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[BlackTron]

What if Returnal sold like 500k? Oh wait, it did. Maybe it’s at a million now, haven’t seen numbers. But do you see Sony close the studio or stop doing exclusives? No. They know that exclusives is why you buy into their ecosystem. It doesn’t even matter that they haven’t released that many new 1st party games yet, people still invest because they know the games will come, eventually. Same thing with Nintendo.

The day Microsoft announce that they’re a third party publisher is the day Xbox as a platform dies, not just the hardware but Xbox as a future service and launcher and whatever plans they have for next decade+.

This generation is over but there is still time to correct things for next generation.

MS has a tough path ahead if one hand of it tries to be a third party publisher while the other is trying (when not plotting) to be a console brand by taking its resources.

This wishy-washy direction will make all their business relationships confusing. No one will really understand whether they are their partner or competition. In the end everyone realizes that they are just playing everyone as it suits them. If MS is serious about supporting a console, then Sony/Nintendo need to worry that they will make a sequel exclusive to it, after they exposed their own fanbases to that IP -thereby whoring out their fans as free advertising for MS's next exclusive game. Frankly, I don't think MS is dumb enough to do this, risking pissing off their partners to support a new console where if it bombs they need to come crawling back to an incensed Sony and Nintendo.

 

[Fredrik]

There is some overlap with pc players buying consoles just for exclusives, but majority of console gamers don't give a shit about pc and only choose between ps and xbox.

Only Switch among my friends. But yeah it’s different markets for sure. Many enthusiast gamers are moving over to PC though and we’re a noisy bunch and affect the general talk on social media where mainstream gamers might be too.

There is always a risk to show that there are alternatives to play games elsewhere. Nintendo knows this the best. They even wipe emulators now to close the door and keep their games exclusive to their hardware.

Even just the 4 games MS are releasing now on PS and Switch are bringing down the house. Suddenly people will start expecting everything to arrive. Every single release going forward will come with questions about when it will arrive on Playstation 5 and soon Switch 2. I definitely do that for PS5 releases on PC now, the door has opened too far, even when there is no mention of a PC version I just sit there waiting for an announcement with zero doubt. But as you say that change isn’t affecting everyone.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

weren't they taking about this like 2,3 weeks ago? either way.

it dosen't matter when Xbox is dominating Play Station. every game now is an Xbox game and every screen is an Xbox.

Phil played us like a damn fiddle.

 

[Fredrik]

If MS is serious about supporting a console, then Sony/PS need to worry that they will make a sequel exclusive to it, after they exposed their own fanbases to that IP -thereby whoring out their fans as free advertising for MS's next exclusive game.

This is what everyone expected them to do. And this is what Sony does. But Microsoft is too scared of noisy social media talk, everything they do that gets noisy ends with them backpedaling and posting some tired ”We hear you” response.

If I was in charge of the gaming department I would be a cold hearted sob and lock up games and content left and right to the platform. It works with TV and movies. It works for games too. And gaming will go into the service era sooner or later, exclusivity will be super important then.

 

[Negotiator101]

No, close thread.

 

[DenchDeckard]

What's the official statement?

No?

 

[Fart Knight]

Hope not, my dumb ass bought another year of GP Ultimate

 

[Astray]

What if Returnal sold like 500k? Oh wait, it did. Maybe it’s at a million now, haven’t seen numbers. But do you see Sony close the studio or stop doing exclusives? No. They know that exclusives is why you buy into their ecosystem. It doesn’t even matter that they haven’t released that many new 1st party games yet, people still invest because they know the games will come, eventually. Same thing with Nintendo.

The day Microsoft announce that they’re a third party publisher is the day Xbox as a platform dies, not just the hardware but Xbox as a future service and launcher and whatever plans they have for next decade+.

This generation is over but there is still time to correct things for next generation.

Sony can take this blow because they have a vibrant brand and Returnal was part of a varied launch year slate for the ps5. ARMS didn't do much for Nintendo either, but it helped the launch be successful thru adding variety and being a showcase for devs of what is possible thru the Switch hardware.

Microsoft's problem is the install size and purchasing dynamics of the Xbox audience is just not there. It's a chicken and egg thing: You have to have cash generated to make strong games, and you need strong games to generate cash on the platform. This cycle is just not happening for Microsoft for various reasons.

Microsoft will never announce anything drastic like Sega did, gaming barely features on their investor calls so there'no real urgency to save face, but what they will definitely do is start to put more and more emphasis on being a 3P publisher, and slowly divest away from being the Xbox brandholder.

 

[kruis]

Interesting video, it’s like reading a forum discussion, just without console warriors trying to trigger people. But I like that DF do this since it might wake up MS. Because as it is the platform is dying. I said awhile back that 2026 is too late for a new generation console and I stand by that, in 2026 Xbox as a console will be dead, that’s just how it is. If it can be resurrected depends on how the next console is.

There's really no point in releasing a new Xbox console in 2026. Do you really think a next gen Xbox will be so much faster than the PS5 Pro that it will make any difference? That next gen console will only be seen as an Series X Pro, not a true next gen machine. It's going to have such a low marketshare that publishers and developers will stick with the PS5/PS5 Pro as their development baseline, so that hypothetical console will only receive current gen games.

Even MS is not going to abandon the Series S/X immediately like they dropped the Xbox OG after the release of the 360, that would infuriate the fan base so much that their next gen console would be DOA. So that next gen Xbox wouldn't get any real exclusives for years. A next gen Xbox would certainly win every Digital Foundry game comparison, but that's not going to win the console wars.

Next gen doesn't even start when Sony releases the PS6, because everything will be cross gen for years even then.

 

[Fredrik]

Microsoft's problem is the install size and purchasing dynamics of the Xbox audience is just not there.

The install base will get bigger through more exclusives.
The Xbox audience will buy games when games aren’t day 1 on Gamepass.

There I fixed it!
(Actually Sony did it first)

 

[Mr Hyde]

It's hard to fathom the idea of Game Pass when the whole concept of the console business model is to sell games on your platform so you're recouping the losses taken on the hardware. To actively try to kill game sales by replacing it with a rental service is probably one of the dumbest things I've seen in the industry.

 

[Elios83]

There's really no point in releasing a new Xbox console in 2026. Do you really think a next gen Xbox will be so much faster than the PS5 Pro that it will make any difference? That next gen console will only be seen as an Series X Pro, not a true next gen machine. It's going to have such a low marketshare that publishers and developers will stick with the PS5/PS5 Pro as their development baseline, so that hypothetical console will only receive current gen games.

Even MS is not going to abandon the Series S/X immediately like they dropped the Xbox OG after the release of the 360, that would infuriate the fan base so much that their next gen console would be DOA. So that next gen Xbox wouldn't get any real exclusives for years. A next gen Xbox would certainly win every Digital Foundry game comparison, but that's not going to win the console wars.

Next gen doesn't even start when Sony releases the PS6, because everything will be cross gen for years even then.

Some people are still failing to accept reality.
Xbox as a console brand is done.
There is nothing that can be done to reverse the outcome because they would need to undo years of strategic business decisions that have led to this situation and at this point the brand reputation is in shatters.
They won't give up on releasing everything on PC day one, they aren't in a position to drop support of Series hardware in 2026, they aren't in a position where they can convince third party publishers to leave behind far more successful platforms.
It's pretty much as you said.

Some people are still in the denial phase, Microsoft wants to be a world leading third party publisher at this point, they don't give a fuck about Xbox as a dedicated platform.
Their future hardware will be an optional gateway to their games catering to a really specific target audience.

 

[ungalo]

The install base will get bigger through more exclusives.
The Xbox audience will buy games when games aren’t day 1 on Gamepass.

There I fixed it!
(Actually Sony did it first)

Besides the fact that as stated above they're simply not going out of their way to save Xbox, i don't even think they would be able do it.

It's not 2006 anymore. They're not going to take over the industry with a line up of 10 strong exclusive games in the first two years of a new hardware, just because they want to go hard. They can't even produce it, they're not going to discontinue projects that are making money for "killer app". They sucked at this for 10 years now it's too late. Even Sony seems to be struggling with maintaining a strong first party pipeline.

 

[Negotiator101]

It's hard to fathom the idea of Game Pass when the whole concept of the console business model is to sell games on your platform so you're recouping the losses taken on the hardware. To actively try to kill game sales by replacing it with a rental service is probably one of the dumbest things I've seen in the industry.

The money is made on software not hardware so going third party actually increases profits. GP is a profitable business currently that will continue to grow. Your post makes no sense or nonsense

 

[bitbydeath]

There is also a fact that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero by BamCo was delisted from Xbox Store 2 weeks ago without any word from the MS or the Bandai, so at least some publishers are already skipping the platform, I guess.

This coincidentally occurred shortly after they received a lot of to backlash for stating split screen wouldn’t be included, which is crazy for a fighting game.

 

[Killer8]

John Linneman made an interesting point: there are indie games that have sold only a couple of dozen of copies on Xbox. That’s bad. But how many copies were sold on other platforms? Can’t have been that many either.

I suspect indies will always continue to release on Xbox because it's perfect Game Pass fodder. All they have to do is accept Microsoft's welfare money and the Xbox version pays itself.

 

[Hudo]

It's hard to fathom the idea of Game Pass when the whole concept of the console business model is to sell games on your platform so you're recouping the losses taken on the hardware. To actively try to kill game sales by replacing it with a rental service is probably one of the dumbest things I've seen in the industry.

Depends on what you consider to be your platform. Microsoft makes quite a big chunk of its operating profits off of the Azure/Digital cloud services. So they probably want Xbox to move to that direction as well.

 

[Astray]

The install base will get bigger through more exclusives.
The Xbox audience will buy games when games aren’t day 1 on Gamepass.

There I fixed it!
(Actually Sony did it first)

In 2020 I would have agreed (even bought a Series X to hedge my bets post Bethesda acquisition, that's how much I agreed, the Halo Infinite Edition looks good with my living room decor).

I just think by this point everyone knows what Xbox is about, for good or ill, and the Xbox is a known quantity to everyone who passed on it. You aren't going to find those brand new console customers that never experienced a PS or Nintendo device. And 2020s Xbox fare hasn't done well in terms of converting people into Xbox owners either.

People forget that Sony didn't just release exclusives and get the ship back on track. They are also the 1st (back then only) platform holder to actually focus on ROW thru localizations of 1P games advertising etc. AND when they finally shipped big exclusives they made sure the quality was there.

Microsoft making Redfall the 1st $70 game is still an inexplicable own-goal to me, and i think the outcome of that has been devastating for MS as it made them seem very disconnected from what the consumer expects.. People harp on about Starfield being disappointing as the reason, but it WAS a big game that released in a largely functional state, that game should have been the anointed one for that $70 increase.

Next Xbox-gen screams outsourcing hardware to me btw, with less cost incurred on Hardware (incl eliminating subsidization), more focus on software dev for PC/PS/Nintendo platforms.

 

[CityHunter1981]

I said for a long time already, what Microsoft does makes no sense. Stop making consoles and only make Software, I am sure they would make much more money that way.

 

[Sorcerer]

The market no longer supports 3 consoles. Xbox has done nothing but make themselves redundant. Gamepass, giving games to the other 2 console makers, possibly opening up their consoles to PC storefronts.
2O years down the line it will probably just be Nintendo and PC. Nintendo succeeds by not playing in the same tech space as Sony and Microsoft. Barring any major screwups they will be the last console maker standing and benefit even more by Microsoft and Sony leaving.
I think Sony could succeed wildly if they ever decide to just launch day one on PC without a console. Nobody cares what MS does. All they have left is COD, hanging on by a shoestring.

 

[Clear]

Microsoft won't be "forced" to do anything. They will simply do what they feel is the best thing for their business plans.

See, the thing people missed when Phil said "we are no longer trying to out-console Sony and NIntendo" was that was clearly reflective of the view of the MS brass that the days of subsidizing Xbox as console platform exclusively were coming to an end. He wouldn't have been able to make the statement otherwise.

Reading between the lines, what it said to me was:

(1) MS Corp believes that gaming is a potentially very large and lucrative market, hence they are very interested in exploiting that demand.
(2) Gaming in their context is everything from streaming through PC and consoles to mobile.
(3) Key to their future plans is owning a "moat" of powerful IP that will ensure long-term success and relevance.
(4) In the long-term their ideal solution is an all-encompassing streaming distribution mechanism.

Their initial expectation was that if they acquired the IP as they already had the infrastructure and tech, they'd be in an unassailable position. Basically because no competitor can offer both of those things; Sony has the IP, but not the infrastructure. Google/Amazon etc. Have the infrastructure but are years behind on the IP and production side.

Adding all these things up, its fairly straightforward to see what's changed:

(1) Streaming is growing more slowly than they liked.
(2) Xbox as a console platform is decreasing in competitiveness generally,
(3) Revenue generated outside by their products outside of Xbox is holding up better.
(4) Capex on acquisitions and overall production costs needs to be controlled.

So what should they do?

For me, publishing on Playstation/Switch solves the capex issue somewhat. They get more revenue and "value" from their IP's in the short term, and ultimately they can still pull them back inside their ecosystem as and when market conditions make it more effective to do so.

The Xbox platform needs to be maintained for now, especially as there's 20-odd years worth of legacy IP and content within it.

My suspicion would be that in the future Xbox retail hardware becomes less of a standalone device, and more as a gateway/terminal for their cloud based offer.

Xbox hardware has to persist long-term in order to provide a target for partners to target development at, and to take advantage of what is being developed for other platforms.

The bottom line for me is that although they can stick to their long-term game-plan, its apparent at this point that "killing off" Sony and Nintendo competitively speaking is going to take even longer than for the streaming future to arrive. So, they may as well extract as much value from these platforms as they can even if it has a deleterious effect on Xbox console sales.

Because in their final analysis, consoles as we know them, are on their way to obsolescence anyway. What matters is the long term success and survival of IP and branding.

 

[Quasicat]

Only Switch among my friends. But yeah it’s different markets for sure. Many enthusiast gamers are moving over to PC though and we’re a noisy bunch and affect the general talk on social media where mainstream gamers might be too.

There is always a risk to show that there are alternatives to play games elsewhere. Nintendo knows this the best. They even wipe emulators now to close the door and keep their games exclusive to their hardware.

Even just the 4 games MS are releasing now on PS and Switch are bringing down the house. Suddenly people will start expecting everything to arrive. Every single release going forward will come with questions about when it will arrive on Playstation 5 and soon Switch 2. I definitely do that for PS5 releases on PC now, the door has opened too far, even when there is no mention of a PC version I just sit there waiting for an announcement with zero doubt. But as you say that change isn’t affecting everyone.

Absolutely! I had a PS5 and sold it because I could play most of the exclusives I owned portably on the Steam Deck. I was waiting for Ghost of Tsushima and those specs are looking really good for handheld play.
I think we will still have Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo for a while still, but the idea of not letting people have ownership of their games is too enticing to let up.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

The market no longer supports 3 consoles. Xbox has done nothing but make themselves redundant. Gamepass, giving games to the other 2 console makers, possibly opening up their consoles to PC storefronts.
2O years down the line it will probably just be Nintendo and PC. Nintendo succeeds by not playing in the same tech space as Sony and Microsoft. Barring any major screwups they will be the last console maker standing and benefit even more by Microsoft and Sony leaving.
I think Sony could succeed wildly if they ever decide to just launch day one on PC without a console. Nobody cares what MS does. All they have left is COD, hanging on by a shoestring.

There is a market for at least a major first-party console maker, cos many people don't have the money or the willingness to play on PC and Nintendo is in their own league, so there's a big space for either Sony or MS to attract the mainstream.

The only way for MS not to be redundant is to make great exclusive games again. It's not rocket science. They have the money and studios to make it happen. It takes 5-6 years but eventually they might get there. The problem is, they don't want. They never wanted. And in an industry where passion has an important role, the lack of it is a killer.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

The market no longer supports 3 consoles. Xbox has done nothing but make themselves redundant. Gamepass, giving games to the other 2 console makers, possibly opening up their consoles to PC storefronts.
2O years down the line it will probably just be Nintendo and PC. Nintendo succeeds by not playing in the same tech space as Sony and Microsoft. Barring any major screwups they will be the last console maker standing and benefit even more by Microsoft and Sony leaving.
I think Sony could succeed wildly if they ever decide to just launch day one on PC without a console. Nobody cares what MS does. All they have left is COD, hanging on by a shoestring.

There will be room for a 3rd console, Xbox just had to get out of the way first. Microsoft just didn't pay attention to the money pit because it was too small to matter until the Activision acquisition. Xbox was taking up all the oxygen a new console competitor would need to enter the stage. The newcomers could be better or worse, but they would at least have new ideas.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

The bottom line for me is that although they can stick to their long-term game-plan, its apparent at this point that "killing off" Sony and Nintendo competitively speaking is going to take even longer than for the streaming future to arrive. So, they may as well extract as much value from these platforms as they can even if it has a deleterious effect on Xbox console sales.

Because in their final analysis, consoles as we know them, are on their way to obsolescence anyway. What matters is the long term success and survival of IP and branding.

I agree with what you said.

Killing off Sony / Nintendo is gonna be a huge self goal for them. Weak Sony or Nintendo will be prime acquisition targets for its competitors like Google, Amazon, Apple etc.

They are mostly helping Sony from what I see.

 

[BlackTron]

This is what everyone expected them to do. And this is what Sony does.

Sony puts games on competing platforms only to withhold those IPs later? Sony does not even need the luxury of a SOB story like Sega to handwave away anything. They've literally never done it and been firmly a console player since they got involved in video games. Nintendo knows their competition is Sony and their partner is Capcom. There is no murkiness about it.

But Microsoft is too scared of noisy social media talk, everything they do that gets noisy ends with them backpedaling and posting some tired ”We hear you” response.

If I was in charge of the gaming department I would be a cold hearted sob and lock up games and content left and right to the platform. It works with TV and movies. It works for games too. And gaming will go into the service era sooner or later, exclusivity will be super important then.

Right, the reason Microsoft is failing to make the right moves is because...they are afraid of negative PR.

You seem to have a blockage on one point, I agree with you that exclusive games are important to support a console. Never said they aren't. We disagree that it is still in the cards for MS. It's over. Not because there is no way to fix it, but because it no longer makes logical business sense to try and they need to choose a direction. OK, maybe if you were at the helm instead of Phil, it never would have gotten this bad or risky. But it did. They can't hack it, and still work there. It's over man.

 

[ZehDon]

Given Microsoft's efforts to make Xbox and Windows PC development as similar as possible, if a developer makes a PC version, the amount of work required to get an Xbox version up and running is pretty small. They may not make physical Xbox games anymore - and that appears to be the goal for Microsoft - and they'll doubtful optimise it well (see: what's happening now) but dropping support for the platform entirely doesn't really make sense.

 

[Sorcerer]

There will be room for a 3rd console, Xbox just had to get out of the way first. Microsoft just didn't pay attention to the money pit because it was too small to matter until the Activision acquisition. Xbox was taking up all the oxygen a new console competitor would need to enter the stage. The newcomers could be better or worse, but they would at least have new ideas.

Anybody entering after Xbox leaves would have to enter with a completely slamming first party lineup just to stop people from yawning. The odds of that happening seem mind boggling. Barring that, it would seem there is no reason to enter the space just to give people an option to play the same games on a third console.

 

[Mr Hyde]

The money is made on software not hardware so going third party actually increases profits. GP is a profitable business currently that will continue to grow. Your post makes no sense or nonsense

Maybe learn to read before you post your knee jerk reaction. Yes, money is made on software which is the number one reason MS is going third party. They killed game sales on their own platform by introducing GP., which cannibalizes sales

 

[Fredrik]

There's really no point in releasing a new Xbox console in 2026. Do you really think a next gen Xbox will be so much faster than the PS5 Pro that it will make any difference? That next gen console will only be seen as an Series X Pro, not a true next gen machine. It's going to have such a low marketshare that publishers and developers will stick with the PS5/PS5 Pro as their development baseline, so that hypothetical console will only receive current gen games.

Even MS is not going to abandon the Series S/X immediately like they dropped the Xbox OG after the release of the 360, that would infuriate the fan base so much that their next gen console would be DOA. So that next gen Xbox wouldn't get any real exclusives for years. A next gen Xbox would certainly win every Digital Foundry game comparison, but that's not going to win the console wars.

Next gen doesn't even start when Sony releases the PS6, because everything will be cross gen for years even then.

Sarah Bond said they’ll have a bigger than usual hardware leap, PR of course they always say something like that, but it’s no mid generation upgrade at least. I’m thinking they’ll do something cool.

But 2026 is too late as far as I’m concerned. And the platform needs to survive until then, 2 more years. There is rumours that they’ll do a handheld. Released when? Same time as Switch 2? Good luck.

I don’t know what they could do. Maybe they can start selling Xbox branded prebuilt PCs or something, booting into a new Xbox launcher UI big picture mode with Windows underneath for full Steam access. But the UI/launcher needs to be better than Steam and be as versatile as Playnite. Otherwise it’ll just be seen as a PC with bloatware and people will just use Steam Big picture mode. No easy task.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

But 2026 is too late as far as I’m concerned. And the platform needs to survive until then, 2 more years. There is rumours that they’ll do a handheld. Released when? Same time as Switch 2? Good luck.

Sky is not falling on the platform.

It has already sold 25 million+. Mainly cause Series X was much better value. Now entry level PCs offer better value so they are overtaking it in sales. Nothing surprising here.

WiiU had exclusives, no PC presence to sell their software to. This is nowhere that level.

In fact, their consoles are solid and offering healthy sales despite competition from pc.

 

[T-0800]

Why would publishers consider dropping Xbox support? Considering PC dev typically utilises DX12 then porting is a breeze. There have been numerous stories of PC developers getting the Xbox version of a game in a playable state easily in a matter of days.

Baldurs Gate 3.

 

[Three]

Given Microsoft's efforts to make Xbox and Windows PC development as similar as possible, if a developer makes a PC version, the amount of work required to get an Xbox version up and running is pretty small. They may not make physical Xbox games anymore - and that appears to be the goal for Microsoft - and they'll doubtful optimise it well (see: what's happening now) but dropping support for the platform entirely doesn't really make sense.

The problem is the red tape on xbox. The amount of work isn't really small when you have red tape to get through on xbox compared to PC. Take Larian and the amount of work they had to put in for Series S because they were required to, and for what, likely some low sales. When you want to get a patch out again, cost and red tape on xbox for probably low sales. The effort isn't massive but it's there.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Anybody entering after Xbox leaves would have to enter with a completely slamming first party lineup just to stop people from yawning. The odds of that happening seem mind boggling. Barring that, it would seem there is no reason to enter the space just to give people an option to play the same games on a third console.

There is always a chance the newcomer would have a leader who knows what a bad game looks like and thus do better. And there are plenty of wealthy companies with the cash to do the experiment. Look at it this way, Sony wasn't a gaming juggernaut when they started with PlayStation 1. Sony earned their reputation through the ups and downs. Someone new can do the same. It would take a decade of work but it can be done.

But Xbox can't, because they refuse to change what didn't work after multiple gens. Who ever replaces them can potentially make better decisions and spend money more wisely.

 

[Yonyx]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of third-party games that aren't coming out on Xbox?

 

[ReBurn]

The idea that 3rd party games will run on every machine, was not a given.

There are some people here who had lived in an era of 3rd party games on every major platform, for all their lives. But some of us old folks remember when this wasn't always so.

Even when games did manage to make it to every platform they were often wildly different implementations because every platform's hardware was so different. Something like Donkey Kong is a good example. It was probably best on Colecovision in the early days while the 2600 version and many 8-bit computer versions were absolutely terrible. It absolutely made a difference which platform you chose to release on.

Nowadays there's little difference between versions of games on different consoles because the capabilities of PS5 and XSX are nearly identical. You're getting pretty much identical experiences. So with third party games being able to run pretty much the same on both current gen console it really comes down to console brand preference where you buy.

 

[Fredrik]

I agree with you that exclusive games are important to support a console. Never said they aren't. We disagree that it is still in the cards for MS. It's over. Not because there is no way to fix it, but because it no longer makes logical business sense to try and they need to choose a direction.

My take is that it makes no business sense to not have exclusives. Doing multiplats is a shortsighted solution to sell some extra games when they’ve stopped selling on Xbox and PC but it’ll cost the death of the platform. They can absolutely reverse that, they just started.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Interesting video, it’s like reading a forum discussion, just without console warriors trying to trigger people. But I like that DF do this since it might wake up MS. Because as it is the platform is dying. I said awhile back that 2026 is too late for a new generation console and I stand by that, in 2026 Xbox as a console will be dead, that’s just how it is. If it can be resurrected depends on how the next console is.

And regarding game purchases, I for one has bought in total 1 game on Xbox this generation. Indie or AAA doesn’t matter. I play through Gamepass, if a game isn’t there I buy on PC. And now that I don’t have a Gamepass sub I have outright moved over to PC and Steam instead.


How can this be fixed?

3 steps is needed…

1. Exclusives
Real console exclusives.
It’s annoying as hell if you want to play elsewhere but it does work if you want people to buy games. Look at Sony’s numbers.

2. Delayed Gamepass release
Doesn’t have to be years, a couple months is enough. Even 1 month can be enough if combined with the point below.

3. Lower price day 1 and include bonus content
Instead of selling an expensive premium edition 5 days earlier, lower the price during 1 month and include bonus content. That way you catch both those who’re looking for a cheap entry point and those who like bonus content.

2. I have said this before but hold onto your butt because pretty sure they are going to expand Gamepass perks not trim back

 

[Saber]

Theres no reason to launch on a console where the culture of its user is first asking "is this gonna be on Gamepass?". Only to people to not spent a dime on the game.

 

[Fake]

IDK what is more stupid, Microsoft believing that a new console will fix their problems when the problem was always a software matter or the remote ideia of making an ARM based console taking into account that the struggle Nintendo Switch is having.

 

[Three]

weren't they taking about this like 2,3 weeks ago? either way.

it dosen't matter when Xbox is dominating Play Station. every game now is an Xbox game and every screen is an Xbox.

Phil played us like a damn fiddle.

That Jez Corden windows central article sure was something

"Xbox platform" DOMINATING PlayStation storefront

 

[HeWhoWalks]

I guess we'll see.

 

[midnightAI]

No, Xbox is a platform, nothing more or less, and that’ll die through a 3rd party publisher move.

You’re talking about Microsoft Game Studios. That’ll obviously still exist. However, they’ll likely get rid of some smaller studios that don’t make much money that was there just to get other genres on the platform, like that studio there was noise about recently with the community manager that hate white male gamers. Snip snip on that one. But nobody think Microsoft will exit gaming at this point.

So XBox Game Studios doesn't exist? Xbox Game Studios Publishing doesn't exist? (It's the Microsoft Game Studios name which is no more)

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

So XBox Game Studios doesn't exist? Xbox Game Studios Publishing doesn't exist? (It's the Microsoft Game Studios name which is no more)

What is the name of Phil Spencer's current job title?
CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Notice a lack of Xbox in that title.

 

[Gambit2483]

It's a business if it doesn't make business sense because the chances of seeing a return on investment are low based on your data then no game is gonna be ported. This has happened to every console maker including Sony with the PS3, PSP and Vita. Nintendo with the N64, Gamecube and Wii U, Microsoft with the OG Xbox and Xbox One.

Being a Nintendo fan during the last years of the Wii U was about as rough as it gets. I'm hoping Xbox fans don't have to go through that but...guess we'll see.

 

[Agent X]

You've got some very good points there, Fredrik . I agree with much of what you've said, but my feelings differ on a couple of your points.

Because as it is the platform is dying. I said awhile back that 2026 is too late for a new generation console and I stand by that, in 2026 Xbox as a console will be dead, that’s just how it is. If it can be resurrected depends on how the next console is.

I somewhat disagree here. 2026 might be too early, if anything. I get that Microsoft might want to close the door on this generation and kick off the next one a bit early, much like the transition from the original Xbox to Xbox 360. However, if all they're cooking is a gussied-up "Xbox Series X Pro", then they'll fall flat on their face again.

It's not so much a matter of when they release their next system, but more importantly their overall strategy. Trying to be "PlayStation Too" with different branding isn't good enough. They need something truly disruptive to their old model, such as an entirely new method of interacting with games that can't be easily replicated on competing systems (such as we've seen with motion controls, cameras, VR, etc.). Back this up with a solid library of exclusive games at an affordable price, and they can get right back into the game.

How can this be fixed?

3 steps is needed…

1. Exclusives
Real console exclusives.
It’s annoying as hell if you want to play elsewhere but it does work if you want people to buy games. Look at Sony’s numbers.

2. Delayed Gamepass release
Doesn’t have to be years, a couple months is enough. Even 1 month can be enough if combined with the point below.

3. Lower price day 1 and include bonus content
Instead of selling an expensive premium edition 5 days earlier, lower the price during 1 month and include bonus content. That way you catch both those who’re looking for a cheap entry point and those who like bonus content.

I really want to address point #2. I agree with the sentiment, but not necessarily the time window. Microsoft needs to put their foot down and say the following:

If the game isn't a "Day One" release on Xbox Game Pass, then don't expect to see it there for at least six months.

They also need to enforce this rule for all publishers and developers, large and small. No exceptions to the rule. If they can do this, then they'll temper expectations for how their service works.

The problem right now is they've got a bunch of users who see an interesting new release, but they refrain from purchasing it because they believe that if they wait a week, then BOOM, it might become free to play on Xbox Game Pass. Or maybe not...so they'll just wait until next week, then. Or the week after that, and then another week after that, and so on.

The other two points are right on the money. Point #3 is especially insightful, as this strategy could (and should) be considered by other publisher/developers and on other platforms.

 

[Fredrik]

2. I have said this before but hold onto your butt because pretty sure they are going to expand Gamepass perks not trim back

How? Exclusivity? That’s the only thing that could pull people in now. They need service exclusives just like Netflix, HBO etc. Xbox Originals that can only be played through the sub.

But to solve the issue of Xbox owners not buying games they need to add perks to game purchases.

When and why do people buy Bluray movies today?
1. When they aren’t available on Netflix or other services.
2. When they want to best possible picture and sound quality.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

They just literally spent SEVENTY BILLION DOLLARS on ONE game studio...

And yoi are telling they csn't put money into games?

You've got to do a better job understanding the difference between buying an asset and putting investment into a single title.

For the most part Microsoft can believe that ABK will continue to increase in value. They could at any time decide they want to sell ABK. They can leverage ABK to gain more money from different avenues.

You put 200 million into one game with limited return potential, and it's just a sunk cost. You do this enough times and you're not going to be profitable as a business. There's no avenue for recovery here.

 

[midnightAI]

What is the name of Phil Spencer's current job title?
CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Notice a lack of Xbox in that title.

And? XBox Game Studios is owned by Microsoft (parent being Microsoft Gaming, which is different to Microsoft Game Studios.(Which is now XBox Game Studios) which has several publishers under that arm, XGS being one of them)

simple question...
Does XBox Game Studios exist?

The argument was that XBox is more than just a platform (platform being hardware and Gamepass) and includes XBox Game Studios as a developer/publisher, do you disagree with that statement?

 

[Mibu no ookami]

As I said Gamepass needs to be reworked, it needs be worse there than buying, delayed releases, and as I said they can add content when you buy. They were on the right track with the early premium editions, I went in like that for Starfield (but on Steam but that’s the PC day 1 thing). Making games more expensive is dumb, they should have a lower price and bonus content 1st month when you purchase.

You do that and you immediately lose a huge chunk of GamePass subscribers, as a result they're in a catch 22.