The XboxEra Podcast | LIVE | Episode 248 | "Guidance, Growth and Game Pass"

[@ThatVikingGamer]

The debate is circular because people are worried about hardware, Xbox are going to make a lot of money off this that's true, but so are Playstation who will continue to use the money to block games on Xbox, have we forgotten about the FTC trial and that coming out? I fully expect hardware to drop massively next gen, I don't think Xbox will have a compelling enough reason to buy it over Playstation and then if that does happen, I imagine it will be the last console generation for Xbox. Playstation without competition is going to be scary.

[@XboxEra]

PlayStation, much like everyone else, has an incredible amount of competition for people's time. Social media has kids more in its grasp than video games do. - Jesse

[@dannymitchell9304]

@XboxEra i think the deal with Expedition 33 is how this will go. They will release their games and games they publish on PS. But if you want to be published by Xbox you have to take a GP deal. This immediately makes their offer better than the PS offer in most cases since PS publishing will want exclusivity. Pair that with a Steam capable console next gen to force Sony into a weird pickle and I think Xbox does pretty well

[@XboxEra]

Xbox is not publishing it, Kepler is

[@tecsunpl-6802]

"At least give it a chance." - Not wrong. Xbox has been planning for the moment when the floodgates open and all their first party studios are pumping out quality content one after the other on Game Pass. The second that it started flowing (COD, Indy, and soon Avowed, etc), Xbox goes third-party mode. People not already invested in the platform aren't going to jump in at the drop of a hat. They are going to want to see the proof in the pudding. Instead of giving it a chance to see what happens (a couple years of a steady flow of exclusives and Game Pass first party games), Xbox shifted its strategy last second... It's fine and big picture, it actually might work due to how vast Microsoft's first party studio structure is now. Microsoft is going for the holier than thou, turn the other cheek approach. Sony has always wanted to kill Xbox, just like it wanted to win the war with Sega. Valve wants to dominate PC gaming. Microsoft/Xbox says "we love you both." It may end up working years from now if people see the value in getting an Xbox and using Game Pass, but couldn't they have given it a shot instead of cowering to shareholder pressure?

[@K-Dog1217]

As a late comer into the Xbox community with the Series X being my first, the biggest thing that pulled me in was the massive library accessible through Gamepass and the growing Asian support that was lacking in previous generations. I am not sure about their strategy with sending previously exclusive titles elsewhere but as long as the platform keeps growing its library I’m alright. If next gen isn’t a console/pc hybrid with other stores like Steam/Epic, and dwindling hardware sales starts to cause developers to no longer make games for the platform then at that time I think we can revisit and say “Microsoft this was stupid”. Until then the future is uncertain and all we can do is hope it pans out.

[@dageekynerd2898]

I agree the "no red lines" thing doesn't mean everything is going but that nothing is sacred. But that was 2024 what about what Phil told Destin now in 2025: "To keep games off of other platforms is not a path for us."? That sorta sounds like everything don't it?

[@XboxEra]

Anything can go when it makes sense

[@dannymitchell9304]

I just don't understand why Xbox fans who are actual adults would care if Xbox puts games everywhere. As long as they continue to be on Game Pass I will continue to have a Game Pass capable device. If you own a Playstation and you want to play 4 of these Xbox games coming, it would be cheaper to get a Series S and Game Pass and play 400 games.

[@ivanaguilar3132]

Because I bought it for the exclusives, not for gamepass. Seems like you are not the adult here

[@Aarsal_SoulBlazerz]

​@@ivanaguilar3132uh, you unable to play those exclusives on your Xbox?

[@dannymitchell9304]

@ivanaguilar3132 So for you you don't care about the games you want to know someone else can't play them. Seems childish to me. But do whatever you want.

[@XboxEra]

Lol, clearly someone didn't actually watch the show 😅🤣

[@nrXic]

The biggest reason is the idea that exclusives are a driver console sales. There is a bit of disagreement as to how much they drive console sales, but I think it would be undeniable that they are at least a cornerstone of attracting new customers. I think most would agree that it's not everything, but also it's not nothing either. Many of us existing fans have jumped in because of games like Halo, Gears, Forza, Fable, and so on. With fewer console sales, you might see third-party games also skip the console as well. Sort of like what we saw with Capcom's Marvel Fighting Collection. With a paltry user base, it is harder for these companies to make a business case to port games. But I think Xbox is addressing the latter by promoting the idea that an Xbox port is something that opens them to cloud play. And with a possible handheld, an Xbox port means hitting all sorts of screens with one certification (handheld, budget console, Series X, future consoles, PC). So there's a legitimacy to the concerns. At the same time, a lot of it is overblown because we know that Ms and Xbox are working on the next generation of consoles. We know they are investing in ensuring 100% backwards compatibility going forward. We know that they see opportunities for growth on the PC. And we know that the cost of games have risen to the point where we won't see sequels to our favourite games unless they are sold on multiple platforms. I personally am mixed on this. As a fan of Halo Infinite, I think it should appear on all machines, including porting the Xbox One version to the Switch. As a live service title it would only benefit from everyone playing it. But I disagree with porting MCC to these other platforms (which is heavily rumoured to the point where we can't ignore it). Infinite could be a good Gateway for PS and Switch gamers to buy an Xbox and experience MCC. This is a plan and strategy that's going to sacrifice their hardware sales and I think they could have their cake and eat it too by being more picky about what they're porting over. Now, if MS/Xbox we're far more confident in marketing Game Pass, I think they should pour it every single game from the past, present and future. And they should do it all day one. Because then I wouldn't be worried about console sales because everyone would see the value of getting an Xbox and subscribing to GP.