All articles tagged with #first party
Bloomberg reports Sony plans to scrap its PC-release strategy for most first-party games and revert to console exclusivity on PS5, with only select online titles like Marathon and Marvel Tokon potentially coming to PC. The shift—driven by concerns over brand strength and console sales—ends a six-year experiment that began with Horizon Zero Dawn and could still change in the future.
In a Windows Central interview, Xbox EVP Matt Booty said the company won't back away from first-party development or hardware, reiterating Xbox's commitment to being a first-party publisher in partnership with its platform team. He cites ongoing work like getting games such as Gears of War running on new devices, the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, and an upcoming console potentially launching in 2027, and emphasizes that any return to a console-first strategy starts with hardware decisions.
Nintendo is running a retailer-wide sale on several first-party Switch games, with discounts up to 50% on titles including Pikmin 4, Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Super Mario RPG, and Splatoon 3. Deals apply to both physical and digital versions and are available at GameStop and Amazon (with links provided in the roundup). Prices shown include Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker at $29.99, Pikmin 4 at $39.99, and Zelda: Link’s Awakening at $39.99, among others. The sale runs through February 21, 2026, but stock may run out sooner for physical copies.
Xbox’s quarterly revenue declined due to weakness in its first‑party lineup and a slower release pipeline. While current games are solid, none have provided a standout performance to lift revenue, and Game Pass spending patterns may be contributing to the dip. Analysts suggest stronger, more frequent exclusives are needed to boost engagement and revenue, though this could simply be a temporary lull as the pipeline catches up.
Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty admits that the Redfall team should have better prepared to be part of first-party after Xbox's acquisition of ZeniMax. Booty takes responsibility for not setting expectations appropriately and urges players not to blame individual developers for the game's middling reviews and performance. He also acknowledges that the team got "tunnel vision" around the game's release. Booty discusses why games are taking longer to make nowadays and Xbox's first-party strategy.