Exactly what I’m talking about. For 10 dollars a month you’d get all Microsoft first party games on PS5. No reason to own xbox anymore.
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You have seen the games and franchises they have made in the past right ?
Dream move by MS would be to acquire Bungie and announce crossplay for XSX | XSS launch. This would mean PS players could move to Xbox and keep playing with their mates.
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Dream move would be an Sega or Capcom acquisition. Bungie is way more realistic and if we trust sites like Eurogamer they had talked about it.
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I would say I am in the minority but nothing about the SEGA acquisition really interests me. Yeah you get a whole bunch of I.P. with it but these studios can only make a certain amount of games. I could think of far better ways to spend the money.
Capcom would cost a hell of a lot more but would be an awesome get with how popular their ip is now.
I finally caught up with a develop buddy of mine for the first time since the Bethesda buyout. Asked his thoughts. Few interesting things came from the conversation. He said beyond just the studio acquisitions, Microsoft has been hiring at a shocking pace like he and his peers haven’t seen from a single company before. That Microsoft is creating a vortex for talent based on how fast they’re acquiring people. I asked him how that has made him and his friends feel. He said devs really like Matt Booty.
Thought it was worth mentioning because often the conversations are around studio acquisitions but what’s under the radar is how much talent they’re gathering and Matt Booty appears to be a more important player to their trajectory than he gets credit for.
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Thanks for sharing that. I see Matt Booty succeeding Phil Spencer as the head of Xbox once Phil inevitably decides to retire. I’ve seen a few interviews with him and he seems like a nice guy.
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I think Matt Booty is basically showing the way to acquire talents and studios. He is essential.
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Thanks for such a great update, and I think it’s really important to remember how much growth we’ve seen since Booty took over. That’s not at all to diminish Phil’s part in that, but I think you’re right in that Booty doesn’t get nearly enough credit for likely being the legs in much of this expansion.
I too have heard that Matt is an incredible people-person and prefers to stay in the background. He gets things done, clearly. The industry is changing, and not always for the better, but I am ecstatic to see how Phil and Matt can bring some creative freedom backed by a corporation as large as Microsoft in the midst of it all. It’s insane to think that Xbox will still be adding more studios soon… I hope that a few on my list get acquired, if for no other reason than to prevent Amazon or Google from doing so.
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I know that we just had a megaton with Bethesda, but it feels slightly odd to have things so relatively quiet only weeks after that moment, especially considering all the teasing from MS (the statements from Phil and Satya, and the declaration that applied to this fiscal year - unless I’m mistaken, I think the Bethesda sale would have been finalized/money-exchanged earlier this year).
I’m hoping that there’s going to be some additional bombshells right before launch, but the launch process itself is a massive-enough endeavor that I have to remember that most of the focus is going to be towards those elements the next couple weeks. It’s just such an exciting time to be an Xbox gamer!
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I thought crossplay was coming at launch for next gen consoles.
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I have seen this posted often, both by journalists and fans, but I am not sure how the business deal would work for this? MS generates revenue from GP not just from subscription but also mtxs and game purchases. The latter two (mtxs and game sales) don’t exist on a competitors device (outside of first party games which then would no longer be exclusive). Additionally any third party games would require new licensing deals due to them being on a different device.
I think MS wants to time their big announcements. If there is something more, expect it more around the launch of the consoles to make a big impact, like they did right before the pre-orders.
If they are all sold out though, what’s the point in another bombshell studio acquisition announcement, why not wait until there is stock again?
Bombshells usually take time to develop while private company deals can stay hidden for awhile. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t hear about more until 2021. Microsoft’s fiscal year extends through July. They are going to sell through all stock this year and Game Awards seem like a time to celebrate games rather than acquisitions so my non-insider prediction is we won’t find out about more until next year unless they have to share due to dealing with a public company.
I think if Sony were to allow Game Pass on Playstation, Microsoft would take it. I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon though. The reason is because as you say, Game Pass needs to come with the full ecosystem experience. That means the ability to buy other things like microtransactions and DLC. Means allowing Xbox Live. Sony isn’t allowing that anytime soon.
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If they made other acquisitions, why would you sit on them for months at the same time.
To maximize the benefit of the announcement and sell more consoles or subs. They sat on Ninja Theory and Obsidian since they were private so they could drop it at E3.
Apparently there are two more acquisitions, so I guess we will see then.
And so many possibilities too… with Bloober potentially being a third if Microsoft ends up winning them out.
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Right, I’ve mentioned that their fiscal year runs through June several times when people have gotten worried about whether or not we’ll see something “this year”; that was even before Bethesda and even then I try to make it clear that June 2021 is that end of “the year” that I’m speaking of. I’m mainly chomping at the bit to see what private companies are on the “buy list” and to see who the supposed two waiting-to-be-announced studios are that we keep hearing about.
I keep hoping for Bloober; they’re a team that keeps getting better with every release. Additionally, Xbox has inarguably become the home of Shooters (of all varieties), Western RPGs, and Racing (arguably the best racing franchises out there), so having Bloober with Undead Labs and Tango (and Arkane in some cases) would solidify Xbox as a home to Horror as well (and that’s not even including all of the exclusive Horror titles that are coming from third-parties).
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