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Would MS ever leave gaming?

Topher

Gold Member
nah. I'll say it as many times as it's needed.
I hold no love for ms and those who kept them relevant in my increasingly worse hobby.

That's fine, but Microsoft isn't going anywhere regardless of whether you love them or those who "kept them relevant".

whoopi goldberg shrug GIF by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
 

aries_71

Junior Member
Sorry, but no.

And about leaving Xbox hardware… nowadays Xbox/PS are just basically pc standard hardware configurations. Future console iterations will go that way too. Generations are dead. So, that’s probably a no too. Sorry guys.
 

Mr.ODST

Member
Yeah they standardised paywalls for online play. Thanks Microsoft. Hip hip hurray for innovative ways to nickle and dime me
SO how come your not arguing the shitty things Nintendo and Playstation have also done?

Xbox Live USED to be worth it back then for an extensive online system for its time for console
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
That so?
Personally I think everyone who supports microsoft by buying their system and into their practices is an absolute retard and should be prohibited from reproducing lest they dirty up the genepool even more but I wanted to be polite.

Especially when these people seem to have a goldfish memory and forget we did just fine after sega bowed out. We also didn't have less variety of games. As I recall the ps2 had no shortage of games and variety. Quite on the contrary.

But sure, microsoft is needed. As much as a tumor. Where else could we have groundbreaking innovation like paywalls to play online, the incentive for developers to release incomplete games so they could charge more with dlc or my personal favorite, releasing broken games and hope a patch will fix it.
Currently they're telling their legion of scholars that a business model that drains them money and brings less revenue than actual game sales, will provide games for free* on day 1 with the same quality and funding as what they used to have.
20 years in the console business and all they have to show are dead IP's with no relevance anymore.
I'm thrilled that their competitive ways have now resulted in me losing ninja theory, double fine, bethesda and soon ABK games.
Sorry that not liking Microsoft prevents you from enjoying games on things that aren't Microsoft things. It must be difficult to not think about Microsoft when playing games on your preferred medium knowing that the game you're playing would be better if Microsoft were not making different games that you aren't playing.
 

Zathalus

Member
I hope everyone claiming MS should or wants to leave the console hardware business realizes that it is by far the biggest revenue stream for them. That 30% cut of games and microtransaction makes up the far majority of Xbox income. Streaming and the PC store is not going to be nearly enough to plug that gap. Maybe streaming in the distant future, but certainly not in the next 15+ years at least.

Stating that Microsoft end goal is to leave the console market behind is foolishness.
 

Zephyrus0

Banned
Sorry that not liking Microsoft prevents you from enjoying games on things that aren't Microsoft things. It must be difficult to not think about Microsoft when playing games on your preferred medium knowing that the game you're playing would be better if Microsoft were not making different games that you aren't playing.
Oh no, I still enjoy those. What I don't get to enjoy anymore are games that would be available on things that aren't Microsoft things but are now only on Microsoft things.
I'm not mad that I don't get to play Forza on playstation. I'm mad that I'm no longer allowed to play Hellblade 2 on it though.
 

Ansphn

Member
This has been the prediction for the 20 years MS has been in console gaming. I wonder where people are getting this idea from? It makes no sense for MS to drop consoles since it is the main vector for Game pass and MS has initiatives like ID@Xbox and 3rd party license deals they would lose. MS has been in consoles longer than Sega and they won't be going anywhere especially with the massive investments they've been making recently.
It actually makes 100% sense. The Xbox brand has been bleeding Microsoft money for decades. It's always been a small base that don't spend much money unlike Nintendo and PlayStation base. Microsoft wants to buy up publishers non-stop and if they were 3rd party, the buying wouldn't be a problem. Microsoft will finally become 3rd party and actually start to make money from their gaming division from Nintendo base, Playstation base, PC base, Mobile base, Cloud base, etc and none of these companies would have a problem with it. Just look at Tencent, they made more money than any company in gaming and they don't have a console. They buy up publishers and studios world wide and nobody cares.
 

Kilau

Member
Shouldn't have called me a complete moron for putting 2+2 together first then. You missed that one mate?
One person called you a moron then you labeled everyone that buys an Xbox retarded and shouldn’t be allowed to have children.

Not the same. Anyway, this troll account will be nuked shortly. Post this garbage on your main account next time, coward.
 

Zathalus

Member
It actually makes 100% sense. The Xbox brand has been bleeding Microsoft money for decades. It's always been a small base that don't spend much money unlike Nintendo and PlayStation base. Microsoft wants to buy up publishers non-stop and if they were 3rd party, the buying wouldn't be a problem. Microsoft will finally become 3rd party and actually start to make money from their gaming division from Nintendo base, Playstation base, PC base, Mobile base, Cloud base, etc and none of these companies would have a problem with it. Just look at Tencent, they made more money than any company in gaming and they don't have a console. They buy up publishers and studios world wide and nobody cares.
"small base that don't spend much money"

Xbox has a higher revenue then Nintendo. Should Nintendo throw in the towel as well?
 

Zephyrus0

Banned
SO how come your not arguing the shitty things Nintendo and Playstation have also done?

Xbox Live USED to be worth it back then for an extensive online system for its time for console
I did complain about the price increase on playstation games, but they weren't the first ones to increase it.
I did complain about Sony charging for online play starting on the ps4, but they weren't the first ones to charge for it.
Xbox live was never worth it. Ever. You had free online in pc gaming for ages. Nothing MS did warranted the paywall. Nothing.
 

Zathalus

Member

It's not exactly a secret, Nintendo dominates on console sales and pure profit, revenue they fall behind.

Profit for them is easy as compared to Microsoft and Sony that have a far smaller expenditure on hardware, infrastructure, and game development.

It's crazy how people assume Xbox is somehow small or struggling. Playstation dominates, but Xbox is hardly tiny in comparison.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Oh no, I still enjoy those. What I don't get to enjoy anymore are games that would be available on things that aren't Microsoft things but are now only on Microsoft things.
I'm not mad that I don't get to play Forza on playstation. I'm mad that I'm no longer allowed to play Hellblade 2 on it though.
But you can enjoy Hellblade 2. You don't even need an Xbox because it will be on PC via Steam. Sorry about your PlayStation, though. If it makes you feel better you'll be able to play Final Fantasy XVI there without worrying about Xbox taint.
 

Zephyrus0

Banned
One person called you a moron then you labeled everyone that buys an Xbox retarded and shouldn’t be allowed to have children.

Not the same. Anyway, this troll account will be nuked shortly. Post this garbage on your main account next time, coward.
Yeah that second line was too much, but the first one was needed for my point and I stand by it.

Also this is my main account. The fact that I don't mince my words should tell you I'm not a coward but alas... you bought a xbox.
 

Mr.Phoenix

Member
This may sound crazy now, but hear me out.

I think MS end game is to come out of the console business and focus on gamepass + being a third-party publisher. And I believe they will have a version of gamepass specifically for the PS platform that offers a rental service along with making their games available to purchase on the PS5/6/7...etc. And a cloud-only bed version for Nintendo. The PlayStation version could be called something like GP lite/access and have a $4.99/month price while only offering games published by MS.

I also believe this is why a game like COD is important to MS. For gamepass to really become ait needs to be, you need a game that ensures people are paying for it every month. Or at least a few games, eg. COD, Overwatch...etc. Or not what you are left with is the majority of gamers only paying for like 2-3 months in a year and just paying whatever is new for that year on the service.

For MS, having a sub-service that is 50-100M users strong with an average annual spend of $100/year... has more value than anything Xbox hardware can likely ever do for them.
 

Ansphn

Member

It's not exactly a secret, Nintendo dominates on console sales and pure profit, revenue they fall behind.

Profit for them is easy as compared to Microsoft and Sony that have a far smaller expenditure on hardware, infrastructure, and game development.

It's crazy how people assume Xbox is somehow small or struggling. Playstation dominates, but Xbox is hardly tiny in comparison.
Do you know what revenue mean?
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Since I don’t see them dropping PC support any time soon, I can see them shedding the dead weight that is the Xbox console. Keep Xbox game studios as their brand but go the sega route and just start selling on other platforms. Microsoft hasn’t been the console market leader in a long time, and in some countries like Japan- never.

TL;DR: Xbox consoles are dead weight and haven’t been the market leader for over a decade. That trend doesn’t look like it’s going to change in the foreseeable future. So if you can’t beat ‘em, join em.

“Amazon is the market leader in Cloud services with AWS and I don’t see that changing so I foresee Microsoft and Google dropping Azure and Google Cloud and just selling their stuff on AWS”

See how weird that sounds?

Companies stay in businesses to make money. And that’s not necessarily the same thing as being the market leader.
 
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Brigandier

Member
Series s isn’t a streaming box either. Your post is pure speculation. Xbox has said multiple times streaming is an option, not the only option.

Yes it's speculation like I said it's my opinion what will happen in the future, Hence the point of the thread lol....
 

Ansphn

Member
Yeah, total income. Nintendo is behind Microsoft on this front, but they likely have higher operating profit compared to just the Xbox division.
Revenue include "expenses". Xbox spends to get games into Gamepass. Nintendo's "Profit" make Xbox's revenue look like a joke. And Nintendo have been getting pure "Profit since the Switch was released. We're talking older cheaper tech in the Switch selling like hot cakes.
 
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Ansphn

Member
No it doesn't. Revenue is income generated from sales before any costs or expenses are subtracted.
Yes it does, dude

Revenue vs. Profit: An Overview​


Revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services related to the company's primary operations. Profit, which is typically called net profit or the bottom line, is the amount of income that remains after accounting for all expenses, debts, additional income streams, and operating costs.




Key Takeaways​

  • Revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services related to the company's primary operations.
  • Revenue, also known simply as "sales", does not deduct any costs or expenses associated with operating the business.
  • Profit is the amount of income that remains after accounting for all expenses, debts, additional income streams, and operating costs.

 
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Topher

Gold Member
Yes it does, dude

Revenue vs. Profit: An Overview​


Revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services related to the company's primary operations. Profit, which is typically called net profit or the bottom line, is the amount of income that remains after accounting for all expenses, debts, additional income streams, and operating costs.




Key Takeaways​

  • Revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services related to the company's primary operations.
  • Revenue, also known simply as "sales", does not deduct any costs or expenses associated with operating the business.
  • Profit is the amount of income that remains after accounting for all expenses, debts, additional income streams, and operating costs.


No, it does not. Read this again. Total revenue does not account for expenses at all.
  • Revenue, also known simply as "sales", does NOT deduct any costs or expenses associated with operating the business.
 
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The gaming industry has gotten bigger and Microsoft has shown massively more commitment than they ever have. Anything is possible but it seems incredibly unlikely, especially if/when the Activision acquisition gets approved
 

UltimaKilo

Gold Member
MS will transition to cloud gaming.
And if they leave consoles, they won't put their games on PS, while killing Xbox. They will lose that 30% cut from 3rd party sales.
Eventually, probably. Will it happen in the next 7-8 years? Unlikely.
 
Out of all the big three platform holders, they're the most likely to drop their console hardware.

But XBL subs and console platform royalties are significant enough for them to not want to leave that free money on the table.
 
I'm curious for the people claiming MS plans to drop Xbox where will the majority of the Game pass subs they'll need come from? Sony and Nintendo have expressed no interest in taking the service so those platforms can't be relied on. They don't have to provide a license for Xbox games at all. Cloud is currently only available on Game pass so without Game pass cloud dies off too. Of course it also wastes all the time and effort they put into their backwards compatibility program as well and screws everyone who bought an Xbox. And this is supposed to make MORE sense and money than them keeping a hardware platform that uses their Windows API Direct X and provides them additional 3rd party license revenue?

Are You Sure About That John Cena GIF by MOODMAN
 

Adam_802

Member
I'm curious for the people claiming MS plans to drop Xbox where will the majority of the Game pass subs they'll need come from? Sony and Nintendo have expressed no interest in taking the service so those platforms can't be relied on. They don't have to provide a license for Xbox games at all. Cloud is currently only available on Game pass so without Game pass cloud dies off too. Of course it also wastes all the time and effort they put into their backwards compatibility program as well and screws everyone who bought an Xbox. And this is supposed to make MORE sense and money than them keeping a hardware platform that uses their Windows API Direct X and provides them additional 3rd party license revenue?

Are You Sure About That John Cena GIF by MOODMAN

MS wont drop Xbox obviously. Most saying that are just trolls who wish it would happen lol. See the comment above you for example.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
MS wont drop Xbox obviously. Most saying that are just trolls who wish it would happen lol. See the comment above you for example.
I don't think MS wants completely out of the hardware business but I do think they want to be less reliant on it for their gaming business. Console lifespans are getting longer and longer and if you don't get that early momentum and mindshare you have almost a decade of scraping by waiting for your next super expensive launch where you roll the dice again. Compare that to something like Steam and you can see why the service model appeals to them.
 
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I don't think MS wants completely out of the hardware business but I do think they want to be less reliant on it for their gaming business. Console lifespans are getting longer and longer and if you don't get that early momentum and mindshare you have almost a decade of scraping by waiting for your next super expensive launch where you roll the dice again. Compare that to something like Steam and you can see why the service model appeals to them.
They are already less reliant on consoles. That is why the put their games on PC day and date and why you can stream new titles on old Xbox consoles as long as you have Game pass. Still consoles are an important part of their overall strategy even it is isn't their sole source of revenue like other platforms.
 
No, absolutely not, never.

As a matter of fact, I reckon they are aiming to be the sole provider eventually. They would be happy with a 100% market share control, just like Sony would.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
The question is not just revenue, but if the juice is worth the squeeze. Are those resources MS is spending on Xbox hardware better off elsewhere? Shareholders have griped about MS spending a ton of money on videogame console business in the past. Even Bill Gates was dubious, and the premise for which he greenlighted it is totally irrelevant and outdated at this point. Xbox console is a bad fit for the company, always was, as they are a software company first and foremost. Even as they have transitioned to services under Nadella, it's an arguably worse fit, as they have become more focused on corporate/infrastructure/enterprise than customer-facing. Even if MS feels they should be in gaming, which is fine, the question is are they better off making and marketing this hardware box when they can just play to their typical strengths and release software and build out services? I feel like it's a reasonable question, and I also personally feel MS would be very successful focusing on PC and being a third party dev across all platforms.

 
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They would absolutely leave if the industry became less lucrative. I don’t see that happening, but I could imagine they might spin off Xbox into its own company at some point so they can focus on software and cloud services.
 
The question is not just revenue, but if the juice is worth the squeeze. Are those resources MS is spending on Xbox hardware better off elsewhere? Shareholders have griped about MS spending a ton of money on videogame console business in the past. Even Bill Gates was dubious, and the premise for which he greenlighted it is totally irrelevant and outdated at this point. Xbox console is a bad fit for the company, always was, as they are a software company first and foremost. Even as they have transitioned to services under Nadella, it's an arguably worse fit, as they have become more focused on corporate/infrastructure/enterprise than customer-facing. Even if MS feels they should be in gaming, which is fine, the question is are they better off making and marketing this hardware box when they can just play to their typical strengths and release software and build out services? I feel like it's a reasonable question, and I also personally feel MS would be very successful focusing on PC and being a third party dev across all platforms.

Bill Gates is no longer with the company. If the narrative is Xbox has no games or bad games why would dropping their hardware and going 3rd party be beneficial? Why would Sony and Nintendo accept Game pass? Why would MS choose to be beholden to smaller companies to provide a platform for their software? Xbox is also another vector for their Direct X API. There is no logical reason for MS to turn to Sony and Nintendo to distribute their software when they already own a hardware platform to do so and make additional money off of third party licenses.
 
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