This past week, Sony laid out a plan that seems like a pretty large departure from its usual strategy the past few generations, one in which they are moving beyond PlayStation boxes and into the mobile and PC markets.
The service needs a big year, and some big games, if it's going to shape Microsoft's future.
Microsoft has paid out for the big name games launching on Game Pass, this month alone it's getting Monster Hunter Rise which PlayStation owners have to pay $40 for, not to mention all the other great new games. However these are a reward for the current Xbox userbase and not drawing new users in so MS needs its own first party exclusives.
Starfield will come out in the first half of the year, possibly June, and that's going to be an amazing boon for Microsoft and Game Pass. It's the first single player Bethesda RPG since 2015 so you could say there's some anticipation! At E3 2022 it didn't reveal what was coming in the second half of this year but that could be the long-awaited Forza 8 and four years after the 2019 Game Awards reveal and, if Ninja Theory deliver, Hellblade II: God of War Ragnaraok killer.
I don't think Stanfield makes the first half of the year. Also hellblade 2 is definitely not a God of war killer. That's laughable.
So by the middle of the year you should have your first $70 game included in your $120 annual subscription. Ok, that's not terrible, I'll give it that. I'm not as confident as you are that it'll be good though, based on the footage I've seen so far
"Hellblade II: God of War Ragnaraok killer."
I've heard a few ppl say that before. What does that mean? How will it "kill" a game that's been around for 18 years vs an IP that's been around for 6 and is just now prepping to release a sequel?
Logically it doesn't make sense so again how does Hellblade "kill" GoW?
You know, that $40 is a one-time fee.
Game Pass on the other hand requires you to pay perpetual rent to play the game. And at some point the game will disappear from the service.
I agree it does need more first party games. Game pass has a lot of games already as is but just like Netflix it needs a constant stream of new games to keep people engaged.
It needs to diversify its portfolio as well I think games like high on life are a great start. Look how popular it is. They need to keep games like that coming that are “different”. I hope they achieve it because game pass really is revolutionary and such a great value for consumers.
Also I believe the cheaper ad supported tier will definitely help it’s always good to give customers options. Game pass is already a huge success MS themselves said it’s profitable. But they have ambitions to be the Netflix of gaming and 2023 will definitely be a tell if they can achieve it.
I don’t agree with ‘make or break’ at all. Very sensationalist headline. It’s already pretty successful as it is. Not to say more big games wouldn’t help of course but hardly going to break the service if they aren’t there.
One year can be great but the next year could hurt it . It’s needs to make money long term and 1 year won’t make too much if a difference in the end . MS has had a a decent year here and there just to screw it up for a few in a row adlfrer that . MS needs 5-10 good years in a row
lol right when they already knew a huge game from Bethesda is coming to the service day 1, they came up with this atrocious article. there is no such thing as make-or-break for a service like GP with the backing of MS's wallet. they will just throw money at it because this is the basket that they've decided to put all their eggs into going forward.
The Steam Deck is one of 2022's greatest pieces of gaming hardware, but its integration of Xbox Game Pass is severely lacking right now.
I wish every TV had GamePass. The more locations, the merrier. I’m currently selling my Series S because I have a dedicated crap PC that can play Xcloud fantastic.
It would be nice to have indeed, the issue is just how exactly they would be able to do it. Microsoft wouldn't require developers to make sure their games are compatible with Proton, meanwhile, they themselves wouldn't do that work and Valve definitely wouldn't either.
So the only thing that I could see happening is a streamlined app for the cloud version.
Yeah I think it would take some effort to get that store working on the deck... That UWP approach doesn't get work with Wine/proton afaik. I would think MS would be torn on officially supporting this. GamePass everywhere vs. Windows everywhere
I can play xcloud through the edge browser on my deck. it works pretty good too but I can see how a dedicated app would do away with the extra hoops to jump through. Im sure MS doesnt have a problem seeing as they were the ones to even come up with the 'how-to' to get it running on the deck in the first place.
If there is to be a gamepass app, it would have to be one that links your steam account to your microsoft account in order to validate and let you download the games that are on gamepass through steam.
***it would have to be one that links your steam account to your microsoft account in order to validate and let you download the games that are on gamepass through steam.***
I wonder if people understand they're essentially saying "You just buy it at Target and pick it up at Walmart" when they refer to these types of features.
I've thought about this a lot. I doubt it'll happen though. Valve loses money on each deck sold. They recoup that money with software sales. Adding other platforms natively to the steam deck would cut into their profit. Just my thoughts of course. :)
I think your logic makes sense for a closed platform, but Steam Deck is amazingly open. They don't try to stop you from doing whatever you want. I have Epic, Ubi, and EA launchers on mine. It's one of the best things about Steam Deck. You can even drop into a Linux UI and use it like a normal computer
Unless they form a partnership. Advertise Gamepass optimized with Steam deck and get a kickback from MS based on userbase.
High on Life creator and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland appeared on the Xbox Podcast last week.
Roiland explained that he did research on how Game Pass would help make the new game, and help his studio work on future projects.
High on Life has had one of the biggest launches in Game Pass history since its release on December 13.
In a recent episode of the Xbox Podcast, High on Life creator Justin Roiland joined Larry Hryb, Xbox’s Major Nelson, and explained why he chose to join the Game Pass line-up after having done “a lot of research” on the service.
“Before we decided to pull the trigger on it, I spoke with a handful of other studio folks who did Game Pass,” Roiland explained. “And I ultimately came to the conclusion based off of what I had heard that it is– it’s a value-add. Because essentially, there’s a lot of people that would otherwise not have picked up the game and played it.
“And those people, if you believe in what you’ve made, and you really you feel confident that you’ve made something special, or different– and we do with our game– those folks can become evangelists in a way for the title.”
We announced yesterday that High on Life has become Xbox Game Pass’ biggest launch of 2022, the biggest 3rd party Game Pass launch of all time, and the biggest release of a single player-only game in the service’s history.
"Because essentially, there’s a lot of people that would otherwise not have picked up the game and played it."
A lot of folks told me that non-Game Pass games that they ship versus Game Pass games, [they get] 7x sales.”
That's impressive to say the least. Very impressive. We're talking actually sales not just players either.
Exposure+ play time = profit. Plus digital sales that weren't on gamepass were apparently really good as well. 60$ is a very hard pill to swallow for me personally. Like I said the gameplay is just not doing it for me personally but I'll try and finish it.
Also. This game was the biggest gamepass launch ever. It makes you think, how will Starfield perform? Surely this game HAS to outdo this game?
The 7x statistic is interesting, people think GP reduces game sales, but it actually has the opposite effect - we've heard that from multiple developers now. Also, their future games will be GP games by the sounds of it.
I fully expect SF to break its record though, SF is a massive, massive game, probably the biggest to launch Day 1 on GP.
If marketed properly SF could see tremendous engagement and surpass High On Life. Especially if the game lives up to the hype.
So then why are not all games launching on game pass if it's such a slam dunk? Seems it would be no brainer if that were true and not just a tricky marketing ploy.
How do you even compare the same games sales? Comparing 2 different games one on gp and one not isnt going to give accurate metrics.
Oh silly Orchard. Haven’t you learned yet? Unless you’re bashing anything Microsoft does you can expect a wave of disagrees.
Almost as if some people treat their console of choice like some kind of holy relic not to be besmirched by the mention of the hideous green X that burns it like holy water.
It's probably more hit or miss. Rather then dude put your game on gamepass and it'll blow up.
Cboath
3rd party sales are probably down cause they don't buy games all like that. These guys at work only talk about gamepass games. I bet alot just don't buy games anymore.
@mkis... the simplest answer is, its up to the devs/pubs to make that decision. Obviously the more games the better, but it also comes with the risk that the more game the less likely people will see it. So in essence it is like netflix where some content gets more exposure through word of mouth and ranking while others go under the radar or only seen by a very niche audience.
In either case, the content creators are guaranteed a chance at making extra $$ on top of what they are contracted to receive up front. And this is due to the eventual removal of that content and the last marketing push to sell to those who can get it for a discount before its removed and placed in the regular digital store.
Gamepass has helped more than its hurt, there is no denying that as even big outfits like square have attested to. Im not even sure if there has been a report from a game creator that said putting their game on GP was a mistake. Maybe there is but I dont remember one.
If that were true most big newly anticipated to play A AA multiplats would be on GP but they're not. Most current games that land on GP are Indies & some AA titles like High On Life. Though I will admit GP is getting some interesting AA games in 2023 like Wo Long,Lies Of P & Atomic Heart.
The game was the third biggest Game Pass launch ever (behind Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, I'd imagine), but it was the biggest third-party GP launch.
Haven't played it yet myself (wrapping up another game) but I'm very much looking forward to starting it soon
It was "the biggest 3rd party Game Pass launch of all time,"
Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 are both 1st party.
It is "Xbox Game Pass’ biggest launch of 2022,"
So between game pass launch and Dec 31st 2021, two 3rd party games had bigger launches.
So is this xbox spin and game pass numbers falling? ☺
Well done to Justin Roiland and the team.
Huh, PS?
Yeah, Halo and FH5 are 1st party, and yes too to High on Life being both the biggest 3rd party launch and 3rd biggest overall launch on Game Pass, as well as the biggest 2022 launch. But it wasn't the biggest launch ever.
"two 3rd party games had bigger launches" doesn't make any sense here. Nothing about spin or numbers either. Just a clarification and yes, very well done to the team at Squanch for what's being very well received by the Xbox community.
Found the Xbox post from 20th Dec.
"High on Life Is Xbox Game Pass’ Biggest 2022 Launch, and the Biggest 3rd Party Game Pass Launch Ever"
"High On Life is the biggest Game Pass release of 2022, the biggest 3rd party launch in Game Pass history, and the biggest single-player game launch on Game Pass ever. "
So that does mean that between game pass launch and Dec 31st 2021, two 3rd party games had bigger launches.
Justin uses a lot of words to say he wanted the security of a upfront check. Putting games Day 1 on Gamepass is a gamble. If the game blows up, you are missing out on hundreds or possibly millions of sales. On the other hand, if your game flies under the radar. That upfront check definitely will help to break even on the budget of the game. A plague tale requiem is a good example of Day 1 on Gamepass being a good thing. The game flew under the radar. Im sure that upfront check to launch day 1 on gamepass was the smart move in the end.
Whether it's a gamble or not, If a game does blow up- it will guarantee future sales for a sequel, dlc or revised editions of said game; it's easy for a lot of people to criticise decisions like this in some way, but there are few ways to guarantee a "successful" launch, which GP and Epic are directly involved in.
GP upfron check is definitely a safety blanket, but if your game bkows up .. you're missing out on them mio. of moneys.
thats what he basically said, they wanted the money from GP incase it bombs.
mkis0079h:
"So then why are not all games launching on game pass if it's such a slam dunk? Seems it would be no brainer if that were true and not just a tricky marketing ploy."
I don't think all new releases are right for GP. For some of the really big releases it probably doesn't make much sense as they already have a built in audience. The only time those work is if they are MS first party or if MS is willing to pay a lot of upfront cash. Even those can work sometimes as expansions and add-on's are not free and players are more likely to spend on those if they didn't have the upfront cost of buying the game at full price. Even for big games it can make sense to add after a period of time as most time the game is already discounted and it can result in a bump in overall sales.
I think the bottom line is it is a good thing for some devs and not for others. It is their choice.
What does "biggest game pass launch of 2022" even mean? Did it bring in the most new subscribers of 2022? Was it tried out by the most existing subscribers in 2022? Was it the most completed game pass game in 2022? Was it the most hyped game pass game in 2022? What? What are we even talking about? It's an ok game if you appreciate the humour ( which reaches it's limits ) but it's not even close to the AAA games promised years ago ( from first party nonetheless ) every QUARTER for this service. And after a whole barren year this....THIS....is what Microsoft cheerleaders are praising?? As some kind of milestone?? Yet they all scratch their heads wondering "uhh duhhh....why ek bok no got game like god of war and spooderman". Look in the mirror....that's the reason.
Really love it when people with no market analysis background make an article analyzing the market strategies of two companies that at their core don't share the same end goal. Should put Nintendo there as well, so we would have a "full picture".
Well the article doesn’t really bring any type of substance other than the writers speculation’s based off of delayed games. Yes, in the short term Gamepass has taken a small dip. But with the mountain of content coming, I can see this turning around for MS. The writers example about Netflix, in my view was a poorly used. Netflix was going to drop no matter what. From record amounts of people being forced to stay home due to Covid and spending money on entertainment. Once all that lifted, that they would continue to do that. I haven’t heard of any subscription service saying they gained what Netflix’s has lost. It’s the market readjusting itself post pandemic.
What’s the point I’m trying to make? I see all these articles that are foreboding and spelling possible disaster for Gamepass because of rumors it has taken a dip. Even if that is completely true, it’s just a blip for the service. They have an avalanche of content that will be releasing. Let’s be honest here, yes we all know this year has been dry for any big, big launches for the service. But I think it’s just being pure fanboy-ish to think that with all the studios making games that the dry spell will not become a flood.
As for Sonys strategy vs Xbox’s the writer is correct that it is the safer route. You would have to be deluded if you didn’t think Sony wasn’t going to make a ton of money by pursuing other revenue streams no matter what Xbox does. Even if what they offering is basically backwards compatibility being streamed. Their catalog is so huge and with so many gems, people will initially jump on the service for the nostalgia or missed games. But I’m curious on how many will stay permanently without day and date? Either I buy that $70 must have new game and keep my service, or I stick with one. With inflation and gas prices rising. that’s actually something people are already asking themselves. Prices are jumping on everything and that going to have effect.
So the way I see it. MS knows this is a long haul and Netflix’s didn’t get there overnight. When the big games do start pumping out day and date, I speculate that all the doom and gloom articles will dry up as well and people will start praising the service for its value.
As always time will tell how it all pans out. With all the craziness going on in the world it’s hard for anyone to say with certainty. But as always I hope that we the Gamers benefit the most from the increased competition.
no.
Put it this way. I haven’t bought a single video game for my series X and I got it at launch lol On the other hand I’ve Purchased handfuls of games for my PS five