Astray
Member
Do you see it on any top seller list? Did Gamepass subs spike when it was dropped? Did Xboxes get higher sales when it dropped?You have insider knowledge that hi-fi Rush flopped?
If the answer to all 3 is "No", then yes, it's likely been a massive flop from a financial POV (miss me with that "players count" bullshit).
Also what does a deal to bring Overwatch to other systems matter here? OW2 just came out less than 2yrs ago (Oct 2022 early access, Aug 2023 official release), so why would anyone really need a deal here?
I will also remind you that COD deals only started getting given out when regulators started cracking the whip, the previous "deal" on offer to Sony was 3yrs only.
Activision and Bethesda getting bought without Xbox consoles reaching any kind of critical mass sales-wise actually accelerates 3P, because right now it's either:
1) Xbox sales rocket upwards (extremely unlikely rn for reasons covered ad nauseum).
2) Microsoft starts a cost-cutting scheme and guts the publishers they bought (because why do you need a full ABK/Bethesda headcount when you're producing at least 1-2 less versions of every game?).
3) Microsoft massively ramps up 3P games to cover the shortfall in revenue.