Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to target as many as 15 US companies across the Middle East calling on employees to evacuate the sites.

The IRGC warned that facilities related to those corporations could be in danger as the war between Iran and the United States and Israel continues into its third week.  

‘We warn the American regime to evacuate all American industries in the region. We ask people living near industrial factories in which Americans hold shares to leave those areas so they are not harmed,’ said the Guards in a statement obtained by Drop Site News.

A graphic being circulated by the IRGC lists some of the companies that would be affected, including ExxonMobil, Boeing, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin and Amazon Web Services.  

It comes as Iranian officials have allegedly tried to reestablish diplomatic contact with Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. 

The President, however, has no interest in negotiating with Tehran, senior White House officials told CNN. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied making any contact with Witkoff in a social media post. 

‘My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public,’ Araghchi wrote.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.  

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to target US companies across the region, calling on employees to evacuate the sites

A graphic being circulated by the IRGC lists some of the companies that would be affected, including ExxonMobil, Boeing, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin and Amazon Web Services

In total the graphic lists 15 companies which could be targeted. Pictured: A Video grab taken from handout footage released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on March 12, 2026, shows what it says was the ‘launch of wave #41 of Iranian missiles’

It comes after Iran launched fresh drone strikes on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sparking huge fires near Dubai airport and at a major oil terminal in Fujairah.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has declared it has begun what it described as ‘limited ground operations’ against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and vowed bombing will continue in Tehran for a further three weeks.

European leaders pushed back at Donald Trump’s plan to send an armada of warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz after the President warned NATO faces a ‘very bad’ future if allies do not help the US.

Earlier Monday, Trump suggested the conflict could resolve soon as oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill, though some are warning the war could last most of the year. 

The average gas price for a gallon of regular has risen to $3.72, according to AAA, up from $2.93 a month ago. 

Speaking to PBS News on Monday, the President said he called the inflated gas prices ‘a very small price to pay’ and that ‘the oil prices will drop like a rock as soon as it’s over.’

‘I don’t believe it will be long,’ he said when asked about how much longer the war will drag on.

But three sources familiar with the matter told Axios that the Middle East conflict could bleed into September, a much longer timeline than Trump has ever discussed publicly. 

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps taking part in a military drill in 2022

It comes as Iranian officials have allegedly tried to reestablish diplomatic contact with Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff (pictured right)

It is dangerous territory for the President with the midterm elections just weeks later.

Americans largely oppose the conflict, according to an exclusive Daily Mail/JL Partners poll.

Thirteen US troops have been killed so far in the war, and 200 troops have been injured, including 10 ‘seriously,’ Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said Monday.

Trump first told the Daily Mail in a phone interview that the war could last up to four weeks. Later, he indicated it could last up to five. 

Since then, the President has been cagey on the exact timing of the conflict, not wanting to show his hand to the media ahead of any actions regarding Iran. 

He has also said the war will last as long as ‘necessary,’ without giving further explanation. 

His flip-flopping messaging on the war comes as Americans express skepticism over the fight and the midterms loom in November as Republicans on Capitol Hill seek to maintain their small majority.

Meanwhile leaked audio revealed how Iran’s new Ayatollah escaped death by seconds by stepping out for a walk in his garden.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (pictured) denied making any contact with Witkoff in a social media post 

Mojtaba Khamenei was targeted in the same attack that killed his father on February 28 – but his decision to venture outdoors ‘to do something’ saved his life.

An address delivered by Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for the regime, provided a detailed account of what happened when an Israeli missile struck the family home.

Hosseini told senior clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered an injury to his leg.

The Friday letters page doesn’t think parents pay enough attention to age ratings for games, as one reader wishes John Carpenter hadn’t made Toxic Commando.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Simultaneous release
So Project Helix is a codename, but what do we think Microsoft is really going to call the new console? For a start, they need to get rid of all that Series X/Series S nonsense, because that was terrible. Just call it Xbox something. Xbox Infinite always seemed a good one to me, but I’m fine with calling it Xbox 6, because at this point who’s counting?

I don’t want to get into a PlayStation vs. Xbox thing because I think if Project Helix is different enough it can exist alongside the PlayStation 6. But releasing them both at the same time seems like a really bad idea.

If Helix is more expensive and PlayStation 6 has actual proper exclusives I don’t think anyone is going to pick Xbox unless they’re hardcore fans. And I don’t even know if there’s many of them left.

Microsoft was probably aiming to get Helix out before PlayStation 6, but I wonder if Sony fast-tracked their console when they found out. That doesn’t bode too well for either the hardware or the launch games.
Focus

Force themselves
Strange how quickly Battlefield 6 has fallen out of favour. Beating Call Of Duty one minute and then going free to play the next. I guess for all its faults Call Of Duty probably knows how to keep people playing better and as much as fans hate all the wacky skins at least that gives you something eye-catching to promote the game with.

EA said they’re going to keep everything in Battlefield 6 realistic but if that’s the case how many camouflage outfits do you really want to pay for? I was going to buy the game when it was cheap, so I guess I’ll try it out for free and then by the time that’s over it’ll probably be discounted enough for me.

I feel this improves the chances of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 though. EA’s likely to see it as a quick and obvious way to reuse the same tech in a new game. One where you can do as many wacky skins as you like and no one’s going to complain. Not saying they’ll definitely do it but it does seem more likely to me now.
Taylor Moon

Price block
I don’t like to be negative about something we haven’t see yet but I have to agree with other readers that I’m already sick of hearing Microsoft talk about Project Helix. The arrogance and complete lack of humility hasn’t changed at all since the exit of Phil Spencer, proving it was always just the company standard.

I think the real cynicism is coming from the price though. I just don’t see how you get past the fact that Helix is going to be more expensive than any other format, including Steam Machine. People would be taking a risk on Helix, and when you’re doing that you don’t generally want to be spending more money than you would have otherwise. I don’t care what the marketing campaign is like, there’s not getting over that.
Heston

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Free money
Of all the games that John Carpenter could’ve put his name to it ended up being a Left 4 Dead clone? I don’t believe for one minute that Toxic Commando was his idea. If you know the man, he often talks about how he enjoys putting out his hand and getting free money for doing nothing, every time a company wants to remake one of his films. It happens so often he just treats it like a joke.

I think he must’ve been the same with this game. Someone phoned him up and asked him if he could do a soundtrack and sketch out some hokey story. That’s money for old rope as far as he’s concerned. The only downside is he has to put his name to the game, when it might not be that great, but they didn’t make him do any press for it, that I’ve seen, so it’s pretty low risk/low effort.

It’s a shame because I don’t think he’s got it in him to make a new movie, but a game could’ve been something else. A slower paced survival horror would’ve been absolutely perfect for him, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. He is attached to the Halloween online game, but I think that’s just going to be another free handout.
Saltie

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Artificial temptation
The worst thing about Microsoft not mentioning AI, when talking about Project Helix, is that we all know it’s going to be there, but they know it’s not popular, so they’re trying to pretend otherwise. I’ve got a genius level idea: maybe if people don’t like something you shouldn’t do it? Especially if you’re trying to hawk your ultra expensive PC in a box.

We all know that Project Helix is going to be a failure, but I predict it will be over AI. It’s going to be too expensive already, but you know Microsoft can’t stop themselves from pushing games made by AI and they’re all going to be horrible. The Microsoft boss is a nut for AI, there’s no way he won’t force them to do it.
Goose

Wrong number
Interesting to see the change in age ratings for games like EA Sports FC. Although I would be absolutely shocked if more than 10% of adults paid even the slightest bit of attention to a game’s age rating, and I’m probably greatly overestimating that amount.

I used to work at a games shop when I was a student and not only did parents not care they would get violently angry if you pointed out that a game was above the age of their kid. This happened so many times with GTA that my boss told me not to bother, even though it was supposed to be policy that we did.

It was obvious why they were angry too. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but they didn’t care because games are too good a babysitter to give up just on the off chance that it turns their kid into a badly adjusted person.

I also can’t say how many times I heard parents try to argue that the number was the difficulty of the game, as if I wouldn’t be the one to know that it definitely wasn’t that.

To anyone out there reading this, that’s a good parent and careful about what their kids play I salute you, because I can tell you that you are the minority.

Of course, nowadays you have Roblox instead, which is a thousand times worse and doesn’t have any age ratings, but thankfully that’s not my problem.
Coolsbane

Strange selection
Has Bafta ever commented on why they always try and ignore Japanese games as much as possible? It’s so blatant I really don’t know how they justify it. Although the real insult is not doing it and yet also nominating something as milquetoast as Ghost Of Yōtei as game of the year.

That’s just rubbing your face in it, especially when they didn’t even nominate Hollow Knight: Silksong or Hades 2, which I think most people would say were easily a lot better.
Hibby

Day of the plumber
Nintendo has finally recognised the day GameCentral and their viewers have been celebrating for years! It’s MAR10 Day (earlier in the week)! I usually get newsletters from Nintendo quite regularly, but it’s the first, if I remember correctly, that I have seen this from Nintendo as a form of advertising.

There is definitely cause for celebration with Pokémon Pokopia and their 2.2 million sales of the game, which appears to be a considerable success story if ever I saw one. It’s a very cutesy game to look at, with the charm and not too over complicated gameplay mechanics to enjoy and experiment with. The setting up of one’s home looks a wee bit convoluted and a wee bit messy, but apparently completing the story mode gives you a useful skill to help craft and build your home better.

It appears also, that Resident Evil Requiem has been a big success, and we’re only in March, but two very different games have hit their mark in only a short space of time. Very well deserved too and I can’t wait to be getting back to this amazing franchise soon, after my little backlog has been lightened.

With the Super Mario Galaxy movie coming out soon, it’s the latest adaptation to follow Fallout, Borderlands, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Resident Evil films, along with the excellent Castlevania and Tomb Raider animations.

I saw an awesome movie based on a game the other day, called Iron Lung, by YouTuber Markiplier and despite it having its critics, it basically follows the Iron Lung story and gameplay perfectly, including the environment it’s set in. Will be definitely getting the Blu Ray when it’s released.

So hopefully everyone had a fantastic MAR10 day and wow, what an amazing start to the year for games, and movies inspired by games, setting up 2026 to be one heck of a year!
Alucard

GC: Nintendo has been using Mario Day to promote things since 2016.

Inbox also-rans
I think Marathon is going to be hit. I’ve completely enjoyed everything I’ve played of it so far and I’m very much looking forward to the big update. I don’t think it’s as good as Destiny 2 but it is good.
Carpetnator

Does anyone else wish Capcom would remake Resident Evil 3 again before moving on to other stuff? That one was so bad and it was almost nothing like the original, which is weird because all the other remakes have been good.
Icchi boo

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Is buying physical video games becoming more popular?

MORE: Games Inbox: Should Capcom remake Resident Evil 6?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will the next big Super Mario game be announced?

The Monday letters page tries to predict what will be announced on Mario Day, as one reader has some ideas for how Ubisoft could revive Prince Of Persia.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Next gen distraction
Interesting to see the new Xbox boss is going all out already with the Project Helix idea. I realise they haven’t shown anything yet but I don’t see how they can get way from the fact that it’s going to be super expensive. That’s the only detail they’ve given so far and it’s kind of one you can’t get way from.

I’m going to say that right now, considering everything that’s going on in the world, and the certainty that things are only going to get more expensive in the short term, nobody is in the mood for spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds on a next gen Xbox.

If I were them I’d just give up all hope of making consoles and concentrate on being a third party publisher. They’ve got plenty of big names, many of which have not been treated well in recent years, and I actually think being distracted by Project Helix could be a big problem for them.

Microsoft want a comeback for Xbox but I just think it’s too late. They’ve messed up too many times and I think the Xbox One was their last real chance, which the failure of the Xbox Series X – which wasn’t a bad console – kind of proves.
Winston

Resident gamer
RE: Resident Evil Requiem attracting older gamers. I think we’ve known for a while now that the audience for single-player games is skewing older but there’s two alternatives here and one of them is not a bad thing at all. Either only old people like ‘proper’ games and when they die off there is no audience left (which is obviously bad) or people just get into traditional games as they get older, which is fine.

You’re not likely to be too interested in fishing or gardening or loads of other things when you’re a teenager but that doesn’t mean you won’t get into them later. Video games have long ago stopped being a thing that only young kids like and there’s now different types for all kinds of different people, at different points in their life.

Your taste in music changes over the years so maybe your taste in games does too. I know mine has, although when I was a teenager you didn’t have nearly the variety in gaming you do today.
Scooter

Lucky number seven
Nintendo has got to be trolling us with the Directs now. Six in 2026 and not one of them is a proper one or has announced anything of any real interest? I checked the list from last year and there’s already nearly more this year than the whole of 2025, and we’ve only just started March!

Please, Nintendo, just put us all out of our miseries and do something. Or at least don’t call a new trailer for a movie, and two minutes of blather from some Hollywood mouthpieces, a Direct. It’s not a Direct, none of the things you’ve had this year so far have been, as far as I’m concerned. It’s put up or shut up at this point.
Korbie

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Yearly schedule
I’m not sure I remember Nintendo announcing or releasing anything in particular on MAR10 Day before. It’s usually just sales and merch and littler things like that. A Mario Kart World update would be interesting, but that only means Nintendo is getting even more unpredictable.

Even with another not-Direct announced I still think there’s a good chance of the big one this month. Unless… the Switch 2 reveal was in April so maybe they’re going to make that an annual thing? That could be their main time for unveiling things now. It’s only a guess but I think we’ve got to realise that as weird as unpredictable as Nintendo seems to us, to them what they’re doing always makes perfect sense.
Zeiss

Prince’s Creed
The thing I don’t understand about the Prince Of Persia reboot and bringing it back, is how is it supposed to be different to Assassin’s Creed? Assassin’s Creed evolved out of an unreleased Prince Of Persia game and I don’t know how different a new game would be, except probably having no stealth.

It could be done though, if you put the emphasis on sword-fighting and platforming. That would make it more like the original games and also different from Assassin’s Creed. I’d also make it more light-hearted and try and make the characters likeable rather than ‘badass’. This is what people liked about Sands Of Time but I don’t think Ubisoft really understands that, especially after that Metroidvania spin-off, where everyone was angry again for no reason.

But I’ve got to be honest, if I was a money guy at Ubisoft, and I knew the company was on the rocks, it’s not something I’d be pushing for in a hurry. Whatever chance Prince Of Persia had for a revival I think it’s gone now.
Stennar

Out of stock
Pokémon Pokopia wasn’t initially a game that was on my radar. However, I’ve got a few games to trade in and have been tempted after the rave reviews, and it seems to be popping up on my social media feeds.

After some back and forth I thought I’d take the plunge. But I simply cannot find it in stock anywhere. Argos, Smyths, and Currys are all sold out. Likewise, ShopTo and Amazon. Even CeX don’t have any copies.

Recently, I tried and failed to get the Resident Evil Generation Pack and resigned to getting Requiem as a standalone. And getting Assassin’s Creed Shadows also provided slightly tricky.

It seemed an odd choice for a Nintendo exclusive to be a Game Card title to begin with and then to produce seemingly limited physical copies feels like a slightly underhanded and sneaky way of pushing consumers towards digital only.

Personally, I’m loathe to buy any digital-only title at full price, especially when I’m somewhat on the fence already.
matc7884

GC: In this case, it just seems to be unexpected demand, as it’s also sold out in the US in a very similar manner. However, as we type this it is in stock at Argos, Amazon, and ShopTo.

Gamer Boi
I recently game across a great song that I am sure everyone here will like and enjoy having a listen to. I came across this song which was posted and linked by Sarah Wingfield, who is also a gamer and disability advocate who does phenomenal work.

Here’s the link to her video which links the song and song title and I recommend everyone show her their love and support.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)

The motherlode
I’m in the process of moving house, big change as I’ve lived in south west London all my life, but we have decided to relocate to Cornwall (I work from home these days, so not tied to an area other than for family reasons). As a result my wife and I have been clearing stuff from the loft for the last few days.

Thought readers might like to see some of what was up there.

PlayStation 1, 2, and 3, GameCube, N64, Xbox (first one), Wii U, Nintendo DSes, PS Vita, Atari Lynx, Switch 1 and 2, Xbox Series X, Sega Dreamcast, Game & Watch. I have a lightgun for the Dreamcast, multiple controllers for each…. oh, and loads of games. Maybe a couple of hundred (e.g. Shenmue, Power Stone, GoldenEye 007, Grand Turismo, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Klax, etc.).

It’s put a massive smile on my face while wading through junk we’ve hoarded for no real reason…. Equally sad that I got rid of things like my imported Japanese Super Famicom a fair while ago (although maybe a family member has that, I’ll have to ask them).

I’ll be taking it all with me of course and might try and set up a gaming space in the new house. Wish me luck.
Birdmanrob

Inbox also-rans
It’s a shame there’s never really be a definitive Star Trek game. There are a bunch of good ones but no great ones, I would say. Bridge Commander is probably my favourite but it was only combat based with not much else.
Kaon

Just want to add another recommendation for Minishoot’ Adventures. Zelda in a spaceship does sum it up pretty well and while that’s an odd idea I’m really enjoying it.
Johnson

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Pokémon Pokopia really worth getting?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will Resident Evil Requiem get a Mercenaries mode?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is it worth buying a PS5 in 2026?

A reader paints a grim picture of the end game for the video games industry, and how the current financial system is disincentivising innovation.

The video game industry is in crisis, and I don’t see a way out of it. In many ways it is a textbook example of what happens with any industry. As readers often point out, every company is in it for profit. This is a basic truism. But the important thing for any business is that it doesn’t end there. It is essential that to remain in competition and therefore profitable, a proportion of the profits realised must be thrown back into circulation, effectively to enable the company to grow.

Take DMA Design as an example. They started out as a small studio based in Scotland that produced a successful game called Lemmings. As with any company making goods (not, in other words, finance capital which makes profit through interest, or owners of land and intellectual property which make profit from renting them out), an initial investment (startup capital) is required for any idea to get off the ground.

DMA Design would have had a small amount of investment capital (perhaps from a bank or, as often is the case, from wealthy parents) used to purchase means of production (MP) such as computers, offices, and so forth and, crucially, to pay the wages of a labour force (LP or labour power) to make the game.

But the investment is only realised as profit if the game is sold at a sufficient price in sufficient numbers for a return on the investment to be made. In other words, to receive an amount of money that not only recovers the costs but to expand on the original investment. With the additional money now available, they can afford to scale up by purchasing additional MP, hiring more staff, and producing more ambitious games that take longer to make before a return through the sale of the game can be made.

Small companies like DMA Design may be profitable but they’re exceptionally vulnerable to changes in market conditions whereby an unsuccessful product or, as is often the case, changes in the economy that detrimentally impact profit margins make them ripe for acquisition. Even if successful, larger companies viewing them as competitors or wanting an easy way to expand their portfolio, perhaps through ownership of successful IP, have the resources to make a hostile takeover bid or offer enough money to entice the owners to sell.

DMA Design is now known as Rockstar North, a subsidiary of Rockstar Games which in turn is owned by Take-Two Interactive. From video games that took thousands of dollars to make to ones such as GTA 6 which cost many millions and take years to make, the greater the level of investment, the more that is at stake, the larger the market needs to be for profits to be realised. This breeds conservatism. We all want GTA 6 to have vehicles that drive like those in Forza Horizon or gunplay like that in Destiny. Don’t count on it.

Competition does not in itself drive innovation. If anything, as we have seen with Sony’s race to produce the next Fortnite, it tends if anything to lead to conservatism. There is an apparent contradiction here. As we know of Nintendo’s history of (relative) failures, whenever they lose market share, they tend to produce new and innovative products to recover it. Their successes with the Wii and Switch are cases in point.

But rather than leading to more innovative products and cutting-edge software, as we are seeing with the Switch 2, success tends to breed complacency and conservatism. Nintendo is a market leader. By successfully competing against far larger firms, such as Sony and Microsoft, they have a formula that appears to work. So why change it?

In the case of Nintendo, rather than focus on what they do best – make cutting edge software based on innovations in console and controller design – they appear instead to be cashing in on the Switch’s success with more of the same. Worse for gamers, they appear to be shifting focus by cashing in on their brand and IP through movies, theme parks and so forth.

Instead of making what every gamer wants – Half-Life 3, Left4Dead 3, and Portal 3 – Valve, by comparison, have put all their resources into Steam and are seemingly doing well out of it. So why bother making Half-Life 3 if they can turn (more of) a profit with Steam? Or in the case of Nintendo, if they can make huge profits from movies, why bother with video games as it becomes increasingly difficult to make the equivalent profits from them?

These companies are ‘innovating’ but not in the ways that gamers would like them to.

What prompted me to write this piece is the excellent article by Adam Starkey that catalogued all of Microsoft and Sony’s recent acquisitions. This is set to continue. As we have seen with other media industries, there is a tendency towards concentration or monopolisation as the larger companies with vast resources able to withstand broader economic problems buy up competitors. From the perspective of gamers, this would not be such a bad thing if their aim was to inject money into them by supporting the development of software and thereby the labour force that makes it.

But in many instances, it makes economic sense to close the company down, thereby removing a competitor (or the prospect of another company purchasing them), and stripping them of whatever assets they can capitalise on. They may well be able to make a profit on some of that IP, just not as much as they can in the short term in other ways, especially if it increases shareholder value.

If Nintendo are the angel of the big three, it is because they are unable to compete on these terms. As video games are their primary source of income (for now), they need to turn profit on the consoles they make and through their IP, where they do have a competitive advantage, continue to make video games that people will want and can afford to purchase (at least in sufficient quantities to make a profit).

The source of what adds value to their IP, making it cutting edge, is their highly skilled and talented labour force. Unlike Sony and Microsoft, they cannot afford to lose them. If, however, they continue to shift focus towards monetising their IP through movies and such like, and are successful in these regards, they too may go the way of Sony, Microsoft and Valve and shift their focus entirely.

Their business model, which has proven so successful and in many ways is the linchpin of the whole industry, is vulnerable. Ultimately, they, with a market cap of approximately $75 billion, could go the way of their competitors and become ripe for acquisition too, perhaps by Microsoft (with a market cap of $3 trillion) or Disney.

Things are only going to get worse. The combination of tariffs and the rising prices of rare minerals, RAM chips and so forth, is a threat to the entire industry.

It is worth distinguishing here between the mass and rate of profit. To make themselves more competitive than rivals, larger companies can afford to lower their margins. To simplify things, if the cost of MP (machinery, plant, raw materials and so forth) and LP (the cost of employing labour) to produce 1,000 units is $1,000 dollars, it costs $1 per unit – the commodity such as Super Mario.

If each unit is sold on the market for $3, the mass of profit is $2,000 dollars for the 1,000 units sold with a rate of profit (not accounting for other costs such as taxation) three times the cost of production (MP and LP). By reducing the price of the commodity to $2, they still make a profit of $1,000 on 1,000 units sold. The more units that are sold, the easier it is to lower the margins to the point that only a fraction of profits are realised for every unit sold.

So, if 10,000,000 units of Super Mario are sold, even with a rate of profit at a tenth of the cost of production the mass of profits is still relatively high. In other words, larger companies can afford to lower their margins to fractions, thereby undercutting their competitors and still generate healthy profits.

The problem is that their competitors will sooner or later be forced to do the same, lowering margins to the point that any change in the economy, such as an exponential increase in the price of RAM chips affecting the whole industry, quickly turns profit making companies into loss making ones. While Microsoft has access to vast amounts of investment capital to weather such loses, smaller companies don’t. They either go under or get bought out by the larger ones, leading to further concentration. This is happening today.

It gets worse. Trillions of dollars are today being invested in AI (in the US) on the speculation that this will eventually enable companies to cull their labour force and thereby lower the costs of production (although gaining hegemony over China will be driving a lot of this investment). Not only does this create the immediate problem of rising costs of RAM chips and, unable to get a return on the vast investments, the likelihood of the AI bubble bursting, leading to a global depression, but even if ultimately integrated into the productive economy to reduce labour costs (assuming that is an incentive), another problem arises.

As more people are replaced by AI there are fewer consumers to purchase the goods, making it harder for companies making things to realise profits. It is an obvious point that the more naïve investor seems oblivious to, namely that to realise profit consumers with the wage capacity are needed. AI may eventually replace workers (up to a point), but it cannot replace consumers. This is one of the many contradictions that ultimately lead to the kinds of crisis we are now in.

Where does this leave the video game industry? To put it in colloquial terms, up the proverbial creek. While Japan has tighter regulations on acquisition than the US, which may afford some protection to Nintendo, without (further) state regulation and protection of their industries, it is hard to see how the industry in its current form can survive.

Small independent studios struggle enough as it is, but they are exceedingly vulnerable to any change in the economy that increases the cost of production or diminishes the capacity of consumers to purchase their games. Even those that remain profitable are vulnerable to acquisition through the further consolidation of big tech companies whose monopolies have far greater ramifications for society than they do the video game industry. But they too risk becoming victims of their own success as more people are thrown into poverty.

It is human labour that the economy ultimately relies on. More precisely, it relies on productive labour, the sort that makes things like video games. Finance capital does not produce anything. As with rentiers, it leaches on the productive economy. Profit ultimately relies on the sale of things produced by human labour and purchased through the wages they receive which, in the case of video games, needs to be above subsistence levels. In a cost-of-living crisis set only to get worse, something must give. The video game industry is a microcosm of a general crisis and perhaps one of its earlier victims.

I say all this as a wage earner able to afford the hotly anticipated Resident Evil Requiem. But I wonder for how long I will have a job or a wage sufficient to enable me to fund my hobby. Moreover, I wonder for how long there will be games like this or Super Mario when it is becoming harder to realise profit on such vast expenditures (or easier to make quick profits from financial investments and the renting of IP as platforms, such as Steam do).

Those produced for a fraction of the cost by so-called indie developers, which some see as a great white hope, are even more vulnerable to all the things that today make the headlines and is causing so much hardship and grief. Brace yourselves. Nobody is immune.

By reader Ciara

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

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MORE: My dream narrowboat sim would be the ultimate cosy game – Reader’s Feature

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With hints that both Sony and Microsoft are moving back to focus on single-player console exclusives, a reader is relieved at the idea they’re changing their approach.

It’s not been easy being a PlayStation fan this generation. We’ve had some great games – by the time you read this hopefully I’ll be playing Resident Evil Requiem – but not nearly enough of them have been from Sony. Naughty Dog still hasn’t made a new PlayStation 5 game yet and we’re six years into the console’s lifetime.

These complaints are not new, of course. After all, six years is plenty of time for people with much more insight than me to complain about Sony’s bizarre, self-defeating attitude. Although the story this week, of them managing to schedule betas for both their upcoming live service games at exactly the same time really did take the biscuit for me.

That takes a special level of laziness and indifference and while I don’t care, because I don’t like those sorts of games, it really does sum just how incompetent they’ve been this generation. And yet, to my surprise, there has also been some hope, with talk that Sony is pulling back from their PC support.

This wasn’t just some guy on Reddit but two of the most reliable and respected leakers in the business, so there’s every reason to think it’s true and that Sony is beginning to realise that it was shooting itself in the foot with PC ports, swapping short term games for the long-term health of their console business.

There was an open goal for Sony this gen, where Xbox was in absolute disarray and had no first party games that anyone cared about. Considering how good Sony had been in the PlayStation 4 era this was the chance to deliver a killing blow but instead they did the opposite and essentially started to copy Xbox. Because clearly a Switch port of Patapon and The Last Of Part 1 on PC is going to be the difference between financial success and failure.

The money they make with multiformat releases is relatively miniscule but the amount they lose, in terms of undermining the whole purpose of consoles is enormous. But if these rumours are right they have finally realised what they’re doing is wrong and damaging. One can only hope they feel the same about live service games and that was in fact one of the other rumours this week, albeit from a leaker I’d never heard of before.

And then at the same time essentially the first thing the new boss of Xbox said, in reply to random Twitter fans, was a hint about bringing back exclusives. She didn’t say which ones, and I suspect she has no idea how hard that would be, but I think it’s very interesting that she recognises that it would be a good idea.

So all it’s taken is six years and suddenly the two big console manufacturers have realised that the status quo of the previous 40 years was in fact the best way to do things. What a complete waste of time, with a ridiculous business plan based on nothing but hope and vibes.

Running a console business isn’t hard. You make the console, you let other people make games for your console, but you also set the standard with your own games. First party games get to show off the technical abilities, they take advantage of the console manufacturer putting a lot of money into it, and they provide a specific, exclusive reason for people to buy the console over a rival’s.

It’s not rocket science. It’s also not anti-consumer or whatever other nonsense Microsoft has tried to say over the years (mostly driven by their CEO, I suspect, who constantly proves he knows nothing about games). You don’t like how Sony does business then go buy a PC, nobody’s stopping you.

That’s the way consoles have always worked and there’s never been a problem until now. (I also resent the idea of upgrade consoles like the PS5 Pro. The whole point of a console is everyone has exactly the same hardware).

So please, Sony and Microsoft, admit your mistake and go back to how things used to be. Innovation is needed in hardware and games but not in the way the industry works. That was all going fine until you messed it up for no reason, and now you have to try and put it back together again.

By reader Gollum

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

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Bill Gates admitted having affairs with two Russian women but insisted they were not Jeffrey Epstein’s victims as he apologised to staff over his ties to the disgraced financier during a town hall meeting at the Gates Foundation on Tuesday.

The billionaire told employees it had been a ‘huge mistake’ to spend time with Epstein and to involve foundation executives in meetings with the convicted sex offender, according to a Wall Street Journal report. 

‘I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,’ Gates said, according to a recording cited by the Journal.

The report said he acknowledged having two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later became aware of, but stressed they did not involve any of Epstein’s victims. 

During the town hall meeting, Gates told employees: ‘I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities.’

‘I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,’ he added. ‘To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him.’

A spokesman for the philanthropic organisation confirmed the Microsoft founder had ‘taken responsibility for his actions’. 

Previously released US Department of Justice documents show Gates met Epstein repeatedly after the financier had served a prison sentence, with discussions said to have centred on expanding Gates’s philanthropic work.

The documents also included pictures of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces are redacted. 

Russian bridge player Mila Antonova and Bill Gates in a photo she posted to the Contract Bridge Facebook page on August 14, 2009

The new Epstein files included multiple new undated images of Epstein and Gates together

The documents also included pictures of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces are redacted

According to the Journal, Gates said the images were photos Epstein asked him to take with Epstein’s assistants after their meetings.

Gates said he began meeting Epstein in 2011, several years after the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. 

He acknowledged he was aware Epstein had been subject to an 18-month period of travel restrictions but admitted he did not properly scrutinise his background. 

He continued seeing him even after his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, raised concerns in 2013. 

‘Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior,’ Gates told staff.

He also said he remained in contact with Epstein through 2014, travelled on his private jet and met him in Germany, France, New York and Washington. 

‘I never stayed overnight,’ he added, saying he did not visit Epstein’s private island.

Of his ex-wife, he said: ‘To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing.’

Gates’s ties to Epstein were widely reported to have been a source of tension in the couple’s marriage. 

Melinda later described Epstein as ‘evil personified’ and said she was deeply uncomfortable with her husband’s dealings with him.

The couple announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, saying they could no longer ‘grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives’.

The Journal has previously reported that Epstein later threatened Gates over his relationship with Mila Antonova, the Russian bridge player.

Epstein is said to have met Antonova while seeking financial backing for a bridge academy and later paid for her to attend a software coding course. 

In a 2013 email to a senior Gates adviser, Epstein allegedly referred to two women he claimed Gates had been involved with during his marriage, warning they risked ‘becoming overnight sensations’. 

Gates met Antonova at a bridge tournament in 2009, four years before she is said to have met Epstein. 

He also said the nuclear physicist had worked at one of his companies, although it is unclear whether their relationship, which allegedly began in 2010, overlapped with her employment. 

Boris Nikolic, who had links to both Gates and Epstein, was aware of the relationships and later informed Epstein.

A spokesman for the Gates Foundation said Gates held a scheduled town hall meeting with the employees and answered questions on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files.

‘In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions,’ they said.

The spokesman also said the Gates Foundation statement acknowledged what the billionaire shared during the town hall meeting and that it was all the foundation would say about the report.

Earlier this month, the organisation said it did not make any financial payments to Epstein or employ him at any time.

The billionaire also pulled out of India’s AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote last week.

The Gates Foundation, which Gates started with Melinda in 2000 and of which he is chairman, is one of the world’s biggest funders of global health initiatives.

The Tuesday letters page thinks trying to sell Call Of Duty: Zombies separately is a bad idea, as one reader is not upset to see the back of Phil Spencer.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

No way back
My first reaction to the new Xbox boss hinting at a return to exclusives is that she didn’t understand the issue and/or was knowingly hinting at something she knew wasn’t going to happen, just to try and win over fans. That seems straight out of the usual Microsoft playbook, with their desperation for people to like them, and it’s absolutely not something you’d see from Sony or Nintendo.

But in reality I don’t see how they can. If you made something like Fable an Xbox exclusive how many people are actually going to buy it, given it’s on Game Pass day one? Microsoft needs to make money off their games and they can’t do that when Xbox Series X/S sales are so bad. They also can’t wait till the next gen because the RAM shortages mean that’s not going to happen soon enough.

There is no sensible way to bring back exclusives on Xbox and the only unsensible way is to sell the games at a loss, which is the sort of money wasting I’m pretty sure Microsoft has had enough of by this point.
Lemmy

Robo CEO
I initially misread your headline yesterday, ‘Phil Spencer replaced by AI expert as Xbox changes entire management line-up’ due to not noticing for a moment that the headline continued on the next line after the phrase ‘AI’.

For that brief instant it bizarrely didn’t seem that implausible.
ameisa (PSN ID)

GC: Somehow it’s never the execs who are in danger of being replaced with AI, despite the fact that would probably make more sense.

Exaggerated position
Well, Mr Phil Spencer has been given his cards at Xbox, just like the ones he sacked. I wonder if he was pushed or he jumped and as for who is taking over, don’t think anyone would be too worried at Sony or Nintendo.

The only problem with sacking Phil is it’s about 10 years too late. He spent $69 billion on Activision Blizzard and the first full Call Of Duty game under Xbox was a flop. They bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion just so Starfield wasn’t on Sony’s console and that was a flop and is meant to be coming to PlayStation after all.

The only game I have played from Xbox is Indiana Jones And The Great Circle. I know I said I’d never buy an Xbox game but it was a present from the missus and it was so bad it was good, if you know what I mean.
David

GC: No, we don’t. And underperforming doesn’t mean a game is a flop.

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Making cuts
I don’t get that report about Call Of Duty. I can easily believe that Activision will try and sell Zombies as a separate game (and that no one will buy it – it’d have to be free-to-play or nothing) but what was the stuff about Microsoft wanting faster development?

They get a new game every single year, which almost no other game but sports sims do. I know there’s a question about how much the new Xbox boss knows about games, but she’s not started yet. So who are all these dumbos that think you can just press a button and make games quicker? The Call Of Duty games always seem to be made in less than five years, when it really should be more, so what are you going to get if you rush it out even quicker?

No Zombies mode I guess is the answer, but somehow I don’t think that’s going to go down too well with players that are already fed up with the way the series is being run.
Bantor

MovieCentral
I know you guys are pretty busy just keeping up with games, but would you ever consider starting a TV show and film review section for games that have been adapted? I think a review coming from people that actually played the game would give a clearer review than some film student that never made it in the industry.

GameCentral is the only site I read for game reviews and 9 out of 10 times we are in agreement on scores, early God Of Wars being the exemption.
Bobwallett

GC: Thanks, we do usually do some kind of article on the big name ones but Metro already has its own dedicated film and TV reviews. And to be honest we haven’t been particularly interested by any live action video game adaptations.

You win some, you lose some
I’ve got to say thank you for your article on the Virtual Boy games that have popped up on the Nintendo Switch subscription.

I remember it being released almost out of nowhere back in the mid ‘90s.

I also remember the eye-watering cost of the device even after it was discontinued. Having said that, I always had a passing curiosity for the console. I’ve not yet committed to the Switch 2 and your article mentioned that I could still use my Nintendo Labo VR headset on my Switch 1 to play it. So, I got it out of my games room (yes, I have a man cave of stuff nobody wants).

I was not in the mood to wait weeks for the postman to drop it off to my house but as your article stated it would work fine with my Labo VR.

So I took the plunge, as it was a lot cheaper than buying the actual console itself.

Anyway, thank you, VR has always been the next best thing for gaming and that still rings true to this day.

Those games are over 30 years old and if truth be told, the 3D effect was pretty impressive, it’s just a shame it didn’t take off. In a gaming world where production companies will only back safe bets, I have to say kudos to Nintendo for trying to push the envelope.

Not every game is a hit but it’s definitely worth the try if you have the means.
freeway 77

Altering the deal
When I went on the Xbox app last week, to check my reward points towards a £10 Xbox gift card, it went down from 56% or 57% one day to the next day 53%. I thought there was a problem with my phone or Xy xbox account but then the penny dropped a few seconds later and I realised that the
amount of points you need to get £10 has gone up again.

I never saw an announcement for that on Twitter or anything.
Andrew J.

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Single format
Firstly, my heart goes out to Bluepoint Games and the developers losing their jobs, a sad end to a proven great studio.

I’ve always found the discourse around Sony and PlayStation sort of fascinating, as summed up in the recent Reader’s Feature’s hot take. I recently upgraded to PlayStation 5, thanks to the pre-Christmas price cuts and I have to say the lack of first party, triple-A single-player games, and Sony’s ability to churn them out, isn’t something I think about when I’m playing Cyberpunk 2077 or Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

I don’t think the tens of millions on Roblox or Fortnite spend time wondering what Naughty Dog are doing either. I’m not sure why people feel great games only count if they’re exclusive? It seems a very old-fashioned idea given the current state of the industry where mega budget games need to be made as widely available as possible.

A lot of the discourse around consoles right now, between hardcore gamers, seems to assume everyone has a default PC to play games on, that sits in the corner like a washing machine or microwave, and these dedicated machines from Sony or Nintendo are added extras (the reader at the weekend owned a PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and PC – as if that is normal) when the reality for most people couldn’t be further from the truth.

The console is the only way they game, so any game ‘is exclusive’ since they only have one way of playing it and that’s the machine hooked up to the living room TV.

I think it would help everyone if us hyper-engaged gamer types realised the rest of the market isn’t like us, and most people only have one platform that plugs into the TV, and they don’t think about it until they turn it on to pour a few hours a week into whatever.
Marc

GC: The idea that games need to be made as widely available as possible to make a profit is primarily a narrative pushed by Microsoft. It’s certainly never been the case for Nintendo and Sony’s commitment to the PC is limited at best.

Inbox also-rans
Can I be the nerd and point out that Kitana was not in the first Mortal Kombat movie, which was based solely on the first game, so I’m not sure that music really fits (great performance, I loved it!).
Lumpy

I’m going to admit I have never seen or heard of Sarah Bond until this day. I don’t know what she used to do at Xbox but given the state of things at the moment I can only assume she wasn’t very good at it.
Busch

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

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MORE: Games Inbox: Is Phil Spencer going good news for Xbox?

MORE: Select Games Inbox: Why did Sony shut down Bluepoint Games?Games Inbox: Why did Sony shut down Bluepoint Games?

MORE: Games Inbox: Could memory shortages destroy the console industry?

Phil Spencer has retired from Microsoft and Sarah Bond has resigned, as Xbox starts its biggest shake-up in 25 years – but the future seems more uncertain than ever.

The Xbox brand will be 25 years old this Christmas and for the entirety of that time Phil Spencer has been a major figure at Microsoft’s gaming division, influencing policy and then shaping it directly when he was put in charge in 2014, following the disastrous reveal of the Xbox One.

He’s credited with inventing the idea of Game Pass and for pushing for the acquisition of a swathe of developers and publishers, culminating in Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. We’ve interviewed him several times and consider his claims of being a passionate gamer to be genuine. But as has become obvious in recent years, his various plans and machinations have not worked out.

Xbox hardware sales have flatlined and while first party output has improved recently, in terms of both quantity and quality, the only major commerical success has been Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5. Clearly change was needed but exactly what kind of change remains to be seen.

Who is in charge of Xbox now?

The news broke on Friday evening, but it’s now confirmed that Spencer will be replaced by Asha Sharma, who only joined Microsoft in 2024 but has made a named for herself as president of its CoreAI product.

She has no experience with video games, but on the Microsoft website she insisted that, ‘We will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.’

‘We have done this before, and I am here to help us do it again. I want to return to the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place. It will require us to relentlessly question everything, revisit processes, protect what works, and be brave enough to change what does not.’

The question of how much hands-on experiences those in charge of video game firms need is an open issue, as there’s little consistency within any company. Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, for example, started out as a programmer, but the next two incumbents were both finance executives.

Former PlayStation boss Jim Ryan had, like Spencer, worked at Sony since the brand’s inception, before leaving under a cloud, while the current boss worked at a consulting firm, before co-founding developer Guerrilla Games – but not as a developer.

Although there have been whispers that Spencer may retire in the next few years it was assumed that Xbox president Sarah Bond was being groomed to take over his role when he left. It seems likely she was assuming that too, as she announced on the same day that she is resigning from the company. Not only that but no one has been announced as replacing her, implying her role may be phased out.

Matt Booty, the other prominent exec for modern day Xbox, isn’t leaving but is instead being promoted to chief content officer. Previously, Booty has been criticised for problems with Microsoft’s first party output, that has led to many delays and the closure of several studios, as well as projects such as the Perfect Dark reboot.

Spencer is 58, so it’s unclear whether he’ll take another role in the industry, but he will make himself available to Microsoft, in an advisory role, until the end of the summer.

‘I’ve made the decision to retire and begin the next chapter of my life. It’s a milestone that’s given me a chance to reflect on the incredible journey I’ve been fortunate enough to share with so many of you,’ he wrote on X.

How will Microsoft turn things around for Xbox?

What happens from here on is a mystery – probably for the execs themselves as much as anyone else – but Sharma has stated that she’s sticking to ‘three commitments’, starting with the promise of ‘great games’. According to her, ‘We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most.’

Second on her list is the ‘return of Xbox’, which she says will, ‘Celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are.’

That seems to be intended as assurance that she will not abandon console hardware, but she immediately followed that up by saying: ‘Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud, Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve.’

The third, and vaguest, of the commitments is the ‘future of play’, which will apparently involve Microsoft inventing ‘new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetise. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories.’

All of that is fine in theory but what it all means is very much open to interpretation, which is no doubt exactly as intended.

It certainly seems fitting that Microsoft made the announcements late on Friday, at a time that was only convenient for America. One of the key problems with the brand – and one that it has been loath to admit over the years – is its lack of appeal outside the US.

The Xbox has never been popular in continental Europe or Japan, and it’s rarely ever tried to appeal to those markets directly. In recent years local offices have complained at decreasing marketing budgets, as the failure of the Xbox Series X/S became obvious.

One of the many questions now, is whether Microsoft is prepared to increase its investment in gaming, to the point where it can compete as a console manufacturer and not just a third party publisher.

Microsoft is an incredibly wealthy company but the only time that’s ever really been obvious, when it comes to Xbox, is in the purchase of Activision Blizzard and other companies. The former was such a huge outlay – amounting to $75.4 billion by the end – that it was directly responsible for policy changes such as going multiformat, and put an uncomfortable spotlight on gaming in terms of senior Microsoft execs.

While the exit of Spencer does seem overdue it’d be wrong to say that things can only get better with new people in charge. Things can always get worse and given how much of the industry Microsoft currently controls, everyone should hope that the new boss can turn things around and that the Xbox brand can flourish again. Not least so it can once again provide meaningful competition to PlayStation.

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A reader puts the blame for Xbox’s current problems squarely on Microsoft, blaming management failures, a lack of vision, and unwillingness to take risks.

It was November 2001 when Microsoft entered the gaming console arena. The green, cyberpunk style dashboard was dazzling, and it had one true game-changer: Halo: Combat Evolved. Players could battle grunting aliens across vast landscapes and drive amazing vehicles. Not only did this elevate the game to new heights, but it also drew huge crowds to the console.

In 2004, Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox to an affordable £149. Sales increased, and Microsoft had established itself as a major player in the industry.

The Xbox 360 followed and held a firm grip on the market, even with the infamous Red Ring of Death incidents. It seemed Microsoft was poised to do for gaming what it had done for operating systems and office software – but that changed. You could blame Nintendo or PlayStation for focusing solely on consoles, rather than trying to turn them into all-singing, all-dancing media hubs.

In 2017, Microsoft launched Game Pass, positioning it as the ‘Netflix of gaming’. But Netflix does not release brand new, unproven films on the platform immediately after production. How can a studio make real profit that way?

Instead, Microsoft thought it clever to release major games like Starfield on Game Pass on day one, rather than waiting at least eight months to a year. With over 10 million players engaging with these titles but only an estimated 1 to 2 million Xbox users purchasing the actual product, out of a 34 million strong userbase, this represents a major shortfall.

Microsoft is not destroying its Xbox base through a lack of games, but through a lack of foresight. Day one releases should not exist on any gaming streaming service. Xbox titles should launch traditionally, for at least eight months to a year before being added to Game Pass.

Xbox is being suffocated by Microsoft, kept afloat only by PlayStation and PC purchases – and perhaps soon by the Nintendo Switch 2 platform. It is sad to see. Within five years, I believe the Xbox platform may cease to exist – not because of its fanbase, but because its owner has never truly learned how to compete in the gaming space.

Look at Sony and Nintendo: gaming consoles are not PCs. Streaming should give players choice, but it should not starve production studios of the glory – and profitability – of successful launches. You may disagree with this article, but you will likely agree that Microsoft is losing with Xbox; not because of the fanbase, but because Microsoft itself is no longer a fan of the Xbox.

Maybe I sound harsh, but I remember the original Xbox. Microsoft promised a multiplayer experience. One example was a game called Brute Force, a brilliant title where you control four characters on a mission. It had four-player local support, but everyone was waiting for the Xbox Live add-on. Microsoft again underdelivered, not realising that adding this component would have boosted sales and expanded its catalogue of exclusive titles. Instead, they prioritised the Halo explosion.

Look at Nintendo and Sony: they protect exclusives because good products sell consoles. Consider No Man’s Sky – not exclusive to any platform – but the studio persisted despite a rough launch. Their belief in the project created growth in a small but talented production team. I mention this because Microsoft has repeatedly given up on gaming projects, stifling the growth of Xbox exclusives.

Perfect Dark was cancelled – a perfect example of Microsoft destroying its own platform. With over a million units sold on the original Xbox, cancelling a sequel makes little sense. A return on DLC and season passes could have bolstered profits and helped sell the Xbox Series X in solid numbers.

Microsoft owns Activision, which promised exclusive games for Xbox, but instead the company cancelled titles as the new owner. Did you know Microsoft lost $300 million putting Call of Duty on Game Pass? Someone should have been held accountable for that decision.

Microsoft is destroying the Xbox – not because it can, but because it lacks vision. Leaders like Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Elon Musk (yes, I said it), and Bill Gates understood customer needs and delivered great products that were also profitable. Xbox, unfortunately, will fade because no one at Microsoft is taking bold enough risks.

Goodbye, Xbox. It’s sad to see the Chief Master lose the fight.

By reader S.D.E Wilson

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

MORE: Sony has betrayed fans over Bluepoint and I’m selling my PS5 – Reader’s Feature

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