• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Jez Corden: "Xbox fans rally against Shift Up for 'Stellar Blade' — which is now exclusively NOT on Xbox Series X|S"

Awesome.

Just what I thought.

Conspiracy theories are not a good look everyone. Wait and see sometimes pays off bigtime. It didn't even take long.
It's not "conspiracy theory" just fanboy delusions and tales from the arse.

Buy the games and consoles you love so much and this would be a nothing burger. Nobody ever wants to point at the fuck ups of their favorite toy brand that led to this from many, many examples over the years.
 
Are we seriously comparing buying studios to paying to block games from being released on the competition ? Should we start counting every acquisition in video-game history as an attempt to block games ? And games weren't even canceled on PS. What a dumb argument.
Different method, same result. You said privatized means taking what people were meant to have that's about the result, not the contract. You keep moving the goalposts, so you're either too dim to follow your own definition or trolling.
 
UPDATE (June 12, 2026): " Stellar Blade developer Shift UP has commented on the rallying call for an Xbox version, saying "nothing is impossible." It certainly raises the chances of getting an Xbox version eventually, and the phrasing makes it sound as though it's just a matter of development timelines, as opposed to some sort of nefarious publishing exclusion deal. The original article continues below. " so it sounds like Xbox could evebtually get it.
 
michael fassbender perfection GIF


I don't think anything else needs to be said.

The Xbox Series is a dead console in terms of its user base.

Worrying about releasing a port for something that's dead makes no sense.
Well, Many companies do worry about Ports for a "dead" system. So many companies see it makes sense.
 
Different method, same result. You said privatized means taking what people were meant to have that's about the result, not the contract. You keep moving the goalposts, so you're either too dim to follow your own definition or trolling.
It's absolutely not the same.

Paying a publisher so he won't release something on competition vs adding him to your family. The risks and implications are magnitude higher when buying.

Secondly, none of these games were removed from PS despite the publishers being bought, so what's the issue again ? You are complaining about things that didn't even happen.
 
Last edited:
It's absolutely not the same.

Paying a publisher so he won't release something on competition vs adding him to your family. The risks and implications are magnitude higher when buying.

Secondly, none of these games were removed from PS despite the publishers being bought, so what's the issue again ?

Stop whining about business deals that have been a part of the industry forever. What is your issue again? That Sony are bad for doing it? Who ever said they were good? You understand that they're a corporation that only cares about their own bottom line right? One of those ways is exclusivity deals. You're not very smart are you? Be logical and less emotional.
 
meh-mediocre.gif


GTA : paid, we knew it
Bioshock : doesn't state it was paid, it was an early game, PS3 released later and it was poop to develop for, doesn't sound unbelievable to release first on Xbox
Tomb Raider : paid, we knew it
Tales of : paid it seems, although the source is a facebook message lol
Star Ocean : no mention that it was paid
Titanfall : it was never announced on PS to begin with
Dead Rising 3 : no mention that it was paid

Not super convincing overall. We can maybe add Dead Rising 3 to the list of multiplats that were "stolen" from competition, but even though, this is a baby's list (2 games and 2 DLCs for one game) compared to all the stuff Sony did. If we start counting stuff like Dead Rising 3, then we might as well count games like Soul Calibur 3. But if we go this route, the list of PS multiplats "stolen from competition" is going to sky rocket.

Remember street fighter 5 wouldn't have happened without playstation. A game that was historically multiplatform.

Dead rising 3 gets brought it up as a bad capcom move when the game was exclusive on Xbox to begin with.

But they defend street fighter 5 like crazy.

It's never made sense, but they won't admit it.
 
Stop whining about business deals that have been a part of the industry forever. What is your issue again? That Sony are bad for doing it? Who ever said they were good? You understand that they're a corporation that only cares about their own bottom line right? One of those ways is exclusivity deals. You're not very smart are you? Be logical and less emotional.
I am discussing facts here. At no point did I say it was good or bad. You are interpreting.

I would say that the people emotionally invested are those that are in denial of these facts and can't stand having them laid out in front of them, resorting to bad faith and/or fallacious arguments to try and defend whichever company they prefer (not talking about you, obviously).

I don't understand though the habit of people to insult others when answering.
 
Last edited:
UPDATE (June 12, 2026): " Stellar Blade developer Shift UP has commented on the rallying call for an Xbox version, saying "nothing is impossible." It certainly raises the chances of getting an Xbox version eventually, and the phrasing makes it sound as though it's just a matter of development timelines, as opposed to some sort of nefarious publishing exclusion deal. The original article continues below. " so it sounds like Xbox could evebtually get it.

If Xbox makes a game pass deal that pays for the port it would probably happen. Otherwise the sales of a late port wouldn't be worth it.
 
It's absolutely not the same.

Paying a publisher so he won't release something on competition vs adding him to your family. The risks and implications are magnitude higher when buying.
So now we're worried about Microsoft's risk instead of what players lose. Microsoft buying the publisher doesn't change the outcome.
Secondly, none of these games were removed from PS despite the publishers being bought, so what's the issue again ? You are complaining about things that didn't even happen.
They withheld games from PlayStation while exclusivity benefited them, then changed course when Xbox's numbers made it unsustainable. Releasing them later doesn't mean they were never withheld.
 
Last edited:
They withheld games from PlayStation while exclusivity benefited them, then changed course when Xbox's numbers made it unsustainable. Releasing them later doesn't mean they were never withheld.
They had temporary exclusivity for 1 year on 1 previously multiplat game and 2 DLCs for another multiplat game. They had full exclusivity on a single previously multiplat game. They hardly took anything away from PS players in 25 years. This is nothing compared to all the stuff that has been privatized by Sony during the last 30 years, as I largely demonstrated through facts.

So now we're worried about Microsoft's risk instead of what players lose. Microsoft buying the publisher doesn't change the outcome.
There is no outcome. Nothing has been lost. You have no arguments because they don't exist and are now grasping at whatever you come up with that didn't even materialize in the real world. You want us to believe that Microsoft bought publishers and removed games from PS, yet in the real world not a single game from ABC/Bethesda was canceled on PS. Nobody cares about what-ifs and whatever stuff you fantasize. We are looking at facts here.
 
Last edited:
They had temporary exclusivity for 1 year on 1 previously multiplat game and 2 DLCs for another multiplat game. They had full exclusivity on a single previously multiplat game. They hardly took anything away from PS players in 25 years. This is nothing compared to all the stuff that has been privatized by Sony during the last 30 years, as I largely demonstrated through facts.
So Microsoft used timed exclusivity, exclusive DLC, and full exclusivity. You listed all three yourself. Microsoft having terrible taste in what it locks down doesn't make the tactic disappear. "Sony did more" was never the argument.
There is no outcome. Nothing has been lost. You have no arguments because they don't exist and are now grasping at whatever you come up with that didn't even materialize in the real world. You want us to believe that Microsoft bought publishers and removed games from PS, yet in the real world not a single game from ABC/Bethesda was canceled on PS. Nobody cares about what-ifs and whatever stuff you fantasize. We are looking at facts here.
The thing is, you have reading-comprehension issues. You ignored the content I listed that Microsoft withheld, then claimed "nothing was lost," so pick one. The critical-thinking issue is calling it privatization when Sony does it but a what-if when Microsoft does the same thing. Final Fantasy is on Xbox now, Street Fighter came back multi-platform, Stellar Blade's going to Switch 2, so by your own logic Sony didn't permanently "privatize" any of it.
 
So Microsoft used timed exclusivity, exclusive DLC, and full exclusivity. You listed all three yourself. Microsoft having terrible taste in what it locks down doesn't make the tactic disappear. "Sony did more" was never the argument.

The thing is, you have reading-comprehension issues. You ignored the content I listed that Microsoft withheld, then claimed "nothing was lost," so pick one. The critical-thinking issue is calling it privatization when Sony does it but a what-if when Microsoft does the same thing. Final Fantasy is on Xbox now, Street Fighter came back multi-platform, Stellar Blade's going to Switch 2, so by your own logic Sony didn't permanently "privatize" any of it.
You can hardly resort to more bad faith arguments lol. Now your strategy is to try and ignore completely how different both situations are, pretending that MS "did it just as much" as Sony. Who do you hope to convince exactly ?

FF VII to X eventually releasing on Xbox and Nintendo doesn't magically make disappear the fact that these games were locked by Sony for nearly 20 years. Nor does Street Fighter 6 being multiplat nullates the fact that Street Fighter 5 never existed on Xbox. Nor that Tomb Raider II never made it to Saturn. Nor that Silent Hill 2 was a 1 year PS exclusive. Not even listing the ton of Namco fighting games from the PS1 and PS2. Etc etc...

Multiplat series content has been locked by Sony over the course of 30 years way more than MS ever did. We are talking magnitude more. You are in straight up denial of this. That's just how Sony work.

Also you conveniently forgot your previous argument of the MS buyouts blocking games on PS, because it didn't block anything in the end and you know it.
 
Last edited:
Nope. It was announced as a multiplatform title initially, so they had already planned for this. Read the topic.
Project Eve was announced for Xbox One, PS4 and PS4 pro. When the game was finally revealed as Steller Blade it was for the PS5. So none of the consoles it was announced for under the codename got the game.
 
Project Eve was announced for Xbox One, PS4 and PS4 pro. When the game was finally revealed as Steller Blade it was for the PS5. So none of the consoles it was announced for under the codename got the game.
Obviously. Sony's plan was to fill the PS5 lineup, so they had all other versions canceled.
 
Obviously. Sony's plan was to fill the PS5 lineup, so they had all other versions canceled.
So they cancelled the PS4 one too? And it released on Switch 2 but skipped xbox?

Shift Up were looking for funding and PS decided to publish the game but it doesn't prevent the game coming to other platforms right now. They skipped xbox because it's xbox. It came to other platforms. SB2, we don't even know what platforms it's coming to because I bet Shift up are looking for a deal again. If/when that deal is made will you complain or ignore it, that is the question.
 
So they cancelled the PS4 one too? And it released on Switch 2 but skipped xbox?

Shift Up were looking for funding and PS decided to publish the game but it doesn't prevent the game coming to other platforms right now. They skipped xbox because it's xbox. It came to other platforms. SB2, we don't even know what platforms it's coming to because I bet Shift up are looking for a deal again. If/when that deal is made will you complain or ignore it, that is the question.

You honestly think stellar blade is not on Xbox now, a game that is published by Playstation, because of Xbox?
 
You honestly think stellar blade is not on Xbox now, a game that is published by Playstation, because of Xbox?
Did you not get the memo that Shift up is self publishing now and the game is releasing on Switch 2 but not xbox?

You think they'd rather block a dead corpse but allow Nintendo?
 
Did you not get the memo that Shift up is self publishing now and the game is releasing on Switch 2 but not xbox?

You think they'd rather block a dead corpse but allow Nintendo?

They've announced for switch and they are literally saying they can't talk about Xbox right now. Just read between the lines. Only time will tell what is real. Sony may have a clause that it can never release on Xbox but Shift up negotiated switch.

Like I said, if the sequel gets announced for Xbox and the first game doesn't. We have our answer that Sony is blocking that specific platform.

Three, it concerns me that fans of Sony like yourself say these weird things like it's Xbox fault....when the publisher is Sony. Do you not have the ability to step back and think logically at these things?
 
Last edited:
They've announced for switch and they are literally saying they can't talk about Xbox right now. Just read between the lines. Only time will tell what is real. Sony may have a clause that it can never release on Xbox but Shift up negotiated switch.

Like I said, if the sequel gets announced for Xbox and the first game doesn't. We have our answer that Sony is blocking that specific platform.
They said they can't promise anything unless it's an official announcement. You're not reading between the lines. You still haven't explained why PS would allow its release on Switch 2 but block xbox?
It's not on xbox because it's xbox. A low install base platform with low game sales and even more dead in asia where this game does better. Shift Up need incentives and I bet they're looking for it too. I think that's up to MS and only they can push for this, then and only then will Shift Up make an official announcement. There is no reason to believe that there are 2 different exclusivity periods for a game that came out more than 2 years ago.
 
Last edited:
They said they can't promise anything unless it's an official announcement. You're not reading between the lines. You still haven't explained why PS would allow its release on Switch 2 but block xbox?
It's not on xbox because it's xbox. A low install base platform with low game sales and even more dead in asia where this game does better. Shift Up need incentives and I bet they're looking for it too. I think that's up to MS and only they can push for this, then and only then will Shift Up make an official announcement. There is no reason to believe that there are 2 different exclusivity periods for a game that came out more than 2 years ago.

Because, switch is a different platform to Xbox and you can't just assume an announcement for switch means it CAN come to Xbox.
 
I hope in the future, Sony will consider the feelings of cireza cireza and other xbox fans when securing timed exclusives. Have to look out for those xbox players. Can't be doing this anti consumer stuff.
The low install base, and the user base being conditioned to wait until a game is on GamePass, it's at the point now where a publisher could justifiably skip Xbox altogether rather than dedicating extra Dev effort to it.
 
Because, switch is a different platform to Xbox and you can't just assume an announcement for switch means it CAN come to Xbox.
Yet you're assuming it CAN'T come based on nothing at all. you believe they singled out xbox, which is almost dead, when making an exclusivity agreement for a game that released 2 years ago. A game now releasing on everything BUT xbox. Why would it be far fetched to assume the opposite but ok for you to assume it can't? I'd say that's more far fetched especially when there is very low incentive to release on xbox for shift up at the moment.
 
Part of me believes this is a Series S problem, but part of me thinks it's some clause on the Playstation publishing deal. Either way, it really sucks for XBROS, it's a great game.
How is it a Series S problem when it is releasing on the much weaker Switch 2?
 
Yet you're assuming it CAN'T come based on nothing at all. you believe they singled out xbox, which is almost dead, when making an exclusivity agreement for a game that released 2 years ago. A game now releasing on everything BUT xbox. Why would it be far fetched to assume the opposite but ok for you to assume it can't? I'd say that's more far fetched especially when there is very low incentive to release on xbox for shift up at the moment.

I haven't assumed anything I am repeatedly saying we should wait until the sequels platform announcement. It is you who is saying it's Xboxs fault.

Just think about that.

Also, I just want to add.

For how many years, decades even have Sony fans claimed the Xbox platform is ignored by eastern Devs because the users don't buy games etc.

But, in reality Xbox has attracted more Japanese Devs and released more games in franchise like Yakuza, like a dragon, persona, final fantasy and more and more Devs that are not smaller Devs are actually supporting the platform but there is still comments from Sony fans like yourself trying to push this factually innacurate narrative. Why is that?
 
Last edited:
I haven't assumed anything I am repeatedly saying we should wait until the sequels platform announcement. It is you who is saying it's Xboxs fault.

Just think about that.
You said
"They've announced for switch and they are literally saying they can't talk about Xbox right now. Just read between the lines."

So what were you reading then between the simple line? You were strongly suggesting it at least. They didn't say they can't talk about xbox, a personal account said he can't promise anything until it's official.


The sequel wouldn't tell you much either.

You had Octopath Traveller 2 release Feb 2023 on PS5 and skipped only xbox for a while. yet Octopath Traveller 1 released 2021 on xbox and June 2024 on PS5.

The sequel came out on PS5 before the first was available on it, which came out a year later. Was Octopath Traveller an xbox exclusivity deal that blocked PS with that logic of the first not releasing when the sequel did?
 
Last edited:
You said
"They've announced for switch and they are literally saying they can't talk about Xbox right now. Just read between the lines."

So what were you reading then between the simple line? You were strongly suggesting it at least. They didn't say they can't talk about xbox, a personal account said he can't promise anything until it's official.


The sequel wouldn't tell you much either.

You had Octopath Traveller 2 release Feb 2023 on PS5 and skipped only xbox for a while. yet Octopath Traveller 1 released 2021 on xbox and June 2024 on PS5.

The sequel came out on PS5 before the first was available on it, which came out a year later. Was Octopath Traveller an xbox exclusivity deal that blocked PS with that logic of the first not releasing when the sequel did?

Why are you even trying to explain?? Why the heck should Sony care about xbox players? They're allowed to use their market position to secure timed exclusivity to further strengthen themselves just the same way Microsoft are allowed to use their billions to try and advance their own position. Don't bother with these overly emotional console warriors. They can't reason or use logic.
 
You said
"They've announced for switch and they are literally saying they can't talk about Xbox right now. Just read between the lines."

So what were you reading then between the simple line? You were strongly suggesting it at least. They didn't say they can't talk about xbox, a personal account said he can't promise anything until it's official.


The sequel wouldn't tell you much either.

You had Octopath Traveller 2 release Feb 2023 on PS5 and skipped only xbox for a while. yet Octopath Traveller 1 released 2021 on xbox and June 2024 on PS5.

The sequel came out on PS5 before the first was available on it, which came out a year later. Was Octopath Traveller an xbox exclusivity deal that blocked PS with that logic of the first not releasing when the sequel did?

I remember Octopath traveller being on gamepass? it wouldnt surprise me if there was a deal in place stopping it from launching on Playstation if it did have some gamepass deal, from what you are saying that could seem possible, yeah.
 
Why are you even trying to explain?? Why the heck should Sony care about xbox players? They're allowed to use their market position to secure timed exclusivity to further strengthen themselves just the same way Microsoft are allowed to use their billions to try and advance their own position. Don't bother with these overly emotional console warriors. They can't reason or use logic.
Well I can only hope they don't genuinely believe it's always somebody else's fault and never the platform.

I remember Octopath traveller being on gamepass? it wouldnt surprise me if there was a deal in place stopping it from launching on Playstation if it did have some gamepass deal, from what you are saying that could seem possible, yeah.
Maybe but that's not what was said. They even said Octopath 2 platforms (where they skipped xbox) were based on observing sales of other titles:



MS decided to foot the bill later for that gamepass release but without it they were in no hurry to do an xbox version and it wasn't due to exclusivity agreements. Much the same it released on everything BUT xbox at launch then MS funded a port later. I think Shift Up are looking for the same thing. A rally of troops then for MS to fund those ports. If 1 doesn't come then it's because MS didn't care enough to bring it over because Shift Up have very little reason to if we're being honest.
 
Xbox gamers dont need to be worrying about stellarblade. They need to be worrying about what studio is next on the chopping block and if xbox will be sold in the next couple of years.
 
lol better not make any business decisions based on these vocal but quickly dwindling morons, is my advice to any dev. it'll never be worth your effort.

they will never show up for something thats not on gamepass, they are only hurt because of some list wars shit.
 
Last edited:
XBOX gamers who are pissed about it should bitch at MS, not Shift Up. MS are the ones who don't want that kind of game on their platform. From the MS DEI page for devs:

gL1Sxpc.jpeg


Goddamn, this is the gayest shit I've ever seen from a big company.

But what worries me is, there is no sight of stellar blade on the pan store. I hope somy doesn't pull another shit like forcing the ps version to be censored.
 
XBOX gamers who are pissed about it should bitch at MS, not Shift Up. MS are the ones who don't want that kind of game on their platform. From the MS DEI page for devs:

gL1Sxpc.jpeg


this doesn't add up at all though!

Yet we have:

Tomb Raider, Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur, Tekken, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasy and many other JRPGS, plenty of visual novels and so on.
 
this doesn't add up at all though!

Yet we have:

Tomb Raider, Dead or Alive, Soul Calibur, Tekken, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasy and many other JRPGS, plenty of visual novels and so on.
Yeah, that is more for internal xbox studios and guidance. Doesn't prevent anything from releasing.
 
You can hardly resort to more bad faith arguments lol. Now your strategy is to try and ignore completely how different both situations are, pretending that MS "did it just as much" as Sony. Who do you hope to convince exactly ?
Bad faith would be applying one rule to Sony and another to Microsoft, which is what you're doing.

FF VII to X eventually releasing on Xbox and Nintendo doesn't magically make disappear the fact that these games were locked by Sony for nearly 20 years. Nor does Street Fighter 6 being multiplat nullates the fact that Street Fighter 5 never existed on Xbox. Nor that Tomb Raider II never made it to Saturn. Nor that Silent Hill 2 was a 1 year PS exclusive. Not even listing the ton of Namco fighting games from the PS1 and PS2. Etc etc...

Multiplat series content has been locked by Sony over the course of 30 years way more than MS ever did. We are talking magnitude more. You are in straight up denial of this. That's just how Sony work.
You keep listing Sony examples while ignoring the Microsoft ones I already gave you, including Dead or Alive 3 and 4 and Dead Rising 3. I could keep going, but you'd ignore those too. I never claimed Microsoft did it as much as Sony. I said Microsoft did it too during its nearly 25 years in the console business. Pretending my examples don't exist isn't an argument.
Also you conveniently forgot your previous argument of the MS buyouts blocking games on PS, because it didn't block anything in the end and you know it.
I didn't forget it. Starfield was kept off PlayStation for over two years, and Indiana Jones launched as an Xbox console exclusive before reaching PS5. Both came directly from the acquisitions you claim "blocked nothing." Releasing them later doesn't erase the exclusivity, especially when that's the exact argument you make about Sony.
 
I haven't assumed anything I am repeatedly saying we should wait until the sequels platform announcement. It is you who is saying it's Xboxs fault.

Just think about that.

Also, I just want to add.

For how many years, decades even have Sony fans claimed the Xbox platform is ignored by eastern Devs because the users don't buy games etc.

But, in reality Xbox has attracted more Japanese Devs and released more games in franchise like Yakuza, like a dragon, persona, final fantasy and more and more Devs that are not smaller Devs are actually supporting the platform but there is still comments from Sony fans like yourself trying to push this factually innacurate narrative. Why is that?
Microsoft spent a huge amount of resources to get a bunch of Japanese 360 exclusives. But after that failed to have much impact on 360 sales....

 
Top Bottom