Microsofts big sell right now is on the premise that their tech can reduce payrolls by at least 10% overnight. Eat your own dog food to show it really works.

Prez wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 18:46:

...The whole Game Pass situation is a plague on the entire gaming industry blurring the line between product and service...

Don't think for a second that isn't by design. Everyone always wonders how Microsoft could possibly be making money with Gamepass. The simple answer is: they can't be. That's not the purpose of Gamepass. Instead of being obvious about it like Yves Guillemot, stupidly announcing to the world "Customers have to get used to not owning their software", Microsoft is being much less obvious about it, and way more successful. Play the long game and most won't notice.

Oh for sure. Worse than that, I see this as a market trial for shifting Windows from being a product to a service.

...The whole Game Pass situation is a plague on the entire gaming industry blurring the line between product and service...

Don't think for a second that isn't by design. Everyone always wonders how Microsoft could possibly be making money with Gamepass. The simple answer is: they can't be. That's not the purpose of Gamepass. Instead of being obvious about it like Yves Guillemot, stupidly announcing to the world "Customers have to get used to not owning their software", Microsoft is being much less obvious about it, and way more successful. Play the long game and most won't notice.

RogueSix wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 15:54:

Xeth Nyrrow wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 14:51:
Nothing says you're just a number to a company more than this. They could have taken one of those billions and paid the 10k employees $100k each. Replacing 10k people of high caliber talent like that is going to cost them so much more in the long run.

Talent?

Dude. Among those 9K layoffs are a lot of people from the Candy Crush division so...

Candy Crush has real, "talent" as far as M$ is concerned when it comes to how well they make money. Odd they would cut there.

RogueSix wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 16:27:
Ah, looks like Phil might finally be leaving, too: Phil Spencer Will Retire Following The Next-Gen Xbox Launch - Rumor

Of course, they would grant him the face-saving exit of "retirement" (lol). The reality is that Phil has fucked Xbox into the ground. Hardware sales? Abysmal. GamePass subs? Stagnating. Gobbling up dozens of studios worth hundreds of billions of $$$ for first party exclusives? Backfired badly because it's not economically viable to release games on such a low install base as Xbox. Any recognizable strategy to turn the ship around? ... ... ... *crickets*

Well, to be honest, I like it this way. Imagine M$ would have actually done something right with Xbox for once. Then they would have fucked the PC into the ground. A humble, beaten and defeated M$ is much better for PC gaming than a successful, arrogant and cocky M$.

So, keep fucking it up, Mickeysoft! Just not too much as it'd be a pity if y'all felt like ya have to shut down some of your acquisitions like inXile, Obsidian, Zenimax (which includes id, Arkane, Machine Games etc.).

Phil needed to go a long time ago. The losses he's had far outweigh the wins he's had that the article you linked tried to play up. The whole Game Pass situation is a plague on the entire gaming industry blurring the line between product and service. If they manage to pull off a 3rd party win where they can join forces with Steam on a mutual hardware front though, I think Sony will be in big trouble.

Ah, looks like Phil might finally be leaving, too: Phil Spencer Will Retire Following The Next-Gen Xbox Launch - Rumor

Of course, they would grant him the face-saving exit of "retirement" (lol). The reality is that Phil has fucked Xbox into the ground. Hardware sales? Abysmal. GamePass subs? Stagnating. Gobbling up dozens of studios worth hundreds of billions of $$$ for first party exclusives? Backfired badly because it's not economically viable to release games on such a low install base as Xbox. Any recognizable strategy to turn the ship around? ... ... ... *crickets*

Well, to be honest, I like it this way. Imagine M$ would have actually done something right with Xbox for once. Then they would have fucked the PC into the ground. A humble, beaten and defeated M$ is much better for PC gaming than a successful, arrogant and cocky M$.

So, keep fucking it up, Mickeysoft! Just not too much as it'd be a pity if y'all felt like ya have to shut down some of your acquisitions like inXile, Obsidian, Zenimax (which includes id, Arkane, Machine Games etc.).

Xeth Nyrrow wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 14:51:

Dunkirk wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 14:27:

RogueSix wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 13:19:
Phew. They must have juuuuust so averted certain bankruptcy there. I mean, a NET INCOME of $25.8bn last quarter only lasts that long. They were surely headed for the shitter. And then Phil, the savior, showed up and righted the ship by firing just under 10K parasites. Awesome. Yet another episode of: What a time to be alive!

Well don't forget they only BANKED $88 FRICKIN BILLION DOLLARS last year. They're really facing lean times right now. Have a heart!

Nothing says you're just a number to a company more than this. They could have taken one of those billions and paid the 10k employees $100k each. Replacing 10k people of high caliber talent like that is going to cost them so much more in the long run.

Talent?

Dude. Among those 9K layoffs are a lot of people from the Candy Crush division so...

Dunkirk wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 14:27:

RogueSix wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 13:19:
Phew. They must have juuuuust so averted certain bankruptcy there. I mean, a NET INCOME of $25.8bn last quarter only lasts that long. They were surely headed for the shitter. And then Phil, the savior, showed up and righted the ship by firing just under 10K parasites. Awesome. Yet another episode of: What a time to be alive!

Well don't forget they only BANKED $88 FRICKIN BILLION DOLLARS last year. They're really facing lean times right now. Have a heart!

Nothing says you're just a number to a company more than this. They could have taken one of those billions and paid the 10k employees $100k each. Replacing 10k people of high caliber talent like that is going to cost them so much more in the long run.

RogueSix wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 13:19:
Phew. They must have juuuuust so averted certain bankruptcy there. I mean, a NET INCOME of $25.8bn last quarter only lasts that long. They were surely headed for the shitter. And then Phil, the savior, showed up and righted the ship by firing just under 10K parasites. Awesome. Yet another episode of: What a time to be alive!

Well don't forget they only BANKED $88 FRICKIN BILLION DOLLARS last year. They're really facing lean times right now. Have a heart!

CEOS: lets fire everyone and replace them with AI and robots.


Also, CEOS: Why aren't the robots' and Ai going to amusement parks, movies, buying homes, cars, or going out to eat?

RIP Perfect Dark and Everwild along with the entire studio making the former. Guess "investors" are upset over not getting fast enough ROI on that 70b+ acquisition. Windows Central reporting this makes 15k layoffs this year by Microsoft after posting record profits so corpo scum 101.

The suits are in for a rude awakening once corporations realize that the jobs the suits do are way more easily replaced by AI than the creatives, and saves inordinately more money. It will happen eventually...

Jivaro wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 12:59:
but I am sure the executives are just fine.

bRUH? There is no way an Ai could ever in a million years do that job, that's why the suits get paid so much.

Pr()ZaC wrote on Jul 2, 2025, 12:08:
Ahh, the copy/paste/AI statements are cringe worthy. All the same.

Laid off MS guy: But who's gonna do my job?
MS suit: AI don't know.

Phew. They must have juuuuust so averted certain bankruptcy there. I mean, a NET INCOME of $25.8bn last quarter only lasts that long. They were surely headed for the shitter. And then Phil, the savior, showed up and righted the ship by firing just under 10K parasites. Awesome. Yet another episode of: What a time to be alive!

but I am sure the executives are just fine.

Ahh, the copy/paste/AI statements are cringe worthy. All the same.