DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft

Is Microsoft EVER acting “in good faith”? All they want to do is monopolize the gaming market and prove repeatedly they haven’t a clue what they’re doing.

That said, this is the fourth Microsoft article today on a PlayStation site?! Good Lord, Microsoft is getting out of hand.

Honestly, with all the strikes, buyouts, companies being closed, everything else that’s been going on lately, I feel we’re headed towards another crash…

What is the world coming to when people go on strike for having to work for more than 2 days a week(pretty funny that Pushsquare left out that detail but it is expected that they would try to make anything and everything that mentions Microsoft negative). The sad part is some really insanely lazy people will actually support the devs in this situation.

$200 million to make a AAA game will look cheap in a few years. And $70 games? Think higher.

It's been apparent for many years now that the industry that used to be filled with passionate developers that were willing to shed blood & tears to release a a product to their fellow gamers are having a hard time transition to a legacy entertainment factory. With scummy publishers exploiting the ingrained work culture of the past.

I get that working at a mega-corp, pumping out soul-less content can be unfulfilling and that they have neither the will nor incentive to treat it any different from any other 9-5 job...and apparently have misgivings to even show up at work.

What's interesting to see if how this all plays out over the next few years. Will we have a monopoly devided between a handful of publishers, ala Hollywood. I think there are more then a few similarities between the history of film and what's going on in the gaming industry. Art vs Money - with money probably being victorious in the end, winning over the masses with big budget spectacles.

Or the whole industry crashing as investors flees back to more secure teets to milk. And out of it's ashes smaller studios/publishers could steer the industry to prosperity...until they get too big and profitable, starting the cycle once again. 😋

@breakneck Oh yes. I forgot about the scary project that's definitely going to happen.

@nessisonett didn't take you as someone who'd judge people off of stereotypes 🤔

The way things are going in the industry for devs, they should be treated better.

Also the Thursday at the beginning of the second paragraph is misspelled, just wanted to let ya know.

@LavenderShroud in this case because of the games being developed (doom,elder scrolls etc) its very relevant to us as PlayStation owners because those games are coming to us too at some point so again this is actually news that's relevant.

@Loamy "didn't take you as someone who'd judge people off of stereotypes 🤔." I am really liking your spin on things at the moment.. RESPECT 👊

Everytime I just have less and less respect for Microsoft.

@Northern_munkey Can't say I'm a fan of hypocrisy or self-enforced safe spaces.
As for Microsoft and Xbox, all this reporting is great for them considering they've basically doubled their media coverage 😂 it's going to be a common occurrence now on Push Square.

The entertainment industry in general is going through radical change right now. AI is the big one, but also changing viewer habits. The mass lay-offs we are seeing from game devs are happening in Hollywood too.

By all means strike. Get what you can get. Get what you deserve. But just be aware that by most insider accounts that I have read, normal service never resumed after the Hollywood strikes. The suits took that as an excuse to further automate the industry to prevent their employees from ever doing it again. They signed their own death warrants.

This is really ironic considering MS generates $254 Billion revenue /year but they don't give a ratass to their employees.

Heck. MS doesn't even bother to spend enough to advertised their 1st party games for EU region lol
https://wccftech.com/xbox-europe-marketing-lead-complains-theyre-getting-much-fewer-funds-compared-to-playstation/

@Deadlyblack Should but won't and will get worse for reasons That are apparently off-topic.

@Northern_munkey Well yeah, I get that. I’m just saying that four Microsoft articles on a PlayStation site on one day shows just how much the company is slipping and heading towards disaster is all.

@LastSaneManOnEarth "ZeniMax Workers United-CWA are on a one-day strike [...] over remote work and for allegedly unilaterally outsourcing quality assurance work." (IGN)

So...not for 2 day work weeks. Regardless, I'd say it's better to be lazily on the side of the working class than misinterpret causes for the sake of profiteers.

I can't believe people actually believe employers care about their employees.

People if you believe that there's no hope.

We are all just a number.

Give them what they want and cut there wages. Obviously they wouldn't be doing the same amount of work hours, so they wouldn't expect the same amount of wages. Then hire people to fill in the gap.

@nessisonett It's a real epidemic here. The amount of hard-working Americans who sympathize with the rich, believe success comes with belaboring themselves, are anti-union, actively stigmatize time off, would sooner work 50-60hr weeks than consider they're not being paid enough, and see any calls for reevaluating the arbitrary 40hr work week as 'laziness' is astonishing.

America is addicted to work. We have to be; it's taught as an essential aspect of American patriotism. And if anyone starts calling American labor practices as being hostile or taking advantage, you'll hear the common, "well, at least it's not as bad as China."

I remain surprised by the amount of gamers who seem to actively despise the people making their games if the latter so much as whispers discontent.

That this is a PlayStation site, filled with tons of PlayStation fanboys, who are siding with Microsoft here ("infinite wallets to the detriment of the industry" Microsoft) I think says it all.

@RoomWithaMoose Ah but pointing this out is ‘unconstructive’. Who cares about facts when you can slander striking workers? I’m so thankful for all those billionaires who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and weren’t handed a small loan of a million dollars or profited from their father’s apartheid emerald mine.

@Bagwag82 agree👍🏻 most companies are virtue signalling with smoke and mirrors are about employees care and wellbeing

@LavenderShroud what don't you understand that Microsoft is the biggest third-party publisher of PlayStation games (or that close to it).

As for Microsoft.... yep... they respect their right to an opinion, as they respect their own right to do a giant windows-shaped <insert own imagination here> on that opinion. What didn't they understand about working for one of the most powerful corporations in America?

So... I'm going to say something that may rile people up... however... hear me out. I know that many people feel that the gaming industry is just being abused through constant closures. However... and I really implore someone do so some actual journalism somewhere... what is actually going on in the gaming industry?

So my impression (and it's likely completely wrong) is that during the pandemic, a lot of people were able to negotiate really good conditions (pay and remote working).... because a lot of companies thought this was the gravy train.

Turns out...pandemics come ang go... so what I'm really curious to know (even if it dispells my bias) - what is actually driving up the cost of game development now? Because... I'm not sure it's not staff costs/productivity. I know in Australia (maybe not the best example) in my line of work... I've seen an almost stagnant remuneration over perhaps 10 years. And it may be the case that in the games industry there's a correction, but it's also possible that there was an over-correction. I think we all need to have an adult conversation about it, rather than just gnashing our teeth (even though I just had a go at Micro$oft). And that adult conversation should be based on facts... not just headlines, and the feeling that we can support the under-dog developers (meanwhile, the cost of games is going through the literal stratosphere).

Western developers/publishers are burning, while eastern devs rising. Well, I just hope the newest Doom is good.

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare game journalism died years ago, replaced by scouring social media for 24/7 headlines, activism dependent on political views and marketing opportunities. There's no proper investigative journalism because those kinds for journos are not encouraged or employed by the industry, unless it suits a narrative held by the organisation.

@Bagwag82

Some companies still do care - its just becoming rarer.

A happy workforce, is more motivated, more productive, and more likely to have good ideas to solve problems, so good for everyone. They also find it easier to recruit top people.

I have experience of both good and bad companies in this regard - the companies who dont care about workers are often the ones that keep telling you how much they care (often with lists of stuff they do that proves they care).

I will say this though, peoples expectations can get in the way as a company that does care does not always pay more, its the quality of (work) life differences that makes it a better company to work for.

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare
One problem is that we, the games buyers, just dont pay enough for them (games).

Generally, games are much bigger than in the past (ignoring the silly bloating that we see), and expectations are higher, but game price hasnt really gone up that much, even when inflation has.

Look how after a 7 year generation, everyone moaned about a £10 increase, or how often you hear 'wait for sale' now.

But the other side is guilty of enabling this way of thought.

Every time a company puts a game on sale within 6 months of launch is a bad thing as it promotes this 'wait for sale' attitude (a sale within a month or so just spits in the face of those that bought at launch).

Every time a company puts out a game that is badly optimised, with poor framerate, or not polished, or is buggy, it pushes people (including myself) to not pre order anything anymore, and promotes 'wait for sale' 6 months down the line, when games are likely patched up.

Ive often said I would be perfectly happy to pay £80 for a good AAA game, if I knew its launch state would be optimised properly, and mostly bug free - and I knew it wouldnt be on sale next month!

@Rich33 I'd say there is a huge overlap between companies that don't care, and ones that are having issues in current environment.
I might be wrong here, but it has been my theory for some time. There is an "overoptimization" going on in software development industry, and there is a reason why any systems optimal state is not at it's lowest cost. Through aggressive lowering of costs by pushing quantity over quality of talent, and ignoring "real life" factors like employee satisfaction, working conditions, education, personal development and health, etc. quality of output has decreased over the point of diminishing returns. With all the improved mechanisms in software development protecting code quality, there still was never more bugs reported per line of code. Similarly in other roles like design, never have there ever been a bigger stagnation in overall game creativity. It seems like only Nintendo stops to design a refreshed mechanic or visual style these days.
My guess is this is what is going to bring the next downfall of gaming industry. Nintendo is an evidence that production budgets don't need to be as large for the cost of stunning visuals. Customers voting with their wallet are obviously choosing quality gaming over "easier to staff" graphic fidelity. It's just that with current "overoptimized" process in the West, it's hard to promote creativity when all your employees are overworked and unmotivated.
Might just be an old man yelling at clouds, but it's been a long time since I've met somebody motivated to make a change in SD vs. rig the metrics to survive another quarter mentality.

@Cikajovazmaj
Yes, we are talking about an industry, which at its heart, should be based on creating something enjoyable.
But in my limited experience some companies do spend more effort trying to look good, than on being good.

The fact that they chose to do this on a day Phil was running his mouth trying to do basic PR to remind people Xbox kinda still exists does bring a smile on my face.

@Rich33 by the cost of games - I mean the cost of development. The reality is that the big tentpole games aren't that enticing for Sony (especially) because they can't sell enough to make a healthy enough profit over their first party portfolio. Not compared to just raking in the 30% on-the-top markup for MTX they get.

I know a lot of people have said this - but games are just too expensive to make these days, which is why they're getting bloated, and at the same time dumbed down for maximum sales.

Edit - and yes - the flip-side of that coin is that people don't think they should pay for games... because of GP and PS+ Extra/Premium we now have been tought that games are metered out for no extra cost.... I mean, how can that possibly devalue games (he says, sarcastically).

@Bagwag82 Sure, you are kind of correct.
But they don't want a poor reputation, and even if they see us as a number, they don't want that number to go down, they don't want us to be lazy and unproductive.

So it should very much be in their best interest to try keeping us happy. Because a happy employee is more likely to be productive and pursuing self development as well as staying.
That's value for money

I worked for Hotpoint and er they had a Union and they could get the whole factory to down tools at anytime rendering the manufacturing of washing machines to come to a complete halt.

The demands was always more pay and the bosses at the factory caved into the demands The Unions had them by the Jaffers....it is not like they could go out and hire another 1000 highly skilled workers.

This practise went on for years until one day the Hotpoint Factory was sick to the back teeth of paying its workers extortionate amounts of wages they closed the Factory leaving grown men having breakdowns on line (we worked on lines) knowing they had mortgages to pay.

Unions or strikes can be a double edged sword...and sometimes you have to be grateful for what you have..because the next day you could have Nothing.

@riceNpea so... the answer is? I think there's too much...<shrugs> ... what can we do. I think we can expect better, both of our own discourse, but also the people creating content. There's so much divisiness out there now - and to be honest, a lot of that is from just poor journalism, mis-information, ill-informed opinion, or blatant agena pushing (on any side of the arguments... as lame as they all are).

So regarding the horrible state of lay-offs (and the overall state of the industry), all I hear is that it's a result of greedy companies over-staffing up during the pandemic... and now having to shed numbers as sales normalised. This doesn't necessarily equate to the other reality... the sky-rocketting costs. Those costs come from some where, and I don't think it's necessarily all visible on screen.

Still - I suspect this is airing dirty laundry, and won't do anyone's 'corporate' image any good to write about.

@Rich33 I hear you. But I have to agree to disagree

@DaniPooo

I'm not saying there shouldn't be a level of certain standards for us employees. There definitely should be.

But if people are just slacking and being more unproductive than when they started the job and there has been no change to working practices then they need kick up the backside. They are at work not on a jolly.

Now if the working practices have changed that's caused the slacking and being less productive then there is obviously something that needs to be dealt with.

I hope whatever it is, is not just modern entitlement that most people seem to think they have these modern days

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare all good points, however I think the onus is on the profession and not the consumers. The game media industry has decided homogenisation, conformity, sensationalism, superficial clickbait, biased political activism, heavy handed moderation and intolerance of opposing views in the guise of righteous authority, are immutable virtues upon which to direct output.

You get what you deserve. Before Eurogamer lost its identity and became just another identikit game site, it was interesting and thought-provoking, and had a community to match. Now it's a hivemind community ready to pounce on any account showing opposing views, if there's time to before the mod deletes it.

Another massive negative of letting Microsoft buy up everything is it diminishes the power of workers.

Not to sound cold or uncaring towards these people, because I don’t know everything that they are experiencing. However, this doesn’t seem like a good time for their already stressed companies to be dealing with this. It reminds me of the Hollywood strikes recently, coming at a time when almost every movie is underperforming, except Deadpool and Wolverine. Much of the entertainment industry appears to be in free fall.

Give them a raise, then 3 months later let a staff member go to cover cost simple, hide it under cost cutting or failing to meet targets on time.

I'm very pro collective-bargaining, but I can't say I feel much sympathy for people striking over the rescinding of WFH allowances. Better pay and better benefits? Yes. Better work/life balance? Yes. WFH? Sorry, don't care.

I'm sure there's more to the union's bargaining than WFH mandates, but the fact that that's what's driving the news cycle for this is pretty silly, in my opinion.

@Nepp67 and you have more respect for a company that put there prices up this gen made a 2nd digital removed the stand and disc tray sold separately and even put the price up then sold you on the idear of a pro model that anit woth the silicon it's made from and had the audacity to sell you it for 700 and yet again with out the disc tray or stand then discounted the pro as well by 50 arfter everyone got it for 700 most propley 800 900 with games and accessories probably only one game at that And you're saying? You don't respect Xbox 🤦🏻

@The_Wailing_Doom were did u get your business degree

@silversteel91
That is an oddly personal question. My MBA is from Ohio State University. Why?

Full solidarity with all striking people who want to improve their exploitative work conditions! Unionise and organise everywhere, folks ✊

@PuppetMaster (comment 14) that's exact material analysis!
Whomever argues in favour of Microsoft is against his own interests and that of his own class. Microsoft has got a gazillion dollars but don't even support the folks who make their sh¡t.

Unionise, people!

@wildcat_kickz (comment 45) so why not just say "strange that media outlets only give us one angle" or "workers have all rights to try to improve their working conditions, no matter what they deem necessary for these individual people. They're employers have nearly infinite money!"?