CentralScrutinizer
Member
Ah so you're just posting in bad faith. I never made a claim. You did and I asked you to back it up, which you haven't. Go back and reread the conversation with better comprehension this time. Good day to you.
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Jez Corden: I can say there are very, very big discussions going on regarding exclusivity internally at Xbox
- Thread starter Merline
- Start date
Sohurmk833
Member
I provided you data that all games, no matter the publisher, sell better on Playstation.
CentralScrutinizer
Member
Orbital2060
Member
It would be pretty funny to read the reactions to Xbox pulling games from PS.
They could make them exclusive to Xbox and Steam, now that PS is pivoting away from PC.
They could make them exclusive to Xbox and Steam, now that PS is pivoting away from PC.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Great. It's nice to say and believe that, but the reality is that that time has passed. Xbox has nothing to gain from going back to exclusive. They have had NUMEROUS opportunities and tried many risky (stupid) things to try and do that. Call of Duty on Gamepass was their hail mary. That clearly had no impact and has actually hurt the long term viability.
Being exclusive might make for a feel good to you and influencers, but it would be detrimental to those who's livelihoods depend on making games that sell.
Unless Asha...really truly has convinced No-Nutella that it will take time to restore faith in the brand.
However, they need to be doing that NOW. Start by dropping the price of Xbox Series X consoles to nearly firesale prices, launch an ad campaign, give 6 months free gamepass.
That would cost a metric fuck ton of money though, but that's what it would take and even that I don't think would restore faith. Launching a $1000+ console aint it.
If that actually happened, I would start immediately praise Asha and start to consider that maybe she can do great things for Xbox.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I am amused at how many people fail to grasp that Steam right now is a far bigger threat to Microsoft than Sony is. Steam is actively trying to take away their windows monopoly with SteamOS and far far far more users transitioned from Xbox to PC with Steam being the biggest beneficiary.
DEAD ORIGINAL
Member
7th generation is still the goat for exclusives Wii, 360 and PS3 all had bangers
Topher
Identifies as young
Tough spot to be in for Xbox. They want to make the console the centerpiece of their gaming strategy, but removing the revenue streams PlayStation brings is going to lead to some lean years. Just going to assume this is only as far as PlayStation is concerned. Doubt they pull back from Steam. No way they cancel Play Anywhere.
I'll say this. I'll be impressed with Asha if she actually goes through with it.
I'll say this. I'll be impressed with Asha if she actually goes through with it.
saintjules
Gold Member
Timdog at it again!
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ShaiKhulud1989
Gold Member
Timdog? Jez? Really? Di we really need to bring such dubious amounts of copium into discussion?
You will be mighty dissapointed in June. if anything, E-day will be timed exclusive tops becuase the game was too far into the development during the pivot and additional porting work will take some time.
Halo is on PS5 officially, there's no going back from that.
PauloRoberto
Member
The same way Starfield, Halo, Forza were, right? It's astonishing how those bootlickers still need to put dubious people (in this case, Asha [and yes, i do not trust anyone who starts a new career by lying]) in a pedestal.
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JerryinSoCal
Member
I wonder how Phil is going to feel if she's allowed to lower the price and to get away with making less money lol.
Bondo
Member
Just go third party.
As someone that used an Xbox as a secondary console for exclusives only- the ship on buying their consoles has sailed. Operating as 3rd party yet trying to sell you on their console(barely), what a horrible plan.
Microsoft has eroded public trust and has set back any of the progress they ever had- the brand is in a spiral. They may have hired Asha a tad late- cause it seems she "gets it" by at least recognizing what is completely fucked, if this is to be believed. But Phil didnt recognize this?
Personally i think Microsoft is in for a rude awakening with how their games sell on PS5 right now. The excitement to see some of these series is high cause shit- fresh access on a Playstation. Once the novelty wears, I think people will begin to get back and recognize how tired and run into the ground the exclusives truly are. They didnt move consoles- so they had to share. The same will happen elsewhere in time.
As someone that used an Xbox as a secondary console for exclusives only- the ship on buying their consoles has sailed. Operating as 3rd party yet trying to sell you on their console(barely), what a horrible plan.
Microsoft has eroded public trust and has set back any of the progress they ever had- the brand is in a spiral. They may have hired Asha a tad late- cause it seems she "gets it" by at least recognizing what is completely fucked, if this is to be believed. But Phil didnt recognize this?
Personally i think Microsoft is in for a rude awakening with how their games sell on PS5 right now. The excitement to see some of these series is high cause shit- fresh access on a Playstation. Once the novelty wears, I think people will begin to get back and recognize how tired and run into the ground the exclusives truly are. They didnt move consoles- so they had to share. The same will happen elsewhere in time.
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Doctor Hades
Member
I am happy for Xbox to just publish their games on PC and thus avoid the need to own the console when I already have a PS5 and Switch 2 as well as the PC (obviously).
There are never more than 2 or 3 "good or better" Xbox games per year anyway so that also bypasses any point in subscribing to Game Pass. I might as well just buy the games, save myself some money, which I can do from third-party key sellers by paying less than MSRP (that often includes the deluxe edition as well) and I can also get the game on Steam instead of the utterly dreadful "Sorry, something went wrong" Xbox app.
I've just lost all interest in every owning any future Xbox console even if the games went exclusive again (i.e. not available on PC). Maybe Microsoft can recapture the excitement of the original Xbox and 360 again but I won't be holding my breath. They had their chance with the Xbox One and blew it and everything they've done since just dimished the brand to the point where Xbox as a console feels irrelevant to me. It's threads like this that remind that there still is an Xbox as it hasn't been part of my gaming life for almost 2 years now.
There are never more than 2 or 3 "good or better" Xbox games per year anyway so that also bypasses any point in subscribing to Game Pass. I might as well just buy the games, save myself some money, which I can do from third-party key sellers by paying less than MSRP (that often includes the deluxe edition as well) and I can also get the game on Steam instead of the utterly dreadful "Sorry, something went wrong" Xbox app.
I've just lost all interest in every owning any future Xbox console even if the games went exclusive again (i.e. not available on PC). Maybe Microsoft can recapture the excitement of the original Xbox and 360 again but I won't be holding my breath. They had their chance with the Xbox One and blew it and everything they've done since just dimished the brand to the point where Xbox as a console feels irrelevant to me. It's threads like this that remind that there still is an Xbox as it hasn't been part of my gaming life for almost 2 years now.
Mr Reasonable
Completely Unreasonable
Nah.
NPlusEnjoyer
Member
If they ever want to go back to exclusives, the start of a new gen is the only moment to do so.
Xbox + MS store for PC exclusives would probably make the most sense.
Xbox + MS store for PC exclusives would probably make the most sense.
Hudo
Member
People who say that they shouldn't do PC versions of their games probably forget that they still own the biggest platform on the planet: Microsoft Windows. And that they developed and published games for Windows long before Xbox even existed. Also: Age of Empires and Flight Simulator sell more on PC than on consoles for obvious reasons.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
If Microsoft was going to do this, the intelligent move would be to let Forza horizon launch, fable be good and launch plus halo and the others. Get a good 18 months more of people used to playing games on playstation
Then, have Asha make her announcement that SHE has decided it's all about exclusives again etc and strengthening Xbox with the real crowd again and then announced that all games will be exclusive to Helix, the most powerful console to ever exist blah blah blah marketing.....
And going forward that SHE has made the decision to make all games exclusive to Xbox console and PC Xbox store. Then talk about play anywhere and mention that the new helix can also play your entire steam library.....
Then it launches with an actual solid launch line up and the hardware is a success from day one.
If MS do a good job of explaining how the helix is a premium console like an iPhone Pro max variant in the console world and is going to cost 1,299 / 1,499 or whatever.
Then show it off with insane upscaling as it will be better than PSSR 2 and show some modern shit like path tracing etc.
Do all that with a solid stream of games....you can't lose. And if you did then people simply hate microslop.
Then, have Asha make her announcement that SHE has decided it's all about exclusives again etc and strengthening Xbox with the real crowd again and then announced that all games will be exclusive to Helix, the most powerful console to ever exist blah blah blah marketing.....
And going forward that SHE has made the decision to make all games exclusive to Xbox console and PC Xbox store. Then talk about play anywhere and mention that the new helix can also play your entire steam library.....
Then it launches with an actual solid launch line up and the hardware is a success from day one.
If MS do a good job of explaining how the helix is a premium console like an iPhone Pro max variant in the console world and is going to cost 1,299 / 1,499 or whatever.
Then show it off with insane upscaling as it will be better than PSSR 2 and show some modern shit like path tracing etc.
Do all that with a solid stream of games....you can't lose. And if you did then people simply hate microslop.
dgrdsv
Member
PC versions are selling Windows PCs.
No console makers are earning anything of value on console h/w sales.
diffusionx
Gold Member
While I don't think Windows is a real platform in this sense, because they don't make any money from software sold on it like they do on console, Microsoft should not be in the video game hardware business. They are a software company, always has been, and exist best as a software company. Their games are popular on Steam and PlayStation. Third party makes a lot of sense for them.
If I was Asha I would be moving in this direction more.
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RJMacready73
Simps for Amouranth
tbf the only Xbox exclusives i'm interested in are MS Flight for PSVR2 and Fable
Steve Holt
Member
The idea that they will sacrifice a huge amount of sales, with the long term ambition of increasing market share whilst simultaneously launching a highly niche super expensive console doesn't compute.
Their studios are struggling to justify their existence as it is, with numerous games being cancelled and even high profile games like Perfect Dark aren't exempt.
They have already made the move to third party, they have done the hard part in breaking that news and convincing the fan boys it's the best way forward. This idea is very, very wishful thinking.
Orbital2060
Member
There will be a Steam app on the next Xbox, what are you talking about?
They both seem to be happy doing business together.
xanaum
Member
It's way too late for that now. Too much money was spent acquiring studios whose profits depend on going multiplatform. Year by year the division's profitability is getting worse, and Xbox's installed base would need to be massive to make up for not releasing on PlayStation.
And the future outlook suggests Xbox's dedicated PC device will just be a niche product. I think the people internally pushing for exclusives on Xbox are going to lose that fight.
And the future outlook suggests Xbox's dedicated PC device will just be a niche product. I think the people internally pushing for exclusives on Xbox are going to lose that fight.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
That's cute. You really think that Steam isn't a big deal to MS? Bless your heart.
Microsoft has long wanted to completely control the PC Gaming ecosystem. The biggest leg up they had on PC Gaming was Windows being the dominant platform. SteamOS and the rise of Linux gaming is slowly starting to threaten that. There are plenty of people who say that has no chance of happening, but they clearly have never looked at history. No company is to big to fail. No monopoly is too big to fall. If they lose gaming, they lose a fuck ton of Windows users, which makes it harder to sell Office 365 subscriptions. If Windows marketshare erodes, that affects EVERYTHING at Microsoft. CoPilot, literally fucking everything. We are a ways away from that happening, but Linux gaming continues to improve. Microsoft would love nothing more than to get rid of Steam. So yes, Valve is a drastically bigger threat to Microsoft than Sony. Microsoft is acknowledging this by finally acknowledging that consumers see Windows as crap. For all of Microsofts flaws...and holy fuck are there many....they do seem to understand the threat of SteamOS.
As for why they sell their games on Steam. they don't have a choice. releasing their games exclusively on MS Store is a death sentence.
As for Steam being on the next Xbox. Yes, they have said that and I do believe that, but what will actually look like in practice? Microsoft is not going to make it easy to use Steam as they will want to heavily incentivize gamers to buy from their store. Don't kid yourself. I can see the OS going out of their way tohide Steam and make the user have to jump through some significant hoops to do so. Like having to specifically boot into a developer mode. I doubt it will be an easy experience.
As for Sony. Sony is more than happy to take their 30% cut of Xbox software sales and Microsoft is more than happy to get 70% of the cut from their games. Sony certainly threatens the existence of an xbox console, but it has virtually no threat for the Windows ecosystem. Valve does.
Did I paint the picture for you?
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Astray
Member
I think their biggest issue is in how risky all their remaining options are now:
- If they focus on competing with Playstation again, this will mean that they have to abandon a lot of sold copies right when they started to really have a foothold on the market, AND they will have to spin-up a new marketing and distribution apparatus to replace the stuff they abandoned (costs time and money).
- If they focus on competing with Steam then not only do they lose a ton of sales too, but they risk tanking PC as a platform for them.
This is why I personally think they are kinda locked into being a big publisher for the foreseeable future. Not because they absolutely can't take the division somewhere else, but because that's the path of least resistance for them, especially when we're in an economic crisis.
EDIT:
People are finally beginning to see MS's situation for what it is. I've been banging the drum that Steam and Xbox are headed towards a collision path for almost 2 years now.
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vaibhavpisal
Member
If it didn't work, they clearly didn't do enough. Keep doing it till success.
Orbital2060
Member
MayaXG
Member
Amy Hood, is that you?
Topher
Identifies as young
Astray
Member
It didn't work to the point where they basically bended the knee to Sony and Nintendo.
Even worse for them is people like me who bought an Xbox based on exclusivity promises and got screwed with a machine that I barely turn on anymore, will not be doing that ever again.
vaibhavpisal
Member
reinking
Gold Member
Phil really backed them into a corner. If I had to make the call. End this hybrid console idea. A jack of all trades console/PC will be master of none and is just going to confuse normal/casual gamers. It will do nothing to push people to the Windows/Xbox store and could potentially cost Game Pass subs if online play becomes free. If I want to get into Xbox branded PC's with performance targets, I will just do the third-party idea like they did with the handheld.
I would not leave money on the table by making all Xbox games exclusive again, but I would use timed exclusivity to my advantage. Get back to buying third-party exclusivity windows/marketing deals. This would hurt Sony the most because they make their money on third-party software.
Competing against Steam? Nope. They tried in the past and failed. However, I would give substantial exclusive bonus content to games purchased on the Xbox/Windows store. They could have fun with this and make it fun for their core gamers. Slowly work toward bringing people into the ecosystem, trying to force it with exclusivity will not end well. I would say discount purchases on the Windows store, but eventually key sites will give Steam the advantage on pricing again.
Or, if getting the most money is my end goal, I just go full third-party. There isn't much reason to drag it out other than trying to salvage Game Pass and to support a console that appears to be more of an exit strategy than a dedicated push for console gaming. When it comes down to it, they need to pick a lane and put all of their resources, and focus, on that lane.
I would not leave money on the table by making all Xbox games exclusive again, but I would use timed exclusivity to my advantage. Get back to buying third-party exclusivity windows/marketing deals. This would hurt Sony the most because they make their money on third-party software.
Competing against Steam? Nope. They tried in the past and failed. However, I would give substantial exclusive bonus content to games purchased on the Xbox/Windows store. They could have fun with this and make it fun for their core gamers. Slowly work toward bringing people into the ecosystem, trying to force it with exclusivity will not end well. I would say discount purchases on the Windows store, but eventually key sites will give Steam the advantage on pricing again.
Or, if getting the most money is my end goal, I just go full third-party. There isn't much reason to drag it out other than trying to salvage Game Pass and to support a console that appears to be more of an exit strategy than a dedicated push for console gaming. When it comes down to it, they need to pick a lane and put all of their resources, and focus, on that lane.
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JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
SteamOS itself is pretty mid, CachyOS and Bazzite have REALLY made great strides to be amazing. They really need to solve the nvidia problem. nvidia right now is in an OK position for Linux, but still has a ways to go.
I have said before and will say it again, anyone with an all AMD system really and I do mean really needs to give bazzite or CachyOS a try. They will be blown away by how well it runs games and much it simplifies things that Microsoft needlessly made hard.
If nvidia really wanted to cause severe pain on an Ai competitor, in this case Microsoft, put R&D dollars into working with the Linuix community to make their own nvidia centric Linux based OS.
SneakersSO
Member
There has always been a discussion around exclusivity happening in some form or fashion. Its never coming back.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Clearly a lot of people are and that's problem.
Hudo
Member
Do you mean video game business in general or "just" the console business?
reinking
Gold Member
best argument I have seen that they should just go full third-party.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I wouldn't even do this. If you're going to go third party go third party. You stand to lose a lot more sales by making it exclusive to the store...which pretty much nobody uses. Games simply do not sell well after the initial hype period. Unless the game ends up being a one in a generation banger, people will have moved on. How long of an exclusive window? Is Starfield had come out day 1 on PS5, it would likely have sold 5-10M copies. Coming out now, it will likely sell around 2M copies on PS5. I could be wrong and we will likely never know for sure since MS never publishes numbers.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Astray
Member
Yes.
We've been down this path before with Starfield, we know what the outcome of this equation is.
reinking
Gold Member
That is if they are wanting to get back to console. I agree, if they are not going to focus on the console then just kill it and go full third-party. At this point, I think it makes them the most money and being as big as they are, I believe it still gives them a lot of power in the industry.
Astray
Member
I'm currently working on an Bazzite HTPC build, but tbh the Linux difficulty curve is making it harder than I want it to be.
Will definitely be worth it in the medium-term though.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Zacfoldor
Gold Member
The problem is Xbox and PS users buy a lot of MTX and content. PC guys are "too smart" to buy mtx.
It makes it easier to understand why Xbox can't just easily drop Playstation. Their games don't get a lot of roi otherwise. PC is very popular but the whales are on console.
It makes it easier to understand why Xbox can't just easily drop Playstation. Their games don't get a lot of roi otherwise. PC is very popular but the whales are on console.
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JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
What's so difficult about it? Gamscope is the easiest thing in the world to use.