With the rise of more publishers talking about Game Streaming, we discuss the issue that could arise should most of the big publishers break off into their own streaming services and take their games with them. We've seen this happen with TV Networks and could easily happen with the likes of Activision, EA, Square Enix, and Bethesda.
Free games? In THIS economy? Well, in exchange for your eyeballs at least. (Figuratively, not literally... although don't give them ideas.)
What you need to know
• Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart recently described how in the future, you may be able to view ads to gain access to Xbox Game Pass.
•Recent Xbox Series X|S code strings we've seen seem to corroborate this, with the ability to earn 15 minute blocks of Xbox Game Pass access in exchange for watching ads.
•Game Pass across PC, Xbox, and Cloud features hundreds of games in exchange for a low monthly fee.
Hmm..... I used to earn GP by way of searching with Bing but I hear the rewards program is being revamped. I still earn points but it seems they did change the amount you get per search. I dont know how i feel about this. It sounds like they are going the Youtube route where right in the middle of something you are enjoying, an ad pops up and you have to sit through it (if it does not have a skip option after 5 seconds).
I pay for my GP access, so this wouldnt really bother me but I can see it affecting plenty of others. It reminds me of the rumor about how some game companies (EA, Ubisoft) were toying with the idea of running ads before you ever get into the game. Like the old days of renting movies from Blockbuster and not being able to skip the previews (yes, some DVD had a non skip option for previews). I pay for stuff so i wouldnt have to deal with ads, but even now they are encroaching the very things i pay a premium for.
This whole thing is just..... a bad idea.
@babadivad
Yup. You'd have to pop in the DVD before going to the bathroom, grabbing a snack, etc
Such a shame cause even if you don't think this is a big deal what's next they put ads on ultimate gamepass and the free one gets more. This is disgusting. Yes even if Sony goes this route I'll feel the same. We got enough ads in this world ffs
“even if Sony goes this route I'll feel the same”
This isn’t a “both sides” issue. Sony has never had ads on the PlayStation Home Screen but Microsoft has laden Xbox’s Home Screen with ads since the Xbox 360. Microsoft has put ads on Windows 11 OS! Microsoft is basically the bad guy from “Ready Player One”.
I know that hence the key word If. Sonys never given an indication of this where as ms definitely has.
I mean, it's not never, but it's not like Xbox. Sony has promoted things with icons on the XMB, it's just really rare.
They could do GP free with ads, GP £20 per month without ads, which one would the casual/hardcore choose ?
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We're just having our eyelids forced open more and more every day it feels like.
You don't say?/S
You mean the company that puts ads on the dashboard, tried to force a camera on Xbox One to push ads is experimenting with ads for game pass access? No. You must be joshing. Lol
Wouldn't put it past them.
Getting people locked into subs and advertising to them is what passes as innovation at Microsoft.
At least they're keeping Sony on their toes with the threat of competition
PlayStation dominated cloud gaming users throughout 2021, beating Microsoft's xCloud streaming by over 10%, but Xbox swings back at PlayStation in 2022.
“Good competition” is not something Microsoft offers often. You should want THEM to feel enough heat to actually do better.
Agree. I wish sony would be more afraid of gamepass to get better games on ps+
"You should want THEM to feel enough heat to actually do better."
Phil Spencer started to acquire studios back in 2018, after that, Xbox Studios only had 5 studios. Now Xbox has 23 almost 5x more studios. Not to mention third party exclusives like Flight Simulator, Contraband and Project Dragon.
Plus, unlike Sony, Xbox Studios won´t be distracted with things like VR, all of their first party efforts goes towards Xbox first and foremost.
Sony so can expect a much more robust Gamepass in terms of first party and third party exclusives games from Xbox from now on.
Since Sony have less studios and won´t release their games day one on PS+, they better make sure andl deliver high quality games like Ragnarok. Because so far, 2023 hadn´t started well for them with Forspoken.
https://www.videogameschron...
Sony spent millions to secure a AAA third party exclusive game build from the ground up for PS5, not to mention more millions spent on market to be outperformed by a AA game which costs less than half on Steam, had an EPIC day one surprise announcement AND release with ZERO money invested on promotion and marketing.
If that´s not good competition, I don´t know what it is.
"It isn’t."
Oh yes, it is. You can bet your life that both companies cares about their money and investments.
The simple fact that Sony continues to pay multiple publishers to keep games out of Xbox forever, is nothing but a reaction to Gamepass.
Imo, Sony now fears that once their timed-exclusive contracts ends, those games will be available on Gamepass the moment the said games hits the Xbox platforms.
Sony fears the scenario where gamers realize that it´s not worth to invest in every single game released on Playstation at full $70 once they´ll be getting it for "free" on Gamepass eventually, just like Yakuza, Dragon Quest, Octopath Traveler, Nino Kuni, Persona series and more.
ARK 2 (exclusive on Xbox consoles), S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2( exclusive on Xbox consoles), Flintlock, Wo Long, Atomic Hears, Lies of P, Eiyuden Chronicle, Hollow Knight: Silksong. Minecraft: Legends, MLB 23...
Those are just some of the games that Xbox players will be getting for "free" day one while Playstation gamers will have to pay for all of it.
So at least you´re rich or something, Xbox players will be getting way more NEW games to play than you. That´s just facts.
@Obscure_Observer
I can bet that one company brings actual competition, isn’t afraid to share losing numbers, and doesn’t buy huge publishers due to said weaknesses. That’s what I can bet.
As a fan of theirs, you should want them to do better and offer more than subscriptions services and unfulfilled promises.
@obscure. Well Sony can't control 3rd party games quality, but their 1st party certainly trounces MS's. Spiderman 2 is going to a absolutely dominate the holiday season, just like ragnarok did this past holiday season. Sony easily has the best gaming studios out of the big three. It's.not Sony who has to worry about their 1st part output, it is MS.
@Obscure: what AAA games would I buy an XsX today to play?
I own a ps5 and XsX, and I don’t know of one game that would have motivated me to buy an XsX ( I bought it to appease my dumb Xbot friends).
I bought a ps5 for Demon Souls (best looking game on consoles), Returnal (top 10 game of all time for me), and Dualsense upgrades for shooters (completely changes R6 for me).
So, can you illustrate how XsX is competing? I liked HiFi Rush a lot, High on Life too, but neither make we happy about the $500 I sunk into the hardware to play them.
Obscurer, you're saying an awful lot without talking much sense at all.
VR isn't a distraction, neither does it take games away from playstation. Sony have been building and harnessing studios just for this while working on their 1st party none VR titles.
Microsoft is fully committed to gamepass and that's fine for them and those that like to game that way. It will be an even better product if Microsoft can nail their 1st party games.
What I'd hate to see are more moves like the Activision and Bethesda purchases and attempts because it destroys the gaming ecosystem. I'd say the same for Sony as well because once the ball is rolling, they'll all start buying and diving gaming.
"I can bet that one company brings actual competition, isn’t afraid to share losing numbers, and doesn’t buy huge publishers due to said weaknesses. That’s what I can bet."
Unfortunately for you, MS or Nintendo aren´t forced to play by yours or Sony´s rules. Fyi, Sony used to buy publishers back in the day. The only reason they aren´t doing it now is simply because they can´t.
As it is, Sony already owns 14.09% of Kadokawa´s shares while Tencent acquired 16% of the company's shares, which means 1/3 of the entire company ownership.
The only reason why Tencent owns more than Sony is because Sony couldn´t pay more for it. So spare me from this "victim complex" bs defense for Sony.
Phil acted as the "nice guy" for too long. To the point where stupid fanboys were all happy when Xbox acquired new studios and publishers, because the idiots were under the illusion that all future Xbox games would become multiplatform and be released on Playstation.
Yeah, they were stupid to the point of thinking that MS would turn into a third party developer for Playstation.
Reality hits hard and here we are. Now that they KNOW those games aren´t coming to Playstation, all that they can do now is cry and moan over games paid and developed by Microsoft to not be on their platform of choice.
They think they´re entitled to have anything and everything otherwise it´s not good competition.
Phil Spencer won´t stop. Be the Activision/Blizzard deal approved or not, he can just go after a single studio like CDPR for example and you´ll be here crying all the same.
I don´t care if Sony or Nintendo buys SquareEnix, From Software or even SEGA tomorrow. Because I have no problem buying products from those companies if they have the games I want. I care about games first and foremost. So don´t expect me to be on your sad place complaining about big a$$ companies running their business as they see fit.
"You should want THEM to feel enough heat to actually do better."
But when they do attempt to do better ppl complain about it.
With the whole Bethesda thing. There was article on here not too long ago talking about how Bethesda investment will pay off for MS. The whole comment section everyone was whining about how MS was taking games away. So when MS competes everyone here complains on here. No matter what MS hurts feelings. It's quite funny actually.
@Lightning77
In other words, outside of publisher acquisitions, they have not really attempted to compete.
And "whining" happens on both sides, so I hope you are just as entertained when people bitch and moan about moves Sony makes.
Ps+ extra already has better games than gamepass. Just look at the highest scoring games...ps extra has more of them.
Lol. What a joke.
PS+ relies on old games. Gamepass not only has day one first party games but also day one third party as well. Even from Sony. XD
Exactly. “Day one” is a buzz word that makes these guys think they have a better line up but it has not amounted to much. If you look at what they have at any given time on their service its not that rosy. Not to mention “day one” also exists on PS plus just not for the first party AAA story games (which is fine w me as long as they continue making the hits).
Check out their list of day one releases for all the years they had gamepass. Its a joke.
@obscure
I'd take good old games then new Bad games. Besides that wasn't his point and that has nothing to do with what I claimed. The op said that they should offer better games but they already offer better games. He did not say new games. Or even New Quality games. But to your point, I know that game pass lovers do enjoy their day one bad or mediocre games. It's all about value with you guys and not quality
Some are going ape shit over Hi-Fi Rush but completely forgot about the Tokyo Wire dud the same developer last released. My point being there are hits and misses.
" It's all about value with you guys and not quality"
Lol. Your false narrative didn´t aged well.
All Metacritic scores for day one first party games
.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps 92 on Metacritic
Flight Simulator 90 on Metacritic
Forza Horizon 5 92 on Metacritic
Halo Infinite 87 on Metacritic
Grounded 85 on Metacritic
Pentiment 87 on Metacritic
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition 87 on Metacritic
Hi-Fi Rush 88 on Metacritic
And that´s only from first party games/IPs on Xbox series consoles.
So much for your "quality vs quantity" BS narrative.
Oh, and we "Gamepass Lovers" also love old quality games as well. I also can give you a large list of high quality third party on Gamepass. Just ask. ;)
@Obscure_Observer… Forspoken was not a 1st party game from Sony nor should it be treated as such. Square Enix will comeback nicely with FFXVI I’m sure.
Besides Sony is entitled to some misses here and there because they actually take chances on new titles and release them regularly.
Bu the time Spiderman 2 releases everyone will have forgotten all about this terrible start you’re claiming.
They're so anxious to try to nail Sony on something that they'll even bring up third party developers not under Sony. Oh look this time's exclusive that wasn't developed by a Sony studio was bad so Sony doesn't know how to do good games.
"@Obscure_Observer… Forspoken was not a 1st party game from Sony nor should it be treated as such. Square Enix will comeback nicely with FFXVI I’m sure."
In no moment I said it´s a first party game. Both Forspoken and FFXVI are exclusive Playstation 5 games which Sony invested large sums of money to secure to their platform. Just like the original Spiderman from Insomniac. (which till this day Sony fans treat it like a first party/IP)
So it´s pretty obvious if the game fails, Sony also fails and loses tons of money which could had been invested on first party games.
"Besides Sony is entitled to some misses here and there because they actually take chances on new titles and release them regularly."
True.
"Bu the time Spiderman 2 releases everyone will have forgotten all about this terrible start you’re claiming."
Also true. The same can be said about FFXVI, imo.
"The leader, Nintendo, doesn’t care what the competition does."
Couldn´t agree more
The Switch is leading the PS5 because it launched three years prior. PS4 won last gen is all forms (money made, units sold, software totals).
No hate for Nintendo though, as they are another company who actually puts out quality games in high numbers, but just a little perspective.
“In 2022, Microsoft took the lead with 60-70% of total MAUs”
From 20-30% up to 60-70%? That’s some crazy growth. Probably thanks to Fortnite.
All the other stats dont matter. Especially the ones where ps is tearing xbox a new one
“In 2022, Microsoft took the lead with 60-70% of total MAUs”
Probably one of reasons why Sony won´t return Activision´s calls.
Oops, somebody didn't read the article.
This isn't a "YoY increase". It's market share, so we know they had 60-70% of the streaming market.
That’s why we game: to celebrate YoY growth!
Three cheers for first-party content-starving fueling third party max’s and subscriptions.
What a clickbait headline. Why mention 2021, when the tides turned in 2022 for the obvious reason of one company making the Cloud service one of their biggest marketing pushes throughout the entire year while the other company was able to promote the games they had coming out?
And it's imprudent to suggest crazy growth when we only know proportions - did Xbox grow its proportion by attracting from the competitors' bases, did their marketing pay off and attract new users, or did cloud gamers on competitors just not play as much? The MAU figures don't point to shifts as significant as the Cloud proportions do, and Microsoft's lack of raw subscriber numbers that they happily boasted about in 2021 is telling too.
Microsoft has launched a new Bing feature that lets you experience Xbox Cloud Gaming supported games just by searching for it.
It's not a bad way to earn points. Esp if you do a lot of searching for stuff. I haven't had to pay for Gamepass in over a year because i am constantly earning enough points to pay for it. I've had upwards of 161k lifetime points and currently only 2k away from another free month of GPU.
