And by that logic (or lack there of), PlayStation titles aren't making a profit because they are putting them on PC..

Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be a launch title for next-gen Xbox.. that's my prediction anyway.. not that "launch title" means much anymore since it will surely be cross-gen..

at any rate, i'm beyond hyped to see what they'll do in the next installment.. 👍

game development is a risky business and nostalgia is a proven seller.. this is the result.. 🤷‍♂️

glad for that team and other teams who have benefited from the platform.. 👍

Xbox already said they were developing new hardware way back in 2020 and reiterated that statement a year later:

"no one should think we're slowing down on our core console engineering. In fact, we're accelerating it." - Liz Hamren, Microsoft's CVP of Gaming Experiences and Platforms, 2021

🤷‍♂️

as far as FTC quotes, it's clear both parties were posturing in order to make a better case either for or against the ABK deal.. for Microsoft, their own narrative was "Xbox is doomed" and "can't compete" without acquiring ABK and for Sony, it was "PlayStation is doomed" and "can't compete" if ABK got acquired by Microsoft..

but clearly, Xbox always planned to continue with making hardware and PlayStation is clearly not going anywhere so cheery-picking FTC quotes is just an exercise is being disingenuous..

i think it's mostly about marketing.. i've said it before and i'll keep saying it:

If Microsoft wants to advertise Game Pass to the mass-market, there is no better game than Call of Duty..

sure, i'd imagine that most people who are into Call of Duty have already purchased and/or played the previous games.. but having that entire collection available in Game Pass is still headline news..

it's also an easy way to ensure a smooth transition for PlayStation gamers to come over and try the Xbox ecosystem since they'd have immediate access to all the titles via Game Pass (plus tug on the nostalgia strings of all the Xbox 360 players who still have old save files when they jumped ship to PS4)..

ultimately, it's rather simple word-of-mouth advertising to say "hey, you can get the new Call of Duty in Game Pass plus all the old games are there too".. personally, i think that's one of the key reasons why ABK was purchased, especially as we head into a new hardware generation..

#value

I'm a fan but honestly Socom II was the peak and that was 21 years ago..

Alot has changed in gaming since then and I think time may have passed that IP by unfortunately.. Especially since I'd imagine Sony would want to bring it back as a live service game..

I would love to be proved wrong though..

as a customer, you should probably want to "go to bat" for the company that's being more pro-consumer..

and right now, that's Xbox.. PlayStation is slowly, but surely, following their lead though.. so, again, you should be rooting for Xbox to succeed and for the others to continue to move in that direction..

that's if you want to be objective about it.. entertainment is inherently subjective though so there's nothing wrong with going with your personal preference..

i guess calling them trolls would be a compliment then.. i certainly hope fanboys like @BenjaminBanklin don't actually believe their own nonsense..

that would be truly sad..