The Activision-ing of Xbox | This Week in Videogames (bumper edition)

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We naively hoped that Xbox would transform Activision, but recent decisions have made clear that it's actually happening the other way around.
#ThisWeekInVideogames #Xbox #tangogameworks
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News collation and run-sheet by Edmond T.
Written and voiced by Ralph P.
Edited by Stuart K and Austin B.
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[@SkillUp]

Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring the video. If you want to set up your own website (and get a discount while doing it), hit this link for more info: www.squarespace.com/skillup

[@mericanignoranc3551]

It's called "CAPITALISM " and ONLY PROFIT MATTERS (for the rich)....absolutely nothing else , not you, me, the planet and definitely not games.

[@newguyiswinning]

Take some responsibility for once for these layoffs. Always advocating for the acquisitions but never taking responsibility for when the companies layoff and close those acquired studios down

[@veryrare2337]

@@newguyiswinninghow delusional are you where you think any excutive decision at microsoft or any other company is being made in part by youtubers??

[@veryrare2337]

@@pedrocanas470we can safely disregard all of your opinions on the matter if you think arkane austin sucked. go play your slop the adults are talking

[@dedhandbandit]

This is my problem with Xbox and Microsoft they buy up stuff to make good games that never come out or they buy up Studios to close them and I fear all the new IPS that they just obtained are not going to go anywhere besides the garbage all those beautiful games just wasted by Microsoft's very well-known complacency and ignorance and mismanagement I can keep going but you get the picture

[@DanielJosephBaker]

I just hate that CEOs can flop so bad at their job but as a result of their poor performance, OTHER PEOPLE lose their jobs. It’s a broken system where bad CEOs keep their jobs.

[@carly7522]

And then they golden parachute to another job they suck at.

[@mericanignoranc3551]

It's called Capitalism ...

[@radioaftermaththeband]

Fail upwards.

[@MasterJangleLeg]

Which studios?

[@akyruz8345]

Actually, by firing people CEO's are saving money and creating more investment opportunities... so they are actually doing what investors want and praise. Corpos don't care about the people working for those studios they buy.. only the acquired IPs have value for them. It's indeed a rotten system

[@UncleBalthasarGelt]

Reminder that Microsoft's payment to Bobby Kotick would cover the salaries of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin employees for more than 17 years.

[@K3end0]

Fucking hell...

[@uberbyte7467]

We fucking knew that and people STILL kept cheering for this buyout, why did people pretned that this was a bad thing for bobby he was begging and hoping for the buyout and people kept saying this would be the best for employees and gamers!

[@immortaldragon7980]

​@@uberbyte7467 many of us saw this coming but go criticize.when we point it out.

[@Nobody-dl4tm]

Disgusting.

[@fullmetal3233]

@@uberbyte7467because I still believe Microsoft leadership is better than Activision leadership. At the very least, they’ll handle issues like the sexual harassment seriously. It is overall better for the employees of ABK to be under the care of Microsoft.

[@HeroDarkStorn]

Remember that Hi-fi Rush was released with no marketing behind it, other than "Oh, we made a game, you can play it today, bye". Someone wanted the studio killed, and when it didn't work, they just killed it anyway.

[@PaulusAlone]

Bill Gates operating procedure. Buy up and/or destroy your competition to leave his poorer quality software top of the heap! He would rather be king of a trash pile than allow everyone to share a utopia. That is Microsoft/Microshaft mindset to this day.

[@Vaytra]

It says a lot that their game was still a hit, even with the attempt! What a bunch of talented devs. I hope we start seeing more independent studios being created and more refusing to be bought, we need it, our games need it, and the talented game industry workers deserve it.

[@HeroDarkStorn]

Lot of talented people will join or found indie studios and give us more great games than "AAA"s would ever let them! But, lot of people live wage to wage, and they won't have time to gather connections or ideas or job offers, and will leave gaming to get themselves "real" job, costing us all the games they could have made :(

[@moghater]

I think the same. If they have given time, announcing, marketing, creating hype, it could possibly been a much bigger success. But it was a big "why bother" approach. Good for people that know the game exist to have it "for free" on day one, bad for everything else.

[@adareyu]

We all stood witness for Skillup’s crunch reversal. Chef’s kiss

[@Kirby-Krios]

muah! 🍕

[@Saint_Wolf_]

I stood up and clapped.

[@GoufinAround_]

Honestly, I'm sick of pretending that Phil Spencer is somehow a beacon of hope in the gaming industry. He constantly says things that don't align with the actions that Xbox takes. Either he's just lying to us, or he has absolutely no power behind the scenes and is just a mouthpiece. Both scenarios are not good imo. Also, I do not think it's fair to say that Activision is transforming Xbox...Xbox was clearly down this path before they bought Activision

[@Alteredfrenzy]

Don't forget who Phil reports to. I'm not saying Phil Spencer is blameless, I'm saying he works for fucking Microsoft.

[@GoufinAround_]

@@Alteredfrenzy Leadership has to be held accountable for the decisions that are being made at Xbox, or any company really. I don't care how likeable someone like Phil Spencer is when they're making decisions that are killing game studios while simultaneously spouting bullshit that is in contrast to their actions. If he's in the position that I noted where he just has no real power, then he shouldn't pretend that he does

[@javierper3z]

I never thought he was. I think the man had a vision, but didn’t meet the numbers the overlords demanded, so he lost the fight and, now, Xbox will be run like any other software company… a huge mistake in a creative field. And juat plain sad for us gamers, devs and anyone who love sthe hobby.

[@RustinBlack]

This. Phil Spencer deserves near-zero of the good will people ascribe to him. -he's been behind the scenes making horrible decisions for over a decade now.

[@jeffcarrier9808]

I do assume it's the latter though.

[@HadesWTF]

Phil Spencer is not your cool gaming uncle. He is a Microsoft executive. Always has been.

[@d3c0yBoY]

The t-shirts and that grin is what gets you.

[@thedude8128]

@@d3c0yBoY no, having a low iq did for all the bots that believed his words. imagine being fooled year after year, for 11 years by 'hey guys, i love (insert popular game on social media here), i'm just like you guys, i play games, so hey listen, look, it's our year, but listen, look, we have some delays, but don't worry, even though we have no releases this year exclusive to us, it's our year, MOUNTAIN DEW!!!!!! the tools are coming, it's our year!' - Phil 'Uncle' Spencer

[@freelancerthe2561]

Hes that creepy next door neighbor from those old PSAs that everyone else thinks is harmless because of the way he dresses. But the music says otherwise.

[@S_raB]

And he spends more time playing games than actually working.

[@bash_maxwell]

But... but... he wore a HEXEN t-shirt!?!?!?!?!

[@Kratoseum]

Gamedev here, thank you for this Ralph. It has always been apparent that your passion for games come with the very important understanding that any artform is ultimately the expression of the people that actually made the thing.

[@hgyuuuuhj098]

Bruh... Spending 2 hours learning C++ doesn't make U a "gamedev".

[@hesham8]

Employee of a strategic msft acquisition here… I feel for the entire gaming division, and am reminded more and more every day that only two kinds of acquisitions exist - each with very different expectations. I hope you, your colleagues, and everyone else in the industry land in a less bloodthirsty environment.

[@zelaird8526]

Gamer here. I hope you guys can survive the acquisition without letting msft completely destroy your mental health :(

[@Kratoseum]

@@zelaird8526 thank you! appreciate the concern. The current atmosphere isn't the easiest for overall creativity that's for sure but keeping my spirits up :)

[@opthomas09]

I was already loving the video, but once you told these execs to try 'crunch' I lost it man. Well done, everyone is so insanely frustrated with the situation and to hear you put it all together like this is pure catharsis.

[@michaeldromes3948]

Owners and CEOs work on average about twice as many hours than regular employees so it doesn't exactly make sense but don't let that stop the circlejerking

[@smac2047]

Lol, ​@michaeldromes3948, that's really funny.

[@TheEliera]

Sure buddy they do.​@@michaeldromes3948

[@Lorenzo-bo7id]

@@michaeldromes3948yeah sure buddy 😹😹😹

[@dychostarr]

​@michaeldromes3948 I truly wonder which you'd or anyone else would rather be? A CEO "putting twice as much work" as the average worker with their pay + Golden parachute? Or the workers? We both know the answer here, also take your own advice. Higher ups should pay for their decisions first. Last I checked, people's pay don't go up outside "overtime" and considering the extreme distance between a CEOs pay is to the average employee? Well, facts speak for themselves.

[@willwunsche6940]

Matt Booty couldn't even be bothered to get the names of the studios he laid off right in the announcement he released

[@njsteere]

Fr?

[@AkiraFollower]

@@njsteere Yup he switched their names up.

[@njsteere]

@@AkiraFollower no words. That’s wild.

[@krammy9goggler]

sarah bond was asked a few questions about the layoffs in a bloomberg tech interview and she couldn’t even name the studios or explain why they laid them off, just launched into corpo word salad and landing on that they did it “for the health of the industry”. absolutely ghoulish shit

[@AkiraFollower]

@@krammy9goggler I never liked her. She always came off as a fake. I know there is a ruthless executive hiding under her facade of inclusion and human empowerment. It always made me cringe how some Xbox people Simp over her and still do.

[@Norightnowrong1]

Executives crunching is an amazing idea fr

[@Atomy111]

If you ask them they do nothing but

[@robinnouara3681]

Legit started cackling at that bit, can you imagie a reality tv show of high level executives having to put in the work they expect their underlings to do? lets go

[@Kelley_X]

But what would “executives crunching” even look like? More rounds of golf? More “white lines”? More “bend over if you want a promotion”?

[@Norightnowrong1]

@@Kelley_X “guys, no one leaves this room until we get the next worst idea for the industry before EA ends up doing it”

[@Wormswoods]

I've read this before getting to that part of the video, and for short while I lived in world where the idea was about putting executives on that hydraulic press and seeing what we get after the squish...

[@jesuscostantino2925]

Wow, Ralph. This is the best written, most heartfelt, most scathing episode you’ve ever written. Good work, and eff the hyper-financialization of the games industry.

[@danhealy79]

The shitty thing, this is effecting ALL work industries. I work for a major medical device manufacturer that profited ~$12 BILLION US DOLLARS and still laid off 20% of the R&D teams that got them there. This is why there is no loyalty or security in corporate America anymore.

[@Idontwantorneedahandle]

Former banker here 👋🏼 to vouch. Layoffs have been brutal! What stands out to me in regard to the culture in corporate America is how they leverage the customer against the worker and vice versa. Less and less customers can afford basic services-- their finances and QoL suffer. The worker can't afford to not peddle it, else their finances and QoL will suffer. There was a very palpable "us vs. them" culture in every single office I worked in. The customer was framed as the always-complaining enemy and, to the customer, the workers were seen as uncaring and unhelpful when the truth is workers had no tools to help. Truth is,both the workers and the end-users are completely dependent on the cold, callous, executives and their shareholder overlords. Workers, if you can union up, please consider it. Customers, please be kind to service workers and consider writing your representatives and pushing back on price hikes and unfair practices. To you, OP, take care & best wishes ❤

[@Slantwalker]

This 100%. its not sustainable all the focus on next year's increased numbers vs long term stability. The greed at the top with a non functioning government or regulation. When did we last break any big company up meanwhile we have SO MUCH CONSOLIDATION. Sorry, kinda all over the place but just so frustrating.

[@meurer13daniel]

The worst part is that Hellblade 2 is launching in just a few days and there is absolutely zero marketing towards that game. I got a feeling Ninja Theory will be next

[@wordenroger6188]

I suspect so too sadly. It's a 5-hour arthouse style game with no multiplayer, co-op or live service, with no physical release and practically no marketing at all. Genuinely shocked me to hear to was coming out in less than 2 weeks when I literally follow gaming news daily.

[@momintim]

It definitely will they closed tango because their next game was going to take to long. NT take forever to make games so they definitely on chopping block

[@pingu1252]

they also praised ninja theory in their last developer direct so given their track record its almost guaranteed

[@Greippi10]

I literally didn't even know it's launching very soon until I saw a Reddit post wondering about its nonexistent marketing a few days ago. They are deliberately gutting it.

[@Mister_Know_Name]

I'm wondering if they removed marketing to reduce sales and give them a better reason to close the studio.

[@thelegendofstonecoldstevea3205]

To close a bunch of studios and then tell the rest of your team that you’re looking for the EXACT type of game one of those studios made is truly baffling to me.

[@TheMrDewil]

C'mon, bro, didn't you hear? Why keep other studios when you have Bethesda, the best game developer on the planet, which, apparently, can do it all, and then some. Our Lord and Savior Todd "I lied again, so what" Howard will swoop in and save the day. Honestly, though, they should've closed Bethesda and kept the rest.

[@Zoroasterisk]

@@TheMrDewilThey shouldn't be closing any studios. They should be making games that sell for moderately more than they cost to make, not chasing live service money faucets. Arkane hemorrhaged talent during Redfall's development, because nobody wanted to make it, at least not the way they were forced to make it by Zenimax.

[@RasenRendanX]

​@@TheMrDewilthis is Exactly what I thought. All these studios died so Bethesda can continue to drop more shit

[@Rob-gp6yb]

that actually was wild

[@TheSpyder]

The left hand doesn't talk to the right at big dysfunctional companies.

[@MrMurkosullivan]

The cutting of the music for this one is very appreciated. This is an important message.

[@anti-macro]

I remember people complaining about the FTC and other companies trying to stop the merger and rejoicing when it finally happened, like corporate drones cheering for their own downfall. I just hope those people have finally learned their lesson. Shame it cost the livelihood of many people and the existence of some amazing game studios.

[@elhazthorn918]

They will never learn. There's at least one person here coping, saying it was still a good decision.

[@LuckyTrouble777]

I had to disengage with video game news site comment sections because I couldn't figure out why so few of us were seeing the insane volume of downsides with the extreme consolidation of the western AAA gaming industry. Everyone was too busy buying into the Activision needs a cleaner PR rhetoric, fully ignoring that one way or another Bobby Kotick was on the way out with his golden parachute, and that industry consolidation was a very weird way to try to remove one problematic executive. The AAA game industry is all but dying at this point for so many reasons, and the merger was basically buying the coffin for all the nails to be hammered into.

[@MrCoolinschool]

Appreciate the lack of music here. This isn’t a headline, it’s an obituary. Not just one for arkane, or Tangoworks, or Roll7, it’s possibly one for Xbox as a brand and developer as a whole. Honestly I would not be suprised if Bobby Kotic was silently put on the board of directors for Xbox in all of this.

[@Lenariet]

Dunno, some violins could hit hard. Or something like "Mad World"?

[@GreggyAck]

@@Lenarietthe Goodbye Song from Bear in the Big Blue House

[@ChicagoBulls1984]

'F' to pay respect

[@CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

Messed up as it is, Bobby could actually have negotiated for a seat, and some shares,

[@PantsaBear]

@@Lenariet This mf said lets play Mad World by Gary Jules 🤣 do you play Vanessa Carlton's Thousand Miles when you have to drive far in Forza too? lmfao

[@dvongxx]

The fact Bobby Kotick is the ultimate winner of the Acquisition Wars tells you all you need about the state of the industry

[@BenBuckton-te2pm]

Truth is, the game was rigged from the start

[@wctgttm]

His type always wins when growing profits comes before people.

[@CrazyKevin22]

Capitalism working as intended in other words

[@vaanian6610]

100%

[@Jaydkdk]

@@wctgttmcant be rich without fucking people over in some way even if its miniscule

[@Grimlo9ic]

You encapsulated so well what made the Apple ad so uncomfortable for many - it's the callous disregard. It's since been found out that there was a very similar ad run by LG for a phone release in the 2000s, and obviously the uproar over that was non-existent. The point being, we live in a different time now, technology is even more intertwined with our day-to-day goings, and people are very attuned with how the whims of corporations have very real, very tangible effects on their own lives. This backlash is one of the few ways we have to express our aversion to that callousness.

[@poiumty]

Saw that clip with Sarah Bond where she was skillfully dodge tanking the "why did you shut down Tango Gameworks" question, and now I'm here watching her waxing poetic about how important it is to be there for the long run.

[@HeroDark98]

Removing Spencer and Booty might not change anything at Xbox, but they sure as hell deserve the boot more than anyone, so they should get it. The fact that they are allowed to remain their positions after nearly a decade of failure is beyond me.

[@Echo__plex]

The crazy thing is they've both been promoted. You can't make this stuff up.

[@Lahiss]

There have not yet been a position they could fail upwards from their current jobs, so they are stuck in there for the moment.

[@ChrimChrimbo]

These are merely the public faces you are seeing. They do not represent all of the suits behind them that don't work in the spotlight. Firing the face does nothing to the corrupt body that makes the decisions as a whole.

[@beezusHrist]

​​@@Lahisslo Peter Principle l

[@Alcatraz760]

Well said. Anyone who replaces Spencer and Booty will not change Xbox's current trajectory, short of jettisoning those above Xbox like Satya Nadella or Amy Hood.

[@GameTesterBootCamp]

I have been working professionally in the video game ministry since 2006. I’ve been laid off four times within that timeframe. I am now 40 years old and I am having to start my career over again for the fifth time. I honestly love this industry. It is what I dreamed of doing my entire life and I got to make that dream come true. But today I need to leave the industry. It breaks my heart, but I can no longer afford to put the well-being of my family at risk by continually putting my, blood sweat and tears into an industry that is indifferent to my survival.

[@SWProductions100]

Hope you get something more positively stable on the way, and hope you get a chance to still tinker with games. All the best to your work

[@CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

Sorry you have to go through that, best of luck to you

[@jakeryan2805]

What games did you work on?

[@Two-ToneMoonStone]

I say this as a union worker who didn't have to start my own union; i know its an understatememt to say it isn't easy but ya'll desperately need to unionize on a massive scale.

[@kunimitsune177]

Being let go is not starting your career again ffs

[@seniorpantos]

I'm glad you waited to make the vid and cover a wider scope. Great work

[@chrominox]

00:37 , I thought the exact same thing that you thought and I knew it'd rubbed me the wrong way when I saw it for the first time. I'm very appreciative of you, Ralph, for bringing this to the wider attention. This is why I'm subscribed and I like and I follow this channel. Its so refreshing to see some honest, no-fluff take on something that's so near and dear to me.

[@jeffcarrier9808]

The complete lack of advertising of Hellblade 2 is WILD. It's as if suddenly MS has no money.

[@beezusHrist]

Lol

[@animeyay4]

I've heard it runs like garbage too. If it's playable at all I'd be surprised. I would encourage people not to buy until all the reviews are in any way. It may as well be City Skylines

[@PantsaBear]

@@animeyay4 Wait where did you hear that? From what I seen it runs at a pretty consistant 30fps on Series X (idk about Series S). If you much prefer 60fps then thats understandable, but I havent seen anything that the game is unoptimized or something (if Im wrong then fair enough, any info would be appreciated)

[@Steve-of1kb]

Why advertise a game almost no one will play?

[@dCa991]

The most attention that game is gonna get is from videos made by clowns like Synthetic Man, it’s tragic.

[@TheCoolerFury]

I fear that Xbox buying Activision will be the "McDonnell-Douglas bought Boeing with Boeing's money" moment of the games industry, where the profit at all costs model will rot the organisation from within.

[@bowsewr7074]

O man good analogy from an aviation geek. Well done

[@ReVon_pL]

Microsoft is just as rotten as Activision, so there's nothing to worry about

[@ZachBobBob]

I had the exact same thought watching this

[@markmurex6559]

I'm glad Microsoft bought that lemon.

[@newguyiswinning]

It will be and SkillUp advocated for it

[@WrackPharmd]

This was so cathartic. It is a truly impressive video and incredibly written and well spoken. It’s too bad that nothing that we say or do will affect these C-suite executives lives. Their salaries or even their bonuses would’ve kept Tango and Arkane alive but they are such complete money loving sociopaths they are too blind to see what they’ve done. It’s not just game development either. It’s pervasive in just about every industrial sector. It’s killing healthcare in the US. Sociopaths at the top only see dollar signs and not real people with real lives that they crush under their heel.

[@dankerbell]

such a good video, feels good to hear someone say what we're all thinking in a round-up like this, and i appreciate the classic skill up analogy too

[@walterreid]

Picture this. A hydraulic press with artists, poets, developers and customer support. All being crushed to reveal Siri. These are the times we live in.

[@hydra7427]

Sounds great. AI will weed out the useless jobs.

[@leekyonion]

@@hydra7427 AI is only as good as the data it gets. AI is susceptible to being fed falsified memories and you'll have no knowledge of what slop you'll be fed. It'll be al least another 25 years until we get competent AI. There will be wars in which people sabotage AI to malfunction and take years to rebuild. Not the world I want to live in

[@thenoose9800]

​@@hydra7427 Calling artists useless is literally the stupidest thing I've heard all day.

[@KillaD69]

​@@hydra7427Agreed. All these bleeding hearts crying about the elimination of useless jobs simply fail to see the benefits AI provides. AI is the wave of the future and it's best to embrace it

[@MarshyoftheBlobs]

​@@hydra7427 I mean AI bots make better troll comments than you already why do you even bother

[@Sly_404]

Arguably the worst part is the reasoning: "Prioritizing high-impact titles ... further investing in blockbuster games ... double down on those franchises". The big budget titles the industry constantly tells us aren't sustainable? MS future is more of those but even bigger.

[@IshTheEngineer]

Agreed. And if they don’t do well, you already put all your eggs in one basket. Big games fail all the time, not diversifying is a huge mistake.

[@battlep0t]

The two biggest success stories this year are Palworld and Helldivers II. Games which weren't full price that have dev teams of 50-100 people. Balatro was made by one guy - it has a concurrent count on Steam of 12,000 players. Publishers are not going to get the message till it's too late.

[@Insan1tyW0lf]

Ah yes, as exemplified by their dogged and unflagging dedication to a feature-complete Halo Infinite...

[@amysteriousviewer3772]

What “blockbuster titles” has Xbox even got at this point? Halo? Gears? Forza? Those franchises aren’t what they used to be.

[@hihihi1q23]

@@amysteriousviewer3772 Fallout and Elder Scrolls. The Fallout IP in particular is in a very strong position right now and they definitely want to capitalize.

[@Retrofire-47]

i always appreciate your intelligent commentary, Ralph. these videos will be like time capsules into video game history for future generations

[@jacobvriesema6633]

Taking independent companies and making them go public almost always destroys them. When all these buyouts with Tencent and the others were going on, I just knew in my heart it would end in disaster.

[@Junkmastery]

Please give us more of these video essays. They are one of your best works!

[@floop74]

Agreed, I could listen to him talk all day

[@Nobody-dl4tm]

Hard Agree

[@shashankrajmane5702]

Completely agree..

[@vystaz]

yeah, this was fantastic. great rant.

[@BladefullySwift]

I can see the transformation now. "I will now talk about companies being greedy bastards for just over 20 minutes" 🎩

[@marandmartins]

Good that ol’ Phil’s career move of acquiring Nintendo didn’t come to fruition.

[@Greippi10]

I mean that was never going to happen anyway. Nintendo have more sense than they have money, and they have a lot of money. But good nonetheless.

[@Arrestedrabbit]

What a meme that idea was. If it weren't for the way that stuff was found out I 100% would have assumed they were covering for their real plans

[@d3c0yBoY]

That chastity belt is reserved for Sony.

[@razorarms]

For years people have been saying "Phil is a good guy, he gets us, he's a gamer!" and I've been saying "Phil is a liar and a fraud and he's destroying Xbox with his utter incompetence and BULLSHIT." Hm. Who was right? Who was right.

[@FeiFongWang]

Acting like Nintendo is in any way better

[@Kevon100]

What an intro! Perfect writing and delivery!

[@Yn00ss]

This is about your AMAZING work, not the money. Please don't stop!

[@GXJGamingHighlights]

Skill up made his own diss track to Phil and Xbox . You KNOW it’s over 😮‍💨

[@jerm5466]

Skill up advocated for these acquisitions

[@paulgastelum2143]

😂😂😂

[@trash.7452]

@@jerm5466 tell me you didn't understand the video, without telling me you didn't understand the video.

[@jerm5466]

@@trash.7452 he’s obviously not advocating for them here. He advocated for them before they happened and is standing here like “oh whoopsie who could have seen this coming”. He of all people should have had the foresight to see that MS gobbling up the industry is a bad thing

[@StefanConstantinDumitrache]

@@jerm5466 "GamePass great!!!"

[@brodiemann1899]

I live for the Skill Up editorials. I love the weekly show… the FPS podcast… but the videos where ralph brings to bare the full weight of his excellently breathtaking cadence and mammoth volume of knowledge and experience on more loose conversation style video is truly a sight to behold. Don’t ever stop doing what you do mate.. yours is a once in a lifetime voice

[@hope_youhaveagoodday]

You know it's gonna be a good video when it starts with a metaphor!

[@ichibi87]

I discovered ShillUp during TheDivision days but stuck around because of the writing style, it feels really informative but not in a dump or sensationalist way just "this is how it is". I swear I can see the paragraphs when he speaks coz its not just nonsense off the dome. Man writes really well.

[@walterreid]

@@hope_youhaveagoodday Almost every review that starts this way are classics and ones I go back to this day just to see the brilliance

[@neilk]

i will forever admire how articulate he is, genuinely is inspiring to see how he's able to convey this sense of weight through his words

[@PapaYapp]

This is one of the best videos I've ever watched on KZbin, every moment hit me.

[@tr4sh005]

Thanks for saying something about that apple ad. I saw it and had a panic attack about how absolutely cynical it came across. Shout out for saying something

[@BreezyStarfish]

The reason why I was originally a "fan" of Xbox was because I thought they were a place where developers could have the financial security to be creative and try new things (see Grounded, Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush). It has since been proven that is no longer the case. I have a hard time not seeing Xbox in the same light that I see EA now.

[@rioplats]

All three of the titles you mentioned were already in development *before* Microsoft acquired their respective studios. As you say, it's unfortunately now harrowingly obvious that they were holdovers from pre-acquisition dreams and ambitions and Xbox has zero interest in supporting such endeavours. Truly dire times.

[@kamurotetsu4860]

@@rioplats If HI-FI Rush was already in development before the acquisition, then Xbox didn't even give Tango a chance to make a new game under them. That's quite a bad look for Microsoft.

[@rioplats]

@@kamurotetsu4860 Yikes, I hadn't thought about it that way...

[@RasenRendanX]

​@@kamurotetsu4860AFTER seeing the high praise the game has gotten AND after saying they need more games like that. Tango died so Bethesda could keep making trAsh

[@marts4169]

I´m guessing Ninja Theory will be next on the chopping block after Hellblade 2 releases. Like Hi-Fi Rush It will get great reviews and win awards but Microsoft will consider it a failure based on its current metrics. Makes sense now why its director left not too long ago. Guess he saw the writing on the wall just like Mikami did.

[@angellara7040]

Him leaving is literally the best thing for NT. He's a pos

[@dimasgustino9156]

It sucks, Ninjatheory Hellblade was once a ps4 darling, it sad to see them this way in the hand of Xbox

[@AnimeUniverseDE]

Shinji Mikami left the studio because he had achieved his goal, creating an environment and studio where cool new games could be made by a younger generation. He wanted to pass on the baton and took a backseat role after directing the evil within. Its sequel had the same director as Hi-Fi Rush.

[@Mmachine88]

It's crazy how misconstrued things get when we all play the game of telephone. Yes, it's fait to be concerned for Ninja Theory, but it is a fundamentally differently designed studio and the kind of game is different, though Is similar in some ways. Tango Games is a very complicated shut down and it's frankly silly for any of us to pretend we know exactly why and what happened. When the co-founder of Ninja Theory left, the studio quickly continued on and making each head developer/producer involved in each aspect Hellblade co-leads. I forget the specific people and "departments" but essentially there are currently 3 co-leading the studio between the lead music and sound director, lead narrative director, and the dude we saw speaking in the last few videos and interviews we saw who was also one of the co-founders if I'm not mistaken. But, yes.. they could unfortunately land in a not so great place. I'm hoping for the best. Also the co-founder of Hellblade II left years ago and even came out and had a comment he shared more recently and said that the team was in great shape and that he only really helped with Hellblade II in the early beginnings of the development.

[@chasejackson7248]

He has pictures all on his Instagram of him partying and on boats with bikini clad women, he got paid lots of money from Microsoft for the studio, he is a sellout.

[@PXAbstraction]

I've watched this video multiple times and nod along throughout almost all of it, but there's one point about Arkane Austin that I think many have been glossing over: Immersive sims don't sell. I love the genre, it's possibly my favourite, but Dishonored 1 sold only OK, Dishonored 2 flopped, Prey flopped, heck I don't even think Deathloop did all that well. The people who are into the genre really love it, but it reminds me of Firefly in that the base is just not big enough to support it at a AAA level. I'm not saying they should have been forced to make a live service looter shooter, but what they were doing wasn't sustainable, as sad as that makes me to say. It's pretty much the only point I agreed with from professional Bethesda apologist Danny O'Dwyer's commentary on the subject in this week's Noclip Crewcast.

[@ShoTheEmcee]

I gotta say it Ralph. You were definitely one of the ones saying "Gamepass is the best deal in gaming" every possible chance. And I was just over here like, do ya'll really think Gamepass is gonna stay a good deal if they buy half the industry? If they have Call of Duty and throw it on GP day one, you think that price is gonna stay the same? Why is it such a great thing for Microsoft to be able to buy the largest publisher in the world? When they haven't produced anything of note through all their acquisitions except for HI FI RUSH. I asked all these things. But so many gamers went "Nuh uh, don't worry about. Good guy Microsoft cuz Gamepass" and if this wasn't so sad it would be hilarious.

[@PowerPilgrim]

As a dev I appreciate you taking the time to say this.

[@hgyuuuuhj098]

Funny how everyone who played Baba is U for 10 minutes call themselves "developer" now 🤦‍♂️

[@PowerPilgrim]

@@hgyuuuuhj098 well since I've been in the games industry since I left Uni and have a handful of games under my belt. I think I've earned the right to. Thanks very much. But I must confess I'm confused by your aloof comment.

[@mlgcactus1035]

That's one thumbnail

[@a-nom-a-ly5782]

is

[@eyad6132]

Couldn't be more accurate tbh

[@AlexanTheMan]

You could say it's an Xbox One of a kind. I'll show myself out.

[@Ryhillchibulls]

This is one comment

[@efraimkent]

definitely one thumbnail

[@shanilsam]

Hate the situation but love your work in this space , Ralph. It's so important to have thoughtful criticism during these trying times for the industry.

[@sonicsean34]

The thing that gets me with the topple-over comment is why was the Microsoft manager trying to manage individual studios at ZeniMax and Activision. Those two used to be autonomous with someone running each of them, just keep those roles and have them report to the Xbox studios person so they only have to manage two extra ppl instead of the dozens of studio heads from the publishers

[@kameronbelcher]

As a lifelong Xbox user, this fucking blows man. Never have I had my enthusiasm for something evaporate so quickly. I am no longer personally invested in Microsoft or it's success, I'm only interested in good games, it should have been that way all along.

[@justwait9822]

Being a xbox fan and being interested in good games is an oxymoron.

[@TheTraveler980]

​@@justwait9822That depends on the times.

[@ssjbargainsale]

@@justwait9822 Being a console fan is weird enough already

[@ThisandThat___]

You were personally invested in MS's success? I presume you worked for them, otherwise you should seek help.

[@kameronbelcher]

@@ThisandThat___ guy who just learned that you can be something other than materially invested in something. I was invested emotionally! Which is dumb but I love video games man, my first console was a 360 that my Nana bought for me. I thought Microsoft and Phil Spencer were doing some good, but it's a rude awakening that they are just like every other corporation.

[@btbrotherton]

The current video game industry shows what a curse going public is. Look at Valve, massively successful because they’re private and don’t have to worry about catering to investors in the short term, so they mostly just do what the players want and as a result have dominated the space so many publishers are trying to force themselves into.

[@Negentropy369]

It's really true across the entire market, so many great companies have been destroyed by going public and the profit over everything modus operandi that follows after. Having that as the fundamental motivator inherently corrupts true human creativity, and in the end turns the world into a smear of gray sameness.

[@MenseParatus]

public investment ruins everything for sure

[@TheNoobyNoob1]

That’s a genuinely good point. As greedy as we call Gabe sometimes, he hasn’t gone and shut down hundreds of people’s livelihoods. It almost makes me kinda respect that Half Life has taken so long in some strange way. If they don’t have something, they don’t have something.

[@LoliconSamalik]

But they do lie to their players and partners sometimes. Dare to make a visual novel about Japanese teens doing teen stuff in a properly written story? They treat it like it's CSAM and block you from publishing or playing it, if not insulting you to your face in private.

[@TheNoobyNoob1]

@@LoliconSamalik not gonna lie, it’s kinda EXTREMELY sus to have loli in your name and complain about a publisher blocking a “teen novel” about doing “teen stuff” my man.

[@troylenning8310]

This is brilliant work Skill Up Team. Hope many take the time to see this. Seeing it as important is an understatement.

[@BruceMilligan]

The purpose of market consolidation is to limit competition and stifle innovation. If it funnels additional revenue onto your side of ledger, its an added bonus. I do not think you are looking at nor discussing what's going in games through the proper lens. We don't have a McDonalds on every corner or in every town because they have great food. Making great games, the lives of the people who work for you and the adoration of your customer base, these are not variables in the equation. The questions they are asking are, " what is the total market cap for gaming, and how can we position ourselves to ensure no small scrappy competitor can ever threaten us.

[@Retrofire-47]

Read about how Sony entered the hardware business. i am unsure of whether Microsoft took a similar approach, but they basically just bought out all the major publishers, bribed retailers, and then undercut their competition [Sega] by a staggering amount -- hemorrhaging capital to bleed them dry

[@lukesills4939]

I'm sure you're also a fan like me who agrees with most of the video, and are probably just noting a point of disagreement in strong terms. But I do want to push back on this a bit. I think an important part of Skillup's framing is that most people involved in the games industry, even many executives, are genuine enjoyers of videogames themselves who want to be involved with the making of good, creative, successful stuff. I think Ralph is arguing that Phil Spencer has always struck him as someone who is, at the end of the day, truly passionate about videogames, even as he helms one of the industry's juggernauts. But the point is that everyone who Phil Spencer answers to - other Microsoft execs, shareholders, etc. - thinks about game development in the exact way you are describing. And, at the end of the day, Phil Spencer would not have his job if he did not think in terms of that same logic himself, or at least show an ultimate fealty to it. I actually think Ralph's frame in this video and throughout his work is great precisely because it discusses those two things instead of just the one, putting them in tension with each other: the real, human passion for game-making that fuels a majority of people who work in the industry, and the structural, capitalist logics that are hydraulic-pressing all that passion into cold, licensed, salable IP.

[@BruceMilligan]

@@lukesills4939 I’m a big fan of schill up. I’ve been subscribed since the heady days of his Division coverage. With regard to spencer, I really don’t care what his motivations are or what he secretly wants. I’ll reserve judgement for his actions. In this case, If Phil Spencer acquires your studio, it’s the first step towards a reduction in quality and homogenization of any creative differentiation. Now featuring layoffs, corporate antagonism and deadlines based not on selling a complete product, but in favor of arbitrary launches driven by quarterly financial deadlines. We have become so desensitized to the downsides of late-stage market consolidation that we miss the big picture stuff. The frame here is wrong, for precisely this reason. Layoffs, boiling the frog visa vie quality, rushed live service scaffolds which collapse when they have any weight put on them… these are not defects in system, they are features. And yet, the collective perspective of games journalism seems to be shock every time this happens. Who could have seen this coming ? To extend the metaphor, lets pretend that Taco Bell began gobbling up Michelin star restaurants in your area. You have a passionate team of creatives leveraging advanced tradecraft toward a central mission; to innovate on their art, to surprise and to delight customers. Sorry chef, you work for Taco Bell now. In one fell swoop, your mission is changed. Your motivations for your work, which were once closely aligned with your customer’s desires, are now not only failing in that regard but also at direct odds with the objectives of your parent company: to make all restaurants Taco Bell. I think there is a more interesting story here, one which explores the perils of the commercialization of art, but also lays context for how, we the frogs, have become truly boiled. Three decades of platform triopolies, title exclusivity and the never-ending acquisitions. If these companies ( and executives like Phil ) truly want to make great games, why do they have all the resources and a near 100 % failure rate in that mission. The lazier form of the argument, but still a better story, is a meta review of all the great game franchises and studios that went on to reach new creative heights after getting large capital infusions from these business daddies. I’ll patiently wait here while that very short list is curated.

[@BruceMilligan]

@@lukesills4939 I’m a big fan of schill up. I’ve been subscribed since the heady days of his Division coverage. With regard to spencer, I really don’t care what his motivations are or what he secretly wants. I’ll reserve judgement for his actions. In this case, If Phil Spencer acquires your studio, it’s the first step towards a reduction in quality and homogenization of any creative differentiation. Now featuring layoffs, corporate antagonism and deadlines based not on selling a complete product, but in favor of arbitrary launches driven by quarterly financial deadlines. We have become so desensitized to the downsides of late-stage market consolidation that we miss the big picture stuff. The frame here is wrong, for precisely this reason. Layoffs, boiling the frog visa vie quality, rushed live service scaffolds which collapse when they have any weight put on them… these are not defects in system, they are features. And yet, the collective perspective of games journalism seems to be shock every time this happens. Who could have seen this coming ? To extend the metaphor, lets pretend that Taco Bell began gobbling up Michelin star restaurants in your area. You have a passionate team of creatives leveraging advanced tradecraft toward a central mission; to innovate on their art, to surprise and to delight customers. Sorry chef, you work for Taco Bell now. In one fell swoop, your mission is changed. Your motivations for your work, which were once closely aligned with your customer’s desires, are now not only failing in that regard but also at direct odds with the objectives of your parent company: to make all restaurants Taco Bell. I think there is a more interesting story here, one which explores the perils of the commercialization of art, but also lays context for how, we the frogs, have become truly boiled. Three decades of platform triopolies, title exclusivity and the never-ending acquisitions. If these companies ( and executives like Phil ) truly want to make great games, why do they have all the resources and a near 100 % failure rate in that mission. The lazier form of the argument, but still a better story, is a meta review of all the great game franchises and studios that went on to reach new creative heights after getting large capital infusions from these business daddies. I’ll patiently wait here while that very short list is curated.

[@BigBoss-kk4sr]

@@lukesills4939 Spot on, yes it is a job but most of these people see the joy in the art form and that is why they do what they do. It must be so disheartening to see studios like tango create something so special and ultimately be closed to never create anything else together again

[@benholmes7810]

The only games at the 2023 game awards with more nominations than Hi-Fi Rush were BG3, Alan Wake 2, Spider-Man 2 and Zelda

[@kjj26k]

Multi platform independent, multi platform independent, Sony PlayStation seller, Nintendo Switch Seller. Yep.

[@toptiertech7291]

Game awards don’t make you money 😂😂😂 why can’t video game fans understand business? Alan Wake 2 didn’t sell enough either. People raving about your game and not buying it does nothing for you

[@selectionn]

remind me how many awards it actually won?? And how much money does an award make you? whats that? none at all? Getting paid in publicity doesnt actually work if you can believe it. NO ONE bought hifi rush, it was a shadow dropped game with NO MARKETING. stupid decisions win stupid prizes. critical reception means NOTHING if it doesnt make money. Hi-Fi rush didnt make enough money and thats all that matters.

[@martydastooge]

​@@toptiertech7291100%! Hi Fi was great, but did it lead to more subs/money? NO!!!

[@toptiertech7291]

@@martydastooge and that’s why I don’t even argue with video game lovers who don’t understand business. They just think every kind of game they like should be pumped out no matter how poor it does financially because THEY like it

[@djmasterruski]

People forget the regardless of how much hi-fi rush sold, it was great PR. It was an actually surprising move that got even some of the more jaded people to be a bit more optimistic.

[@jakeryan2805]

Which is why its batshit crazy they got shut down. HiFi was on game pass so its individual sales might not have been great...BUT it was so highly praised. Unique, and a complete 180 from what xbox normally did. There is basically no reason to have an xbox this generation, and HiFi was like their ownly good exclusive. And they completely trashed that. It makes no sense.

[@RasenRendanX]

The game was SHADOW DROPPED with NO MARKETING

[@toptiertech7291]

“Great PR” means absolutely nothing 😂😂 try to pay your bills with “great PR”

[@djmasterruski]

@@toptiertech7291 Microsoft has a 3 trillion dollar market cap, what the fuck do you mean

[@selectionn]

"great PR"??? what are you even talking about? I own an indie game that has only 100 reviews, and it has the overwhelmingly positive rating. That review rating means nothing when the developer had to stop working on the game because it didnt make enough money. it means absolutely nothing that hifi rush reviewed well, it doesnt make other microsoft games magically sell better or anything. Why are gamers so clueless on basic economics? do they not teach economics in school anymore?

[@cunningpunt]

Mad times. A great video going into it, I think this is the best content you've ever made. Thanks Skill Up.

[@jacksanity6575]

Great video with good analysis of the root problem behind the closures and layoffs. Your content is always top notch and you have cemented yourself as my go to for video game news

[@njsteere]

Ralph - appreciate you taking the time to gather your thoughts vs the reactionary “hot take” format some KZbinrs go for. We’re all pissed but there’s a place for mature, well articulated outrage.

[@ssj4922]

As much as ragebait 'everything bad, and you should be mad' content gets us nowhere, in this particular scenario, I can't really say there's anything we can even say to cope here. Xbox's best game in decades just got their and multiple other studios close down, all for Call of Duty... There's no saving this, Xbox is fucked, and their playerbase have every reason to be absolutely livid right now.

[@D44RK_Iced_Yogs]

MS bought a company for 80bil and expected there to be instant profit. This is the result and it’s so sad to see.

[@njsteere]

@@ssj4922 honestly agreed, I’m by no means saying “there’s a silver lining to be found if we just calm down and look for it”. I think Xbox is going to fall on very hard times due to their consistent bad decisions, and talented AND SUCCESSFUL studios getting caught in the flames is a tragedy. If anything, I think when even the level headed voices are furious, you know how screwed the situation is.

[@KurosuKirie]

@@ssj4922 no they are livid because they are acting stupid, lets be honest big company buying many studio is stupid, EA and many publisher already prove this, just because MS do it kindly doesn't mean anything, managing a lot of studio is hard, EA fail not because they are evil they fail because it is hard and costing a LOT, just stop being a fan of company, so you're not getting mad because you see this mile away the moment they buy bathesda and bliz.

[@sirviv]

Well said!

[@K2theAblam]

Oh man we got a classic Skillup analogy to open the video. Vintage. I live for this stuff.

[@GiantsGate]

For a moment, I actually thought that Apple was sponsoring the video. That would have been awkward AF.

[@nickterooze]

The “turning a large boat” analogy will forever be a treasured line in ShillUp’s history

[@macisr]

Microsoft has always done this. Another thing, there are more examples of studios losing their essence the moment they get bought by a corporation than studios blooming under corporate rule. The moment a studio gets bought, corporate wants to change their culture, then the founders clash with them and get fired or they quit. The studio then becomes just a puppet studio and they either start doing things they don't know how to do, or become generic, then they fail and then they get closed. It's always the same process.

[@mastermindgaming4741]

Videos like these show why this channel is great! Keep doing it.

[@MarkPTP7000]

Very well put, as always! The only part I disagree with is 20:35 about the futility of ending Phil Spencer's leadership. While you're totally right that whoever takes the reins next will engage in the same terrible decisions to do whatever pumps that stock value, as you pointed out earlier in this video, a decade has gone by now and Phil and has demonstrated that him and his team cannot nurture talent, cannot foster the creativity needed for this business, cannot make effective use of all the business and IP assets they have bought. For that reason he should go - he should in fact, of gone long before today. But yes, sadly the lack of regard for workers, and the lack of long term ambitions over short term, is bound to continue whoever takes the helm.

[@SageWon-1aussie]

He's a great "We'll do better, next time. Promise." PR guy. Much like The Toddster.

[@ARaccoonTalking]

What a brutal, no bullshit, (literally) painfully funny video. One of your best, Ralph. Keep speaking your mind on this insane industry, you're doing better than practically anybody else.

[@InnerMoonlights]

He is the only one that i follow on news and games in general, it is so well made, no cringy meme picture or ears bleeding sound unlike the rest of the youtubers that are so unwatchable and immature with their content created for kids and genz like angryjoe and theactman. IT is truly a blessing we have Austin as the main guy in the channel while he lets Ralph appears on this channel once in awhile to cover stuff. Heh.

[@Ionic457]

congrats on one million subs! I just subbed now, myself. Thanks for repping the devs and gamers who actually love this industry and hate the GaaS BS era we're in strictly b/c of corp exec greed.

[@backupschmliff1156]

It's so interesting how when Western CEOs lead the company to loss after loss, the underlings suffer so that the CEO doesn't have to lose money, but if the same thing happens in Japan, it's expected for the CEO to step down.

[@dingus2k]

there’s no more “phil, come and chat this out with the kinda funny guys.” he has completely severed his ties to the players.

[@Echo__plex]

I really do think this week was the final straw for a lot of people. It isnt just the closing of these studios that is so offensive, it's becoming painfully obvious that the Xbox leadership team has no strategy or vision whatsoever. They have just been throwing money at the problem for years. They know nothing about managing studios or cultivating creative talent. Phil Spencer and the rest of the team should resign. If 10 years at the helm and over $70 billion invested into new studios isn't enough to perform, I don’t think you're cut out for this job. They should all feel embarrassed and ashamed.

[@yomamasohot6411]

Actually over a 100 billion since 2018

[@Echo__plex]

​@yomamasohot6411 I had ABK at $70 billion. And Bethesda is like $5-6 billion right? Not sure if it gets quite up to $100 billion but an insane investment nonetheless.

[@nathanl4083]

They aren’t buying these companies as investments in good games, but as investments in stock price. Buying a company like Activision will make share prices higher which will make the shareholders happy which is the only thing they care about

[@BRAINFOXINFINITE]

Remember that they also wanted to drop hundreds of millions of dollars just to get some games out on Game Pass on day 1. Not investing in their development, not getting them on there permanently, but just to have them on there at launch. Pretty sure the Rocksteady "An Hero Association" title got my comment nuked, but that game had them prepared to pay $250 million. $300 million for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and $100 million for Assassin's Creed: Mirage as well.

[@loganknoll]

You outdid yourself with this one Ralph... your writing continues to be outstanding

[@NPCLiam]

Here for the executive crunch. Properly great writing, man. Thank you for putting this out.

[@scipioafricanus2071]

It was so weird to me when people claimed Microsoft buying up all these publishers would somehow save the gaming industry. It was even weirder because at that point in time Microsoft hadn't published a masterpiece in over a decade. Turns out Microsoft also just acts like a multinational corporation, not so different from Activision or Zenimax.

[@newguyiswinning]

Yep, and SkillUp was a part of that crowd

[@foregone_roulette]

Consumers have been fed relentless pro corporate propaganda for at least the past 40 years. I used to roll my eyes when people talked about "late stage capitalism" and generally trusted the invisible hand of the market more than the government, but it's become increasingly clear in the past decade that these companies are absolutely being run worse than most of our gov and that they've been allowed to consolidate and monopolize to a degree that the market can't self correct.

[@truecaliber1995]

Most of us were thinking about the humanitarian possibilities for Activision Blizzard, that Microsoft's acquisition would help foster a friendly work environment. We were wrong, of course. Horribly, horribly wrong.

[@DoomCloudX]

Having a segment on reporting layoffs every week reminds me of those episodes of Deep Space 9 where the Starfleet personnel are checking those daily casualty reports during the war. Grim stuff.

[@TheMattadorStarfish]

That's a great comparison. One of my most vivid memories of DS9 was Dax and Dr Bashir walking away from the daily casualty report absolutely gutted by the news. That's how I also feel every week after layoffs news.

[@toptiertech7291]

You guys act like only game devs get fired 😂

[@Keithustus]

@@toptiertech7291which other industry fires 2%-5% of its most experienced employees every month?

[@toptiertech7291]

@@Keithustus 5% of game devs are being fired every month? There’s 268,000 game developers in just the US. 5% of them are not being fired every month 🤣 take out the embracer failings and how many layoffs are there really? Over 50% of the layoffs were directly tied to embracer group buying up a bunch of studios for a large Saudi deal and it falling through

[@aussiegecko1892]

This might just be your best video yet. That's hyperbolic but I feel it's an incredibly difficult topic, covered and conveyed with the right balance of facts and emotion. We love your work, your care and your passion just as much as you love this industry. It shows from top to bottom, for you and your team.

[@newcube]

What an excellent, well articulated commentary on the situation. Thank you for the insight.

[@emperman]

My only hope is that the indie scene is the strongest it's ever been. Hades 2 has been such a blast it makes me giddy

[@OrangeGenerator]

oh nah didn't you hear a bunch of basement dwellers think it's trash cos they've never seen a real woman.

[@aka.radstatic]

Can’t wait for the day Phil Spencer quotes Ozymandias while the Xbox Podcast hosts smile and nod.

[@creepyalfraydo7749]

Thanks for being such an incredible and caring voice in the community! Gotta hand it to you Ralph, you're amazing.

[@bluebattlehawk]

Great video man, appreciate your honesty and bluntness.

[@henrye3935]

"Imagine being able to draw something and it doesn't look terrible"-talent isn't solely innate. It requires a lot of practice. Artists spend tens of years getting to that place, and you can, too. Talent isn't the problem; impatience is.

[@juicyboij]

I think he's just being flippant/facetious rather than being serious but I totally agree (I wake up at 5am every day to practice drawing before going to my full time job). It would be like saying to Ralph "Imagine just talking into a microphone for 30mins a day being your job"

[@Alex_Logan22]

It’s both, plus passion/desire, all mixed together. Same with dancing, but things like graphic design on a computer doesn’t really require talent.

[@henrye3935]

@@Alex_Logan22 "graphic design on a computer doesn’t really require talent." Is the most boomer sentence I've read in a long time lol. Graphic design is skill intensive - color theory, visual communication, typography, layout design, the vast number of basic design principles e.g. rule of thirds, contrast, balance, emphasis, the use of white space, scale and proportion. That’s all before getting into digital-specific stuff such as software proficiency. You’ve either never studied art or graphic design, or you have, but you never learnt to use digital tools and you’re just making assumptions driven by ego.

[@Alex_Logan22]

@@henrye3935 I do graphic design for a living lol, I was referring to natural/innate talent not all the things you listed that come from observations, teachings, studies etc. I mentioned it simply because I had a lot of passion for hand drawn art too but no amount of practice and study could get me to the levels I easily reached with graphic design, it does require more actual talent.

[@henrye3935]

@@Alex_Logan22 I mean, to an extent, yeah. If there are ten four-year-olds in a class and you ask them all to draw a clown, one of their clowns will always be more realistic than the others, but the 4-year-old who dedicates their life to learning how to draw will eventually be better than someone who doesn’t. And that person using digital tools will always be better than an amateur. The idea of innate talent is a trap. It only ever serves to stop someone from doing something. It’s about inaction. “I can’t cook” and “I can’t draw.” No. That’s a useless way of thinking. Someone shouldn’t look at your work as a graphic designer (with years of experience?) and judge themselves on equal footing, like what you do is from nature instead of from years of hard work and education. It’s all about impatience. People can’t do things because they haven’t bothered to learn how to do them (or don't have the means). Someone who "can't drawer" can spend time learning the fundamentals and improving.

[@makasete30]

.. Microsoft's payment to Bobby Kotick would cover the salaries of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin employees for over 17 years.

[@toptiertech7291]

Yeah they didn’t really have a say in that payout. It’s also irrelevant. But that’s like saying that Lebron James makes could pay 833 Americans 60k a year. Does that mean he shouldn’t make it?

[@lunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

@@toptiertech7291 Bobby Kotick ain't shooting three pointers

[@fixo5132]

@@lunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa No but he is good at investing and making money... which is more valuable in the capitalistic world we live in. Is he the devil incarnate ? maybe , does the system care ? no.

[@USS_Sentinel]

@@toptiertech7291 No, he should not. He's a parasite getting fat off the labor of others. Just like most CEOs.

[@mikerandall273]

Absolutely 🤣🤣 LeBron James does not need unimaginable wealth goofy

[@felixthinks351]

Aww yeah the start of video metaphors are back. Skillup is BACK!

[@martinlander3906]

Best video game analysis/content/material anywhere, ever.

[@Lucax97]

I felt dread when they started their acquisition spree, but I've never been as articulate as you Ralph. This video right here is the line in the sand for the before and after of Xbox. If I wasn't broke I'd be on that patreon right now, because we've had actual employed journalists fail to even entertain what's now happened at Xbox.

[@tylerwood8710]

Excellent work on making a separate video and having such a great take. This was significantly better than what we would have gotten if it were just crammed into the last "News".

[@thomadan000]

What an amazing piece of journalism on this topic

[@dariathelazy]

22:49 "Are you an artist, photographer, or someone who works in the visual mediums? If so, I'm jealous of you, I wish I had skills like that" Nah, man, don't be... With how much industries are already eager and wanting to replace artists with AI, there's not much to envy when it comes to our professions. Not a salty comment, love the channel; just a morbid thought that flashed through my mind after finishing this depressing (but necessary) video.

[@Dorrovian]

Tbh Microsoft didn't need Activisioning to be bad to their studios, they have long and proud history of it.

[@JugglernautNr9]

that's true

[@toptiertech7291]

Yeah people act like Microsoft has never don’t anything like this before

[@yasielromero8236]

Leave it to Skill up to write up such a clear and succinct dissection of the issue at hand, thanks.for you work man 🙏

[@samgoldwater]

Thank you Skillup for your brilliant, passionate insights on the industry, it makes your uploads appointment viewing ❤

[@chuckyspins1726]

Absolutely brilliant video. Just simply brilliant. Kudos

[@walterreid]

Probably the best and most important “weekly gaming news” episodes I’ve watched. And I’ve been around a long time.

[@jacrossiter2097]

The whole relocation thing is very true. It's the best arguement for fully remote contracts. Which sucks because I like going for drinks with colleaugues after work, socialising in person. BUT I dont like relocating my family and starting over from zero, losing all our friends for a 1-2 year stint before being let go because of bad decisions made by execs.

[@4589dude]

Time to accept that the Arkane Austin that made Dishonored and Prey is not the same one working today. Yeah, they didn't wanna make Red Fall but they did wanna make Deathloop, which was also bad and showing signs that this studio had lost their touch.

[@loganthome]

Cancelling my Xbox gamepass sub after many years of support. Figured this month's fee would be better spent here! Thanks for the excellent analysis and giving a voice to affected Devs.

[@AtrociousNightmare]

Very important video. I'll share it where I can. Can I also say, I really appreciated the lack of background music. Your audio quality is incredible and it helped the tone, and frankly I'd enjoy this for the normal weekly news too, or at least the usual but with lower volume.

[@tomreidy1527]

Damn this is the devastating culmination of weeks of bad news. Deadset will cancel my gamepass not that it'll improve the situation. So sorry for the workers affected.

[@swans184]

Me too. I don’t care about playing Call of Duty; I had game pass to play indie titles I never would have found otherwise. These closures send a crystal-clear message about their priorities and I’m not ok with giving them my money anymore

[@maerunderemite]

I'm thinking the same.

[@toptiertech7291]

@@swans184so are you going to buy those indie games separately or are you pulling support from small devs?

[@PigPharmaceuticals]

If you still want to play some of the indies on game pass you could buy keys from resellers so your money isn’t going to Microsoft. (Or I guess just buy the indies that appeal to you most)

[@USS_Sentinel]

@@toptiertech7291 I'll buy the games on Steam or GOG. Like I always have. I've never had any interest in Gamepass whatsoever.

[@ULAER]

I thought title said “bummer edition” and i was like yea man it fits

[@c.h9976]

Good video. The games industry is looking so grim these days and I appreciate you thoughtfully highlighting what's been going on.

[@cinnamonroll5659]

the beginning of this video was amazing bro. glad there is SANE analysis of dystopian media

[@MisforMature]

Can’t believe anyone cares this much about an iPad commercial. What an insane take

[@nowaygardenhose]

I hope that some of the game developers who were laid off come together to start new indie studios. And that these new studios create great games and provide better working conditions than the big corporate studios. This would lead to more job opportunities for game developers and help the industry grow by offering a fresh perspective and stronger competition, where big studios don't dominate anymore. I truly hope this is the silver lining of this situation

[@Sam54345]

The trouble is that interest rates are so high, no one is giving out loans. How are people going to start indie studios without a loan after getting laid off?

[@truecaliber1995]

@@Sam54345 They could always turn to crowd-funding and remote work, I suppose. That, and the early-access strategy, but all three of these practices have their own caveats.

[@SpaghettiGorl]

At this point I'm glad I never seriously got into game development from a professional stance. Constant closures, layoffs so that the quarterly profits still go up, crunch, being forced to make bad games, the list doesn't end. If the studio is expected to be beholden to the whims of shareholders and know-nothing CEOs then you can simply wait for the studio to eventually close no matter how well they preform. Independent studios are all we will have left when all is said and done, my heart goes out to all the devs who worked on these amazing games.