The console industry as a whole need to expand like the film or movie industry. There are over 17000 games that have been released in just this year trying to fit that in a 200 million audience is a nightmare. In my opinion platforms should be digital like Steam and hardware should be universal being able to play everything like when you buy a DVD or Blu-ray player which I thing Xbox is pushing for with the Xbox everywhere campaign. This would allow one standard kind od hardware to be built and also devs focus more time in fully optimizing games for that hardware. Platform holders will have to differentiate their hardware with features and not exclusive games. Also hardware would sell more as they become readily available by different manufacturers and suppliers in different countries and hardware prices might even become more affordable.
I donât see games ever becoming as widely consumed as films. The time investment alone makes it prohibitive. Thereâs only so many games people can play anyway. So Iâd say the problem is the opposite, i.e. gaming has expanded way too much and has chased a non existent golden apple in the form of a billion players who donât exist. Jim Ryan was quoted a few years ago saying he wanted hundreds of millions of people to play God of War. Well guess what? Thatâs never going to happen.
Thereâs simply far too much choice now in terms of hobbies and digital entertainment for one medium (be it films, gaming, music or whatnot) to dominate the cultural landscape - notwithstanding regional, economic and cultural differences around the world as well which makes reaching people with video games on the level these corpos fantasize about pretty much impossible. Just look at Black Myth Wukong: huge hit in China. Then look at something like Dragon Age Veilguard: nonexistent in China. Thatâs just the way things will always be.
So⊠what you see is what you get. 200 million or thereabouts people whoâll actually drop money on games, with far fewer willing to drop 80 euros day one.
Yep itâs why they chase that mobile money, as while the generation above me in my family for example play zero console / PC games, they all play the odd word game / puzzle game etc on their phones - while the generation below if not playing on console / PC are on Genshin, Fortnite and CoD mobile (if thatâs properly out yet).
Itâs a much bigger audience, but the mistake being made by some is trying to put console experiences on a phone - while for kids itâs a good backup device when theyâre not allowed on their console (hence why those 3 I mention above are doing fine), many mobile players are adults who are pressed for time.
We play a puzzle game when stuck in a queue, or do another level of a simple game in a quick break between work meetings, or complete the daily word game streak during a breather from hectic lives.
Mobile games need to be quick to pick up, cheap, save progress very regularly and be able to be played for a few minutes at a time to really reach large numbers - otherwise theyâll just be stuck as a console backupâŠ
New here, so please do not judge me too harsh for what am about to say:
In regards to exclusives and multiplatform approach and red lines.
Firstly, i would say Xbox should invest in new pillars series that should remain within the Xbox ecosystem while not on the others. Why do i think this would be smart primarly comes with the perception that if the Higher ups just keep porting way to many games to rivals, it will make several consumers outright leave the platform. Sure many here will state or correct me that it wonât happen cause of Digital Library or gamepass, but the debacle of Xbox One era is still fresh in my mind and canât help but compare what is occuring now to that.
No, am not oppose to some games going other places, thatâs not really my overall concern but two points do: Hyper focus on PC, Mobile and Cloud while being ignorant of hardware users. While am not against the need to expand, there are times i do question the need for higher ups need to speak in a matter where it seems more interested with Pc this, Playstation here, Nintendo there, and Cloud that that it makes any Xbox hardware consumer feel like thereâs not going be anything for them in the long run.
The second point i wish to say is primarly their investment back towards costumers, the pc side is clearly in need of massive improvements while cloud is unstable in several locations around the world. The less i even start talking about localization issues the better cause that can of worms is another thing that needs massive improvements when you know that the Korean and Arab scene is slowly being vital in the future of gaming. Also, i still contemplate if they are being serious about keeping our library intact, which is still something i have massive bad vibes especially with the amount of ports they could deliver yearly which could lead to undermining the value of its ecosystem more so. So in retrospect, feel like playstation and nintedo users are having better times ahead compared to the audience here if Xbox pushes thing too far.
Another thing i would like to add in the discussion is that am really being scared of some of the indifference going on within the xbox community, like i thought the anger before was off but somewhat justified. Now? I have to wonder is having an indiffirence audience is really that good for Xbox long term. I remember someone told me that anger is bad but indifference is worse than that and i canât help but agree now more than ever.
Sorry for the long post. Just felt like it was something i wanted to express.
I disagree entertainment is just that be it movies, gaming or what not. Most games in the early days were akin to mobile in length and idea. Games like Tetris were simply made to be for the fun not length and even when games shifted with more stories, they were pretty short not until rpgs and open world games and the like did you start getting these huge games taking up your life. Also, if you look at it, gaming has become an amalgamation of all thingâs entertainment and continues to move in that direction. The amalgamation alone pulls audience from different facets, and I think today there are games like Angry birds that have boasted over 2 billion downloads. Gaming is now also bigger than the movie industry and with the advent of AI is certainly getting more immersive. I think if youâre looking at gaming as stagnant you may come to your conclusion, but I more see it in the Ready Player one way where practically gaming is available to all through whatever device they have and the idea of exclusive consoles is gone. While Ready Player one is not something that is possible at this time it certainly is a concept for where things could be headed a world where oneâs imagination is brought to life, scary but a goal for many.
Iâll say I think there could be more to explore with gaming but it wonât happen if weâre still on this idea of exclusivity. Like the fellow above suggested he feels gaming has gotten to big and in a way i can understand . Iâm off the opinion that maybe the reason is that gaming needs to change or grow to a new phase however that wonât happen as long as we continue to see gaming one way and that way is fast getting tiring and boring. Sometime ago Microsoft tried that Minecraft AR that was later scrapped and Zukerberg has tried to build that Ready Player one world that has failed with his idea of the meta verse. I think this idea of games everywhere needs to become similar with the universal format of movies like on DVDs or Blu-ray and then we can get to see the new frontiers of gaming.
Honestly, i feel the same way about you said. But for that to happen in a way that does not undermine the value of your product to the current base will be far more difficult to achieve. Especially with the Playstation still trying to kill off Xbox for good, that and the idea that doing ports over and over again with Game pass value increasing by the dozen over time makes me question their overall intentions. It feels like they are throwing stones to see what lands andi have a bad feeling that for while stuff is good right now for the ecosystem, i feel like things are gonna be a lot more worse with Phil doing this interviews that while good intentioned does little to really dimish fears of the current fanbase or whatâs left of it by the time next gen hits and folks only buy activision blizzard games while ignoring the rest, which i have a feeling its going towards if things continue to be pushed too much.
Honestly, the scenario currently with games feels like we might be entering some form of gaming crash within a few years that could change a lot of things as to how we play but for that to happen Xbox needs to focus on actually benefitting theirown users instead of overrelying on other platforms outside pc, which does a lot of the heavy lifting, for it.
I agree with this and while I love Xbox the whole people wonât leave digital libraries is not true. Iv had about 5. Friends this year who were heavily invested in Xbox like thousands of dollars over years who just all switched to PlayStation this year because they lost faith in the brand. Thatâs a problem and I think itâs gonna get worse no matter how good gamepass gets. That being said I do feel like if Xbox can deliver good hardware next gen( they will) that is powerful and can play all the pc stores it really can work for them. An Xbox can basically be an anything box or a cheaper alternative to pc with all the same benefits. Next gen is gonna be very interesting
Youâre friends are thinking like customers, thatâs good for them. Donât be too unnerved by it , they felt like the platform is being ignored in favor of profits from different locations. Also,its quite clear that many folks can and will pivot from the brand entirely if higher ups continue to greatly ignore the ecosystem they have build for decades. Sure , they mentioned importance of hardware, but will it be enough to actually convice current users? Nope,it wonât, if you think otherwise fine but reminder some people here use pc as their primary so the have different viewpoints in comparison to what i have mentioned. To me, personally, its very unwise. You want customers to be felling validated about their ecosystem and purchase,not really the other way around favoring competitors that have constantly undermine their efforts.
The next 2 year, for me at least, will tell me if they clearly favor rivals platforms instead of finding ways to innovate and convince that their ecosystem is truly worth your buck. The current propaganda could work but if they port way too many games while getting nothing from their rivals in return during this time frame then there will be genuine concerns for the ecosystem in itself, cause if some of you all think game pass and play anywhere is enough of an argument for xbox than you are wrong, it needs more than that to really stand out. That will be for time to tell and see if what i have said comes into fruition or not.
Sorry for the negative approach to this, i truly am, i just donât really see anything positive coming Xboxâs way with their current strategy that can very well backfire on them if they continue to ignore their hardware ecosystem.
Did this friends sell their Xboxes and close their accounts if not then they havenât really left just migrated to play games more on another platform. If they did fully switch God bless them. Obviously from what Phil and Satya are saying they are seeing more gamers, and their engagements is through the roof. Phil said they are changing what Xbox is and to that the branding will be different probably more Game Pass focused. I also donât see the logic in changing platforms. I have a PC and PS4 if I want to play PS5 exclusive games Iâd simply buy one, Iâm not going to buy Xbox games on PlayStation when I can play them on Game Pass for a low fee.
I donât see the logic again. You really donât have access to all Xbox games anyway on the other platforms (except for PC) and you most likely never will. There are also so many games being released that even switching to get those other games you apparently couldnât play on Xbox, that youâll end up missing out on Xbox 1st party games anyway as you wonât have time to play everything, market is saturated.
The only reason I see people switching is for that feeling of « Iâm a first class citizen, Sony buys me exclusives you other console peasants canât play » and itâs something I just canât understand as knowing there are more exclusives doesnât equal to me playing more exclusives.
I fail to see them âignoringâ their hardware, in any way.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Xbox has more users than theyâve ever had, including on console.
Iâm also guessing that 4 of your friends will be back before long. Or maybe theyâll realise one day that grown-ups with thousands of dollars to spend can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Its more of me thinking ahead of time, where i think if Xbox focuses too much on cloud and pc that they will inevitably start to ignore the hardware itself, which i feel like it could happen within two years.
But if you wish to add your two cents you are free to do so. Wanted to just clarify what i meant from the previous post.
I think it meant more like they felt that the transition Xbox is intenting to make felt way too soon and quick for them is what i believe happened. If they were smart they would wait a year or two to see if this overall dynamic Xbox is doing is actually good for them long term.
One thing i learned from Xbox is one thing: If things start to look extremealy dire in regards to the current users then they will pivot hard to avoid users leaving next gen. It can happen and i do think they are monitoring the situation in case things do take a turn for the worse. At least that is my usual business mindset talking to me.
How do you not realize that in order for anyone to offer cloud services they need to create a hardware platform? It is needed to have a target for developers to work against. At that point they will also sell the same hardware, in a friendly footprint to the consumers.
Wonât lie,i did not know that. I take full blame for that take. I apologies.
The people leaving for PlayStation are mostly toxic console warriors who canât be pleased regardless of what Xbox does. (As weâve seen many times now.)
Iâve said it before - but I believe Xbox is quite happy to lose those kind of âfansâ as long as there are more users coming in than going out.
Am mostly talking about future moves they may or may not do. Also, not everyone is like that in fandoms, very few actually are like that. But there is there matter of approach and leaning on stuff a little too early, which in microsoftâs case happens on some occasions.I hope they donât pull out some weird move that angers customers as they need to make massive improvements in several areas, cloud being the main issue in relation to some countries that do not have stellar wifi connections as well as localization, i will still demand for that cause it helps a lot more than people think.
I think that Nadella Is the worst leader in MICROSOFT. Look at what he done with Microsoft Phone. I believe that the original Plan of Xboxtsl strategy After the Bethesda acquisition was âfull Exclusivesâ for the most of titles and It was clear from the leaked email during FTC. I mean this new multiplatform strategy would be a big failure and they Will not able to change again.
Now that is false. As a leader he brought them to new levels and made them become one of the most valuable companies in the world. I guess you could say he hasnât been the best for Xbox, but heâs been one of the best leaders for Microsoft. However, he did green light Microsoft to buy those studios and time will tell how good that move is, but him greenlighting Mojand is low key one of the best moves because Minecraft will print money for years