The Xbox Games Strategy, Revealed
The Xbox Games Strategy, Revealed
This past week, Microsoft held a media event where they talked extensively about their Xbox gaming strategy – here’s what they had to say about games, growth, and acquisitions.
MORE INFO: https://www.thurrott.com/games/xbox/251241/microsofts-gaming-strategy-xbox-everywhere
I started with Game Pass on my Android, then I bought a Series S.
I am sorry to say, I have been an xbox gamer since day one, and a Playstation gamer from the start to the PS3. I skipped the PS4, and now have the PS5 and also the Xbox Series X. Oh boy, the Playstation games, blow the Xbox out of the water and that is coming from someone with over three hundred Xbox games and ZERO Playstation. I have completed Days Gone (PS4) twice now and on the third go just to earn more achievements. The game out weighs any game that I have played on the Xbox, and my PS5 has been in constant use, while I have ignored the SX. Microgreed are playing the long game and encouraging more people to play digital games, so that they can collapse the market on hard copies, and they then have a captive audience, that has to pay the stupid amount that they currently charge. So instead of being able to pick up FIFA 20 or NBA 20 for £1 or $1 in a game store, they will charge £15 $15 for the digital version. Long live hard copies, but I cannot see them lasting.
Going to be interesting this gen for both PlayStation fans, Xbox fans and gamers in general. Hoping Sony stop rinsing people though like the $70 games and also all the new ‘Deluxe” versions of games that are coming which are going to be $10-30 to upgrade to the PS5 version. Funny that on Xbox those things are free (apart from the obvious DLC).
Myerson and Balmer and early on Nadella had very little vision of Windows Phone and the scope with Xbox because at the time there was hints that GamePass was coming or there was a very clear tie into how Xbox wanted to push into mobile. But Myerson killed Windows Phone and nearly killed Xbox till he was shunted off and Phil Spencer was able to convince Nadella to invest and show him the vision of Xbox. If Only Nadella used that same vision to continue to grow the Windows Phone iteration because we know they have been redeveloping Windows to be more compact, modularized, and wanted the ecosystem to grow and they also wanted to get a way to use android apps with Windows Phone (because they pretty well owned all the patents being used on Android phones anyway).
Nadella’s reasoning was mobile was soon to die off and the ‘next big thing’ was to take over, but we haven’t seen that next big thing in fact mobile has all the more solidified in the human existence. Many small businesses are running their whole business from their mobile which was only touched on back then. With the ecosystem of Microsoft it made sense to keep a native option into their ecosystem but Nadella being the new CEO made the wrong decision (which he admitted later on), and nearly allowed Xbox to go the same way.
Maybe it’s time to look again at the mobile ecosystem. After all we have an amazing Panos running that side of things now and his passion is incredible and even though they didn’t bring out Neo, Duo was released, being a dual screen phablet in essence. I’d be eager to get off this (evil) Google based phone and I detest Apple. If Microsoft would bring out another iteration of Windows Phone embedded in their ecosystem with Office, Azure, Xbox, Game Pass, OneDrive, etc… I would jump in.
I think of course they will build more mobile games. There are crazy people out there that prefer playing games on phones vs tv. I call them "phonies"
More GamePlays
https://youtu.be/phoG7AOKnng
As of now, making games exclusive to Game Pass would be detrimental. Gamers want to be able to buy and own their games. Taking that away would cause rioting in the streets. So having Game Pass be a service where you can essentially rent a collection of games is a good balance where everyone wins.
However, I can see a future where Sony and Microsoft enter a game service war where games are exclusive to PS Now/PS Plus or Game Pass. That war is coming. It’s the coming storm they talk about in Horizon: Forbidden West.
Great times ahead for Xbox and PC gamers just so many great games coming and many ways to play without having to mess with you files
I got game pass and I ended up spending more money on games than I normally would only because I spend more time playing games. I’ve had an Xbox since the original and with the SeriesX It’s a great experience
Do you guys know whether or not Microsoft will keep releasing their 1st-party games in physical format? I ask this, considering their heavy focus on gamepass I have had my worries. I like to collect the games and therefore I need to have games physically.
I don’t think it’s because it’s bold to offer GamePass as part of PC setup. Who doesn’t love gaming? GamePass is a value, you’d be stupid to not subscribe.
I still have old windows phone lmao
there allot of balls,… being dragged across sony’s chin
XBOX absolutely killing it this gen. They are the clear leader in terms of value. If you’re not gaming on the xbox your missing out.
I feel like there would be negative blowback if they made a game for gamepass only. I think the choice of buying the game or subscribing to gamepass is a great thing.
Game Pass exclusive is an awful idea and would get some serious flak, I’d expect early access and bonuses, not outright exclusive
Kind of glad I skipped a gen and bought an xbox.
Another great video, Brad! I skipped the Xbox One generation and purchased a PS4 instead, but I am happy to be back with the Xbox Series X.
I like what Microsoft is doing with cross-generation games (purchase once and play on Xbox One, Xbox Series S | X) and Gamepass Ultimate – I downloaded and played "Ori: Will of the Wisps" and am enjoying it…that is not a game that I would have played otherwise.
I am now considering purchasing it and getting an Xbox Series S for the upstairs TV.
For my Canadian friends reading this – I purchased my Series X from Microsoft directly, and they still seem to have some Series S and Series X consoles available (they were available when I checked yesterday).
Just as long as Microsoft’s game pass games don’t start being like the gears of war micro-transaction fest. Microsoft love their micro-transactions and i feel this will be the future of game-pass. One reason i’ve noticed that some third party games go to game pass is to sell DLC. Give it as part of the subscription and then drop an dlc update that the achievement completionists have to have. Cough cough Dirt 5.
I don’t usually root for an underdog that is a trillion dollar giant corporation. But what MS is doing for gaming under Phil, and their consumer friendly, and open approach is incredible. They’re also planning like 10 – 20 years in advance. Sony and Nintendo aren’t this forward thinking.
Is it to have no games ? If so they nailed it
I love this channel. Brad’s not a fake insider or grifter, no click bait, and he actually has intelligent things to say. And no 60 minute long "podcasts" that wastes everyone’s time and have 70 ads
Will all my xbox one S games play on the series X-S?
Interestingly Matt Booty said "with MORE than 23 studios". Might be nothing but with rumors of Crytek, Avalanche and IOI flying around… 👀
The buttons in Minecraft Dungeons do work much more like mobile game buttons than console buttons with mobile controls so they’re already thinking about making cloud games feel like mobile games rather than console games that just so happen to be on mobile.
His mouth is on upside down.
Gamepass on ps5 💚
The day you can only access a game through a subscription is the day I stop playing
They need to deliver one great game first.
I’ve not seen one for years.
Just one great game.
Buying studios doesn’t mean having a great game. It’s a start but…
I love being an Xbox gamer and I’m a big fan of the way they’re going. I’m a current Gamepass subscriber, but it will definitely piss me off if they start locking exclusives behind Gamepass. That’s basically keeping exclusives, not only away from their competitors, but also away from gamers who have already bought into their ecosystem. I can’t image them ever doing that.
Do you think Microsoft will be aiming to reach 30 studios at some point in the future? At that point we could be expecting 1 game every month 😮
You will own nothing and be happy.
For Microsoft gamepass you will be renting games for the rest of your life from a company that funds Gavi, digital ID and the Georgia guidestones depopulation project. These games are probably practice for what’s really coming… 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Brad, Microsoft owns a mobile developer in Alpha Dog lol
Talking about that working with third party, I really want them to bring back Scalebound. Microsoft and Platinum both know they’ve made mistakes and Scalebound would’ve been a hit.
Xbox is like that kid getting full access to his trust fund finally 🤣
I have to say it’s quite impressive seeing how much the Xbox brand has grown over the past 8 years. When Phil Spencer was appointed as head of Xbox, he took over what was nothing more than a smouldering mess at a time where Microsoft were seriously considering on doing away with the Xbox brand altogether. Under Phil Spencer’s leadership, the Xbox brand has grown from strength to strength. From the building and acquisition of multiple games studios, the acquisition and creation of new and unique IPs, a focus on backwards compatability, the expansion of the brand in addition of the console to include PC, mobile (X-Cloud), tablet (X-Cloud) and soon your smart TVs, the introduction of gamepass (which now has 23 million subscribers and counting), getting the full backing and investment of Microsoft and Satya Nadella to the launch of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. It’s an impressive turnaround.
Microsoft shared inside about it’s game development strategy, let’s dive in
If Microsoft wanted to make mobile first games it makes much more sense to just make a phone game.. i doubt they involved xcloud in that. I so see them buying some premium phone games and putting them on a game pass for mobile though
Microsoft are slowly moving away from the console business to full cloud subscription.
There a lot of "balls" in the air 🤣
Great video sharing, thank you 👍
Game Pass-only releases would be a good way to piss off your playerbase lol I’m saying that as someone who has years of Game Pass purchased and understands and loves the product. There’s people who just prefer being able to buy the game, and that should never go away for them
Seems that ‘Back 4 Blood’ hits Xbox Game Pass day one according to Eurogamer.
Xbox gaming strategy. Get people like Brad Sam’s to talk utter twaddle. Insult The PlayStation and also forget the fact a next gen machine is out with no next gen games. Wow amazing. Stop the rubbish Brad
Did Microsoft buy EA Sports Game??? For example Madden NFL Football, MLB Baseball, & NBA Basketball???
This generation for Xbox is going to be a complete 180 compared to last gen. What a exciting time to be in the Xbox ecosystem.
Brad why do you constantly try to defend xbox ? Everything you are saying have zero facts . Its been 4 years and no first party yet . Listen what xbox promotes is ray tracing , 4k 120fps. Machine learning . Big huge storage taking games . Great xbox controllers . SSD. and a lot of more wonderful things non of that is available on iPads , or phones so what they are doing right now will not work on these devices. They are promoting 3 months of game pass for $1 . So if they grab another 15 million subscribers they still aren’t making any money . Game pass makes no money now .
The Xbox logo behind you is throwing me off. It looks…unofficial. Is that the accurate logo 🤔 I probably am paying too much attention to it
People forget too, some of the studios have multiple teams. Such as Obsidian, Playground, Ninja Theory, Arkane etc. 23 studios with over 30+ teams
One of the only chaps worth watching on gaming news………all the others are just speculation garbage opinions.