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[Draugoth]

The case between Microsoft and the FTC continued on Tuesday with video deposition from PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan being a focal point. During a meeting with Fidelity investors in February 2022, Ryan said publishers just don’t like Xbox Game Pass or the idea of the subscription model.

I talked to all publishers they unanimously do not like Game Pass, because its value destructive.

Ryan added that the belief was “very commonly held” by publishers across the industry. He also said that he didn’t believe Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick would put the Call of Duty franchise on the service if the acquisition didn’t go through.

That said, Sony has worked to help PlayStation compete against the service with exclusive games of its own. Ryan said that PlayStation growing first-party titles is its way to keep Xbox Game Pass at bay.

One of the reasons why we are investing massively in first-party development and publishing is to provide us with an edge against pressure on a historic business model. Having a business model where you own elements from the top to the bottom increases your ability to be self-determinant.

 

[graywolf323]

 

[mrmustard]

Please not 100 single threads on what Jim or expert A or B said.

 

[Draugoth]

Please not 100 single threads on what Jim or expert A or B said.

 

[jm89]

 

[Gobjuduck]

Sega seems to like it : )

 

[Tsaki]

Well he wouldn't lie in front of the judge when it can be easily disproven. Interesting.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

He's correct

 

[Snake29]

Well none of the big publishers are releasing their big AAA games day one on Gamepass. So it's kinda true...

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Publishers dont like GP?

Wow. Who knew MS forced all those third party games on it.

 

[xBlueStonex]

If it was Sony Game Pass, he'd be singing a different tune. Microsoft just beat him to the punch.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Publishers dont like GP?

Wow. Who knew MS forced all those third party games on it.

Mostly smaller publishers with games that don’t sell too well to begin with

 

[Salty Popsicle]

I wouldn't trust anything Jimbo has to say. Even senior level developers from 3rd party studios are calling him out on his BS.

 

[semiconscious]

Please not 100 single threads on what Jim or expert A or B said.

c'mon, dude - this's neogaf: the gamers' coffee klatch, where all the dirt gets shared...

 

[Fake]

Can't say for everyone, but I hate.

 

[Aenima]

Sega seems to like it : )

Sega is a shitshow of mercenaries that love money. They might actually need it though.
Physical Yakuza games used to come out with steelbook cases at no extra cost and they would release free DLC. Now they games launch with multiple editions, with paid dlc, and Gaiden might not even release in physical format in some regions.

 

[Gobjuduck]

Sega is a shitshow

arnt they they more profitable than ever now? Sounds like exploring gamepass and multiplatform options have done wonders for them.

 

[Freeman76]

This guy is so full of shit. Sony are so far ahead I dont even know why he has to act like such a prick all the time.....

 

[Loxus]

I wouldn't trust anything Jimbo has to say. Even senior level developers from 3rd party studios are calling him out on his BS.

What does cut content from COD has to do with Devs not liking Gamepass?

 

[Kenneth Haight]

 

[Aenima]

arnt they they more profitable than ever now? Sounds like exploring gamepass and multiplatform options have done wonders for them.

OFC they are better now. Once you start fucking the consumer, the money starts pouring.

 

[dem]

Then I guess he has nothing to worry about..?

 

[Salty Popsicle]

What does cut content from COD has to do with Devs not liking Gamepass?

If he's misinforming the court about how developers would make an inferior experience on PlayStation consoles, why should the court or anyone for that matter believe his hearsay about no publishers wanting Gamepass?

 

[nikolino840]

Only gamepass or also ps now?

 

[FullMetalx117]

Devs do like Gamepass. If they’re making a new IP or even a shitty game they know won’t sell well, Microsoft will be the guy in the corner willing to pay for the sloppiest of hookers. It basically gives them downside protection.

But yes, publishers/devs who are already successful won’t like it. It devalues them

 

[twilo99]

Only gamepass or also ps now?

PS now doesn’t count

 

[ReBurn]

If publishers unanimously hate game pass then why are third party games available on game pass? Jim is spending too much time in gaming forums.

 

[adamsapple]

Yes, and the name of that publisher is Sony Interactive Entertainment.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

I wouldn't trust anything Jimbo has to say. Even senior level developers from 3rd party studios are calling him out on his BS.

Most of the games released on game pass so far contradicts what he is saying. ….

 

[FullMetalx117]

If publishers unanimously hate game pass then why are third party games available on game pass? Jim is spending too much time in gaming forums.

Microsoft money. Literally the only reason. If you don’t have much money, you’ll take it from anyone. Even the one that will be bad long term. Most think short term

 

[Oppoi]

Please not 100 single threads on what Jim or expert A or B said.

The sudden cry for a megathread is just... *chefs kiss*

 

[[Sigma]]

Sega seems to like it : )

Yeah, id take MS's check too. Because they sure wasn't going to get it out of the Xbox fan base in terms of buying the game lol.

 

[Slicker than your average]

Publishers dont like GP?

Wow. Who knew MS forced all those third party games on it.

What big 3rd party games launch on it, curious?

Paying millions for a game that's already stopped selling or is a flop, im sure they don't mind then.

 

[Tsaki]

I wouldn't trust anything Jimbo has to say. Even senior level developers from 3rd party studios are calling him out on his BS.

Psychonauts 2 released with no PS5 version. Microsoft could and has done this before. Also he worked on Jedi Survivor so it's pretty ironic in the context of optimizations.
Edit: They did it for Minecraft Dungeons too. Yeah MS really are going at it.

 

[mrmustard]

The sudden cry for a megathread is just... *chefs kiss*

It's not sudden and we already have a megathread

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

If publishers unanimously hate game pass then why are third party games available on game pass? Jim is spending too much time in gaming forums.

Because Xbox pays them to put games on game pass.

A game pass deal in some instances is better than releasing your game and hoping it even makes money.

 

[Represent.]

Neither do I Jim, neither do I.

 

[Oppoi]

Yes, and the name of that publisher is Sony Interactive Entertainment.

You would love mobile gaming.

 

[Represent.]

Please not 100 single threads on what Jim or expert A or B said.

Megathreads are trash. Everything just gets lost. Plus this makes the site look and feel more active. New news. New thread

 

[rickybooby87]

I wouldn't trust anything Jimbo has to say. Even senior level developers from 3rd party studios are calling him out on his BS.

Typically, business decisions about when to ship games and in what state those games are shipped isn't up to "Senior Encounter Designers", it's a little above their paygrades.

 

[StealthGoblin]

If it was Sony Game Pass, he'd be singing a different tune. Microsoft just beat him to the punch.

Sony’s sub has been out a year versus Xbox’s 5, yet they’ve already got up to 50% of the number of subs with significantly less investment. Microsoft’s GamePass growth is mostly on PC. Sony have made large strides into PC over the last couple of years so I imagine that’ll be a growth area.

Microsoft pay through the nose for GamePass games (day one, exclusive) whereas Sony know from talking to publishers that they see it as earning from catalogue. The head of Take 2 has said this.

Ryan isn’t wrong that the GamePass model devalues games. People wait for games to go into the sub and see them as ‘free’.

Some publishers do put their games into GamePass like Sega, but they know they’ll make bank from the PlayStation release. That’s where they make their money.

 

[Banjo64]

Typically, business decisions about when to ship games and in what state those games are shipped isn't up to "Senior Encounter Designers", it's a little above their paygrades.

And it’s a he/him which calls in to question mental capacity.

 

[Loxus]

If he's misinforming the court about how developers would make an inferior experience on PlayStation consoles, why should the court or anyone for that matter believe his hearsay about no publishers wanting Gamepass?

Do you have proof he is misinforming the court?
Are you in the court room right now?
Did you spoke to the CEOs of the publishers to see if Jim is misinforming the court?

 

[ReBurn]

Microsoft money. Literally the only reason. If you don’t have much money, you’ll take it from anyone. Even the one that will be bad long term. Most think short term

If they're taking the money then they don't hate it.

I get Sony's frustration. Their bread and butter isn't their own first party games. They need those to sell consoles. Where they make the most money is by taking a 30% cut of everyone else makes. So of course they don't want to have a situation where someone plays a game on game pass over buying it on the PS store. But let's be real, most games are discounted stupidly fast after launch once all the day 1 buyer money is counted. It's not like most of them retain value anyway.

 

[Skifi28]

If publishers unanimously hate game pass then why are third party games available on game pass? Jim is spending too much time in gaming forums.

Excluding first party, notice how most of them are v ery old games, unknown indie releases, or things that bombed with the occasional day one release where Microsoft really opened their wallet. It's true that you won't see stuff like COD release day one on gamepass, it's the equivalent of "straight to DvD".


Services like gamepass or PS plus do devalue gaming as a whole and you can see it daily here where tons of people shout they're not buying X, Y or Z game and will instead wait until it hits a subscription service. Do you really think those in the business of making games like that?

 

[theStartupSound]

Strange to say something like that (for Ryan) when he has more or less the same product with a different name.

 

[RyanEvans21]

If publishers unanimously hate game pass then why are third party games available on game pass? Jim is spending too much time in gaming forums.

Which Publisher? Most games on Game Pass right now are mostly indies.

Xbox Game Pass Games Library | Xbox

Explore the Game Pass library and play hundreds of games.

www.xbox.com

 

[Tsaki]

If publishers unanimously hate game pass then why are third party games available on game pass? Jim is spending too much time in gaming forums.

GP in this context is Day 1 releases and most big games don't come on it day 1. Take 2 and even Activision has said as much as well.

 

[Kataploom]

Someone should put Phil Spencer in jail*, can't believe the man is putting a gun in publisher CEOs heads to get games in their service. Disgusting.

Edit: * for some reason didn't put it complete before, wtf.

 

[Fafalada]

I wouldn't trust anything Jimbo has to say. Even senior level developers from 3rd party studios are calling him out on his BS.

Note the 'willingly' part.
Whether we like it or not - history is littered with examples of devs who put out knowingly inferior products unwillingly.
There's also a littanny of stories on how non-lead platforms get treated by said devs - ie. while everyone wants to ship quality products - the levels of acceptance criteria for what that constitutes at a given point in time can vary, wildly.