Despite George R.R. Martin's involvement with Elden Ring, the author revealed he has not played FromSoftware's latest epic for himself. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which was spotted by GamesRadar, Martin explained why.

"I have not played it because people seem to want this Winds of Winters book," Martin said. "And I have, unfortunately, a totally addictive personality. I did play video games a long, long time ago. I played games like Railroad Tycoon, and Master of Orion, and Homeworld and I would get sucked into it, and weeks, months would go by and I'd be sitting there in my red flannel bathrobe just like, 'one more game, one more game,' and [finally I went], 'I can't, I gotta go cold turkey on this, this is gonna kill me here.'"

Martin went on to praise the team at FromSoftware, calling Elden Ring "the most beautiful game I have ever seen. It's really amazing, and amazingly detailed, and the people who play it love it and I'm very gratified to have been a part of it."

In the same interview with Colbert, Martin said that The Winds of Winter could be over 1500 pages long, and that he's about three quarters of the way done writing it. The penultimate entry of A Song of Ice and Fire is certainly keeping Martin very busy, along with other projects like HBO's House of the Dragon.

Martin's involvement with Elden Ring was announced back at E3 2019, alongside the game's reveal. He was key to the foundation of the story, the game's bosses, and much of the overall worldbuilding. Because so much of his work was one at the conceptual level, Martin's involvement with the project was actually completed years ago. Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki said he placed some restraints on Martin's contributions, ensuring that the story always served the player experience.

And even though the writer hasn't sat down to play Elden Ring, he's seemed very happy with the experience overall. When the game was released, Martin said he was very happy with the reviews. He has also previously called the opportunity to work on Elden Ring "too exciting to refuse".

Both FromSoftware and Martin should be very happy with how Elden Ring turned out. The game has dominated the conversation in 2022, earning a perfect score in our review, smashing sales milestones, and setting internet records.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Despite George R.R. Martin's involvement with Elden Ring, the author revealed he has not played FromSoftware's latest epic for himself. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which was spotted by GamesRadar, Martin explained why.

"I have not played it because people seem to want this Winds of Winters book," Martin said. "And I have, unfortunately, a totally addictive personality. I did play video games a long, long time ago. I played games like Railroad Tycoon, and Master of Orion, and Homeworld and I would get sucked into it, and weeks, months would go by and I'd be sitting there in my red flannel bathrobe just like, 'one more game, one more game,' and [finally I went], 'I can't, I gotta go cold turkey on this, this is gonna kill me here.'"

Martin went on to praise the team at FromSoftware, calling Elden Ring "the most beautiful game I have ever seen. It's really amazing, and amazingly detailed, and the people who play it love it and I'm very gratified to have been a part of it."

In the same interview with Colbert, Martin said that The Winds of Winter could be over 1500 pages long, and that he's about three quarters of the way done writing it. The penultimate entry of A Song of Ice and Fire is certainly keeping Martin very busy, along with other projects like HBO's House of the Dragon.

Martin's involvement with Elden Ring was announced back at E3 2019, alongside the game's reveal. He was key to the foundation of the story, the game's bosses, and much of the overall worldbuilding. Because so much of his work was one at the conceptual level, Martin's involvement with the project was actually completed years ago. Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki said he placed some restraints on Martin's contributions, ensuring that the story always served the player experience.

And even though the writer hasn't sat down to play Elden Ring, he's seemed very happy with the experience overall. When the game was released, Martin said he was very happy with the reviews. He has also previously called the opportunity to work on Elden Ring "too exciting to refuse".

Both FromSoftware and Martin should be very happy with how Elden Ring turned out. The game has dominated the conversation in 2022, earning a perfect score in our review, smashing sales milestones, and setting internet records.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Facebook and Quest company Meta is currently getting raked over the coals by investors, due to yet another quarter of massive losses in its VR and metaverse division.

The company's quarterly earnings revealed that its Reality Labs division — which covers its VR and XR efforts as well as metaverse endeavors — saw $3.7 billion in losses from operations. But while this was an exceptionally large loss for the division, it's coming off a long history of losses going back quarter after quarter. That same division has seen losses of $9.4 billion so far this year, compared to $6.9 billion in the same period last year.

Notably, though, this doesn't seem to be directly tied to a massive drop in revenue. Overall company revenue was $29 billion for the quarter, down only 4% year over year. But revenue for the Reality Labs segment alone was only $285 million, meaning Facebook's "Family of Apps" division (which deals with Facebook, Snapchat, and the like) largely carried the company. Put simply, Meta's VR and metaverse eforts are bringing in very little money compared to how much money Meta is spending on them.

And it's prepared to spend even more. Alongside its announcement of a new consumer Meta Quest headset for next year and expenditures related to that, Meta said it expected the division's operating losses to grow "significantly".

"Infrastructure-related" expenses are also expected to play an even bigger role.

Meta doesn't have a lot of good answers

For right now, it doesn't sound like Meta has a lot of good answers for shareholders upset at the big spending, either. In its earnings outlook, Meta said it had "increased scrutiny on all areas of operating expenses," but said that scrutiny would take time to actually have an impact on the numbers. Given some of the language used in the earnings, it's sounding more and more like this may mean layoffs.

And on the earnings call, multiple shareholders brought up the spending issue, only to be repeatedly reassured that Meta was confident its investments would eventually pay off — though perhaps not for a while, as leadership indicated its metaverse efforts may take some time to bring returns.

It wasn't that long ago that the very idea of the Metaverse was under fire from all sides as Meta announced its premium headset, the Meta Quest Pro, at a hefty $1499.99 price tag. At the same time, Zuckerberg and Meta were being readily mocked by the internet due to the ridiculous visuals of its employee metaverse, Horizon Worlds, which apparently none of its employees actually enjoy using. And just this morning, Xbox boss Phil Spencer called current ideations of the metaverse a "poorly-built video game", saying that "building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time."

Meta stock is currently seeing the impact of the earnings call. At the time this piece was written, it had dropped 19% in after-hours trading to $105.30 — a price lower than any the company has seen this year.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Facebook and Quest company Meta is currently getting raked over the coals by investors, due to yet another quarter of massive losses in its VR and metaverse division.

The company's quarterly earnings revealed that its Reality Labs division — which covers its VR and XR efforts as well as metaverse endeavors — saw $3.7 billion in losses from operations. But while this was an exceptionally large loss for the division, it's coming off a long history of losses going back quarter after quarter. That same division has seen losses of $9.4 billion so far this year, compared to $6.9 billion in the same period last year.

Notably, though, this doesn't seem to be directly tied to a massive drop in revenue. Overall company revenue was $29 billion for the quarter, down only 4% year over year. But revenue for the Reality Labs segment alone was only $285 million, meaning Facebook's "Family of Apps" division (which deals with Facebook, Snapchat, and the like) largely carried the company. Put simply, Meta's VR and metaverse eforts are bringing in very little money compared to how much money Meta is spending on them.

And it's prepared to spend even more. Alongside its announcement of a new consumer Meta Quest headset for next year and expenditures related to that, Meta said it expected the division's operating losses to grow "significantly".

"Infrastructure-related" expenses are also expected to play an even bigger role.

Meta doesn't have a lot of good answers

For right now, it doesn't sound like Meta has a lot of good answers for shareholders upset at the big spending, either. In its earnings outlook, Meta said it had "increased scrutiny on all areas of operating expenses," but said that scrutiny would take time to actually have an impact on the numbers. Given some of the language used in the earnings, it's sounding more and more like this may mean layoffs.

And on the earnings call, multiple shareholders brought up the spending issue, only to be repeatedly reassured that Meta was confident its investments would eventually pay off — though perhaps not for a while, as leadership indicated its metaverse efforts may take some time to bring returns.

It wasn't that long ago that the very idea of the Metaverse was under fire from all sides as Meta announced its premium headset, the Meta Quest Pro, at a hefty $1499.99 price tag. At the same time, Zuckerberg and Meta were being readily mocked by the internet due to the ridiculous visuals of its employee metaverse, Horizon Worlds, which apparently none of its employees actually enjoy using. And just this morning, Xbox boss Phil Spencer called current ideations of the metaverse a "poorly-built video game", saying that "building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time."

Meta stock is currently seeing the impact of the earnings call. At the time this piece was written, it had dropped 19% in after-hours trading to $105.30 — a price lower than any the company has seen this year.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller almost didn’t make the cut into production, but it sounds like teams from across the company intervened to see that the project received its funding.

In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft corporate vice president of Windows and devices Robin Seiler revealed the Xbox Adaptive Controller was once “on the cut list,” and at risk of losing funding. The controller initially began as an employee-driven effort to improve accessibility options, seeing its first iterations at company hack-a-thons.

According to Seiler, employees across the Xbox and Surface teams saved the project, leading to collaboration between global divisions determined to “make it happen.”

Seiler says that when faced with budgeting woes, the teams maintained, “No this is actually important for the world. This isn’t about revenue or brand positioning; it’s just important for people to be able to play games if they want to.”

Microsoft employees go on to describe a culture shift at the company post-Xbox Adaptive Controller launch, prioritizing inclusivity. That message remains consistent and came up as recently as last month at Tokyo Game Show when Xbox boss Phil Spencer and corporate vice president Sarah Bond stressed the importance of eliminating barriers between players. Bond highlighted the Xbox Adaptive Controller, while Spencer described a desire to see everyone play together “no matter your ability.”

Speaking to IGN, Xbox director of accessibility Anita Mortaloni echoed those sentiments and explained how cooperation throughout the industry improves accessibility.

“Yes, we can all totally do a whole lot individually, but when we come together, and partner and share ideas, be it across companies or with the community, we get a lot more done, and we are able to advance the industry a lot farther," Mortaloni said.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller made its debut back in 2018, and Microsoft continues to add more accessibility accessories to its offerings. This year, the company revealed its plans for the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse and Adaptive Keyboard. Other accessibility initiatives at the publisher include game evaluations, a process where developers can review guidelines and seek feedback in collaboration with Xbox’s Gaming & Disability Community.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance writer at IGN

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller almost didn’t make the cut into production, but it sounds like teams from across the company intervened to see that the project received its funding.

In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft corporate vice president of Windows and devices Robin Seiler revealed the Xbox Adaptive Controller was once “on the cut list,” and at risk of losing funding. The controller initially began as an employee-driven effort to improve accessibility options, seeing its first iterations at company hack-a-thons.

According to Seiler, employees across the Xbox and Surface teams saved the project, leading to collaboration between global divisions determined to “make it happen.”

Seiler says that when faced with budgeting woes, the teams maintained, “No this is actually important for the world. This isn’t about revenue or brand positioning; it’s just important for people to be able to play games if they want to.”

Microsoft employees go on to describe a culture shift at the company post-Xbox Adaptive Controller launch, prioritizing inclusivity. That message remains consistent and came up as recently as last month at Tokyo Game Show when Xbox boss Phil Spencer and corporate vice president Sarah Bond stressed the importance of eliminating barriers between players. Bond highlighted the Xbox Adaptive Controller, while Spencer described a desire to see everyone play together “no matter your ability.”

Speaking to IGN, Xbox director of accessibility Anita Mortaloni echoed those sentiments and explained how cooperation throughout the industry improves accessibility.

“Yes, we can all totally do a whole lot individually, but when we come together, and partner and share ideas, be it across companies or with the community, we get a lot more done, and we are able to advance the industry a lot farther," Mortaloni said.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller made its debut back in 2018, and Microsoft continues to add more accessibility accessories to its offerings. This year, the company revealed its plans for the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse and Adaptive Keyboard. Other accessibility initiatives at the publisher include game evaluations, a process where developers can review guidelines and seek feedback in collaboration with Xbox’s Gaming & Disability Community.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance writer at IGN

Looks like we're getting yet another brand new Quest headset next year, according to Meta itself. And it'll be a new consumer headset, effectively a Meta Quest 3, distinct from the expensive Quest Pro that just launched.

Dropped quietly during today's quarterly earnings report for Meta, the company stated that it's expecting its costs to increase in the near future in part due to "Reality Labs hardware costs driven by the launch of our next generation of our consumer Quest headset later next year."

While Meta still hasn't outright called this consumer Quest headset the Quest 3, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously referred to it that way in interviews, including one where he said that it would be "in the price range of $300, $400, $500, that zone." There have also been a number of leaks and rumors regarding the device, including one that suggested it will be a mixed reality headset sitting somewhere technologically between the Quest Pro and the Quest 2.

Previously, The Information reported that Meta had four VR headsets scheduled to release betwene 2022 and 2024, including two new Meta Quest headsets. One of those turned out to be the Quest Pro, and the same rumors suggested that a budget model of the Quest 3 may be on the horizon for 2024.

It'll be interesting to see ow Meta meaningfully tops the Quest 2 in terms of affordability and utility, as our review of the Quest 2 called it a "killer VR headset" with numerous improvments over its already amazing predecessor.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Looks like we're getting yet another brand new Quest headset next year, according to Meta itself. And it'll be a new consumer headset, effectively a Meta Quest 3, distinct from the expensive Quest Pro that just launched.

Dropped quietly during today's quarterly earnings report for Meta, the company stated that it's expecting its costs to increase in the near future in part due to "Reality Labs hardware costs driven by the launch of our next generation of our consumer Quest headset later next year."

While Meta still hasn't outright called this consumer Quest headset the Quest 3, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously referred to it that way in interviews, including one where he said that it would be "in the price range of $300, $400, $500, that zone." There have also been a number of leaks and rumors regarding the device, including one that suggested it will be a mixed reality headset sitting somewhere technologically between the Quest Pro and the Quest 2.

Previously, The Information reported that Meta had four VR headsets scheduled to release betwene 2022 and 2024, including two new Meta Quest headsets. One of those turned out to be the Quest Pro, and the same rumors suggested that a budget model of the Quest 3 may be on the horizon for 2024.

It'll be interesting to see ow Meta meaningfully tops the Quest 2 in terms of affordability and utility, as our review of the Quest 2 called it a "killer VR headset" with numerous improvments over its already amazing predecessor.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Xbox Game Pass is profitable, Phil Spencer says, comprising rough around "10 to 15 percent" of Microsoft's gaming revenue. However, growth is slowing, and price increases may be on the way.

In a Wall Street Journal Live segment reported on by journalist Tom Warren, Spencer shed more light on the subscription service and said that it is currently profitable. However, Game Pass may be reaching a saturation point with users.

"We're seeing incredibly growth on PC... on console I've seen growth slow down, mainly because at some point you've reached everybody on console that wants to subscribe," Spencer said.

Phil Spencer confirms at WSJ Live that Xbox Game Pass is profitable for Microsoft. It's around 15% of gaming revenues for Microsoft

"I think it will stay in that 10-15% of our overall revenue, and it's profitable for us."

1/2

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 26, 2022

Spencer also hinted at possible price increases, whether on Xbox Game Pass or on the consoles themselves. While Sony recently raised prices on the PS5 in many territories, Xbox has held back from following suit.

"I do think at some point we'll have to raise the prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices," Spencer said. "We've held price on our console, we've held price on games... and our subscription. I don't think we'll be able to do that forever. I do think at some point we'll have to raise some prices on certain things..."

Spencer's quotes were part of a wide-ranging discussion, with topics including the future of Call of Duty and the Metaverse. It follows Microsoft's recent earnings report, which saw Xbox report healthy sales despite supply chain issues. Xbox has mostly declined to reveal subscription numbers or revenue from the service, but some outlets have reported that it could be as much as $3 billion.

All of this is against the backdrop of Xbox's ongoing attempt to push its Activision Blizzard deal through various regulatory bodies around the world, most notably the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority [CMA]. If it goes through, it's expected to go through sometime in 2023.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Xbox Game Pass is profitable, Phil Spencer says, comprising rough around "10 to 15 percent" of Microsoft's gaming revenue. However, growth is slowing, and price increases may be on the way.

In a Wall Street Journal Live segment reported on by journalist Tom Warren, Spencer shed more light on the subscription service and said that it is currently profitable. However, Game Pass may be reaching a saturation point with users.

"We're seeing incredibly growth on PC... on console I've seen growth slow down, mainly because at some point you've reached everybody on console that wants to subscribe," Spencer said.

Phil Spencer confirms at WSJ Live that Xbox Game Pass is profitable for Microsoft. It's around 15% of gaming revenues for Microsoft

"I think it will stay in that 10-15% of our overall revenue, and it's profitable for us."

1/2

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 26, 2022

Spencer also hinted at possible price increases, whether on Xbox Game Pass or on the consoles themselves. While Sony recently raised prices on the PS5 in many territories, Xbox has held back from following suit.

"I do think at some point we'll have to raise the prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices," Spencer said. "We've held price on our console, we've held price on games... and our subscription. I don't think we'll be able to do that forever. I do think at some point we'll have to raise some prices on certain things..."

Spencer's quotes were part of a wide-ranging discussion, with topics including the future of Call of Duty and the Metaverse. It follows Microsoft's recent earnings report, which saw Xbox report healthy sales despite supply chain issues. Xbox has mostly declined to reveal subscription numbers or revenue from the service, but some outlets have reported that it could be as much as $3 billion.

All of this is against the backdrop of Xbox's ongoing attempt to push its Activision Blizzard deal through various regulatory bodies around the world, most notably the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority [CMA]. If it goes through, it's expected to go through sometime in 2023.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.