Pachter Factor Questions Summer 2021

Players are always waiting for a new Zelda (2d/3d) or a new Metroid (2d/3d), why don't other big studios or developers try to compete more directly with those games?

Aaron Grimshaw

Elon Musk is into gaming, from programming back in the day, emphasizing Starlink's low latency to Tesla cars having Ps5 comparable hardware. Do you see him entering the game development space or starting a game store like Epic/Steam?

Aaron Grimshaw

Hi Pach! A crash is (always) coming. How do you prepare for an economic downturn, increased inflation and possibly a recession?

Hi Pach! Given that the Metroid series has never sold more than about ~3 million, but Dead has topped the preorder charts of at least 2 retailers, what do you realistically think Metroid Dread will sell? Or how do companies forecast a game sales?

Connor Duffus

Hi Pach, is there a reason why Microsoft/Xbox hasn't developed their own game engine to build their own games as well as license out like Epic's Unreal Engine or Unity? Do you think they will do that now that they have id Software and id Tech? Doesn't it make sense since it fits their model of wanting subscription services?

Freshpo

Rumors of Microsoft buying Sega seem to pop up pretty frequently now. This probably won't happen, but if it did would this be good for Microsoft business wise, or is this just wishful thinking on the part of fans?

Tarma

Hey Pach! Hopefully you were able to have your E3 party on Zoom this year! Recently, there have been a lot of games announced that are more or less versions of other IPs that haven't had a release. Games like Back 4 Blood, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Bloodstained and others are showing that there's interest in the games. These games won't compete with Call of Duty, but they would still make money. Are the original IP holders throwing away money by not making the original games?

Tarma

Hi Mr, Pachter, given the option of Early Access, what incentivizes developers to do full releases? It seems to me that games in early access have all of the positives of a full release (people still buy the game) without the drawbacks (people willing to overlook bugs). For example, Star Citizen continues to earn tens of millions per year by NOT releasing their game. Imagine if Cyberpunk had released as an early access title instead. Many early access titles have highly positive impressions despite being incomplete and buggy. Is this a superior path for game releases?

I'd like to know your thoughts on the current economic situation, especially around inflation. Regardless of it being here to stay or transitory, how do you see it impacting spending on gaming and other entertainment?

Michael Dragone

Hey Pach! Do you see the Epic store changing their model to charge people for access to all the free games they have already received or a subscription model like PS Plus?

Aaron Grimshaw

Dear Mr. Pachter with Sony buying Housemarque, is this good for the gaming industry? with Microsoft buying a ton of Indi-developers and EA gobbling up a developer here and there, only to close them down when they under perform (EA is so guilty of this) like what Sony did to Evolution Studios, Studio Japan to name some off the top of my head. very few company's can buy there freedom back like Bungie or IO Interactive.

Given some of the reported game challenges at Amazon (cancellations, delays, etc.) are you still bullish on their impending entry into the games market?