Those numbers are not generous at all. On the contrary. People are still buying games, DLC, microtransactions, etc. on top of their Game Pass subscriptions. The total income generated is much higher than just the actual Game Pass subs.
Microsoft has stated repeatedly that subscribers spend more than non-subscribers. That might not work out for every individual game. But it works out overall.
I was just doing my best to indulge the argument being presented. Lol.
Iâll take Gamepass and Xbox games everywhere please. The people who REALLY care about Xbox exclusives have not decoupled the decades old console warz from the present economic situation of the entire Games industry.
Look to be blunt hard core Xbox fans did not buy enough consoles to allow that to be sustainable long term and itâs made worse by ever increasing Dev costs. The same is happening across the industry and even Sony is dealing with it to a lesser degree but eventually they will come around and release 1st party Day one games on non PS platforms or their business will die.
Given this fact your choice if you were MS was either shut Xbox down or pivot so Xbox is an Eco system and huge game publisher who also happens to have a Console platform and Windows platform for gaming.
In 10-15 years from now most likely your gaming experience will have nothing to do with a local hardware box and as gamers you will be playing any game you own on any device capable of running a web browser or App.
That is where we are at, the only question is how long will some of you take to accept that, get rid of the old console mentality and get back to just enjoying games no longer concerned about the box or lack of box playing said games.
Xbox as a hardware platform is probably only 1-2 generations left at most and that probably goes along with ANY current gaming hardware platform.
The old days are over it is time to move on.
Console wars be dammed
Am still waiting on actual news instead of nonsense of a supposed leaker or insider. Wait for actual confimation once it does or if it does not. Otherwise relax, higher ups are not gonna be dicks and think eliminating your digital library is smart nor sensible, in fact that would kill them even more so than anyone thinks and Satya will look like an absolute clown if that were to happen, which it wonât by the way. If anything is Nintendo or even Sony you should be feeling worried about in terms of libraries as their track record if considerably worse than Xbox in this scenario.
While I get why people want exclusive content, hey I want it too, Microsoft is currently making more money than ever on Xbox(thatâs before launching more games on other platforms).
But they will always want more, and as a company that needs to answer to its share holders they will keep pushing for more in a market that has an upper limit. While looking to expand that market to more devices with whatever update they come up with for XboxOS and Cloud gaming.
Iâm on the hill that theyâre going to expand the functionality of XboxOS, not just make an app that turns the PC Microsoft store into Xbox or even a separate app.
Not picking a side, but I think itâs a valid question when looking at the business side of things. I guess a sub works on xbox console due to smaller market size, and to support development and gamepass would most likely need revenue from Sony and Nintendo. However, it could show gamepass gamble might not be working as well if you have to make a strong pivot to go multiplatform.
As a consumer, not bad to have options, but the value proposition for some consumers might not be there for xbox compared to Playstation. For example, you could be better off just buying a PS6 and then decide to purchase Microsoft games on release or sale. I love the idea of a sub, but not all Microsoft studio games are for me. In this stiation and if we take 2024-2025 for example the only game I would buy day one would be avowed, fable, Oblivion remake, COD, and the outer world 2. I would be okay with waiting for a sale for Indiana Jones, South of Midnight, Doom, Age of Mythology, and a few others.
Anyway, not saying xbox and gamepass isnât worth it. However, there are consumers where theyâre better off just getting a PS6 or PC, and buying games individually. Which is why Microsoft is making this pivot of going multiplatform because subs and steam sales stagnated and not a number where they want it at. Which is why theyâre releasing more and more games on other platforms.
Thatâs the reason why OP question is valid, but at the same time Microsoft ceiling is lower that other platforms, which is why theyâre in that spot
The pivot is because the industry is âsetâ right now. Consoles only sell so many, new games canât penetrate the top 15 or so played on each platform. They pivoted because of stagnation. Theyâre making billions every quarter, but do not see that growing as they want. Thatâs the reason for the pivot, for them and PlayStation. Nintendo wonât be that far behind if the Switch 2 doesnât grow over what the Switch 1 did.
Sony has done a pivot of not releasing games to PC to making shorter release gap and day one for live service. I think the main gripe is the optics of things of Microsoft releasing their games on playstation, and not so much the other way around. Itâs why the pivot doesnât seem that bad for Playstation because PC gamers still have to wait and xbox is most likely not seeing any of their published games.
There are bonuses/negatives to each platform. You get Xboxâs game in a monthly subscription if you so choose or can buy them at full price elsewhere. Xbox gives you free cloud saves that work across their recent releases and a lot of older ones. Thereâs always a give or take and in a few years it will be interesting to see where their platform is, because itâs a lot more exciting than what the old system offered up (for me).
The problem is weâve all been trained to think of the console as the basis/center of the ecosystem. You need the console to have access to games. There are exclusive games so you need to buy this piece of hardware. Games only exist as a means to corral you into the hardware, if there is no hardware there wonât be games. This way of thinking is changing.
You have to change that way of thinking in regards to Xbox. Xbox isnât going to be a console anymore, Xbox is going to be your games account like Steam. The physical Xbox is going to be more like buying a PC.
This.
Game Pass is fucking awesome!! I will never ever understand why anyone would be against it. Itâs like having your mom and pop local video store from back in the day in digital form with a subscription which is cheaper than renting all the games would be and hundreds of more games at your disposal.
Give me my day one games on Game Pass and Microsoft can port every game day one to Sony/Nintendo for all I care.
When you come out and day there are no âred linesâ you open the door for speculation from not just the PS fans but also amongst the Xbox community itself.
Anyone can see that.
Nintendo did show their hand and how they would pivot when they looked into making games for the Apple phone after the Wii U poor sales . To me that the direction they would have gone had the Switch not sold well or will go if the Switch 2 doesnât sell and it makes sense for them to go mobile given Japanâs love of mobile/HH
I donât see SONY making a pivot to Xbox at all and if they do move it be more of a case of their console games also coming out on PC day 1 too.
Its just not a good look for XBox becasue weâre told how theyâre leading a brand new world, only to look to a transitional old SONY console model for extra revenue so thereâs a bit of irony in that.
I feel we wouldnât be having this discussion had MS not bought out ABK or the Series consoles sold more than 60 million.
If I was to talk for myself I wouldnât mind to see Crackdown 3 , RECORE coming out on the PS/Switch consoles to help push interest in the IPs and so maybe get a sequel
Donât think itâs a good look to the Xbox brand to have the latest AAA games like Hellblade 2, Flight Sim 2024 coming to the PS5 (if true) and would be more sensible and accommodating for XBox brand/fans . If thereâs a set period of 2 years from when a new AAA In-House game launches on XBox/PC to then coming out on a Nintendo/SONY console.
Feel both SONY and XBox overexpanded and just threw too much money at their video game divisions after COVID talking it as the new normal that hundred of millions of people would stay at home playing videogames and with many things to do with COVID theyâre still paying the price.
All that said mind I canât wait for the new XBox console The XBox hardware team have been so on top of their game since making the One X and canât wait to see what they come up with next.
These are businesses at the end of the day you canât say where they would pivot to. No one would have ever believed Sega would go multiplatform. I can understand being upset with the direction, but I donât think they are working to upset anyone. Also, when Microsoft says everywhere they mean that. The PlayStation focus is to me a little silly. They are going to sell their games not just on PlayStation but on as many places they can like every PC game store not just Steam. There are other digital stores like Tencent WeGame and others, so in the end the PlayStation might not even matter much. Sony already has games on Xbox and will have more like the Bungie games coming. Eventually they will pivot like Xbox since itâs a business and they already have to some extent.
Those games alone add up to about $500 (with 50% off for the ones you mentioned.) How are you better off than paying $240 for GPU for a year? 
And thatâs not even factoring MS Rewards into it.
Console cost $500+ and subscription cost $240/year. I am a person that usually buys both consoles a gen. In this scenario saving console cost and gamepass sub might be the way to go . I like the service, but I am fine with buying games individually. It just means thereâs less discovery and waiting on sale for some games.
Optics, Narratives and Agendaâs are simply something MS cannot fix or fight, Sony has laid the ground work for decades to cater to a certain fan mindset and also curate favor from the gaming media.
At the end of the day it just does not matter as long as Xbox is making money and have diversified from the whole division collapsing if a single piece of hardware does not sell well they will be here for the long term.
If you step away from the internet crap and just play games none of this really impacts you.
The fun part is the Xbox is going to be whatever works for you as a gamer. For me I still want a couch experience and a Hybrid PC/Console or some variant of that would work well.
I have a Samsung Fold 6 and have been using Xcloud and Geforce now on it with a phone attached controller and it works wonderfully as a portable Xbox, and with Gefrorce now I can play the PC version of the games in even higher fidelityâs then the Sers X can produce and I can play games like Wukong which is on Geforce now but not Xbox.
Because Xbox opened up their first party to alternate streaming services I have a ton more AAA games I can play on many more devices.
I much prefer Xboxâs open platform to the old style closed console platform that Sony is still trying to cling to even though they are also actively pivoting.
Sony ALWAYS does this, they let Xbox take the brunt of PR issues and then when the coast is clear they do the EXACT same thing but without all the fuss from gamers and the Media.
It is pretty silly and sad this strategy from Sony still works.
Yes one understands it is a business but fans donât see it that way; Have a look at the response when a sporting club has to release their best player or players to balance the books. The fans of that club see it as a betrayal of those who own and run the sporting club no matter if its done to keep the sporting franchise going.
Also, Iâm not against change or going digital. Iâm all for digital and couldnât give a toss over physical games or having to have my systems log in, but I do care about brand awareness and loyalty
No matter how you play it. It doesnât look good to see Xbox top games going on a rival console even if it makes perfect business sense.