PLAY discuss ramifications of the acquisition, the status of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, and whether we should be cautious of a monopoly.
In our exclusive interview with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, we got a glimpse of the future of Xbox, and Microsoft's evolving strategy going forward.
"But, but wait, MS wants to be a third party publisher and then at the same time MS is a monopoly!!"
Which one will it be this month folks?
MS is already a third party publisher on both PlayStation and Nintendo. The question I think was whether or not they would exit the console industry and whether they would exit the gaming industry. Here Spencer is saying that he thinks putting GamePass on PS5 and Switch would make the people who bought just Xbox feel like they were getting a bad deal. Which is easy to understand.
First there is no reason for them to exit gaming regardless of what they do. Even if they decide that GamePass wasn't lucrative enough, they have enough content to sell an make tons of revenue off of.
Will they exit the console industry. Maybe in the deep future but why would they exit it when the MAJORITY of their GamePass subscribers are on Xbox and that is their main income stream?
To understand what the CFO was saying...all he meant was that they would take advantage of the huge PS and Nintendo player bases and sell games on those platforms JUST like they do on PC. Just by doing that alone opens them up to massive amounts of potential revenue.
@Eonjay
Even sony is already a third party.. isn't MLB on Xbox and they release many games on windows PC?
@Eonjay "Here Spencer is saying that he thinks putting GamePass on PS5 and Switch would make the people who bought just Xbox feel like they were getting a bad deal. Which is easy to understand."
But the people who bought Xbox are already getting a bad deal.
@PrinceOfAnger
"Even sony is already a third party.. isn't MLB on Xbox and they release many games on windows PC?"
Sony putting out MLB games on other platforms is because of the MLB. They wanted more money and going mulitplatform was their choice. If Sony didn't agree then the MLB wouldn't renew their deal. Also, releasing games on PC just makes sense. More money and people playing their games.
It's what I've always been saying. Just like being against paying for online. But there are gamers who don't think long term or are influencers hiding in the threads to help push the agenda.
I've said it over and over. Microsoft isn't about gaming. They're about owning it and controlling gaming and make gamers pay an annual payment that's a revenue stream to them by using games as the carrot just like Windows. I've said Game Pass is just DRM 2013 2.0. If they're successful, they will hurt used games, lending and trading as has been said before.
Nothing good comes from mega corporations given free reign. Just more money out of pocket and limited options in the future. The fans will say it's great what's happening not seeing that multiplatform games are being bought out in favor of a service and hurts everyone else.
Remember when I said over and over about EMBRACE, EXTEND, EXSTINGUISH? It's been their modus operandi all this time. Sony has just been able to thwart their plans. Game pass was created since DRM 2013(always online) failed but they didn't give up on it. They are grooming gamers with it. They get you to like it with cheap price of entry, try to make it a standard by extending it to other platforms but their competitor, to try to put them at a disadvantage. It's text book. I've read the book and seen it coming in paperback and hard cover. They couldn't beat Nintendo or Sony through competition. So, they'll buy everything out to either make money off of their competitor if the games stay on other platforms. Or take away what everyone enjoyed. Just like they tried to force XBL gamers over to game pass with that price hike, they are trying to force gamers to buy an Xbox by locking games down.
Some will say butt hurt. But it's the industry and your wallets that will hurt soon enough if you want to continue playing the games you like. I've tried to tell what they were doing and still trying to do. I warned you. Get ready for the repercussions. Thanks Microsoft. I see through that smile two faced Phil.
All I know, every time I look at Phil Spencer, he looks more and more like Tony Robbins.
Well, with all the controversy going on with Activision, who best to associate that with than Microsoft. Oh, and Bobby Kotick remains the CEO, all that talk of "WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT!" and with the Microsoft acquisition, its like that never happened and Microsofts lawyers will cleanup. Yay....
It's going to be great seeing the new games from these newly aquired studios appear on GP day and date. And even waiting for the older games to get added.
Microsoft is really going out of their way to provide as much content as possible for their users and their GP subscribers. Not bad for a company was criticized for not having a lot of game variety and first party studios.
It's funny to see some people upset with overdramatic claims that MS wants to control gaming and charge people a fee, as if the competition is offering all their games for free. Or the take that MS is ruining gaming by removing games off of multiple platforms, even when MS has provided more ways to play their games then any other platform.
Game Pass truly is a game changer and it has offered more games for anyone to play for an exceptionally low price. Personally I have played more games and games I would have never had purchased through that service. And that's what we all are here for, to play games, it's great that MS is providing even more content for their service.