1
00:00:00,540 --> 00:00:01,484
Welcome to Prankers.

2
00:00:01,484 --> 00:00:05,606
Today I'm gonna prank my dad into funding 
a God of War Game-as-a-Service.

3
00:00:11,122 --> 00:00:14,344
KYLE: This week, we were 
graced and inconvenienced

4
00:00:14,344 --> 00:00:17,901
by a brand-new Xbox Developer Direct.

5
00:00:17,901 --> 00:00:19,804
Last year I thought it was funny

6
00:00:19,804 --> 00:00:23,470
that they used the exact same 
opening song 2 years in a row.

7
00:00:23,470 --> 00:00:25,355
[bright music]

8
00:00:25,355 --> 00:00:29,238
Now, this year it would be silly 
to assume they'd try anything new.

9
00:00:29,238 --> 00:00:30,858
It's copy and paste at this point.

10
00:00:30,858 --> 00:00:37,763
[same bright music]

11
00:00:37,763 --> 00:00:44,650
Why that's weird is that Xbox's whole business 
has changed dramatically since January of 2023

12
00:00:44,650 --> 00:00:46,061
and so has its marketing.

13
00:00:46,061 --> 00:00:50,627
But for some reason, 
the Developer Direct remains unchanged.

14
00:00:50,627 --> 00:00:54,292
Someone at Microsoft likes these 
exactly the way they are.

15
00:00:54,292 --> 00:00:55,078
But you know what?

16
00:00:55,078 --> 00:00:58,694
That makes the small ways in which they 
are different stand out even more.

17
00:00:58,694 --> 00:00:59,670
Here are:

18
00:01:03,009 --> 00:01:03,594
Firstly:

19
00:01:05,865 --> 00:01:08,953
For some reason, 
there was a brand-new warning

20
00:01:08,953 --> 00:01:11,367
at the beginning of 
this year's presentation.

21
00:01:16,418 --> 00:01:18,313
I'm not sure that would 
stand out to anyone, right?

22
00:01:18,313 --> 00:01:22,830
That doesn't seem unusual.
But Xbox has never done that before.

23
00:01:22,830 --> 00:01:24,757
Even looking at their 
most recent game showcase,

24
00:01:24,757 --> 00:01:27,398
all they had was this 
Mature Content warning.

25
00:01:27,398 --> 00:01:30,386
But the Developer Direct warning 
doesn't stop there.

26
00:01:30,386 --> 00:01:33,442
Turns out, 
it's not really a warning.

27
00:01:33,442 --> 00:01:33,876
It says:

28
00:01:37,090 --> 00:01:40,304
Oh, got it!
So this is just commercial time.

29
00:01:40,304 --> 00:01:45,297
Back when Xbox deleted day-one benefits 
from the regular Game Pass tier,

30
00:01:45,297 --> 00:01:48,727
I was making light of the fact they 
couldn't say their favorite phrase anymore,

31
00:01:48,727 --> 00:01:50,825
"Day 1 with Game Pass."

32
00:01:50,825 --> 00:01:54,197
Look, Game Pass Ultimate 
is the one that has Day 1 games.

33
00:01:54,197 --> 00:01:56,518
Core and Standard do not.

34
00:01:56,518 --> 00:02:00,617
How silly of you to think 
Standard Game Pass would have Day 1.

35
00:02:00,617 --> 00:02:04,207
But they just keep saying it.
Nothing's actually changed.

36
00:02:04,207 --> 00:02:07,940
You gotta read between the lines.
PC and Ultimate is implied here.

37
00:02:07,940 --> 00:02:09,049
[HONK]
You know what,

38
00:02:09,049 --> 00:02:10,328
you'll figure it out 
when you get to the website.

39
00:02:10,328 --> 00:02:12,364
The good news warning continues:

40
00:02:23,359 --> 00:02:26,491
It sits in the same portion 
of a presentation

41
00:02:26,491 --> 00:02:29,780
where you would typically have 
some sort of disclaimer.

42
00:02:29,780 --> 00:02:33,505
However, at this point, 
it is purely commercial speech.

43
00:02:33,505 --> 00:02:37,702
And this, to me, IS Xbox right now.

44
00:02:37,702 --> 00:02:41,835
This is the current mission statement 
of the Xbox brand.

45
00:02:41,835 --> 00:02:43,230
Finally:

46
00:02:44,815 --> 00:02:45,568
appears
and then a silly little animation for it.

47
00:02:45,568 --> 00:02:51,312
And that's really what they give you.
They give you a little show.

48
00:02:51,312 --> 00:02:55,968
Less than ever, this feels like 
developers directly talking to you

49
00:02:55,968 --> 00:02:59,762
and more like they're just 
putting on a little play for us

50
00:02:59,762 --> 00:03:03,818
that was written by their PR managers
who are grinding their teeth backstage.

51
00:03:03,818 --> 00:03:05,029
Consider this moment here.

52
00:03:05,029 --> 00:03:07,475
MARTY STRATTON: --at our 
most ambitious game yet.

53
00:03:07,475 --> 00:03:10,657
This is Doom: The Dark Ages.

54
00:03:10,657 --> 00:03:12,360
HUGO MARTIN: That was so stupid
I mouthed the words.

55
00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,424
[everyone laughs]

56
00:03:15,424 --> 00:03:19,589
KYLE: I think that's a fun, 
honest, humorous moment.

57
00:03:19,589 --> 00:03:23,189
However, it is only funny, 
it can only exist,

58
00:03:23,189 --> 00:03:27,279
'cause everything up to that point 
WAS rehearsed, WAS scripted.

59
00:03:27,279 --> 00:03:30,251
It's funny because of how weird 
everything else feels.

60
00:03:30,251 --> 00:03:31,429
This could be filled with developers

61
00:03:31,429 --> 00:03:34,368
genuinely talking off-the-cuff about 
what they've been working on,

62
00:03:34,368 --> 00:03:37,431
but for the most part, it's fluffy, 
meaningless mission statements.

63
00:03:37,431 --> 00:03:41,346
JASMIN ROY: At Compulsion Games, 
we love to craft around central themes.

64
00:03:41,346 --> 00:03:46,640
Another big difference between 
Developer Directs in previous years is:

65
00:03:48,367 --> 00:03:56,251
The very indignity of seeing PS5 advertised 
in an Xbox showcase.

66
00:03:56,251 --> 00:03:59,948
Now, one might think, 
"Obviously in previous years

67
00:03:59,948 --> 00:04:02,796
they were all Xbox exclusives.
There was no opportunity to put PS5 in here."

68
00:04:02,796 --> 00:04:05,893
But no, look at Visions of Mana
and Minecraft Legends here,

69
00:04:05,893 --> 00:04:08,707
free from the blight 
of PlayStation references.

70
00:04:08,707 --> 00:04:12,097
By the way, they only did 
these funny doodles Year 1.

71
00:04:12,097 --> 00:04:14,608
They stopped that immediately.

72
00:04:14,608 --> 00:04:17,715
But yeah, even as recently 
as last year's Xbox Showcase,

73
00:04:17,715 --> 00:04:19,693
they didn't mention the PS5.

74
00:04:19,693 --> 00:04:21,580
But why would you?
You don't do that kind of thing.

75
00:04:21,580 --> 00:04:23,976
Nintendo doesn't do that.
Sony doesn't do that.

76
00:04:23,976 --> 00:04:27,239
You don't talk about-- You don't 
advertise other people's consoles.

77
00:04:27,239 --> 00:04:28,751
That's ridiculous.

78
00:04:28,751 --> 00:04:31,115
[drawl] Well, lookee here.

79
00:04:31,115 --> 00:04:33,769
While this may not seem like 
a big deal at first glance,

80
00:04:33,769 --> 00:04:37,643
it is the indubitable flag 
representing the pivot.

81
00:04:37,643 --> 00:04:42,803
"From this day forth," says Xbox,
"We do not fear the PS5.

82
00:04:42,803 --> 00:04:43,496
'Cause remember:

83
00:04:44,389 --> 00:04:54,167
So really, if you buy this on PS5,
you're only hurting yourself.

84
00:04:54,167 --> 00:04:57,187
Really, it's kinda stupid 
if you don't give us $20 a month.

85
00:04:57,187 --> 00:04:59,777
Kinda just wasting your income.

86
00:04:59,777 --> 00:05:01,697
Kinda think you're bad at economics."

87
00:05:01,697 --> 00:05:04,018
Last big change,
for the first time in one of these:

88
00:05:06,899 --> 00:05:09,443
Remember, 
the beauty of a Developer Direct

89
00:05:09,443 --> 00:05:13,852
is that there are no 
manipulative, hotshot trailers,

90
00:05:13,852 --> 00:05:16,357
no fancy editing.
Give me sloppy editing.

91
00:05:16,357 --> 00:05:17,392
HAZEL'S MOM: As long as you 
didn't forget the--

92
00:05:17,392 --> 00:05:19,195
HAZEL: --flashlights and batteries.

93
00:05:19,195 --> 00:05:21,133
HAZEL'S MOM: Oh shoot, 
we've got 5 minutes.

94
00:05:21,133 --> 00:05:23,202
KYLE: Yeah, that hits the spot.
And you know what else?

95
00:05:23,202 --> 00:05:25,599
I like it when developers are talking,

96
00:05:25,599 --> 00:05:27,962
not reading off of some 
teleprompter somewhere.

97
00:05:27,962 --> 00:05:32,063
STRATTON: A lot has changed since then
but our team is as passionate as ever.

98
00:05:32,063 --> 00:05:35,669
KYLE: That's what I'm talkin' about.
Trailers are for other shows.

99
00:05:35,669 --> 00:05:39,032
Developer Directs, 
50 minutes of authenticity.

100
00:05:39,032 --> 00:05:42,648
But really, the most exciting portion 
of this Developer Direct

101
00:05:42,648 --> 00:05:46,339
was not just the revelation 
that a pretty nice Ninja Gaiden 4

102
00:05:46,339 --> 00:05:49,753
is in development 
from Team Ninja and Platinum Games,

103
00:05:49,753 --> 00:05:55,212
but also that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black exists
and it looks better than this new game.

104
00:05:55,212 --> 00:05:56,807
And you can:

105
00:06:01,533 --> 00:06:05,100
Kind of confusing sentence.
I see now why they're typing out PS5.

106
00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:08,930
But what I mean to say is,
after all this, I do wonder if

107
00:06:08,930 --> 00:06:15,318
the tried and true Nintendo Direct method 
of trailer, explanation, information

108
00:06:15,318 --> 00:06:18,073
is still the best way 
to do this kind of thing.

109
00:06:18,073 --> 00:06:21,204
Look at how they introduced Expedition 33.

110
00:06:21,204 --> 00:06:32,249
[somber piano plays]

111
00:06:32,249 --> 00:06:38,729
[French singing]

112
00:06:38,729 --> 00:06:39,856
GUILLAUME BROCHE: Bonjour, everyone.

113
00:06:39,856 --> 00:06:42,485
KYLE: Yeah, they were in no rush
to show you that video game.

114
00:06:42,485 --> 00:06:44,847
First things first, 
look at these tall ceilings.

115
00:06:44,847 --> 00:06:46,810
To be clear, though, 
I do think Expedition 33

116
00:06:46,810 --> 00:06:49,422
brought the best presentation 
of the entire direct,

117
00:06:49,422 --> 00:06:54,021
demonstrating clearly how it's both 
similar and different to your expectations,

118
00:06:54,021 --> 00:06:58,031
unafraid to expose its pointlessly 
complicated passive effect system,

119
00:06:58,031 --> 00:07:01,428
and a true enthusiasm 
to introduce the world map.

120
00:07:01,428 --> 00:07:04,026
Okay, almost true enthusiasm.

121
00:07:04,026 --> 00:07:08,442
Try to tell me when this developer 
reiterates that there's a world map,

122
00:07:08,442 --> 00:07:10,546
that it comes off as unscripted.

123
00:07:10,546 --> 00:07:13,769
TOM GUILLERMAN: --a completely 3D 
and navigatable world map.

124
00:07:13,769 --> 00:07:15,187
Yes, we've got a world map.

125
00:07:15,187 --> 00:07:19,437
KYLE: To me, it's just incredibly off-putting 
how seemingly afraid they are

126
00:07:19,437 --> 00:07:25,156
to just let developers speak freely 
in a potentially sub-optimal manner.

127
00:07:25,156 --> 00:07:29,455
"What if it's not entertaining enough?
We could lose viewers."

128
00:07:29,455 --> 00:07:33,121
But, in fairness, 
they never promised a documentary.

129
00:07:33,121 --> 00:07:37,104
In fact, I wonder if that WAS a warning.

130
00:07:37,104 --> 00:07:43,190
MENACING VOICE: Enjoy the show.

131
00:07:43,190 --> 00:07:45,795
KYLE: Despite that, 
despite the abundant artifice,

132
00:07:45,795 --> 00:07:53,323
I do think Developer Directs are one of the 
most interesting ways to present a showcase.

133
00:07:53,323 --> 00:07:57,016
That they really-- They spend a lot of 
time on the games themselves.

134
00:07:57,016 --> 00:07:59,637
50 minutes for 4 games 
is actually pretty crazy.

135
00:07:59,637 --> 00:08:03,111
And I really, really like that someone 
at Xbox recognizes

136
00:08:03,111 --> 00:08:07,460
that some of these mid-budget games 
are truly interesting

137
00:08:07,460 --> 00:08:09,649
and deserve the full spotlight.

138
00:08:09,649 --> 00:08:12,487
I don't think it was a better 
presentation than last year's

139
00:08:12,487 --> 00:08:15,141
but I'm going to give it a better grade

140
00:08:15,141 --> 00:08:19,164
because my expectations are just 
generally sinking across the board.

141
00:08:19,164 --> 00:08:20,183
Therefore:

142
00:08:21,270 --> 00:08:23,799
And that's Delayed Input.
I'll be back next week.

143
00:08:23,799 --> 00:08:24,867
Thanks for watching.

144
00:08:34,911 --> 00:08:37,918
Alright, so one of the things that 
actually stands out to me the most

145
00:08:37,918 --> 00:08:39,203
from the entire presentation

146
00:08:39,203 --> 00:08:45,122
is how soft and silly the new Doom looks.

147
00:08:45,122 --> 00:08:49,614
That's right, I'm officially putting 
Doom: The Dark Ages

148
00:08:49,614 --> 00:08:50,675
on Dum-Dum Watch.

149
00:08:51,750 --> 00:08:56,752
Doom is dangerously close 
to transitioning from

150
00:08:56,752 --> 00:09:02,354
this absolutely unassailable, 
cool guy franchise to

151
00:09:02,354 --> 00:09:07,223
an absolute dorkfest,
at least how it's presented.

152
00:09:07,223 --> 00:09:11,337
Doom somehow became some sort of 
Do What the Circle Tells You To Do game.

153
00:09:11,337 --> 00:09:15,353
Hit an enemy until a purple circle appears
and then walk over and kill it.

154
00:09:15,353 --> 00:09:18,711
It's made clear, just looking at it,
that the Doom team

155
00:09:18,711 --> 00:09:25,789
is trying to take this franchise in a more
wide market direction.

156
00:09:25,789 --> 00:09:27,259
And they'll even tell you that.

157
00:09:27,259 --> 00:09:29,639
STRATTON: So in 2016, 
we asked you to run and gun.

158
00:09:29,639 --> 00:09:32,052
In Doom Eternal it was jump and shoot.

159
00:09:32,052 --> 00:09:36,470
And in Doom: The Dark Ages
you're gonna stand and fight.

160
00:09:36,470 --> 00:09:38,772
KYLE: And remember, 
that's the pre-approved PR.

161
00:09:38,772 --> 00:09:40,876
They're proud of that.
And what's--

162
00:09:40,876 --> 00:09:44,175
What's so funny about it, to me, 
is that "stand and fight"

163
00:09:44,175 --> 00:09:47,389
is the least interesting option 
of those 3 things.

164
00:09:47,389 --> 00:09:50,301
And it's not like we weren't 
fighting before.

165
00:09:50,301 --> 00:09:54,710
And the accompanying clip 
that demonstrates this is indeed boring.

166
00:09:54,710 --> 00:09:56,823
Looks like the player's just 
pressing the buttons

167
00:09:56,823 --> 00:09:59,920
that game is explicitly 
asking them to press.

168
00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:01,698
I'm not even sure you have to aim.

169
00:10:01,698 --> 00:10:05,290
Look at this example of one of their 
big, new, expansive levels.

170
00:10:05,290 --> 00:10:09,194
It's so weird to me. It's so weird that 
the demons are just organized.

171
00:10:09,194 --> 00:10:12,075
They're just lined up 
waiting for you to come kill them.

172
00:10:12,075 --> 00:10:13,845
Look at these 5 shield guys.

173
00:10:13,845 --> 00:10:17,343
I guess that should be 
an intimidating obstacle.

174
00:10:17,343 --> 00:10:20,584
Ideally, you'd look at 5 shield guys 
and you think,

175
00:10:20,584 --> 00:10:23,508
"Oh, okay. 
How am I gonna flank them?

176
00:10:23,508 --> 00:10:26,159
I gotta figure out what angle 
to hit this from."

177
00:10:26,159 --> 00:10:30,060
When, no, we all know you're gonna hit 'em 
with the shield and they all die in one hit.

178
00:10:30,060 --> 00:10:31,954
I don't care how much you 
jack up the speed.

179
00:10:31,954 --> 00:10:34,101
It's gonna look stupid at any difficulty.

180
00:10:34,101 --> 00:10:38,935
And again, stupid is not necessarily bad.
I've been known to enjoy some stupid games.

181
00:10:38,935 --> 00:10:42,082
But Doom presents itself as cool.

182
00:10:42,082 --> 00:10:44,403
Let me ask you something:
Do you buy this?

183
00:10:44,403 --> 00:10:46,865
Do you believe those buildings 
have occupants in them?

184
00:10:46,865 --> 00:10:50,656
Do you feel huge?
You feel like you're a big robot?

185
00:10:50,656 --> 00:10:54,078
'Cause to me, it looks airy.
It looks weightless.

186
00:10:54,078 --> 00:10:59,832
Epic on paper, cartoonish in practice.
"Oh good, another purple circle."

187
00:10:59,832 --> 00:11:04,015
And look, I know I'm just basing this off 
of the presentation I watched today,

188
00:11:04,015 --> 00:11:05,842
which was made for a mass market.

189
00:11:05,842 --> 00:11:12,331
I'm not saying for certain the game will be 
dumb and silly and Disney XD-level drama.

190
00:11:12,331 --> 00:11:13,340
But

191
00:11:13,340 --> 00:11:15,946
it is officially on Dum-Dum Watch.

192
00:11:18,066 --> 00:11:20,311
STRATTON: And if that wasn't enough,
we also have for you

193
00:11:20,311 --> 00:11:24,378
your very own fire-breathing, 
gatling gun-toting cybernetic dragon.