima when it first launched on PlayStation in 2020, but I've been looking forward to checking it out with its PC release, and I know there are plenty of other PC gamers out there who feel the same way. I don't think a portion of them should be region locked from having the option to buy it just because of a (clearly stated) PSN requirement for multiplayer, but Sony or Valve might feel differently.

If you happen to live in one of the 69 countries where PSN is supported, Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR'S CUT is still available to preorder on Steam ahead of its May 16 release date. The game costs $59.99, and will feature unlocked framerates, extensive ultrawide support for multiple aspect ratios, and performance-improving technologies like DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and XeSS. Like the PS5 release of this version, it will also have Japanese lip sync and support for DualSense controller haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.