Ahri's unqualified thoughts #37

Random articles, quotes, videos, musings. Easy to consume content: 1 quote, 1 tweet/storm and 1 article/video.

In a whirlwind week for the gaming world, today's edition focuses on the massive Xbox/FTC controversy and the colossal leak that has left everyone shaken.

1 quotable thingy to look brilliant in your next young socialites’ meet-up

"Lack of self-awareness renders us transparent; a soul that knows itself is opaque. To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are… Yet is is remarkable that the very people who are most dissatisfied and crave most for a new identity have the least self-awareness. They have turned from an unwanted self and hence never had a good look at it. The result is that those most unsatisfied can neither dissimulate nor attain a real change of heart. They are transparent, and their unwanted qualities persist through all attempts at self-dramatization and self-transformation" Bruce Lee

1 tweet/storm to keep you up to date

My good friend, Daniel/ZhugeEX, earlier tweeted about the Microsoft leak. And I wholeheartedly concur with his take. It's astonishing the lengths people go to, to build full tinfoil hat wild conspiracy theories. Think the discourse in crypto is nuts? Dive into the world of console warriors, my friends, and you’ll see absolute insanity.

TLDR: Documents from Microsoft leaked, leading fans to point fingers at the FTC, Sony, Nintendo, Activision, and more. But the reality was much simpler… lol.

I often joke with friends/family that the biggest root of humanity issues is people having too much free time. This topic could easily fill an entire blog post. But I genuinely believe it to be true.

1 article/video to discover something new, maybe

Xbox has just experienced its most significant leak ever, unveiling the complex inner workings of one of the gaming industry's giants. The information sheds light on their views regarding the Switch and PlayStation, their overall strategy, and the (way too?) candid insights of their executives—a rarity in corporate circles. It also highlights the immense challenge of steering such a colossal ship.

I strongly invite you to check the detailed coverage on The Verge or another trusted source. While this event is very hard on them, given the context (ABK acquisition, subperformance of Xbox etc.), it provides an unparalleled window into the inner mechanics of Xbox.

What particularly struck me was an excerpt from Phil Spencer’s emails to his team:

It's a brutal revelation (or rather, confirmation), emphasizing the immense challenges of consistently producing even decent games, let alone bangers. This might also illuminate why many major publishers continually abuse their existing IPs or invest heavily in acquiring new ones.

The good ole "Content is king" isn't a meme; this Xbox leak underscores their content drought and the aggressive steps they're taking to combat it, such as acquiring studios and content for Xbox Game Pass - they almost paid 250m for Suicide Squad, for instance.

Side note: it wouldn't shock me if Apple were to acquire Disney in the future, perhaps explaining Bob Iger's return to leadership. Bloomberg’s newsletter dedicated to Entertainment/Hollywood (Screentime) did a good job at covering this some months ago.

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To conclude this newsletter, here is a bonus, taken from our overlord’s Elon biography: