Yes, all the time with From Software and Bandai Namco 
(Bandai Studios was even involved with Armored Core VI so that’s the exact Octopath situation there)
I disagree I think one can compete with Steam. How ever I don’t think the best way to do that is to just copy steam instead one has to innovate where Steam is lacking like the way Xbox came out with achievements. Epic game and MS store just can’t compete with what they have right now. A few exclusives won’t seal the deal also they would have to extend and unify their stores. Extend the store to Mobile and every device. Epic games have exclusives and free games so does Steam and at the end of the day Steam is just a better way to play. I do think if Xbox can become digital with all their library of games becoming playable on both PC and console. They would have a shot as they would be able to migrate their customer base between both platforms. If all my library was accessible on PC with the benefits of PC , I would certainly take that over Steam.
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I was lamenting the fact that I couldn’t use my Fanatec Porsche wheel for the 360 with any of the Xbox One or Xbox Series racing games Lake Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon but then I remembered that with play anywhere I can actually use the wheel on my PC and play those games with it. So I totally agree If this goes across the library where I buy third party games and they could be played on PC as well, that would be epic. I have fighting sticks compatible with the PC but not the new consoles.
But yes, stuff like this isn’t covered under a purchase of Steam but rather covered under an investment into their own Xbox store.
But I think this is a valuable discussion because we all recognize that Game Pass on the PC is the biggest area of potential growth where Game Pass could effectively hit hundreds of millions of subscribers. And this store presence on the PC is a critical part of it.
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I agree the cross eco-sytem ‘play everywhere’ is definitely their best advantage along with PC Game Pass like @nrXic stated, I just don’t know if it’s enough to convince 130+ million people to uproot from their decades of purchases, friends and achievements.
Even if they can convince their console playerbase to also play on PC it is a much smaller cohort of people and their mobile store will only ever work if the Apple/Google duopoly is broken up which still looks unlikely.
Steam also have the capability to release a console and go multi device, the Steam Deck is essentially already a console on its own.
I think if anything PC Gamepass will be the bigger incentive for people to move, as it won’t feel like your losing your history of game purchases (even if you won’t technically own them). However if Steam ever released their own subscription then I just don’t see Xbox ever having a chance on PC.
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I was thinking the exact same. While Valve doesn’t have the first party output required to do this without a ton of licensing and agreements, that’s a capacity that can be built with time. In that area Xbox has a head start.
But I do have to counter the idea that people would have to shift over from Steam to the Xbox store. I think the goal for Xbox is to have a sizable amount of people using their store in tandem. For example I have both the Epic and Steam stores. I’ve also bought games off of GOG. What they really have to do is what Epic had to do in convincing people it was worth the hard drive space and used resources on the PC. Simply that it was worth having installed on a computer.
All this talk about install base really lends to you your argument about Microsoft buying Steam/Valve. When they buy companies like GitHub, LinkedIn, etc. they are not just buying the tech (tech that is often more mature than the competition) they’re spending all that money buying that userbase. They are buying that install base. So if they did buy Steam they are buying access to 120+ million gamers on top of a very polished storefront.
There are billions not using Steam. While Steam is the main place for PC, its market isn’t that big. Example Steam isn’t really relevant in countries like China and a lot of Asia. The point is there is still a lot of market to be captured on PC that steam isn’t even close to. I think have the Xbox user base is a start and if it is unified so that libraries can be moved then you could be getting a user base from all the Xbox generation, heck even those of the 360 which could close or more than Steam numbers. Also, the Gamepass effect will come in and attract a lot of users not to mention there is still Battle.net from ABK and all the ABK users which number about 356 million. The question is how Microsoft handles it all. I think they would need to move before Steam starts implementing this ideas.
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8 Minutes & 4 Seconds
So… “As we bring more teams into the Xbox family”.
Do you think they currently have further acquisitions in progress?
Is Crystal Dynamics and Eidos still on the table?
It definitely seems they are doing something.
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You are right, but the non-Steam population is very hardcore and not in games that would be compatible with the Xbox console market.
In other words, if you publish a game consoles and want to have your game on PC, you put it on Steam (or take the cash from Epic).
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ABK just joined the Xbox family.
Would be silly to have near term acquisitions after just laying off so many people
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I agree it would be a bad look, however it also seems odd that Booty would specifically mention this.
It’s possible in the wider context that he was just talking about merging ABK teams into Xbox with cross-play and cross-save but who knows. Especially considering they have already been part of the Xbox family for 4 months.
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4 months flies by and this event presumably woukd have been the ABK welcoming under different circumstances.
Really not expecting any acquisitiond anytime soon.
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Xbox did already have a round of layoffs while actively buying Activision, I don’t think this would limit how they handle acquisitions. It seems silly to lay staff off then expand by buying new teams, but the way they view it is that layoffs is making their existence sources of revenue run more efficiently whereas acquisitions are bringing in new sources of revenue. They don’t really contradict from that perspective.
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The first round of acquisitions were not gaming focused, the latest round was. They reduced development capacity, which is what they’d be acquiring by doing a studio (non publisher) acquisition.
That isn’t how I take that comment and instead is about ABK.
That being said, I do believe Microsoft is actively in deep conversations about adding more game studios.
As for those specific ones, I’d be shocked if it is not them, because I just read an article this morning, yet it was from yesterday about how Embracer is about to have another big layoff and is hoping to offload a few studios before hand.
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It’s difficult because Xbox are renowned for their mixed messaging now, I understand they have to pick their words carefully but they could also speak plainly. For example with ABK they could say they are trying to implement features such as cross-play and cross-save rather than “bring more teams into the Xbox family”.
I think if they don’t pick up those Embracer studios it would be a huge mistake. Especially if Playstation acquire CD & Eidos instead as they already have a stranglehold on these types of studios. For a long time I have said Xbox need more studios like these.
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Absolutely, I agree, I was just at work the other day and I overheard a conversation with two guys, one of them was saying he regretted buying his Xbox Series X and should have only bought a PS5, because the Xbox has no games.
I politely said, it is a good thing Indiana Jones and Avowed come out soon, yeah, but that is at the end of the year, he said.
He wants those big, cinematic, single player games, that showcase the reason why you need that system and in his viewpoint, they don’t.
So getting those two developers, is a must.
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Ultimately, I don’t feel any need to push back on people’s taste. If Indiana Jones, Avowed, Hellblade 2 and other are as good as I expect them to be, those folks will likely change their tune. Ultimately, it’s on Xbox to change the narrative and they continue making progress in that direction (despite their routinely confusing marketing).
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I sure as heck hope so. Let that Deus Ex project get going again and bring back Legacy of Kain someday. 
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They also seem to attract gaming media/critic attention, which helps the platform stand out. Despite these games not always selling very well (Alan Wake 2 being another recent example).
The ironic thing is Playstation hasn’t been producing many either recently.
I don’t think Xbox should change their existing approach as these games look fantastic, I just feel they should offer more of these types of games in addition to their current offerings (which is very RPG/FPS heavy). Hellblade 2 is probably their biggest first party game in this style and we have been waiting since they were acquired in 2018 to get it.
Yep I’m still holding out hope.
If they can get Amy Hennig back on board for the Kain reboot it would be epic!!
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Fair read, hard to tell if he is saying they want to hold on to the most iconic studios and IP or are just holding on to the development of the games being produced, I’d say the later. I still am very hopeful a deal can be done for 8 to 10 studios and IP, but I have to be honest I’m starting to lose hope. Would really like to see this happen this year.
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