Rob Fahey
Contributing Editor
Rob Fahey is a former editor of GamesIndustry.biz who spent several years living in Japan and probably still has a mint condition Dreamcast Samba de Amigo set.
-
Video games in 2024: Eager anticipation, or just treading water?
With pandemic-delayed titles finally arriving in 2023, and GTA 6 not due until 2025, next year could see a slump in blockbuster games – creating opportunities for other titles
-
You shall not (Game) Pass | Opinion
Microsoft's CFO reiterates a vision for Game Pass on rival consoles – but the obstacles make it a near-impossibility, and go far deeper than questions of revenue sharing
-
Steam stumbles on regional pricing | Opinion
Valve's new policy of using USD denominations in countries with unstable currencies will hurt consumers there – but the real target is region-spoofing consumers elsewhere
-
In the absence of the low-interest economic climate that created it, the recklessness and unsustainability of Embracer Group’s aggressive acquisition strategy is laid bare
-
Blizzard’s Overwatch League was ambitious and doomed | Opinion
One of the most interesting experiments in esports history comes to an expensive close – with the game itself struggling, the writing was on the wall for the league
-
Does Sony have a long-term software strategy? | Opinion
PlayStation's studio system is world-class today – but with reports of cost-cutting and cracks showing in the expensively-acquired Bungie, there are concerns about tomorrow
-
Microsoft joins the publishing top table | Opinion
By adding Activision Blizzard to its existing studios, Microsoft has created a publishing behemoth – and in its financials this week, it was keen to underscore the commitment this represents to gaming
-
What did Microsoft want from Starfield? | Opinion
Bethesda's latest is a bona fide hit, topping US sales charts – but for Microsoft's plan to use exclusives to drive Game Pass subscriptions, that success is a double-edged sword
-
Unity's crisis is much bigger than John Riccitiello | Opinion
What Unity's customers need isn't a sacrificial scalp, it's a clear plan for how the company they rely on is going to achieve financial stability
-
Resident Evil Village on iOS makes cases both for and against cloud streaming | Opinion
Capcom's impressive port shows once again that cloud streaming isn't required for high-end mobile gaming – but it might be the only path to commercial success
-
Meta's Quest 3 fires the starting gun on consumer AR devices | Opinion
Apple and Meta are betting big on augmented reality – but expectations of a revolution to rival the introduction of smartphones should be tempered
-
Microsoft's hardware strategy looks more and more traditional | Opinion
Xbox Series X|S once presented a radically different vision; a console platform that would evolve and improve, ending the hardware generation cycle for good. What happened?
-
The pressure of expectation adds a sour note to Starfield’s launch | Opinion
Bethesda’s latest is exactly what the studio’s fans would expect – but deeply unsuited to carrying the weight of Microsoft’s ambitions
-
PS Plus price hike: We'll all pay for a subscription-based future | Opinion
There's a flicker of Sony's old arrogance in the bump to its PS Plus prices, but it's also a reminder that current subscription pricing is a land grab, not a sustainable business model
-
Xbox at the crossroads | Opinion
Microsoft’s new ABK deal would set the company on a very specific path – can it also focus on the first-party pipeline Starfield is meant to exemplify?
-
Is any progress being made against online anti-social behaviour? | Opinion
Microsoft announced a new strikes system for policing online behaviour – but for the most part, it feels like we're treading water on this increasingly damaging problem
-
Capcom's recipe for success is simple: stay the course, ignore the bandwagons | Opinion
Publishers feel immense pressure to pursue new technologies and trends, but Capcom's decade-long rise highlights the importance of focusing on the fundamentals
-
Xbox' back catalogue isn't just a stopgap – it's a competitive advantage | Opinion
Maintaining great backwards compatibility shouldn't be seen just as a way to cover for a lack of exclusives; we're in an era where back catalogues are more valuable than ever before
-
We’re in the Wild West of generative AI: Beware the outlaws | Opinion
Technology is again out in front of legal and commercial frameworks – but those being taken in by the "this changes everything" hype could learn some lessons from the past
-
Redaction errors reveal the economics of exclusivity | Opinion
Badly-redacted documents from the FTC vs Microsoft show why platform exclusivity is such a big deal
-
Nintendo Direct introduces the Switch's "sunset slate" | Opinion
A focus on remasters and remakes was a fan-pleasing move – but it's increasingly obvious that Switch software is in a holding pattern as we wait for a hardware refresh
-
FF16's demo is a masterclass in pre-launch marketing | Opinion
The choices that allowed the demo from Square Enix' latest to shine lie in the game's fundamental design
-
In defence of the cosmetic whales | Opinion
Expensive in-game cosmetic items are a contentious issue that many developers tiptoe around – but this is the most balanced and palatable option for a modern business model
-
Do players now value performance over graphical realism? | Opinion
Conventional wisdom is that graphical quality is more important but expectations may have shifted
-
Sony’s Project Q offers far more Qs than As | Opinion
Unless PlayStation's new device has very aggressive pricing, it’s tricky to see what problem it’s solving