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[Ludostrie] In 2023, in France, PlayStation and Xbox sales are getting closer to a 90% / 10% ratio

Dcr1d3r

Member
I guess the Xbox Love Boat got lost at sea

hwB1edm.jpg
Yup....what a got damn shame man... All that effort smh!!
 

Pelta88

Member
Xbox has never been popular in France (and Europe) not sure the situation is now much worse than before.

As EU gamer I can confirm that this is completely false.

360 was a juggernaut here. Was it second to the PS? Yes. But that didn't stop the platform from having a vibrant community. The collapse you're seeing today started in 2013. The difference between the EU and US when it comes to XB is that the PR and "Wait till Next Year" narratives have zero resonance here. The only thing that captures mindshare, here, is great games. And Phil Spencer's PR smoke simply doesn't suffice.
 
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Killjoy-NL

Member
As EU gamer I can confirm that this is completely false.

360 was a juggernaut here. Was it second to the PS? Yes. But that didn't stop the platform from having a vibrant community. The collapse you're seeing today started in 2013. The difference between the EU and US when it comes to XB is that the PR and "Wait till Next Year" narratives have zero resonance here. The only thing that captures mindshare here, is great games. And Phil Spencer PR smoke simply doesn't suffice.
As a Dutch person, in my entire life the amount of people I've met that owned a X360 can be counted on 2 hands. No joke.

For Xbox One that would be one hand.

Series S/X.... none so far.
Although one co-worker rented a Series X, which he now returned while he's saving to buy a PS5.

Purely anecdotal though, ofcourse.
 

SoraNoKuni

Member
That's probably true for most of Europe.

Same-ish percentages in Greece too.

In the 360 era the ratio was a tiny bit better cause Piracy was flourishing in Greece due to the economic crisis, still Sony was even then king.
I honestly know 2 people having an XBOX Series, one sold it and now plays Horizon on PS5(he was a lifetime Sony user but GP convinced him, still he changed back again) and a casual friend of mine that hops on and off GP when he has vacations.

Meanwhile PS5... only in my workplace I can count 8 people that I know.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Is that not common knowledge, Xbox is only doing well in the us and the uk, not sure what they can do to change that.
They are doing worse in the US and UK than they did last generation.

I think that's where the big problem lies. It's not just that they couldn't expand their market; it is that their market shrank even further despite investing nearly $100 billion in it.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
As EU gamer I can confirm that this is completely false.

360 was a juggernaut here. Was it second to the PS? Yes. But that didn't stop the platform from having a vibrant community. The collapse you're seeing today started in 2013. The difference between the EU and US when it comes to XB is that the PR and "Wait till Next Year" narratives have zero resonance here. The only thing that captures mindshare here, is great games. And Phil Spencer PR smoke simply doesn't suffice.

European gamers to Phil Spencer's lies:

giphy.gif
 
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I honestly think Microsoft will have one more generation of hardware before packing up. I just don't see how they can ever turn it around and they ain't gonna stick around if they ain't competing. If the hardware doesn't sell, it becomes a hindrance to Microsoft. How will they sell more software or subs if its locked to their failing hardware?
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Not directed towards you, but people should really watch that interview with Phil Spencer where he concedes to Playstation.

They lost last-gen and that was probably the decisive generation, due to the digital library people have been building and continue to build.

Xbox as a brand is nearing it's end, at least as we know it.

I think that is a cop-out. Not sure how much digital libraries ACTUALLY matter to people. I doubt the telemetry on catalog titles is that important and if anything it's more of a psychological benefit.

Microsoft's primary mistakes were the GamePass business model that they weren't well positioned to deliver on and PC Day 1.

Your model can't be you don't have to buy Xbox to play our games you can play them (and better) on PC from day 1 AND play games that are PS5/PC exclusive

AND

say you don't even have to buy those games, you can just play them for short money on GamePass, again on PC

Consoles work because they're fairly long-term investments. You're getting 5+ years of people buying games on your platform. Not essentially renting these games via GamePass on a platform where you don't get significant royalties.

If this isn't the last hardware generation, the next will be. I think that's as clear as day even if people don't want to admit it. Microsoft would be EXTREMELY lucky to sell 40 million units of XS this generation. I think it will be closer to 35 million.

The reason why they haven't dropped the price is because they don't think it will induce net new users but instead just reduce revenue from the core gamers that were going to buy regardless of the price.

Without a price drop XS is going to be DOA in 2024 and with the release of the PS5 Pro, you're not going to see any sort of resurgence. Exclusives will become more and more pricey and actually untenable.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
I honestly think Microsoft will have one more generation of hardware before packing up. I just don't see how they can ever turn it around and they ain't gonna stick around if they ain't competing. If the hardware doesn't sell, it becomes a hindrance to Microsoft. How will they sell more software or subs if its locked to their failing hardware?

I think they would bow out now except the knowledge that they would instantly lose the momentum (for lack of a better word) of GamePass and you might actually have people cancel their GamePass and buy a PS5 or go to PC knowing there was no future for the platform.
 

Fess

Member
Xbox is on PC too so that’s probably eating on console sales a bit in Europe. I play almost all Xbox exclusives on PC now, haven’t played a second of Starfield on Xbox but it’s my most played game of the year by far, there is no downsides to go PC, can even get the games on Steam.
As for console sales I don’t have a solution. A Pro console next year could increase hype but it sounds like they don’t want to do that so I guess they’ll just lick their wounds and try to do better next gen.
 

Killjoy-NL

Member
I think that is a cop-out. Not sure how much digital libraries ACTUALLY matter to people. I doubt the telemetry on catalog titles is that important and if anything it's more of a psychological benefit.

Physical copies, you can sell to recoup some money.
That's impossible with a digital library, creating more incentive to stay with that specific platform.

There's a reason Phil Spencer named it as a major reason why Xbox can't compete with Playstation anymore.
Microsoft's primary mistakes were the GamePass business model that they weren't well positioned to deliver on and PC Day 1.

Your model can't be you don't have to buy Xbox to play our games you can play them (and better) on PC from day 1 AND play games that are PS5/PC exclusive
They had to, because Xbox was already going to be left in the dust regardless of GamePass and day 1 PC releases.

People don't like to admit it, but X360 was a fluke.
Xbox's strongest gen by far still couldn't pass Playstation's worst gen by far, despite a year headstart and lower price.

There is no denying this very simple fact.
AND

say you don't even have to buy those games, you can just play them for short money on GamePass, again on PC

Consoles work because they're fairly long-term investments. You're getting 5+ years of people buying games on your platform. Not essentially renting these games via GamePass on a platform where you don't get significant royalties.

If this isn't the last hardware generation, the next will be. I think that's as clear as day even if people don't want to admit it. Microsoft would be EXTREMELY lucky to sell 40 million units of XS this generation. I think it will be closer to 35 million.
Sure, but this only goes for Xbox.
I don't even think anyone will argue that.

Thing is, Xbox's problems aren't general console problems.

The reason why they haven't dropped the price is because they don't think it will induce net new users but instead just reduce revenue from the core gamers that were going to buy regardless of the price.

Without a price drop XS is going to be DOA in 2024 and with the release of the PS5 Pro, you're not going to see any sort of resurgence. Exclusives will become more and more pricey and actually untenable.
Fair enough. That's why Playstation is going to put more focus GaaS, which was inevitable.

But Xbox is dying regardless. It never was as strong of a brand to begin with.
 
#NeverForget.

https://thisgengaming.com/2020/04/0...-xbox-have-a-plan-to-win-the-next-generation/

“I feel good about the price we’re going to be able to get to. I feel good about the price and the performance capabilities that we have for Series X. I feel incredibly strong about the overall package. We have a plan and we feel very solid about it. I believe we have a plan that can win [the next generation." -- Phil Spencer

(posting this in advance for when someone inevitably says, 'console sales do not matter to Microsoft now.')

It's nice to have plans:

Puppet Sounds Great GIF by giphystudios2021


But then in reality:

Catch Fail GIF


But this news means that the Xbox defense squad has to defend even harder. It will be fun to see how they are going to spin all this stuff.

Edit addendum: This makes me a bit sad though as well, my xbox starts to feel more and more like a paperweight.
 
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Akuji

Member
Oh yeah, sounds like the XBOX survival reduction funds that Sony has from all the Deathloop sales is working in france.
 
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Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Is that how percentages even work? What about the other platforms, 0%?

Edit: yes funny guy that's how ratios work so it's a 9:1 ratio, the % added here is 100% needless and implies an overall market % that isn't true since other platforms also take a portion of it. Nobody, when speaking about the video games market, will limit 100% to 2 arbitrarily chosen platforms 🤷‍♂️
 
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I am against the Activision/Blizzard deal. But occasionally I read things like this and I think that it's maybe not so bad for competition.

The issue there is that Xbox haven't ever consistently done what it takes to compete - should they get a free pass because of their own ineptitude?

Marketing is awful, localisations poor, working with local branches basically nonexistent, very little historical engagement with European Devs outside of the UK (getting better).

They've totally fucked it.
 
The issue there is that Xbox haven't ever consistently done what it takes to compete - should they get a free pass because of their own ineptitude?

Marketing is awful, localisations poor, working with local branches basically nonexistent, very little historical engagement with European Devs outside of the UK (getting better).

They've totally fucked it.
you drop truth bombs, but Phil still is my daddy
 
I am against the Activision/Blizzard deal. But occasionally I read things like this and I think that it's maybe not so bad for competition.
If one of the richest companies in the world that has been in an industry for over 20 years and fails like this against a much smaller company...maybe the problem is not the strong competition...maybe they are just bad at what they do.
MS can't even manage the IPs that have always been theirs. How's Halo doing? Gears of War? Even the latest Forza is seeing a decrease in interest.

How's Bethesda releases going? You know...Red Fall, Ghostwire, Deathloop, Starfield (a game that was going to be a sure fire GOTY contender), etc?

MS acquiring more companies clearly isn't the answer...
 

anothertech

Member
Xbone really was a collosal clusterfuck.

No wonder they're trying to make up for it by spending tens of billions. And even that isn't changing things hardware wise.
 
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onQ123

Member
Is that how percentages even work? What about the other platforms, 0%?

Edit: yes funny guy that's how ratios work so it's a 9:1 ratio, the % added here is 100% needless and implies an overall market % that isn't true since other platforms also take a portion of it. Nobody, when speaking about the video games market, will limit 100% to 2 arbitrarily chosen platforms 🤷‍♂️
But it clearly said PlayStation & Xbox
 
Lol why not preach for Xbox to do better with what they have?
Well market clearly indicated that they don't want Xbox consoles. Even when Starfield launched, sales dropped (mainly due to the might of PC in Europe). So clearly in order to make Xbox viable, Microsoft should secure content and due to the market, that relies on market share to get cheaper deals, it makes sense to do more acquisitions. It also protects from potential deals made by Netflix, Apple etc.

Some people will hug sales charts, some people will hug games.
 
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GHG

Member
Well market clearly indicated that they don't want Xbox consoles. Even when Starfield launched, sales dropped (mainly due to the might of PC in Europe). So clearly in order to make Xbox viable, Microsoft should secure content and due to the market, that relies on market share to get cheaper deals, it makes sense to do more acquisitions. It also protects from potential deals made by Netflix, Apple etc.

Some people will hug sales charts, some people will hug games.

The market has indicated they don't want something, so the solution is for that company to go scorched earth instead of simply adjusting and adapting to what consumers do want like any other rational business would have to?

You have it backwards and more consolidation won't lead to cheaper deals, it never does.

Apple/Netflix making a serious entry in the console space isn't something to be seen as a negative either by the way. In fact if people are going to say they want "more competition" then potential new entrants should be welcomed, provided they are going to bring something fresh and interesting to the table.

To me it just sounds like you need Microsoft to succeed in this space at all cost for some strange reason, even if it's at the expense of everyone else (both on the consumer and market participant side of the equation). Considering their output and how the overall market has generally responded to their products that is something I really don't understand.
 
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Well market clearly indicated that they don't want Xbox consoles. Even when Starfield launched, sales dropped (mainly due to the might of PC in Europe). So clearly in order to make Xbox viable, Microsoft should secure content and due to the market, that relies on market share to get cheaper deals, it makes sense to do more acquisitions. It also protects from potential deals made by Netflix, Apple etc.

Some people will hug sales charts, some people will hug games.
How is buying a studio cheaper than just making a deal? Xbox somehow decided that exclusivity was bad for business after Tomb Raider. They also somehow refuse to do a lot of marketing deals when it was one of their favorite weapons in the 360 days. Now Gamepass or nothing, when they acknowledged that it was a relatively small part of their business for at least the next few years. We want games too, but buying a studio is not making new games, just taking them from the concurrents. Unless you have a lot of history with them, or allow them to stay independent.
 
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