All articles tagged with #first party games
In 2025, Xbox released numerous first-party titles, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading the polls for Game of the Year, though other popular titles include Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, and DOOM: The Dark Ages. Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorites and share their opinions, with results to be announced on Christmas Day.
A recent Sony job ad caused concern among PS5 fans about the potential for first-party games to be released on Xbox, but Sony clarified that most first-party titles will remain exclusive to PlayStation, with some exceptions, and emphasized their commitment to the PlayStation ecosystem.
Xbox Game Pass remains profitable in 2025 even after accounting for lost sales and microtransactions related to first-party games, according to a clarification from reporter Chris Dring, indicating Microsoft's continued success with the service.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is nearing current-gen console capabilities, prompting responses from Sony and Microsoft, while a wave of new games and retro-inspired titles are challenging Nintendo's dominance in the gaming market, signaling a potential shift towards more competition in the industry.
Sony has decided not to release its first-party games on PlayStation Plus day one, instead opting to add older titles and a few indie games at launch, believing this strategy is effective and will continue. This approach contrasts with Xbox's practice of releasing big titles on Game Pass immediately. Sony's strategy involves timing releases to reach wider audiences later in a game's lifecycle, and while some live-service titles have been added early, the company prefers to wait for the right moment.
PlayStation will continue its policy of not releasing first-party games on PS Plus on launch day, instead adding older titles and select indie games, maintaining a strategy that differs from Xbox's Game Pass approach.
The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 will support most original Switch games, with only one first-party title, Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit, being completely incompatible due to hardware size constraints. Most other titles, including third-party games, will work with some requiring updates or specific controllers, and a few streaming apps may not be supported at launch.
Upcoming PS5 first-party games Marathon and Fairgames are facing significant challenges, with Marathon potentially delayed due to art theft issues and lack of marketing, and Fairgames criticized for poor gameplay during testing, raising concerns about their release prospects.
Amazon is offering a selection of first-party Nintendo Switch games for $40 each, including newer titles like Splatoon 3 and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, as well as classics such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Other discounted games include Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Additionally, there are other Switch games on sale at Amazon and other retailers, providing a rare opportunity to grab brand-new boxed copies of popular Nintendo games at discounted prices.
Phil Spencer has completed 10 years as the Head of Xbox, overseeing significant changes and improvements in the Xbox brand, including unbundling the Kinect, introducing backwards compatibility, launching Xbox Game Pass, and acquiring multiple game studios. While facing challenges with first-party game releases, Spencer's focus on player-first initiatives and strategic acquisitions has set the stage for an exciting future for Xbox.
Xbox's Phil Spencer outlined the company's future plans in a memo, emphasizing a vision where gaming becomes more unified across devices and platforms. The memo discusses the challenges of fragmented gaming experiences and the opportunity to empower players and creators in a more cohesive gaming ecosystem. As a result, Xbox will be bringing four first-party games to rival consoles, starting with Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush, with potential for larger titles in the future.
Sony's president and PlayStation chairman, Hiroki Totoki, aims to improve the gaming division's profit margins by focusing on hardware and first-party games. He emphasized the difficulty of cost reduction in the current console cycle and hinted at a more aggressive strategy for bringing first-party games to PC. The recent simultaneous release of Helldivers 2 on PS5 and PC resulted in impressive engagement on the PC platform, indicating potential for multi-platform releases to improve operating profit. While no explicit plans for more day-and-date PC releases of PS5 titles were mentioned, Totoki's comments suggest a potential shift in policy as he takes on a more hands-on role within Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Sony confirms a lack of major first-party game releases for PlayStation 5 in 2024, with no new major existing franchise titles until 2025, leading to a quieter year for the system. This follows a dip in expected hardware sales, causing Sony to cut its year-end sales forecast, but the PlayStation 5 is still performing well overall, having shipped over 54.8 million units since its launch in 2020.
Sony's new interim CEO, Hiroki Totoki, plans to improve margins and operating profit for Sony Interactive Entertainment by implementing a more aggressive multiplatform plan to bring PlayStation first-party content to PC. This strategy aims to expand the user base and increase operating profit, as the company anticipates a gradual decline in PlayStation 5 hardware sales. This shift in approach comes as a departure from the previous stance under former CEO Jim Ryan, signaling a potential change in Sony's game release strategy.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer reassured employees that the company remains committed to making consoles, despite considering bringing first-party games to "multiple kinds of devices". Microsoft will share its "vision for the future of Xbox" in a business event next week, following a potential shift in its approach to first-party games. Additionally, Microsoft responded to the FTC's claim regarding layoffs, stating that the deal with Activision Blizzard has substantially changed and emphasizing its commitment to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation.