Rob Fahey

Opinion

Handheld consoles are the industry's next battleground | Opinion

With both Microsoft and Sony planning portable launches down the line, and Switch and Steam Deck defining their respective markets, gaming's future seems to be handheld

Nov. 29, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Does a Sony bid for Kadokawa make sense? | Opinion

Buying Elden Ring developer From Software would be a coup for Sony – but buying one of Japan's biggest media groups would be a complex and potentially difficult acquisition

Nov. 22, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Microsoft's Xbox transition moves into high gear | Opinion

With a campaign about Xbox as a cross-platform service and "no red lines" for first-party on other platforms, the change to Microsoft's games business speeds to a conclusion

Nov. 15, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

PS5 Pro signposts a disc-less future that few actually want | Opinion

Digital games are an ever-growing market segment, but given a choice, consumers prefer to keep the physical option – making the disc-less PS5 Pro a baffling decision

Nov. 8, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Black Ops 6 does the business for Microsoft | Opinion

Call of Duty's performance is exactly what Microsoft needed from the landmark franchise, and points the way to the future of its games business

Nov. 1, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Games may not be the killer app for VR | Opinion

As Meta and Apple focus on work applications for their VR tech, the best hope for VR games is to evolve as PC gaming did: a fun thing to do on a work-focused device

Oct. 25, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Black Ops 6 is make-or-break for the Game Pass strategy | Opinion

A year after buying Activision Blizzard, Microsoft finally has a Game Pass launch exclusive for Call of Duty. How this plays out will weigh heavily on its future strategy

Oct. 18, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

The voice actors' strike shows its claws | Opinion

With Hoyoverse forced to launch Genshin Impact content without English voices, the "canary in the coalmine" for AI strip-mining of creative talents continues singing

Oct. 11, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Is the Star Wars franchise in crisis? | Opinion

Ubisoft is in a tailspin over poor sales of Star Wars Outlaws – but for all the publisher's woes, the real problem here may be Disney's management of the IP

Oct. 4, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Sony embraces its PlayStation history | Opinion

Sony has always seemed reticent to make its software back catalogue into a central part of its current offering – but with the 30th anniversary approaching, attitudes may be changing

Sept. 27, 2024 Rob Fahey

Feature

Final Fantasy's sales crisis is also an identity crisis | Opinion

Final Fantasy doesn't seem to know what it is or who it's for anymore – a much deeper problem for the franchise than platform exclusivity deals

Sept. 20, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

What's ailing Ubisoft? | Opinion

Yet another share price drop has drawn attention to an activist investor's demands for a takeover; his prescription would be disastrous, but Ubisoft's problems are very real

Sept. 13, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Concord raises questions over Sony's live-service competence | Opinion

PlayStation's pivot to live service was to be enabled by buying expertise in the form of studios like Bungie and Firewalk – a strategy that now seems to have failed

Sept. 6, 2024 Rob Fahey

News

PS5 price hike shows Japan's a low priority for Sony | Opinion

Japanese consumers respond to a hefty price bump with disappointment, but not surprise; it's a long time since this Nintendo-dominated region was important for PlayStation

Aug. 30, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Xbox wades cautiously into a multiplatform future | Opinion

Announcing a PS5 launch for Indiana Jones – arguably 2024’s biggest Xbox title – is a big step, but the curious way it was announced suggests that bolder plans are afoot

Aug. 23, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Valve's not-so-secret game Deadlock is a bold experiment in soft-launching | Opinion

With tens of thousands of people already playing despite the game never being formally announced, Valve's Deadlock shows us a smarter way to launch an online game

Aug. 16, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Sony's results show the rewards of diversification | Opinion

2024 is a challenging year for PlayStation but, even as hardware sales slip, the diversity of the business can still deliver growth

Aug. 9, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

The opportunity costs of NFT madness are still being paid | Opinion

The IOC exiting its very fruitful licensing deal with Nintendo and Sega to pursue an NFT dead-end is an object lesson

Aug. 2, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Unionisation leaps forward: now it's time to deliver | Opinion

New unions at Microsoft are a major step, but the real work starts now – bargained agreements that improve things for their members are essential to drive the movement forward

July 26, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

It's not just the price tag: premium games don't fit on mobile | Opinion

Asking players to pay up front for a game experience on a smartphone is no longer viable, because doing so sends a negative message about the game experience itself

July 19, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Nintendo adopts wait-and-see on generative AI | Opinion

Disruptive new technology is always controversial – but Nintendo's decision to steer clear of generative AI is based on hard-nosed business logic, not high-minded creative ideas

July 5, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Even hardcore audiences love DLC – when it's done right | Opinion

While many developers have turned to cosmetic items for their post-launch content plans, Shadow of the Erdtree shows us the gold standard for a major DLC expansion

June 28, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

In the Switch's eighth year, Nintendo can still surprise | Opinion

The summer showcase season closed with a remarkably strong line-up for Nintendo's ageing console – and hints that the Switch successor will be all about continuity

June 21, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

There was no E3 – but Microsoft won it anyway | Opinion

Just by treating the summer showcase events as a serious competitive opportunity, Xbox has come away with its best public image boost in years

June 14, 2024 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Sony avoids F2P as its live service model takes shape | Opinion

Concord following Helldivers 2's pricing suggests a non-F2P strategy – which creates difficult challenges, but could lead to a more sustainable business in the end

June 7, 2024 Rob Fahey