Support NeoGAF

[Rolling_Start]

its not about a sony or microsoft or google or nintendo for me, and psnow didn't introduce predatory practice like 1$ or throwing newly released exclusive into the 1$ subscription,

MS are putting their exclusives on Gamepass because it isn't supposed to be some shithole dumping ground for bad games or old games. It's a library of solid games from the indie to AAA, old to new. It's not PS+ or Games With Gold.

And you know MS are still selling full titles through the store (Gamepass itself directs people towards discounted purchases), still selling DLC and microtransaction shit, still selling Live subscriptions, still selling physical copies to people who want them?

And this idea that everyone is getting Gamepass for $1 ad infinitum needs to die. It's mindless and at odds with reality.

 

[Journey]

Phil: XBOX gamepass is doing great, numbers have doubled YOY.....
Phillipine 1 : How many are subscribed to Gamepass Uncle Phil?
Phil: With a Smirk, Can't disclose, you believe in uncle right?
Phillipine 2: Shoves his way through..... I believe you Uncle Phil....
Phillipine 1: But, but, the easiest way to prove such a thing is with numbers....
Phillipine 2 to Phillipine 1: Shhh!, Gamepass is doing great ok......
Phil to Phillipine 2: Datta Boy, you have such promise. I will be sure to send you some merch and loot bags filled with Gamepass Codes and the best MS games this gen.....
Phillipine 2: With the most endearing look ever.....Thanks Uncle Phil.....

 

[Dane]

Typical day on NG, nothing new, with a group for some reason being pissed of.

Imagine if Sega accused Sony of dumping the PS1 price in the west so they could take the lead in the launch week, that would be no problem rite?

To a certain extent EA are already chasing the business model he describes. It can be argued that EA access is basically the gateway to their gaming casino these days. Yes, the lootboxes and microtransactions were already around prior to the subscription services popping up but the initial low price of entry and aggressive in-game advertising/strategies that push players towards spending more money would suggest it's definitely a way they see it making up the shortfall in the long run.

You should read the following article:

Game subscriptions spark microtransactions, full game sales

Subscribers to services like Xbox Game Pass and PS Now actually spend more on games and DLC/microtransactions.

www.tweaktown.com

Predatory is the wrong word here.

Aggressive? Yes, absolutely.

Predatory? No.

That's why Spencer talk about the activity numbers, because its ecosystem is closely tied to their store, which leads to spending, he once told that GamePass users were more likely to spend money, either buying their favorite game after it leaves or buying the DLC.

 

[Whitecrow]

Phil, just... cant you get another job where being a good guy doesnt translate into lying to your customers??

 

[Revolutionary]

Ive had a total of 6 months of Game Pass subs and I only paid a single US dollar in total. There's no fucking way it isn't losing money.

all the nay sayers are saying exactly what they said about Netflix ... content isn’t good enough and they can’t afford to run a business like that.

Uh... You do realize that Netflix is perpetually in debt, right?

 

[The Alien]

The gaming community never ceases to amaze me in the best possible ways. We're such a caring and compassionate sect of humanity.

Its astounding to me the level of "concern" us gamers have for Microsofts billions.

Years ago Microsoft just moneyhatted everything, now we need to make sure a consumer friendly option is the right choice for these frugal times.

 

[Spukc]

'positive Xbox news'

Shhhhhhhht...

 

[nikolino840]

 

[Kagey K]

They could technically just run a second code with Gamepass for life, but I’m not sure if that would give him access to Gamepass on PC.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

And this idea that everyone is getting Gamepass for $1 ad infinitum needs to die. It's mindless and at odds with reality.

Well, there was once a time when people doubted that PSNow was pulling its own weight. But then Sony released the subscriber and profit numbers for PSNow, so no one doubted them anymore.

We just need numbers. Taking Microsoft's word for it just isn't an option, and was never an option for multiple generations. For that matter, we can't take Sony or Nintendo's word for it either. We need companies to release numbers at official shareholder meetings, where they were legally obligated to tell the truth.

 

[Gavon West]

'positive Xbox news'

Yeah. Its gonna be funny to watch how Sony fans act when Sony starts doing it next gen. Guaranteed the narrative will change substantially. And Microsoft can afford to do it ten times over than any of their competitors without question.

 

[Gavon West]

Well, there was once a time when people doubted that PSNow was pulling its own weight. But then Sony released the subscriber and profit numbers for PSNow, so no one doubted them anymore.

We just need numbers. Taking Microsoft's word for it just isn't an option, and was never an option for multiple generations. For that matter, we can't take Sony or Nintendo's word for it either. We need companies to release numbers at official shareholder meetings, where they were legally obligated to tell the truth.

Why the fuck do we need numbers? Are you an investor? Maybe have stock in GP? You guys are hilarious... Lol

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Why the fuck do we need numbers? Are you an investor? Maybe have stock in GP? You guys are hilarious... Lol

Some of us like to know the truth about things. The math is fun. You are insane if you think it is about financial gain, it is about personal entertainment.

Also, I hate being lied to, and like to expose liars.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

And this idea that everyone is getting Gamepass for $1 ad infinitum needs to die. It's mindless and at odds with reality.

This is certainly how it's presented by many: go get gears for $1... Blah blah blah, obviously MS doesn't do that because they are so proud of gears 5 that they want everyone to play, even if they don't make a penny on it.

Sales people love that kind of argument, they just hope you will stay in and keep paying (which is fine, just be upfront about it).

The $1 price is about having a reason to ask for the credit card info, if it was free kids wouldn't be able to tell their parents, mom just let me put the card info there it's only $1 and I will get 400 games! Obviously the kid neither care nor know about the price bump down the road, he just hope he fooled his mom into paying it forever.

 

[Gavon West]

Some of us like to know the truth about things. The math is fun. You are insane if you think it is about financial gain, it is about personal entertainment.

Also, I hate being lied to, and like to expose liars.

So their liars now? LMAO!

Xbox + GP = Got em shook! Lol

 

[Gavon West]

This is certainly how it's presented by many: go get gears for $1... Blah blah blah, obviously MS doesn't do that because they are so proud of gears 5 that they want everyone to play, even if they don't make a penny on it.

Sales people love that kind of argument, they just hope you will stay in and keep paying (which is fine, just be upfront about it).

The $1 price is about having a reason to ask for the credit card info, if it was free kids wouldn't be able to tell their parents, mom just let me put the card info there it's only $1 and I will get 400 games! Obviously the kid neither care nor know about the price bump down the road, he just hope he fooled his mom into paying it forever.

What price bump down the road are we talking about? Link, maybe? Or you just pulling that shyte from your arse?

 

[10000]

You do realise that developers / publishers get royalties on how much their games are played on Gamepass don't you? If a developer decides to create some low grade shovelware and try to throw it on Gamepass then a couple of things will come into play to discourage that. Firstly Microsoft are curating the games on there and can turn down any really shit games from appearing, secondly a bad game on there will not get played so won't make any royalties for the developer. If anything the model encourages developers to create really interesting and good quality playable games. What I think Gamepass does give better opportunities for that normal distribution channels do not are titles that are maybe a little bit more risky or shorter in length, think along the lines of an animated short bundled in with a full length DVD. If I am paying full price for a game then I want a certain amount of longevity and value for money but if I am playing games on Gamepass then it's actually more appealing to me to play lots of shorter games that I can start, finish and move on from in a short space of time. Gamepass when looked at like this could actually increase creativity and promote new and unique experiences where developers do not need to worry about how many copies they sell but more about how many total hours of gameplay their games clock up. If one of these short "pilot" games gets a lot of praise they can if they wish go on and create a full fledged version which they can sell at full price that will already have good word of mouth and customers ready to buy it.

Yes, I really wish a perfect world where companies really create maximum value to consumer without sacrificing them for profit, I also wish that steam curation and ogreenlight functional after they become a marketplace giant thus doesn't become a shovelware fest. I wish also instead of EA and ubisoft et al. shove us more with GaaS shit with heavy MTX to our face, they gave us more meaningful game with quality content in the future. I wish that mainstream consumer would demand more quality gameplay over addicting money grab freemium. I also wish that if one company succeeded to sell trash-level cash grab product other won't follow the suit. I wish that no monopoly will bring harm to us.

Yes, those things you listed above exist but in some kind of perfect world (or now in very small small scale), I really wish it could happen, I do.

The gaming community never ceases to amaze me in the best possible ways. We're such a caring and compassionate sect of humanity.

Its astounding to me the level of "concern" us gamers have for Microsofts billions.

Years ago Microsoft just moneyhatted everything, now we need to make sure a consumer friendly option is the right choice for these frugal times.

it's not really about their money or profitability, but about their true intentions.

I really wish that some of this amazing, caring, and compassionate gaming community has great reading comprehension and didn't take words literally.

but yeah I agree with you that in the end it's us consumer that need to make sure the consumer friendly choice.

I like gamepass and use it now for games like ori and sea of thieves , but really hope they don't fuck it over

 

[Neofire]

Typical day on NG, nothing new, with a group for some reason being pissed of.

Imagine if Sega accused Sony of dumping the PS1 price in the west so they could take the lead in the launch week, that would be no problem rite?



That's why Spencer talk about the activity numbers, because its ecosystem is closely tied to their store, which leads to spending, he once told that GamePass users were more likely to spend money, either buying their favorite game after it leaves or buying the DLC.

Strange summation especially when you think about who, in there right mind, would "buy" DLC for a game they are basically renting. I'm my opinion if you pay a subscription to play the games you should have access to everything.

 

[ipukespiders]

Do you know what’s really great about this gif? That it’s perfect without captions.

 

[fallingdove]

I don't think EA and Ubisoft can afford to go this route. Though I think since they are big publishers, they can maybe go down the route for a while, but it'll be hard to sustain it, especially since EA, Ubisoft etc are quite small companies.

But I do agree with you that Sony and Nintendo not being able to compete directly or sustain such a service. They are simply not large enough to absorb the losses, especially since Gaming is their core businesses. Disney is taking massive losses ever year for Disney+, how on earth can Sony and Nintendo sustain that.

It doesn’t matter how big of a company you are - you don’t just absorb losses indefinitely. This is a big bet for Microsoft, if they don’t end up making money from it, they will abandon the strategy.

 

[CeeJay]

Yes, I really wish a perfect world where companies really create maximum value to consumer without sacrificing them for profit, I also wish that steam curation and ogreenlight functional after they become a marketplace giant thus doesn't become a shovelware fest. I wish also instead of EA and ubisoft et al. shove us more with GaaS shit with heavy MTX to our face, they gave us more meaningful game with quality content in the future. I wish that mainstream consumer would demand more quality gameplay over addicting money grab freemium. I also wish that if one company succeeded to sell trash-level cash grab product other won't follow the suit. I wish that no monopoly will bring harm to us.
Yes, those things you listed above exist but in some kind of perfect world (or now in very small small scale), I really wish it could happen, I do.

The selection of games on Gamepass currently is excellent and pretty damn far from shovelware. MS have done a great job so far with their curated content on Gamepass and to compare that to Steam or mobile stores is pretty ridiculous. There is a great mixture of old and new, indie and AAA and across many genres, it started off great and has just improved since then. Many of the indies they have had have been on many peoples GOTY lists such as Bloodstained, Slay The Spire and Dead Cells. You go into detail about a depressing dystopian future for Gamepass but i'm afraid that I can only judge it by what I see in front of me right now and see where I think it can go from there.

 

[thelastword]

Phil, just... cant you get another job where being a good guy doesnt translate into lying to your customers??

If people continuously believe those lies, defend it to the death outside of any semblance of evidence, perhaps he is feeling justified and encouraged to keep spreading those lies......So to him, the end justifies the means, though the end result have not been forthcoming for more than a minute...….So what gives...

 

[fallingdove]

Why the fuck do we need numbers? Are you an investor? Maybe have stock in GP? You guys are hilarious... Lol

This is a discussion about whether or not Microsoft is making money from Gamepass no? Wouldn’t numbers... I don’t know... better inform what people are talking about? Maybe that’s why people continue to bring it up?

But you shouldn’t let that distract from your persecution complex. I am sure you have a snarky comment or meme ready to go to imply a SonyGAF hive mind .

 

[Gavon West]

This is a discussion about whether or not Microsoft is making money from Gamepass no? Wouldn’t numbers... I don’t know... better inform what people are talking about? Maybe that’s why people continue to bring it up?

But you shouldn’t let that distract from your persecution complex. I am sure you have a snarky comment or meme ready to go to imply a SonyGAF hive mind .

Actually, no. And the fact you literally respond to my post via your own persecution complex is comedy.

Yet, no one has answered my question: how does knowing the numbers of GP effectively make your gaming experience better? Especially if you're a Sony fan or a GP consumer?

 

[fallingdove]

Actually, no. And the fact you literally respond to my post via your own persecution complex is comedy.

Yet, no one has answered my question: how does knowing the numbers of GP effectively make your gaming experience better? Especially if you're a Sony fan or a GP consumer?

No persecution complex here - just calling out your bullshit.

You’re right, numbers don’t make a gaming experience better. I could have sworn though that this thread was a discussion about whether Phil Spencer’s comments about GamePass not burning money were accurate —not an attempt to justify corporate success as a means to evaluate the gaming experience.

 

[Gavon West]

No persecution complex here - just calling out your bullshit.

You’re right, numbers don’t make a gaming experience better. I could have sworn though that this thread was a discussion about whether Phil Spencer’s comments about GamePass not burning money were accurate —not an attempt to justify corporate success as a means to evaluate the gaming experience.

Youre calling out my bullshit??? Whatchu talkin' about, Willis??

I simply asked a viable and warranted question. And you still haven't answered. Its hilarious how many marketing arm chair analyst have the nerve to accuse the executive CEO of the brand of lying about the success of a service they offer simply because arm chair marketing analysts can't wrap their head around how Phil and Co are turning a profit with GP.

Again, hilarious... But hey, do you...

 

[nikolino840]

No persecution complex here - just calling out your bullshit.

You’re right, numbers don’t make a gaming experience better. I could have sworn though that this thread was a discussion about whether Phil Spencer’s comments about GamePass not burning money were accurate —not an attempt to justify corporate success as a means to evaluate the gaming experience.

Dosen't make sense giving numbers if on internet people Say they faked numbers

 

[ozz ex machina]

Calling aggressive deals on a service "predatory". Love it.

I also feel so used for converting 3 years of xbox gold for ultimate pass. DAMMIT PHIL! STOP ABUSING ME.

 

[thelastword]

The gaming community never ceases to amaze me in the best possible ways. We're such a caring and compassionate sect of humanity.

Its astounding to me the level of "concern" us gamers have for Microsofts billions.

Years ago Microsoft just moneyhatted everything, now we need to make sure a consumer friendly option is the right choice for these frugal times.

MS's billions does not belong to the gaming division, those profits were not made by the gaming division......What sense does it make to take monies out of your profitable business and invest it into a venture that's clearly not sustainable on it's own...….It's like losing money for kicks, money depletes eventually no matter how much you have, so never assume (rich company) just have endless money to burn, history has shown us how high some companies can fall......So again, why would MS not invest their profits in Office, Servers. server apps; the services that makes them big money, why wouldn't they invest more in that where they can make more money?

OG XBOX did not even sell 40 million, 360 made money, but RROD took it all back, Kinect was eventually a failure, which they had to reign in this gen......Gamepass is just not a profitable venture in it's current state, this is not a guess, it's a fact...….The business model of gamepass should be like Netflix, but I don't know that I ever got 3 months of Netflix for $1 at any point or got Netflix premium for years by just paying a few more bucks, just like some did to get Gamepass Ultimate for years...….This just can't be sustainable, so if you like gamepass and you think it will still be here in the next two years with this type of model, you're not being realistic or logical at all......

So I wonder, if and when Gamepass folds in the next two years, what will people say then...….It certainly won't be a surprise...…...MS will have to make some big moves in pricing the service higher with more exclusive and appealing content and quality exclusives will cost them.....

This is certainly how it's presented by many: go get gears for $1... Blah blah blah, obviously MS doesn't do that because they are so proud of gears 5 that they want everyone to play, even if they don't make a penny on it.

Sales people love that kind of argument, they just hope you will stay in and keep paying (which is fine, just be upfront about it).

The $1 price is about having a reason to ask for the credit card info, if it was free kids wouldn't be able to tell their parents, mom just let me put the card info there it's only $1 and I will get 400 games! Obviously the kid neither care nor know about the price bump down the road, he just hope he fooled his mom into paying it forever.

The thing is, For the first two Gears games I'd say yes, people bought DLC like crazy, Gears was popular and had a huge following online. Gears no longer calls such shots...…..I played Gears campaign and was done, I never played anything else on the service, but my point is, Gears is just not as popular online anymore, so depending on gamepass subs to buy DLC is not going to work to any substantive profitability matrix....

 

[LittleBusters]

Phil Spencer burning the trolls! Another one of their anti-XBox planks destroyed.

 

[fallingdove]

Youre calling out my bullshit??? Whatchu talkin' about, Willis??

I simply asked a viable and warranted question. And you still haven't answered. Its hilarious how many marketing arm chair analyst have the nerve to accuse the executive CEO of the brand of lying about the success of a service they offer simply because arm chair marketing analysts can't wrap their head around how Phil and Co are turning a profit with GP.

Again, hilarious... But hey, do you...

“the nerve to accuse an executive...of the brand lying about the success of a service” is hilarious.

and I answered your goal-post-moving question... numbers don’t improve the gaming experience — but neither does mashing a keyboard on an Internet forum. Numbers and keyboards enhance the experience of discussion though.

 

[LittleBusters]

Calling aggressive deals on a service "predatory". Love it.

I also feel so used for converting 3 years of xbox gold for ultimate pass. DAMMIT PHIL! STOP ABUSING ME.

Heaven forbid Microsoft attempt to compete! Instead for the sake of 'purity' they must act like a console business from the year 2002 or something.

 

[ozz ex machina]

Heaven forbid Microsoft attempt to compete! Instead for the sake of 'purity' they must act like a console business from the year 2002 or something.

It's a classic western pig of a company. Sony have respect and would commit seppuku before deploying such underhand tactics.

 

[Gavon West]

“the nerve to accuse an executive...of the brand lying about the success of a service” is hilarious.

and I answered your goal-post-moving question... numbers don’t improve the gaming experience — but neither does mashing a keyboard on an Internet forum. Numbers and keyboards enhance the experience of discussion though.

Now I'm moving goal posts? LMAO! Far as I know, my argument remains the same. WHY. DO. YOU. NEED. THE NUMBERS. MY. GUY????

Do you struggle with reading comprehension or is not understanding plain English just your super power?

So, for us thinking folks, I'm guessing since Phil said GP is a success and they aren't burning money to retain customers isn't enough for a genius like you, if he actually did give the numbers you'd still accuse him of lying or fudging the numbers.

You can roll that BS with others but for those of us who just enjoy the service, we don't need to know how a trillion dollar company actually makes a business model like this work for them, devs and consumers.

Let's see how inquisitve or skeptical you are when Sony announces their own GP service. I mean, like, you want the numbers for console warz, yeah? Why else would you need them???

Petty and pathetic, tbh.

 

[wolffy71]

Why does anyone who doesn't actually make money from MS stock or wages even care about the profit of one specific offering amongst the hundreds of products?

 

[The Scientist]

I went from SNES to PS1 to PC to 360 to PS4 and now switch and Xbox One and PC.

I play everything.

I just got game pass ultimate for 6 months at a discount. So far the value is incredible. If the value remains at full price, which so far it does, then I will keep it going. It really is that simple.

The value to cost evaluation is equal for every customer, regardless of what the console warriors say and MS thinks they will be able to keep the value above the subscription cost for most people even at full price. Let the market decide the fate of game pass.

Why is there a great fear if it being successful? If it is, it's because the market AKA gamers made it so.

 

[Gavon West]

I went from SNES to PS1 to PC to 360 to PS4 and now switch and Xbox One and PC.

I play everything.

I just got game pass ultimate for 6 months at a discount. So far the value is incredible. If the value remains at full price, which so far it does, then I will keep it going. It really is that simple.

The value to cost evaluation is equal for every customer, regardless of what the console warriors say and MS thinks they will be able to keep the value above the subscription cost for most people even at full price. Let the market decide the fate of game pass.

Why is there a great fear if it being successful? If it is, it's because the market AKA gamers made it so.

Stop thinking logical in this thread! You know better! We talked about this! Lol

Great post!

 

[fallingdove]

Dosen't make sense giving numbers if on internet people Say they faked numbers

You are probably right — the internet would say the numbers are “fake”. At least it would be closer to something definitive than the PR speak we are typically presented with.

 

[ShadowWolf712]

If I may: one of the reasons people want the numbers is because of games media insistence that this EXACT model needs to be emulated and any other alternative is comparatively anti-consumer.

MS is, in all honesty, and in every realistic viewpoint, losing money on this. There's no way they're not; between the bundles and the promos and the fact that there are people who got 3 whole years of Game Pass banked for only $36 or so... yeah. No one's questioning it as a short term loss for an inevitable long-term gain, but rather just asking people to look at this realistically.


MS can afford to take this hit for a sustained period of time. Other companies, less so for a lesser amount of time. Yet if they don't offer it, they're "refusing to compete or being anti-consumer". There's also the cut into initial game sales that's been observed with the service, which could indeed have an impact on game development, we just don't know. No one does. It may be fine, it may not, who knows yet? There are still a lot of variables at play here.

Most of the people I see who are on the topic are more about a potential "reality check" than anything else, at least in my experience.

 

[fallingdove]

Now I'm moving goal posts? LMAO! Far as I know, my argument remains the same. WHY. DO. YOU. NEED. THE NUMBERS. MY. GUY????

Do you struggle with reading comprehension or is not understanding plain English just your super power?

So, for us thinking folks, I'm guessing since Phil said GP is a success and they aren't burning money to retain customers isn't enough for a genius like you, if he actually did give the numbers you'd still accuse him of lying or fudging the numbers.

You can roll that BS with others but for those of us who just enjoy the service, we don't need to know how a trillion dollar company actually makes a business model like this work for them, devs and consumers.

Let's see how inquisitve or skeptical you are when Sony announces their own GP service. I mean, like, you want the numbers for console warz, yeah? Why else would you need them???

Petty and pathetic, tbh.

It seems I have disrupted your delicate mental framework. Life must be painful for you.

Please continue enjoying the service... I plan on subscribing at some point this year (probably before Halo Infinite comes out).

I haven’t seen people saying that GamePass isn’t good or that it doesn’t offer incredible value. The only question that people seem to be asking is whether or not it is making money. Then again, you suggested that I have difficulty with reading comprehension and that I don’t understand English. It is probably one of those things.

I could have sworn that Sony had a GamePass equivalent. If I remember right, it was called PlaystationNow. If I recall, the trial I took advantage of wasn’t that great but it did allow me to stream PS2/PS3/PS4 games and even download some PS4 games to play natively on my console. Golly - I think I saw some numbers from Sony and they weren’t all that spectacular... But hey - at least they were numbers. I don’t know, I could be suffering from some sort of delusion.

Hey - good luck with your sensitivity issues.

 

[Nikana]

It isn't any different from another company running a trial. My point is that Game Pass is an extraordinarily good deal. That's why many people say MS are "giving it away". It isn't really a devaluation of gears, at least I wouldn't think so.

Many of the games available on game pass are sold elsewhere for magnitudes in price. There's no way Microsoft is getting them for cheap and making up for it with $6 or even $1 in revenue.

I agree with your last point, I am guilty of that myself. Although I don't see why you would purchase the game rather than continue with game pass, unless nothing else on game pass is/will interest you. Gears 5 alone costs more than a years worth of PC game pass in Canada.

Maybe I am reading it wrong but most of the give away comments tend to be followed by people saying Gears 5 didn't do well etc.

And yes a lot of the games on game pass are sold for more elsewhere but these are stores that don't have subscriptions. Subscriptions will always take the price of something down. Thats the whole point of a subscription. Comparing a game to another store that has it for more money isn't really fair because its a completely different type of model and revenue.

If you have a movie on Hulu that's in the $6.99 tier but the blu ray is $14.99, you don't assume that Hulu has to be losing money. It's a different deal with different terms and expectations.

The games that are $60 at launch that are on game pass tend to be their own games, meaning that's where their biggest hit will come but since they are the publisher and developer its much easier to cut the losses.

But the other games on the service tend to be older and are already at a significantly cheaper price point. Along with most of the Day 1 game pass games that aren't MGS titles tend to be indie games which prices aren't set at very high.

Even if you look at the AAA games that are truly block busters like Witcher 3 and Doom, they are always on discount somewhere and even t regular price now they are in the $30 range before sales.

When it comes to people buying stuff they can get in a subscription I will never understand why people buy it either. But I worked in retail when House of Cards hit DVD/Blu Ray and we always sold a ton of them. I don't get it myself, but people still do buy things they could easily get a subscription for.

 

[ShadowWolf712]

I don't get it myself, but people still do buy things they could easily get a subscription for.

A lot of people like to actually own the things they like, fam.

 

[Bigpuddycat]

It's a loss leader model right? That is, they don't make money on the service itself but make money through Gamepass users buying games, add-ons, battlepasses, hardware accessories etc.

Can they (financially) sustain it long-term? Of course. That said, I think a lot of that will depend on how successful the XSX/XSS become. If the consoles' sell extremely well, they'll have a direct business incentive to continue to take the hit on Gamepass; new console owners, new purchases, new money. If the consoles' underperform, then they'll have to change the service to accomodate for the lack of new/more streams of income. A quick fix for that would be to raise the price of Gamepass -- that way, the 'hit' they take won't be big.

What I'm curious about is whether or not big publishers and developers have a favorable opinion of the service. It's nice to get a fat check, but does the check come at the expense of the software underperforming on platforms (e.g. Steam, PS, Switch) that don't have the game for 'free'?

 

[Dane]

Strange summation especially when you think about who, in there right mind, would "buy" DLC for a game they are basically renting. I'm my opinion if you pay a subscription to play the games you should have access to everything.

"oh hey, this 20-30 dollar dlc is for half of the price in this sale, got it".

 

[Lort]

Ive had a total of 6 months of Game Pass subs and I only paid a single US dollar in total. There's no fucking way it isn't losing money.

Uh... You do realize that Netflix is perpetually in debt, right?

You do realise amazon ran at a loss and YouTube and uber and facebook util they become the most influential dominating companies on the globe and then barley raised their prices and then started turning a profit. Microsoft unlike those companies actually has other areas to make money ... if they dominate streaming it will be huge for them in terms of strategy, brand, market influence and ability to launch other products.

Dont know if you realise this but Sony playstation also invests hugely with no income to develop the console .. then makes it money back ( without raising prices) through selling to millions of users.

This is how big business make money.

 

[wolffy71]

“Game Pass on Xbox and PC has been massive for our multiplayer mountain biking game Descenders -- after we joined the Game Pass program earlier this year, we saw player numbers rocket by a ridiculous amount, and our sales across both Xbox and Steam have been at least quadrupled daily compared to before we joined Game Pass,” he said. “It essentially gave Descenders a second life, and we've been updating the game with new content as a result ever since, to keep all these new players happy.

An example of it working for all parties. Gamers get cost effective choices, developers get new life for IP, and MS gains customers, and add on sales.

 

[Dhoulmagus2008]

Wonder how long Game Pass will be around?

 

[Nikana]

A lot of people like to actually own the things they like, fam.

I meant more as someone who has both. Like I have 4k discs of my fav movies but I am not gonna run out and buy Daredevil on Blue Ray when I have a Netflix sub. if I got rid of the sub I could see it.

 

[New Yorks Finest]

Netflix spends 14 billion a year on content and has 160 million subscribers.
Fortnite has 100 million users ...

Microsoft is in the right place to scale xcloud ALL the way up and all the nay sayers are saying exactly what they said about Netflix ... content isn’t good enough and they can’t afford to run a business like that.

Let the man do his job and give the gamers subscription gaming lol.

why do u ever care honestly?Are you a MS stockholder, if u are and don’t want to be, sell and move on with your life.

1. Very simple, for the fact this forum being a SonyGAF , that's just one.

2. Jealously, saltiness, 1st party/3rd party/exclusives dropped day one, (look what PS NOW has to offer for them comparing to GP ) hatred that PS doesn't have service to being even close what MS has to offer..

3. Dat jelly, angry concern with drooling faces is a dead giveaway.

4. They can't stand to see this thing being so successful, taking off like it did and never looked back... its growing rapidly and becoming the next best thing since Netflix was announced. Facts.!...nnneeexxxxttt!

 

[ShadowWolf712]

I meant more as someone who has both. Like I have 4k discs of my fav movies but I am not gonna run out and buy Daredevil on Blue Ray when I have a Netflix sub. if I got rid of the sub I could see it.

Honestly, even then. If I like a movie or show, I'll still buy the Blu-Ray even if it's on a streaming site.