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Randy Pitchford Says Microsoft and Sony Have Never Been Competitors, In His Mind

iamvin22

Industry Verified
I guess that's why they created one of the hottest consumer electronic devices of last holiday that is still 100% sold out today. That's why they have a million different controller variations and accessories available for sale including a god damned fridge. You're right, what MS really wants to do is relinquish that walled garden XBOX store money and pay Sony 15-30% tax for the right to appear on their device. SMH.. armchair strategists need to chill.
Ummm what?!? 😂😅
 

LordKite

Neo Member
Reknowned Sega Monetary "diverter" and man who stoops to pornography to try and sell his failing video game talks out of his ass on twitter, more at 11.

He can have his opinion but this is pretty dumb, tbh.
 
Ummm what?!? 😂😅
raw
 

Barakov

Member

The Gearbox Software CEO explained his stance in a series of tweets, characterizing Sony as a consumer electronics company and Microsoft as a software company, and that Sony should eventually "be happy" with Microsoft software running on PlayStation hardware. "Sony's like, 'They better not pull Call of Duty from our platform!' Microsoft's like, 'Bro - having our games on your platform is what we've been trying to do all along. I guess spending $2.5b on Minecraft wasn't enough to convince you?'" This is in reference to Microsoft acquiring Mojang years ago yet still releasing Minecraft on PlayStation platforms.

There is one problem with Pitchford's point, and that is not all of Xbox's acquisitions have been treated like Mojang. While Microsoft has opted to keep Minecraft on PlayStation platforms, it's not doing the same with The Elder Scrolls 6 or future Bethesda games. Microsoft has made it clear that it acquired Bethesda to gain console exclusives for Xbox as well as bolster its Xbox Game Pass lineup, meaning PlayStation will be missing out on some huge upcoming games like the upcoming Starfield, for example. And while Xbox has left the door open for future Call of Duty games to be multi-platform, it's also said that some Activision Blizzard games will be Xbox exclusives.

Pitchford believes that the ultimate goal for Xbox is to become a gaming OS without need for a physical "box." There may be something to this down the line, though it remains to be seen if Nintendo or Sony will ever allow Xbox Game Pass to run on their respective platforms.


Marc Lamont Hill Wtf GIF by Identity
 

Lognor

Banned
He has somewhat of a point. If Sony would allow Game Pass on Playstation then Sony wouldn't have to miss out on any of those Microsoft games!
 

reinking

Gold Member
I cannot imagine a time when there isn't a Xbox console.
Why not? It wasn't that long ago it did not exist. Back in the day I could not imagine a world without an Atari or a Sega console. Guess what? The world went on after they left the console space.
 

reinking

Gold Member
He has somewhat of a point. If Sony would allow Game Pass on Playstation then Sony wouldn't have to miss out on any of those Microsoft games!
People need to stop this nonsense. Sony will not add Game Pass just like Microsoft would never allow PS Now on their consoles. People have lost their damn minds thinking it is going to happen.
 

mckmas8808

Banned

The Gearbox Software CEO explained his stance in a series of tweets, characterizing Sony as a consumer electronics company and Microsoft as a software company, and that Sony should eventually "be happy" with Microsoft software running on PlayStation hardware. "Sony's like, 'They better not pull Call of Duty from our platform!' Microsoft's like, 'Bro - having our games on your platform is what we've been trying to do all along. I guess spending $2.5b on Minecraft wasn't enough to convince you?'" This is in reference to Microsoft acquiring Mojang years ago yet still releasing Minecraft on PlayStation platforms.

There is one problem with Pitchford's point, and that is not all of Xbox's acquisitions have been treated like Mojang. While Microsoft has opted to keep Minecraft on PlayStation platforms, it's not doing the same with The Elder Scrolls 6 or future Bethesda games. Microsoft has made it clear that it acquired Bethesda to gain console exclusives for Xbox as well as bolster its Xbox Game Pass lineup, meaning PlayStation will be missing out on some huge upcoming games like the upcoming Starfield, for example. And while Xbox has left the door open for future Call of Duty games to be multi-platform, it's also said that some Activision Blizzard games will be Xbox exclusives.

Pitchford believes that the ultimate goal for Xbox is to become a gaming OS without need for a physical "box." There may be something to this down the line, though it remains to be seen if Nintendo or Sony will ever allow Xbox Game Pass to run on their respective platforms.



If this is true, Microsoft has done a terrible job showing that to Sony and us fans of gaming lol.
 

mckmas8808

Banned
Why not? It wasn't that long ago it did not exist. Back in the day I could not imagine a world without an Atari or a Sega console. Guess what? The world went on after they left the console space.

I mean.....it was 20 years ago. Atari and Sega hardware didn't exist that long. MS has outlived them both combined!

People need to stop this nonsense. Sony will not add Game Pass just like Microsoft would never allow PS Now on their consoles. People have lost their damn minds thinking it is going to happen.

I think it's possible for Sony to allow GP. But it'll require MS to buy one or two more key publishers. But I think Sony is 80% there with allowing it. They just need to figure out how to make the money work.
 
I guess that's why they created one of the hottest consumer electronic devices of last holiday that is still 100% sold out today. That's why they have a million different controller variations and accessories available for sale including a god damned fridge. You're right, what MS really wants to do is relinquish that walled garden XBOX store money and pay Sony 15-30% tax for the right to appear on their device. SMH.. armchair strategists need to chill.
MS is a software company. They make more money than God selling software.

This is the end goal for GamePass. They want GamePass to be their Windows of the gaming world and they want it on every god damn device imaginable from PC all the way through to your fucking toaster. The box you play on is of 0 importance to them. They will continue to sell Xbox consoles until they reach a stage where they no longer need to and that is when GamePass transformation to demi god of gaming service is complete.

Currently they're still building out the service to include more AAA titans so any one of Google, Apple or Amazon will die a swift and painful death entering this market.
Them getting GamePass on PS platforms will be advantageous but not necessary. Understand that MS is holding all the aces here.
 
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Amiga

Member
They were and still are competitors. MS is just "if you can't beat them join them". For now. Once they have enough leverage, it's back on.

Epic were just selling game engine software. Now they are taking on steam. This is business. Eat or be eaten. Stand still and die.
 
MS is a software company. They make more money than God selling software.

This is the end goal for GamePass. They want their software on every god damn device imaginable from PC all the way through to your fucking toaster. The box you play on is of 0 importance to them. They will continue to sell Xbox consoles until they reach a stage where they no longer need to and that is when GamePass transformation to demi god of gaming service is complete.

Currently they're still building out the service to include more AAA titans so any one of Google, Apple or Amazon will die a swift and painful death entering this market.
Them getting GamePass on PS platforms will be advantageous but not necessary. Understand that MS is holding all the aces here with GamePass.

Our points are not incongruent. They can want to dominate the software market as well as continue to make XBOX the #1 place for console gaming because they can make a shit ton of money off third party sales as well. Getting GamePass on PlayStation is great and all but they still have to hand over a chunk of that money to Sony. And Sony will not allow them to operate a store within a store. EPIC tried that fight with apple and got worked.
 

mckmas8808

Banned
MS is a software company. They make more money than God selling software.

This is the end goal for GamePass. They want GamePass to be their Windows of the gaming world and they want it on every god damn device imaginable from PC all the way through to your fucking toaster. The box you play on is of 0 importance to them. They will continue to sell Xbox consoles until they reach a stage where they no longer need to and that is when GamePass transformation to demi god of gaming service is complete.

Currently they're still building out the service to include more AAA titans so any one of Google, Apple or Amazon will die a swift and painful death entering this market.
Them getting GamePass on PS platforms will be advantageous but not necessary. Understand that MS is holding all the aces here.

The ONLY way Microsoft stops making consoles is if Sony agrees to put GP on Playstation consoles with an ironclad contract with percentages that work for both sides.
 
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The ONLY way Microsoft stops making consoles is if Sony agrees to put GP on Playstation consoles with an ironclad contract with percentages that work for both sides.
Well that's what I was getting at. GamePass on PS consoles going at this rate will be an inevitability. How many more AAA titles can Sony let slip to Xbox.
As I said, MS is holding the aces with GamePass. Add in Fifa and other big 3rd party IP's and PS will cave.
 
Our points are not incongruent. They can want to dominate the software market as well as continue to make XBOX the #1 place for console gaming because they can make a shit ton of money off third party sales as well. Getting GamePass on PlayStation is great and all but they still have to hand over a chunk of that money to Sony. And Sony will not allow them to operate a store within a store. EPIC tried that fight with apple and got worked.
But we all know hardware is a loss leading exercise. Its not until late gen when they start making a profit on their hardware. Sony made $25.03 billion from its Game & Network Services segment for the fiscal year ending March 31.
The money is in the software, not the box sitting next to your tv or monitor.
 

mckmas8808

Banned
Well that's what I was getting at. GamePass on PS consoles going at this rate will be an inevitability. How many more AAA titles can Sony let slip to Xbox.
As I said, MS is holding the aces with GamePass. Add in Fifa and other big 3rd party IP's and PS will cave.

That's 100% how I feel too. If EA or Ubisoft is next then it's gameover and Sony will have to cave. And in that instance, I don't think caving is a bad bet for Sony. Even if Sony forced PS owners to pay an extra $10 a month for GP (which sony taking that extra $10 for themselves).

I'd order a $25 a month GP sub if it came to Playstation.
 
But we all know hardware is a loss leading exercise. Its not until late gen when they start making a profit on their hardware. Sony made $25.03 billion from its Game & Network Services segment for the fiscal year ending March 31.
The money is in the software, not the box sitting next to your tv or monitor.

I think that's half true. The console itself may be a loss leader initially but basically you're handing out little stores that generate money over time. Accessories and licensing for third party peripherals also make a ton of money. There is no way in gods name they're not making humongous profits on controllers, etc. I think we need to shed this notion that consoles aren't real moneymakers because there are entire markets around them.
 
I think that's half true. The console itself may be a loss leader initially but basically you're handing out little stores that generate money over time. Accessories and licensing for third party peripherals also make a ton of money. There is no way in gods name they're not making humongous profits on controllers, etc. I think we need to shed this notion that consoles aren't real moneymakers because there are entire markets around them.
Thats true.
Interesting things happening in the industry. We have to wait and see whether Xbox consoles will still be a thing a decade from now.
 

Schmick

Member
The ONLY way Microsoft stops making consoles is if Sony agrees to put GP on Playstation consoles with an ironclad contract with percentages that work for both sides.
That would be soo complicated, to negotiate the percentages between Sony, MS and the developers/published it wouldn't be worth it. IMO the only way GP could feature on Playstation is if MS offer a Gamepass Lite containing only first party games. The fully fledge GP will continue, and only be available on Xbox, PC and xCloud. This would perhaps favour Sony as well in this scenario, as they could still offer their version of GP on Playstation with first party and third party games.
 

Lunarorbit

Member
What a fucking moron. As the CEO of pitchfork he has zero incentive to say they are competing. Plus wtf does he care since his games go on both consoles.

I'm dumber after reading his tweets. If you want to flame the fan boy war good job randy.

Seriously his comments are devoid of any critical thinking.


Oh and thanks for convincing Sony to put your tiny Tina dlc on ps plus this month you fucking knob. This is borderlands 2 we talkin about. Not borderlands 3. Not the prequel. No. Borderlands 2.
 

iamvin22

Industry Verified
I gave you a "lol" because it's a great meme 👍.

What I'm saying is I've had discussions with Ms employees about this. I won't express what they said just because.

Everything in your quote was way over the top. I'm no armchair analyst but it's pretty obvious where Ms is headed is what I meant. Sorry if I came off as what you said.
 
I can, but only when they can get GamePass on everything and Sony won't allow that anytime soon.

But, Microsoft honestly doesn't care much about Xbox. They care about GamePass.

Just like Netflix isn't trying to sell you hardware. They are happy to let other people make hardware, put Netflix on that hardware and collect monthly subscriptions from all those people.
Vastly different situations seeing how Netflix never made hardware and MS gets a 30% share of every 3rd party game sold on Xbox. Drop hardware lose the share. Plus the Xbox remains the easiest way to get into Game pass. Especially when the XSS remains the easiest current generation console to buy. The idea that MS 'doesn't care about Xbox' is overblown.
 

reinking

Gold Member
I mean.....it was 20 years ago. Atari and Sega hardware didn't exist that long. MS has outlived them both combined!
Except you are talking about two of the companies that pioneered console gaming.


...and good luck with your 80% Sony allowing Game Pass to PlayStation. Where did you get that number?
 

IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
That's no longer the goal. It's ALL about GamePass. All these acquisitions are for GamePass. GamePass. That's it. GamePass.

Not really.

It's also about xCloud, which they fully intend to be a platform where you can access any game license you own including purchased games.

Gamepass afterall includes most of the content only temporarily, and you are encouraged to buy games at a discount on their way out.

And... it'll continue to be about consoles.

The idea they want to give up on home consoles is also a bit silly; they will always be the biggest ROI customer they have IMO. And if they can get back towards being anywhere close to Sony, it's a massive business, bigger than it was during the 360 days, because of.. well.. that 30% cut. In the days where digital was new-ish, and majority were still physical, it wasn't a 30% cut, it was less than half of that. Also that was pre "Online passes."

Not trying to discount the fact that MS has their eyes on something bigger than consoles, but consoles alone can be a $25 billion business as is.. Sony proved that, and Sony will probably grow that to $30 billion a year this gen.
 
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Hinedorf

Banned
I cannot imagine a time when there isn't a Xbox console.
It's called owning a PC and having a subscription to MS Gamepass. This has literally been a thing for almost 5 years now.

And now that Sony has relented and "exclusives" are finding themselves living in that grey area on steam is pretty much the death knell of MS consoles by next 1 or 2 generations.
 

BigBooper

Member
Someone who doesn't know said something. I really don't understand this idea of someone in a semi-related situation being a voice of wisdom idea. His opinion is worth more than Joe Blow on the street I guess.

As for what he said, that's insane. Of course they have been and are competitors, but MS seems to be fully embracing the metaverse services idea so that might not be the case forever. I don't see it though.

If Xbox went fully in on services and dropped the console hardware, then Sony would still be a competitor because they would still have first party games. If Xbox just put out a reasonably powered console every couple of years that didn't push performance or have something unique, why would anyone buy that over the future Playstation if they could also get MS games on Playstation? Wouldn't make sense.
 

Itchy Tickles

Neo Member
And shit magician wannabes shouldn't try and make games... Actually, the way he makes money disappear before the eyes of his staff or from Aliens into Bordlerlands is a trick for the ages.
 

oldergamer

Member
Microsoft wants that walled garden too. They just haven't been able to yet.

If they succeed, no Microsoft game will be available outside their payed subscription, not even legacy games, not even through Steam. Everything will be cloud-based.

We are headed in a post-ownership world — that's their endgame. It's the only reason to spend billions on publishers, and they for sure are hoping it's a zero-sum game against their competitors.
Dude all of ms games are available outside paid subscription. They won't stop selling disc games except on PC.
 
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Neo_game

Member
I think it is obvious Microsoft is moving away from platform specific domain. If other big gaming companies are up for grabs who is going to stop Microsoft from buying them ? Some companies who can compete are probably not even interested. So may be they will shop for another 70 odd billion $ in coming years and will want to be on every device possible including PS and Nintendo. I think this is possible. I do not think they will ever go back to be only on Xbox. They want to PC gamers, other console gamers, mobile gamers to be their customers as well.
 
I can’t take anything this douche says seriously.

Other than his own questionable behavior, Gearbox has had so many amazing opportunities to make awesome things with great IP and end up doing the dumbest shit possible every time without fail.
 
Microsoft is taking a multifaceted approach. It's clear. They're trying to embolden their portfolio to make Game Pass more appealing and eventually fully transition to games as a service. They also want these game properties available to most gamers. I think they are going to parse which games should be multi-platform and which should be exclusive in order to best embolden their strategy. I'm sure they'll always make some type of dedicated hardware almost as a default standard for the service, but the reality is eventually they want their software everywhere and their service everywhere. The current video game model is very outdated, particularly when compared to all the streaming services out there and how ubiquitous all other media has become... Imagine only being able to watch Sony movies on a Sony television thru a Sony streaming service. It's weird. It's actually absurd.

Microsoft is playing the long game here. You either get it or you don't.
 

Gamerguy84

Member
I thought at investor meeting MS said CoD would remain on PS for the next 3 games only. Att lleast that is what I seen on reddit.
 

Thirty7ven

Banned
Could’ve been a good topic of conversation but the points he makes are so dumb. He’s just another living example that being successful or being rich does not mean you’re not a dumbass.
 

Sygma

Member
Randy is a moron. He's salty his company didn't get bought out.

People seem to forget Embracer which is wild

Anyway Andy is right about eventually having Microsoft gaming access on every single hardware out there, its been one of microsoft focus's with Azure and Spencer himself hyped it up
 
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IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
Also this from 2013



This guy is kinda talking shit, and this article is rather click baity, the guy then apparently adds:

Kempin claims that Gates always had qualms that the living room computer would, at some stage, metamorphosise into an alternative PC that could threaten Microsoft's dominance of the traditional market. As a result, it was eventually felt the company had to try and tackle Sony head-on.

MS thought, and to some extent, predicted, non PCs would take over and people would use computers less. Bill Gates was HUGE on the "Set top box" as the future.

They were right, it just was more about mobile devices.

Being worried Sony's massive success would have a new generation using PC's less is not quite the same as "to rile it's competitor" or as click baity.
 
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