Phil Spencer talks to the Verge/Decoder about Xbox; Game Pass deals; Games; xCloud via Smart TV; Halo delay; And loads more

[CallMeCraig]

The important thing is they are flexible with the payment model and can adapt to needs and wishes of devs. That is a good thing.

[brunopcosta1 (Bruno Costa)]

Seriously, whenever you feel any concerns about Xbox, you HAVE TO listen to Phil Spencer talking. There is a whole roadmap for the brand that you can’t help but feel excited about it.

[OneBadMutha]

@SuikerBrood

I believe Spencer said he hopes the model moves more towards a model that doesn’t pay upfront. Which doesn’t have to mean bad things. You can have performance bonuses for having many players. This way games get rewarded for being good.

The other side is games could be rewarded for time spent in game, an important metric at Microsoft, which could lead to games being made to keep engagement up, instead of building a good game as the primary objective.

I like the current model, though I do see how it could be less interesting for the more famous indie devs, or developers who know they are working on a gem.

I had taken it a different way. I think the hope is that 3rd party want to be in there because it helps with other monetization opportunities. I also recall him saying on different occasions that having people all gravitating to a handful of games that eat up all engagement is counter to what they want. They want engagement in the service but for there to be a distribution across many games. They want people looking for more/new content across a diverse lineup. Not for a handful of GAAS games. I’ll have to re-listen to the interview.

[Zip]

@SuikerBrood

I believe Spencer said he hopes the model moves more towards a model that doesn’t pay upfront. Which doesn’t have to mean bad things. You can have performance bonuses for having many players. This way games get rewarded for being good.

The other side is games could be rewarded for time spent in game, an important metric at Microsoft, which could lead to games being made to keep engagement up, instead of building a good game as the primary objective.

I like the current model, though I do see how it could be less interesting for the more famous indie devs, or developers who know they are working on a gem.

It looked like there are at least 4 ways they’re currently doing deals. If I’m remembering properly, he seemed to indicate that paying on a case of how much individual users are playing might end up paying more to the developer, but that many may not currently believe it. It sounds as though he was pushing a hybrid pay method that would include a floor payout plus additional amounts based on player usage.

I know in the interviews I’ve read from him and Chris Charla, it seems as though they don’t try to say you must do it this way, they try to be flexible abs go with whatever is best for the dev. That sounds like the best option to me.

[Solidevolution (Brandon B)]

I loved the article! Phil Spencer and Sayta Nedalla are perfect for each other. Microsoft wants to use their wealth to help the world. Xbox is trying to help out gamers and developers. This is the true leadership I need! 2021 will be epic! The Bethesda desks finishes and Halo Infinite releases!