2.4: Scalpers Paradise
PlayStation Portal launch, The Last of Us Part 2 Remaster, Xbox eyes market share + What's Releasing This Week
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This is Volume 2, Issue 4 of Early Access for Wednesday, November 22, 2023. In this issue: scalpers flood PlayStation Portal launch, Xbox to leapfrog Sony in gaming revenue, Destiny 2 continues to tumble, The Last of Us Part 2 gets a remaster, a weird Nintendo saga.
“Dinosaurs eat Man. Woman inherits the earth.” - Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park).
The Big Picture
1. PLAYSTATION PORTAL
Sony’s new handheld streaming device sold out just two days after its November 15 launch, with scalpers sweeping in and jumping on the opportunity to sell it for more than it’s worth on reseller sites like eBay. The device is officially listed at $200 on Sony’s internal store, but most eBay listings range from $300 to around $350.
+ Living in a Scalpers Paradise: This situation isn’t new. Both next-gen consoles - the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X - have dealt with scarcity issues, particularly around their 2020 launch, and some units were being relisted on eBay for twice their list price.
+ What to Do: Sony does not appear to have taken any measures to prevent this from happening. Valve, in contrast, is trying to minimize this situation with their new Steam Deck OLED, which will require a Steam account in “good standing” to pre-order the device (defined as an account that’s made a Steam purchase before Nov 1).
2. XBOX GAMING REVENUE TO SKYROCKET
The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft will have a ton of implications on the industry, not least of which is the massive amount of revenue Microsoft will gain as a result of sales from their new controlled IPs - Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, etc. When it comes to revenue, controversial Chinese tech giant Tencent has long held the top spot, owing to massive investments in Epic Games (Fortnite) and Riot Games (League of Legends), as well as its own IPs. Tencent is followed by Sony at No. 2 and Apple at No. 3 which, despite developing producing zero games or hardware, rakes in cash due to the massive fees it extracts from developers on the App Store. Microsoft has frequently occupied the fourth spot, but industry analysts at Newzoo expect for the company to leapfrog both Sony and Apple after the Activision Blizzard acquisition, for the first time in history.
+ A Massive Industry: Newzoo projects that the games industry will generate $184 billion in revenue for 2023 fiscal, a figure expected to grow to $205.7 billion by 2026. By comparison, box office analysts at Gower Street expect the movie industry to generate $32 billion in movie ticket sales in 2023.
3. DESTINY 2 PLAYER COUNT TUMBLES
Destiny 2’s player count has reached all-time lows since the PC version of the game transferred to Steam in October 2019 - over the last 30 days the game has averaged 34,328 players, with a peak player count of 59,076. Forbes notes that while the game is six years old and typically sees player dips at this time, this new low is “different.” First, the decline is more severe than normal. Second, it happened quickly, especially considering that just eight months ago, “Lightfall produced the game’s highest concurrent playercount ever, 316,651 players at launch.” Third, it comes at a precarious time with Bungie “already at a 45% revenue miss for the year", a situation that has “only gotten worse since that report was made.” Fourth, while an interesting Season of the Wish is on the horizon, there’s a lot of uncertainty about Final Shape, which has reportedly been delayed internally. Forbes: “It’s not good. That’s the main takeaway. And it’s not good at a level that is far more significant than before given these layoffs and the exceptional revenue declines we know about. Something needs to change, but it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better, I fear. If it gets better.”
4. THE LAST OF US 2 REMASTERED
Developer Naughty Dog has officially announced The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which will release on January 19, 2024 for the PlayStation 5. The developer confirmed that PS4 owners will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for $10, and that game saves will also carry over. Like other Sony remasters, the remastered version of The Last of Us Part 2 will feature enhanced graphics, native 4k output in Fidelity Mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, unlocked framerates, and more. The game will also include Lost Levels that never made it to the game’s final release. And a rogue-like mode where players can “play as a host of different unlockable characters” with the goal of “surviv[ing] as long as you can in each run, as you choose your path through a series of randomized encounters.”
+ A Masterpiece: The Last of Us Part 2 is an Editors’ Choice title, won VSG’s 2020 award for Best Action Game, and was nominated for VSG’s 2020 GOTY. In our summary of critics consensus, we wrote: “The Last of Us Part II is a masterpiece in cinematic storytelling. Gameplay is not nearly as inspired as the original, but this is one of the best experiences of the generation.”
5. SUPER MARIO RPG DEVELOPER
Super Mario RPG is a great game. VSG scored it at 93% recommended and wrote that it’s “an excellent remake with smart tweaks and new mechanics to make this historically important game both welcoming to newcomers and rewarding to longtime fans alike.” Which is why it’s been so weird that its publisher, Nintendo, went to such great lengths to hide who developed the game. When Super Mario RPG was announced at a Nintendo Direct earlier this year, the announcement trailer gave no indication who the development studio was. Then it was listed on the Nintendo Store, where Nintendo was listed as the publisher, but no developer was mentioned. The situation led some outlets to reach out to Nintendo and Square Enix for clarification, in the hopes of getting a straight answer. Rebekah Valentine at IGN: “But that didn’t happen. instead, Square Enix told me to ask Nintendo, and Nintendo said to wait until the game is out and check the credits.” Now that the game has released, we know the answer: development of Super Mario RPG was a joint effort between Nintendo and Japanese studio ArtePiazza. So why the secrecy?
6. BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
+ Housemarque: Returnal director Harry Krueger is leaving Housemarque after almost 15 years at the studio. "During my 14 years at Housemarque, I've been incredibly fortunate to work on one dream project after another, and had the privilege of working alongside some truly talented and wonderful people along the way," Kreuger wrote in a statement on the company’s website.
+ Cities Skylines 2: Amid a slew of bug reports and a rocky launch, developer Colossal Order has delayed the release of its expansion pass content to while it continues to work on the base game’s performance. “We are committed to bringing the marketed DLC content to you,” Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen wrote, “but it will not be landing in the originally promoted schedule." The game’s first asset pack, Beach Properties, has been delayed from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, and both the Urban Promenades and Modern Architecture packs have been delayed from Q1 to Q2 2024.
Read the Reviews
Here are some highlights from the past week in review aggregation. Check out…
Persona 5 Tactica (Release: November 18, 2023; Platforms: PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, PC, SWITCH; Developer: Atlus). With 25 reviews, Persona 5 Tactica is currently at 72% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: “Persona 5 Tactica has an entertaining narrative and satisfying turn-based tactical combat, though its missions are repetitive and the gameplay isn’t very challenging.” PLAY IT.
Detective Pikachu Returns (Release: October 6, 2023; Platforms; SWITCH; Developer: Creatures Inc.). With 51 reviews,, Detective Pikachu Returns is currently at 18% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: “Detective Pikachu Returns is an easy recommendation for young kids, but for everyone else it falls flat in terms of depth, gameplay, and originality.” SKIP IT.
The Last Faith (Release: November 15, 2023; Platforms: PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, PC, SWITCH; Developer: Kumi Souls games). With 11 reviews, The Last Faith is currently at 64% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: waiting on more reviews.
American Arcadia (Release: November 15, 2023; Platforms: PC; Developer Out of the Blue Games). With 12 reviews, American Arcadia is currently at 92% recommended. VSG’s Verdict: waiting on more reviews.
Since launching in 2018, VSG has covered over 560 games and aggregated almost 40,000 critic reviews. Read more stats about VSG, and how the aggregator works.
New Game Releases - 11/22 to 11/29
Now . . . bring me that horizon.
Upcoming games calendar:
Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, Switch] – November 22
Evil Diary [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – November 24
Calico: Pawsome Edition [PS5, PS4] – November 28
Last Train Home [PC] – November 28
Rollerdrome [XSX] – November 28
View all of the upcoming video game release dates (including DLC) for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, Nintendo Switch, and more, over at VSG.
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