1000°

Microsoft May Exit Gaming Business If GP Subscribers off Console Don't Increase Enough by 2027

Microsoft's Phil Spencer said in testimony that the company may exit its gaming business if Game Pass subscribers off consoles don't increase a lot by fiscal year 2027.

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wccftech.com
Vits650d ago

Yeah, hopefully, we don't see that happening.
Otherwise, we will get "Sony's you need two jobs to afford this back".

650d ago Replies(6)
blackblades650d ago

Last time it was they might be leaving the console business and maybe be 3rd party like Sega. Which would be a better option in IMO considering the studios they have now. Sell the games on PlayStation, Nintendo and steam, as well cloud gaming on other devices

bloop650d ago

I've been thinking this myself. How long can they keep pumping all this cash into Xbox and Gamepass with no real return? They'd be much better off becoming 3rd party and getting their games, and even GP, on as many devices, including competitors consoles at this stage.

blackblades650d ago

Those leaked documents showed how much it cost or could cost for a game to be on game pass. It's kinda expensive from the looks of it.

Palitera649d ago

@bloop
They have nearly infinite money, enough to knock a competitor like Sony out of the market.
That’s how long.

bloop649d ago (Edited 649d ago )

I didn't mean that in a literal sense Palitera. Business is business and it doesn't matter how much they have in the bank. They're in this more than 2 decades now, spanning 4 generations and have only had relative success with one console, the 360, which was partly due to the PS3 release being delayed multiple times. They've finished last every time so someone's going to pull the plug eventually. Snapping up all these publishers and developers is a desperate last move in trying to stay in the game. They'd be better off going 3rd party at this rate, unless Series consoles literally start flying off shelves.

FinalFantasyFanatic649d ago

I don't think they even want to be in the hardware business, although it's strange they make so many Xbox controllers (but they also make for good PC/Steam controllers as well).

jeromeface649d ago (Edited 649d ago )

@palitera what a foolish take @bloop you think MS doesnt want GP on ps5? LOL

blacktiger648d ago

last time was a rumor, this one is coming from phil spencer

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 648d ago
crazyCoconuts650d ago

Is having them still in business, but NOT buying up the entire gaming industry an option? That's what I want...

-Foxtrot650d ago (Edited 650d ago )

To be fair people always go on about that quote from Sony in the wrong way

They didn’t say it in a way like “tough shit, get two jobs if you want it” it was “this thing is so good you’ll WANT to get two jobs” . Still cocky as f*** but no where near as bad.

GamerRN650d ago

..... it's just as bad.

Popsicle650d ago (Edited 650d ago )

It was a comment filled with hubris and it haunted them at the beginning and near the middle of gen 7.

Kayser81649d ago

@-FOXTROT
oh it was bad like here is a quote from ken kutaragi :
(On PS3's price) "It's probably too cheap."
(On PS3's price) "We want consumers to think to themselves 'I will work more hours to buy one.'"
yeah it was bad and they have learned their lesson , that same with microsoft with xbox one and nintendo with the WIIU .
and the reason is because of the competition .

StarkR3ality650d ago (Edited 650d ago )

@Vits

Wish more people thought like you. The same people complaining about Xbox buying up the industry are the same people who would happily see Xbox gone and Playstation the only option. It's laughable.

Less competition = Worse deal for gamers.

Popsicle650d ago (Edited 650d ago )

It baffles me that gamers do not understand the importance of competition. Granted I see Microsoft’s vision for gaming as dystopian for consumers, but without competition, Sony would have less incentive to provide the absolute best content and services. There would be nothing to keep their decision making in check from a consumer perspective.

I wish Microsoft would revert back to the OG Xbox and 360 days because I do not see their current vision of having gamers own nothing and rent everything as being desirable or sustainable.

StarkR3ality650d ago

Agreed, I don't even own an Xbox but to say they shouldn't be in business is stupid, Sony have already showed this gen and the PS3 gen what overconfidence does to a corporation.

There's an air of arrogance about them that I simply do not like, that would be worse by tenfold if Xbox wasn't in the picture, you can take that to the bank.

shinoff2183650d ago

Stark, what has Sony done this Gen that's arrogant

Huey_My_D_Long648d ago (Edited 648d ago )

@starkR3ality.
I don't agree with your first sentences at all, although the last one is on point. . I have a PC and PS5, been a playstation gamer since PS1. I don't want MS to get out because competition is good for both companies... but the tactic of buying up the industry itself is an anticompetitive tactic.
What will happen to the majority of the studios if MS does leave? How many can sell off and which studios will have to be closed down.
...Although I will say Embracer group is far more problematic for the gaming industry right now than MS...Selling with MS, you have at least a couple years...Embracer will buy you and shut you down within a year.

Huey_My_D_Long648d ago

Love PS, but you are not lying. The arrogance in PS3 days was the worst. and I do think Sony would return to it if they didnt have any competitors..I know nintendo, but they are just too different for Sony to progress because of them

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 648d ago
PhillyDonJawn650d ago

Facts when 1 remain we all lose.

MrBaskerville649d ago

If ms leaves, Amazon, Apple or Google will step in.

jeromeface649d ago

apple would push thing forward hard but charge you a car price to do it.

WelkinCole649d ago

Every shitty business strategy we have had in gaming is because of MS.

The best gaming console generations (PS1,PS2) is when Sony was the most dominant

So no

Miraak82 649d ago (Edited 649d ago )

That's how I've always felt , I mean steam basically dominates the pc market and Nintendo has handhelds and no one seems to have a problem with it . Why do people feels like Sony always has to have a competitor in the console space , out of all the gaming spaces why (Pc, Handheld,Mobile,Console) only Sony has to deal with MS's BS for the sake of competition. This isn't 25 years ago like when you had just Consoles on the market from everyone,

MrDead649d ago (Edited 649d ago )

Problem is MS doesn't want to or need to compete.

MS buying up publishers means less competition in who makes games, a higher entery cost to anyone that wants to enter the console market because of less third party publishers, we also have found out plans for what they want with Nintendo.
MS are not good for the industry, at any point they have the money to lock away huge chunks of it that competing platforms really on.

F0XH0UND922649d ago

That was a person building hype for a console, not Sony. It's so weird how people still try and use that as a gotcha moment.

Soulsborne649d ago

M$ bleeds you dry , and gives zero in return. Your little netflix of games isnt all that profitable afterall.

Flakegriffin649d ago

Or even worse; we would go from one Sony studio exclusive a year to 1 Sony studio exclusive every two years lmao

Rynxie648d ago

No, I hope it does happen. MS is trying to change the gaming industry for the worst. They are a cancer to the gaming industry. I just hope they do leave the business and another manufacturer steps in, so there's still competition to keep pushing the industry forward.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 648d ago
jesujohn650d ago

Don't you stone-hearted guys feel pity for them? You must all subscribe to GP asap.

Magog649d ago

Which is exactly why they are awful for the industry. They don't want to succeed at making good games or good hardware all they care about is subscriptions. It's been true of Microsoft for decades.

CptDville649d ago

Moreover, they are forcing us to subscribe by slowly but steadily stopping physical game sales. And a lot of people don’t even see it coming (most here on N4G won’t even believe that I can’t buy physical disc of Starfield on my country - Brazil - I’ll have to spend 180 USD on Amazon to buy it from Us if I really want to).

650d ago Replies(4)
italiangamer650d ago

They could leave this very second, one less toxic company to deal with.

DarXyde649d ago

With a replacement, I wouldn't mind.

Nintendo isn't in the same space really and it would be great to have a competitor that is similar financially to Sony —no more of these ridiculous trillion dollar imperialist corporations, please.

Who would that be? No idea. Samsung, perhaps? I think that would be great.

I despise Microsoft. Deeply. That said, leaving the market with Ryan at the reins of PlayStation is asking to get the George Carlin "customer service" treatment.

Outside_ofthe_Box650d ago (Edited 650d ago )

So GamePass is in fact their last resort.

Aloymetal650d ago

Yes GP is their last resort, either that or buy most of the gaming industry forcing their way. MS tried to compete with PS for the last 20 yrs but they realized a while back that they just can't defeat that huge and loyal fanbase PS (and Ninty) have ALL OVER THE WORLD. GP is already 7 yrs old and hasn't changed anything in their favor.

MrDead650d ago

Unfortunately for gamers and competition MS sees an industry it can just buy and lock away behind GamePass, I'm hoping this fails.
The problem is MS has never shown any interest in it's own platform, they like the money that comes from gaming but don't want to contribute. A company the size of MS has very little care for doing well in this industry because just doing well doesn't bring the returns for company of that size, they need to dominate in order to raise MS stock price.
...also it helps that MS don't need Xbox, as it stand right now if Xbox disappeared it would barely be noticed by them.

sagapo649d ago

Wouldn’t say they never showed intrest honestly. The first and especially the 360 era were great as MS try to beat PS with their own exclusives. And they had great ones, you can’t deny this. But after that MS screwed up and tried a different approach with Gamepass, which cleary isn’t working.

Rynxie648d ago

@sagapo

No, MS never cared about the industry, they cared about the money. They showed their true colors with the release of the Xbox one and their outrageous anti-consumer policies. They shot themselves in the foot. However, as blind xboys fanboys are failing to see, MS is still trying to push their digital only, online only, no physical copies, no game trading/selling unless MS gets their cut policies back. They are just trying a new approach.

ChasterMies650d ago

Xbox sells enough to stay in business. But you know how these companies work. Why run a business that is merely profitable? They want that sweet monopoly like they gave with Office and Windows, and they see the subscription service and acquisitions as the way to get there.

blacktiger649d ago

thats why they said if gamepass fail, they are out. Seem you and Microsoft has two different take.

Show all comments (168)
260°

Former PlayStation Boss Says $80 Games Are Amazingly Affordable

PlayStation boss believes that $80 games are affordable due to the value they provide. Using Mario Kart as an example, he noted that it offers numerous hours of gameplay with just one purchase.

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tech4gamers.com
jambola1d 3h ago

value inside the product does not have any impact on how afforable they are

Eonjay10h ago

He never said anything about affordability at all. He only commented about the perceived value that a game can have to a player that gets many hours out of it.

Again, as with many other forms of we are disrespected and lied to.

Title says Yoshida said $80 games are amazingly affordable. This is a lie.

CrimsonWing699h ago

Perceived value is subjective, so how do you even argue for it? If one person says $500 was worth it because they played a game for six months, what does that mean to someone who didn’t share that experience or see that value?

This is exactly where corporate thinking falls apart. The value is defined by them, and then they twist the logic to defend it from a purely internal, out-of-touch perspective.

I’ve never based the price of a game on how long I’ve played it. There’s a standard price range that consumers feel is fair. If it were truly based on time or value, Resident Evil 2 Remake would cost $20, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth would be $1,000.

Eonjay7h ago

@Crimson

"Perceived value is subjective, so how do you even argue for it?Perceived value is subjective, so how do you even argue for it?"

I think his point is that it is subjective.

thorstein5h ago

Why is tech4gamers allowed to publish here. The lying is constant with them.

pwnmaster30001d 3h ago

I get the concept.
People buy movies for $20-$30 dollars that offers only a couple of hours of enjoyment.
While games offers 3-10+ times the amount of hours and content.
So in theory yeah I get it.

But I will never accept it and would rather keep the price now or even better PS360 price lol

isarai1d 2h ago

On the surface ye that makes sense, but when you realize the budgets are very comparable, you realize it's kinda stupid and overpriced especially when it common for it to be released unfinished

Extermin8or3_5h ago

Not really, movies that have similar budgets have the box office where if they arent a flop- they typically make all their money back or a profit. Movies have a much wider audience. Games however just have that release and have a smaller market.

PapaBop4h ago

Are many people buying movies for $20-$30? Outside of the more dedicated movie goers who have a physical collection, I imagine most rather scoff at that and stick to things like Netflix instead.

DivineHand1253h ago

You also have to take into consideration that most games are enjoyed by one or two people, while movies can be enjoyed by a group of people who are either friends or family.

Another thing is that the value of an entertainment product cannot be judged based on its length, but how it makes the user feel when it is all done.
An example of this is Ubisoft games. They can last close to or exceed 100 hours, yet many people hate on them for doing things to pad the length of the game, while Uncharted 4 and other Naughty Dog games average about 15 hours in length and are hailed as some of the best games of all time.

gold_drake15h ago

said by the guy who probably had a high 6 figure income

Eonjay1h ago

He never made the comment. Welcome to the internet.

gold_drake26m ago

..have u watched the video at all?

welcome to the internet indeed.

Petebloodyonion10h ago

The value of an $80 all-you-can-eat buffet is undeniable, making it curious why some people choose a $20 restaurant for a single, standard meal.

In a similar vein, movies, despite their higher production costs for a two-hour experience, outperform video games in revenue while also being priced around $20. Suggesting that video games need 100 hours of diluted gameplay to compete seems like a misdirection. The real solution might lie in re-evaluating how their core offering is valued.

Extermin8or3_5h ago

Individual movies yes, the movie industry as a whole? No, the movie industry is dwarfed by the behemoth in terms of revenue that gaming is.

FACTUAL evidence10h ago

Lol so rich people want to speak for my wallet now? I still haven’t adapted to 70$ yet, and not planing on to. I don’t mind waiting on sales.

Show all comments (43)
140°

Square Enix is “aware” of Final Fantasy XIV player numbers dropping

Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu discusses the dropping player count of Final Fantasy XIV and the numerous projects of YoshiP.

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videogamer.com
jznrpg2d ago

It’s really old now. All great MMOs decline.

PRIMORDUS1d 23h ago

Also who wants to keep paying a monthly fee every month, there are other options like Guild Wars 2 😁with no monthly fee and while not that many people overall compared to FF XIV, it did increase to about 21 mil now.

Sephiroushin1d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

I prefer to pay since i do not like guild wars and it keep kids away, but FF14 decreased on quality since they started to make it "more accessible", tried throne and liberty and while it was okay it has so many issues, same for dune awakening... Its time to start making a new FF MMO

kaewcha7342d ago

Looks like Square Enix is self-aware but still stuck in place, they see the player drop and apologize for the bugs, but nothing really changes. Shame, FFXIV used to be the gold standard

Servbot411d 23h ago

My entire free company has stopped playing. The writing has consistently gotten worse and the content is sparse and lacking; unless you are a hardcore player there's very little for you to do. They are over-catering to the people who will grind three+ times a week on a single fight for multiple months when the playerbase by large doesn't want that sort of content. Square needs to dedicate more resources to the game instead of wasting them on mobile and other live service slop.

Miraak82 1d 17h ago

The biggest factor for me is the way they butchered job design over the years , the casualization and over simplification really hurt a good chunk of enjoyment I used to have . Jobs lost any form of complexity and just became " press glowing button" DDR style for fighting where the gameplay loop is a about the 2 minute burst window . They removed most DoTS, timer mechanics , cast times, pets, RNG ect and all around homogenized everything . When you try and can cater to everyone ... you cater to no one .

60°

Dune: Awakening Composer Talks Giving Arrakis a Voice

Game Rant interviews Dune: Awakening composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen about his process for giving the harsh deserts of Arrakis a musical voice.

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gamerant.com