Rob Fahey (Page 3)

Opinion

Microsoft in Brussels: Sound and fury, signifying nothing | Opinion

A slick presentation to the European Commission may sway regulators to support the Activision deal – but Microsoft’s much-vaunted concessions don’t address key concerns

Feb. 24, 2023 Rob Fahey

Opinion

What would a Game Pass dominated landscape look like? | Opinion

Nobody is surprised by Microsoft's admission that Game Pass cannibalises paid sales, and many companies are untroubled – but a potential monopsony remains a threat for others

Feb. 17, 2023 Rob Fahey

Opinion

How long can Microsoft float on goodwill? | Opinion

As a pandemic-distorted market starts to return to normality, the need for Xbox to impress with game exclusives has become urgent

Jan. 27, 2023 Rob Fahey

Opinion

The EU sets its sights on game regulation | Opinion

EU regulation of game business practices is getting underway in earnest – but the industry still has time to get its own house in order before rules are imposed

Jan. 20, 2023 Rob Fahey

Opinion

The transition to live services continues | Opinion

Ubisoft’s latest growing pains show how hard it is to shift a company entirely towards live services – and whether consumers actually want this

Jan. 13, 2023 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Looking back to look forward: 2023 is shaping up to look familiar | Opinion

The biggest stories of 2022 still lack any resolution

Dec. 16, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Battle passes are everywhere – but few of them are good | Opinion

While a positive step away from loot boxes, many battle passes just replicate the surface of Fortnite’s model and miss the underlying ideas entirely

Dec. 9, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

What happens if Activision Blizzard stays independent? | Opinion

Competition authorities on both sides of the Atlantic seem poised to raise objections to Microsoft’s $68 billion acquisition; what happens if the deal is blocked?

Nov. 25, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

AI moderation will cause more harm than good | Opinion

The problem of in-game abuse can only be solved through a proper commitment of resources; magical thinking about AI solutions will only make things worse

Nov. 18, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Industry attitudes to outsourcing and contracting need to change | Opinion

Two high-profile composers reveal the breakdown of their relationships with studios – a symptom of a broader problem in how creative outsourcing is used across the industry

Nov. 11, 2022 Rob Fahey

News

Beyond NFT fumblings, Square Enix is reinventing itself | Opinion

Much attention is focused on an ill-advised side project – but the company's increased focus on small creative projects and its deft mining of gaming history is much more interesting

Nov. 4, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Can Microsoft find its next big thing in China? | Opinion

Stung by failure to sign Genshin Impact, Microsoft turns to China as it works to build out the Xbox software pipeline – but is it just chasing after the one that got away?

Oct. 28, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Can Meta's 'verse grow past Zuckerberg's inchoate vision? | Opinion

Horizon Worlds becoming the subject of mainstream ridicule is only a speed bump for Meta's ambitions – but its failure highlights deeper problems that the company has yet to solve

Oct. 21, 2022 Rob Fahey

Feature

Is Game Pass’ dominance a hurdle to the Activision acquisition? | Opinion

The UK’s competition authority suggests that subscription services are legally a separate market from game consoles; if that idea holds water, it could spell trouble for Microsoft

Oct. 14, 2022 Rob Fahey

News

After Stadia, is the future still bright for cloud streaming? | Opinion

Proponents have insisted that cloud streaming will replace consoles and PCs – but with the shutdown of Stadia, this future feels less wanted and more distant than ever

Oct. 7, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Overwatch 2 tries to balance acquisition against retention | Opinion

Blizzard’s sequel-cum-relaunch remains the year’s most interesting business experiment as it tries to thread the needle of retaining existing players while appealing to newcomers

Sept. 30, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Leaks and hacks are not the same as investigative reporting | Opinion

Leaks of GTA 6 footage and the uncovering of NDA breaches stand to make life harder for developers and media alike – but beware false equivalences with investigative reporting

Sept. 23, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Sony carves its own path for PSVR2 | Opinion

PSVR has become a distinct segment of the VR space in its own right – but can the next version crack open a mainstream market?

Sept. 16, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

To consumers, development crunch is increasingly a red flag | Opinion

Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Fallout 76 have shifted public perceptions of crunch, now seen as a warning sign for bugs and low quality

Sept. 9, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

The PS5’s price hike is a sign of things to come | Opinion

Inflationary pressure across the supply chain, and low real-terms prices for games, are an unsustainable combination – price rises are in store for both hardware and software

Aug. 26, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Unease over Unity’s future threatens an industry pillar | Opinion

Platforms like Unity and Unreal are the backbone of the industry – but some developers who have invested heavily in Unity are jittery over the company’s direction

Aug. 19, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Overwatch 2 is less a sequel, more a business model relaunch | Opinion

Blizzard’s retooled online shooter is one of the biggest remaining launches of the year – and a very unusual attempt to overhaul the monetisation of a popular game in mid-flow

Aug. 12, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Single-player games deserve more than lip service | Opinion

Companies focused on live service games find it hard to justify heavy investment in single-player titles; it may be high time for firms to pick a lane and stick with it

Aug. 5, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Xbox revenues slide as 2022’s sparse release schedule bites | Opinion

With several major titles pushed to 2023 and Microsoft’s first-party investments yet to bear fruit, it's a weak year for new games – but that also creates opportunities

July 29, 2022 Rob Fahey

Opinion

Third-party NFTs in games are the latest unethical twist from Web3 | Opinion

Mojang joins many other firms in swearing off NFTs -- but more worryingly, it finds itself forced to police third-parties building NFT services on top of Minecraft

July 22, 2022 Rob Fahey

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