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You are Asha Sharma. How do you save Xbox?
- Thread starter Windom Earle
- Start date
Randall365
Member
* Have the best tech.
* Lean on the fact that third party games will be better on xbox than ps5.
* Have exclusives - do not release them on PC or PS5.
* Bin off gamepass, so games have value again and publishers can be successful.
* Invest in marketing.
Speaking as someone who has not touched xbox since trading in my 360 for a PS3 in 2010.
* Lean on the fact that third party games will be better on xbox than ps5.
* Have exclusives - do not release them on PC or PS5.
* Bin off gamepass, so games have value again and publishers can be successful.
* Invest in marketing.
Speaking as someone who has not touched xbox since trading in my 360 for a PS3 in 2010.
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Sanepar
Member
How to save Xbox:
- bring Peter Moore back
- kill Gamepass or day1 releases for 12 months, recovery IP values
- Focus on games not features
- emulates Xbox DNA from 2001-2010(pre Kinect)
- free mp
Release a base model console of $600(not weak like a) and a pro model of $1000-1200
Keep your games on PC and Xbox only
- bring Peter Moore back
- kill Gamepass or day1 releases for 12 months, recovery IP values
- Focus on games not features
- emulates Xbox DNA from 2001-2010(pre Kinect)
- free mp
Release a base model console of $600(not weak like a) and a pro model of $1000-1200
Keep your games on PC and Xbox only
Last Hearth
Member
Sell the XBox division to Elon Musk's X, think of the branding possibilities.
Work with real gamers to find out where the brand has lost it's way. Focus on implementing changes and features the majority of the public wants.
Scale back the pricing on gamepass and make exclusives actually matter.
Work with all studios to eliminate political and activist messaging and make games that people care about and assign studios that work well in the genre to make them.
Promise a 3 year full force investment into turning the brand back into the console people fell in love with and focus on gamers build our future messaging.
Scale back the pricing on gamepass and make exclusives actually matter.
Work with all studios to eliminate political and activist messaging and make games that people care about and assign studios that work well in the genre to make them.
Promise a 3 year full force investment into turning the brand back into the console people fell in love with and focus on gamers build our future messaging.
You can't just "save xbox" because after expending 70B in acquisitions there is nothing else that can make the difference
Pumping even more money is not only unreasonable, it's frowned upon by Nutella, part of it because he was giving uncle Phil so many blank cheques already and another part of it is because every penny is going to AI
Let's see what they bring to the table with their new over the top Xbox PC and how they can accommodate from there
Pumping even more money is not only unreasonable, it's frowned upon by Nutella, part of it because he was giving uncle Phil so many blank cheques already and another part of it is because every penny is going to AI
Let's see what they bring to the table with their new over the top Xbox PC and how they can accommodate from there
- A PC port will only be available after a year or more.
SegaSnatcher
Member
Do not redeem.
Real answer, she is just hired as the clean up crew to dismantle Xbox and replace it for some BS nobody asked for.
Real answer, she is just hired as the clean up crew to dismantle Xbox and replace it for some BS nobody asked for.
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Kronark
Member
- Immediate review of all studios under control.
1) What are they working on?
a) Are there any projects shaping into 9s or 10s?
- Flag these for potential exclusivity if budget allows.
- Flag for next Xbox launch.
b) Are they on schedule or massively behind on timeline or quality milestones?
- Flag studios consistently failing internal benchmarks for selloff or closure.
- Bad games need to die earlier! Redfall should not have made it anywhere near release.
- Studios capable of delivering technically polished and critically well received games on time should not be punished for sales numbers. The studio is responsible for producing the project. Marketing is responsible for selling it!
c) Does the project cater to the envisioned Xbox audience / identity?
- Does the project fill a gap in style or genre?
- Does the project cater to our largest demographics?
- Will the project contribute to Xbox legacy?
2) What IPs do they own?
- Are they being neglected or mismanaged?
- Look for more cross enterprise match ups between IPs and suitable devs. (Ex: Give someone else a chance with Fallout)
- Are they being focused on / forced despite audience fatigue? (Ex: Halo)
3) Review of what was cancelled recently and if those decisions were sensible / reversable.
4) Major review of release timelines. Studios may need resources earlier to meet delivery windows. Having 1-2 extra games during a quarter is not a bad thing. Having 0 games during a quarter is disastrous for the brand image.
General:
- Entire studio pipeline needs deeper over watch and safe guards, including playtesting and genuine critical review procedures. Last leadership structure seemed incapable of judging what is good or bad, completely out of touch with customers. How did Redfall happen? How did Halo Infinite happen?
- First priority should be Xbox brand / image / identity, profit needs to take a back seat short term.
- Halo and Forza WERE key pillars of the Xbox brand. They have been worn into the ground and should not be treated like center piece games anymore. Xbox desperately needs a new core of pillar games.
- AA games with smaller audiences are ok if they're developed on a sensible budget and they build the brand. Not every game can be a tent pole 10+ million seller. Sony has made this mistake by killing their smaller studios and doing long term brand damage. Don't put all your eggs in one Halo / Last of Us.
- Gamepass is ok as a secondary business model for some customers but needs a serious rework to balance the numbers. It is not sustainable as the core business model and it's been a mistake to treat it that way. Look into sensible flex subscription plans that do not offer access to everything or cannibalize new releases.
- Deep review of the Steam partnership. Partnership is iffy but could work in Microsoft's favour if the Xbox becomes an Xbox + PC on the side. This would present a massive value benefit to Xbox gamers, especially those on the budget side of the spectrum who can't afford multiple devices. Instant advantage over the Playstation. Need to be careful to not let Valve get too big a slice of the userbase pie though to maintain traditional margins. You want Xbox gamers primarily spending with you and do not want to be subsidizing hardware to build Valve's ecosystem.
- Drop all parity requirements with Series-S, Xbox should not be missing any third party games. Do not split your own player base with future console releases.
None of this will happen though. Microsoft at large has it's head shoved up it's own ass because everything needs to generate infinite money tomorrow so they can finally surpass humanity with AI.
1) What are they working on?
a) Are there any projects shaping into 9s or 10s?
- Flag these for potential exclusivity if budget allows.
- Flag for next Xbox launch.
b) Are they on schedule or massively behind on timeline or quality milestones?
- Flag studios consistently failing internal benchmarks for selloff or closure.
- Bad games need to die earlier! Redfall should not have made it anywhere near release.
- Studios capable of delivering technically polished and critically well received games on time should not be punished for sales numbers. The studio is responsible for producing the project. Marketing is responsible for selling it!
c) Does the project cater to the envisioned Xbox audience / identity?
- Does the project fill a gap in style or genre?
- Does the project cater to our largest demographics?
- Will the project contribute to Xbox legacy?
2) What IPs do they own?
- Are they being neglected or mismanaged?
- Look for more cross enterprise match ups between IPs and suitable devs. (Ex: Give someone else a chance with Fallout)
- Are they being focused on / forced despite audience fatigue? (Ex: Halo)
3) Review of what was cancelled recently and if those decisions were sensible / reversable.
4) Major review of release timelines. Studios may need resources earlier to meet delivery windows. Having 1-2 extra games during a quarter is not a bad thing. Having 0 games during a quarter is disastrous for the brand image.
General:
- Entire studio pipeline needs deeper over watch and safe guards, including playtesting and genuine critical review procedures. Last leadership structure seemed incapable of judging what is good or bad, completely out of touch with customers. How did Redfall happen? How did Halo Infinite happen?
- First priority should be Xbox brand / image / identity, profit needs to take a back seat short term.
- Halo and Forza WERE key pillars of the Xbox brand. They have been worn into the ground and should not be treated like center piece games anymore. Xbox desperately needs a new core of pillar games.
- AA games with smaller audiences are ok if they're developed on a sensible budget and they build the brand. Not every game can be a tent pole 10+ million seller. Sony has made this mistake by killing their smaller studios and doing long term brand damage. Don't put all your eggs in one Halo / Last of Us.
- Gamepass is ok as a secondary business model for some customers but needs a serious rework to balance the numbers. It is not sustainable as the core business model and it's been a mistake to treat it that way. Look into sensible flex subscription plans that do not offer access to everything or cannibalize new releases.
- Deep review of the Steam partnership. Partnership is iffy but could work in Microsoft's favour if the Xbox becomes an Xbox + PC on the side. This would present a massive value benefit to Xbox gamers, especially those on the budget side of the spectrum who can't afford multiple devices. Instant advantage over the Playstation. Need to be careful to not let Valve get too big a slice of the userbase pie though to maintain traditional margins. You want Xbox gamers primarily spending with you and do not want to be subsidizing hardware to build Valve's ecosystem.
- Drop all parity requirements with Series-S, Xbox should not be missing any third party games. Do not split your own player base with future console releases.
None of this will happen though. Microsoft at large has it's head shoved up it's own ass because everything needs to generate infinite money tomorrow so they can finally surpass humanity with AI.
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SegaSnatcher
Member
Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
Crimson Skies reboot
Mechassault reboot
Full Throttle 2 (not technically their ip but they own Double Fine)
Mechassault reboot
Full Throttle 2 (not technically their ip but they own Double Fine)
Unfortunatecookie
Member
Gonna repost (with some minor changes) what I believe is the best way for Asha Sharma to get Xbox on the right path:
1) Demote/transfer Aaron Greenberg to like the Windows Intro Music team
2) Kill the Xbox branding (including the name)
3) Release a modern controller
4) No more associations with edgelords and the Jez Corden's of the world
5) Lower cost hardware ($400 target) strategy
6) Sell off a bunch of studios including COD teams
7) Rethink/change Game Pass (e.g., kill Day One initiative for first-party games)
8) Partner with Nintendo
1) Demote/transfer Aaron Greenberg to like the Windows Intro Music team
2) Kill the Xbox branding (including the name)
3) Release a modern controller
4) No more associations with edgelords and the Jez Corden's of the world
5) Lower cost hardware ($400 target) strategy
6) Sell off a bunch of studios including COD teams
7) Rethink/change Game Pass (e.g., kill Day One initiative for first-party games)
8) Partner with Nintendo
Camreezie
Member
1. Fire Matt Booty and Aaron Greenberg, how these chucklefucks have their jobs but Phil and Sarah got chucked is mad.
2. Completely retool Gamepass, cut it if needs be
3. Manage the fuck out of their first party studios and get control of feature scope that is making projects take 5+ years
4. Do NOT make any more acquisitions but prioritise bringing talent into the studios they own based on talent/merit (not DEI)
5. Once the studios get whipped into shape push a new focus on pitches from the studios focused on legacy IP in the immediate future to try and get some good will back from lapsed xbox fans/owners
2. Completely retool Gamepass, cut it if needs be
3. Manage the fuck out of their first party studios and get control of feature scope that is making projects take 5+ years
4. Do NOT make any more acquisitions but prioritise bringing talent into the studios they own based on talent/merit (not DEI)
5. Once the studios get whipped into shape push a new focus on pitches from the studios focused on legacy IP in the immediate future to try and get some good will back from lapsed xbox fans/owners
you do not you burn it down
Wastelander92
Member
Clippy Assistant in the next Xbox.
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Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Seems like they did best following after SEGA and when that ran its course they shat the bed. Whatever happens follows the current seemingly unfixable situation that may as well be spelling the end of Xbox, at least in the form previous followers cared, even if the name persists. It's not her fault.
I'm not, but everybody loves shawarma!
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ResurrectedContrarian
Suffers with mild autism
Brand image really was trashed (...well, like most others) by embrace of corporate diversity bs
I remember the early years of XBox, and it was a the "bro" console, as in: bro shooters, Cortana's ass, energy drinks, guns, and American attitude. Remember that Dead or Alive 3/4 and Xtreme Beach were Xbox exclusives! That's the brand's original energy.
Most of that I found a bit eye-roll inducing at the time (except the Cortana ass), but times have changed, and nothing is more eye rolling now than diversity inc trash, so suddenly the 'merican-energy-drink attitude of early XBox is downright nostalgic and appealing again.
To be clear: by diversity inc, what I mean is fully captured by one thing: Starfield's ugly girlbosses and sanitized HR approved dialogue and people everywhere. That game is pretty much the nail in the coffin, everything about its style is 100% irreconcilable with the original brand, down to its core. It's oil and water.
How to bring back the brand? Pretty much make Duke Nukem your implicit mascot. Go all in. Make it all out crazy gun filled / hot girl filled borderline parody (just a tiny drop of irony) Americana, and it will sell because that kind of thing actually stands out now.
I'm not even joking. That's the sole path left. Be XBox... don't be Sony or Nintendo, be your own damn thing which basically was "the American shooter console." That's the best they can do, and they should have gone all-in on it.
EDIT: that's the only way to save the brand, period. But hiring Asha Sharma already indicates they can't save anything. Let her fail quickly and horrifically so you can stop wasting everyone's time with someone like her.
I remember the early years of XBox, and it was a the "bro" console, as in: bro shooters, Cortana's ass, energy drinks, guns, and American attitude. Remember that Dead or Alive 3/4 and Xtreme Beach were Xbox exclusives! That's the brand's original energy.
Most of that I found a bit eye-roll inducing at the time (except the Cortana ass), but times have changed, and nothing is more eye rolling now than diversity inc trash, so suddenly the 'merican-energy-drink attitude of early XBox is downright nostalgic and appealing again.
To be clear: by diversity inc, what I mean is fully captured by one thing: Starfield's ugly girlbosses and sanitized HR approved dialogue and people everywhere. That game is pretty much the nail in the coffin, everything about its style is 100% irreconcilable with the original brand, down to its core. It's oil and water.
How to bring back the brand? Pretty much make Duke Nukem your implicit mascot. Go all in. Make it all out crazy gun filled / hot girl filled borderline parody (just a tiny drop of irony) Americana, and it will sell because that kind of thing actually stands out now.
I'm not even joking. That's the sole path left. Be XBox... don't be Sony or Nintendo, be your own damn thing which basically was "the American shooter console." That's the best they can do, and they should have gone all-in on it.
EDIT: that's the only way to save the brand, period. But hiring Asha Sharma already indicates they can't save anything. Let her fail quickly and horrifically so you can stop wasting everyone's time with someone like her.
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Hohenheim
Member
Well, then I hope they just keep doing what they do now. Releasing good games and have their main focus on being a good publisher.
I'm not intetested in new console hardware from any of these companies.
I don't want any exclusivity from any publishers, as I want every game on PC day 1.
If Sony and Nintendo also start putting every game on PC day 1,
I would be very happy.
As for Xbox, their main goal is obviously to make money. Putting their games out everywhere is probably the way to go.
TaciturnWolf
Member
Sing and pray for Xbox.
hououinkyouma00
Member
As a publisher absolutely.
As a player in the console space not so much.
I know I'm in the minority and most people view it the way you do but I miss when every console had exclusives and there was a reason to own everything. I was a kid for a lot of it but prior to mid 8th gen I wanted to or owned every console. Each machine + PC had its own identity and I miss that.
The games I played on PlayStation were different then what I played on Xbox and was different from what I played on PC. Now 98% of games people actually play are on everything.
Hohenheim
Member
Yeah, I also used to love the old consoles that had their own identity. Back then, consoles and PC felt like two very different beasts, and that was cool.
These days, modern consoles just feels like low end pc's without the freedom.
All those subscriptions, which you need to even play online.. It's not very attractive. Sony and Nintendo even require a subscription for cloud saves. And for what ? To play games with low settings and low fps. Most console games don't do more than 60fps, and many still have only 30 - 40 fps in some games.
So yeah, even though I used to love the old world of consoles, that feeling is not coming back.
I like that people get to chose how they want to play, and I'm all for new consoles from all the major companies, but I would love for all games to be release om PC day and date too. As it's rough going back to the world of modern consoles, and the performance will always be somewhat lacking compared to a good PC.
TheAmazingSpiderMan
Member
We need Xbox to come back strong, the competition in the industry is the only thing that'll save us realistically.
Shogmaster
Member
- make all current BC totles fully BC with Magnus.
- All XBox One and Series titles patched to allow resolution and franerate increase on Magnus (im looking at you, RDR2).
- Give1st party titles outside of CoD, 6 months exclusivity.
- Gamepass unified (PC and Magnus)
$10 tier - Multiplayer for BC and Magnus port titles plus access to first 3 months of release for 1st party titles
$20 tier - $10 tier benefits plus access to all 1st party titles as long as you have sub, 20% stacking discount on everything on XBox store (console and PC titles).
- Update Magnus APU every other GPU generation (~4 year cycle) to allow continuous and frequent upgrade path (take advantage of PC nature) for those who want it. No more 7 year hardware cycle.
- Seamless switching between store front titles (Don't let EA and Ubisoft do their sign into our account BS when launching their totles). Keep MS, Steam, Epic, GoG, EA, Ubisoft etc.. credentials under your user account and manage switching between games seemless).
- All XBox One and Series titles patched to allow resolution and franerate increase on Magnus (im looking at you, RDR2).
- Give1st party titles outside of CoD, 6 months exclusivity.
- Gamepass unified (PC and Magnus)
$10 tier - Multiplayer for BC and Magnus port titles plus access to first 3 months of release for 1st party titles
$20 tier - $10 tier benefits plus access to all 1st party titles as long as you have sub, 20% stacking discount on everything on XBox store (console and PC titles).
- Update Magnus APU every other GPU generation (~4 year cycle) to allow continuous and frequent upgrade path (take advantage of PC nature) for those who want it. No more 7 year hardware cycle.
- Seamless switching between store front titles (Don't let EA and Ubisoft do their sign into our account BS when launching their totles). Keep MS, Steam, Epic, GoG, EA, Ubisoft etc.. credentials under your user account and manage switching between games seemless).
Bonfires Down
Member
Let me install Steam on Series X.
thatJohann
Member
Kill the Xbox Series consoles and announce a re-release of Xbox 360 with OG blades dashboard.
ReasonBeing
Member
Xbox doesn't need saving, it needs to evolve. The Xbox brand should be attached to Windows devices that tells a customer that they are getting a certain bare minimum of performance.
Chipset configurations should be Xbox certified on prebuilts. If you build your own PC, a minimum spec of specific components makes it Xbox certified. I think they need to continue with the idea of partnering with manufacturers to produce a range of Xbox devices.
Edit: of course they need to continue to improve the software experience. I've tested the Full Screen Experience, and it's an improvement, but they have a ways to go. They also need to allow a certain amount of storage partitioning to allow for a quick resume like feature.
Edit edit: Xbox connect devices to seamlessly allow your TV to display your game running on the PC. Maybe this can also interface with your controllers and peripherals. None of these ideas are new, but what's important is getting these things to seamlessly all work in concert across a variety of devices and network types.
Chipset configurations should be Xbox certified on prebuilts. If you build your own PC, a minimum spec of specific components makes it Xbox certified. I think they need to continue with the idea of partnering with manufacturers to produce a range of Xbox devices.
Edit: of course they need to continue to improve the software experience. I've tested the Full Screen Experience, and it's an improvement, but they have a ways to go. They also need to allow a certain amount of storage partitioning to allow for a quick resume like feature.
Edit edit: Xbox connect devices to seamlessly allow your TV to display your game running on the PC. Maybe this can also interface with your controllers and peripherals. None of these ideas are new, but what's important is getting these things to seamlessly all work in concert across a variety of devices and network types.
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Magic-DEI-Hire
Member
You don't save it. She's there to be Satya's hatchet woman.
Humdinger
Member
Save the console brand? That's a tough one, because they've gone multiplatform, and you can't reverse that (financially). The best you can do is retain some of your core fanbase by providing good next-gen hardware, not raising GP prices, and releasing good games. No big mystery about that. Whether that counts as "saving Xbox" or not, though, I don't know...
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Hayabusabruh
Member
Resign and give the job to AsmondGold.
Hoddi
Member
I'm not sure they can even salvage the Xbox brand at this point. I think they'd have better luck abandoning the name and coming up with something else entirely. Nintendo hasn't shied away from it so I don't know why MS does.
Realistically, they can try bridging their consoles with PCs by opening up the software environment. Kids need computers for their homework nowadays and it's an easier sell if it doubles as a gaming console. They should have done this ages ago.
But, knowing Microsoft, they'll probably just change the logo or something.
Realistically, they can try bridging their consoles with PCs by opening up the software environment. Kids need computers for their homework nowadays and it's an easier sell if it doubles as a gaming console. They should have done this ages ago.
But, knowing Microsoft, they'll probably just change the logo or something.
Dirk Benedict
Gold Member
The image is so beat up at this point, it is hard to nail down a strategy that doesn't involve either poaching or hiring industry veterans with proven track records and cash injection into the division for advertisements that focus on a brand redirection that would be pro consumer/gamer.
After the layoffs, the lies, long development cycles and abysmal quality output, minus a few games… Xbox has an uphill battle if it wants to remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
Not just that, the entire mentality towards how to develop games would need change.
That's just from the top of my head. There is much more.
After the layoffs, the lies, long development cycles and abysmal quality output, minus a few games… Xbox has an uphill battle if it wants to remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
Not just that, the entire mentality towards how to develop games would need change.
That's just from the top of my head. There is much more.
StreetsofBeige
Member
Close. She's big into cheap colourful indie games.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
Actual Xbox only exclusives.
Durin
Member
- Reduce Windows 11 background processing more, improve the gamepad UI front-end & solve stuttering issues
- Build a better version of Steam Remote Play together, where an Xbox/Gamepass sub lets you rent a dedicated server to run offline multiplayer games online with better latency than peer to peer.
- They have their azure cloud server network, so leverage it more.
- Improve social features on Xbox to compete feature for feature with Discord, but without the ID garbage.
- Drop their stupid UWP format, completely separate the Xbox App from the Windows store, and bring controller customization per game into their app.
- Build a modding framework like Steam Workshop, but included a mod organizer + modlist one-click downloads.
- Xbox App game discovery and shopping is bad, and Microsoft loves selling data so I don't get why this is still bad...just fix it.
- Bring Xbox backwards compatibility emulation to Windows.
- Reach out to Sony's laid off staff and wasted resources on live-service, and help form new studios to make AA + some AAA non-live-service content off them.
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kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
That's not going to happen. The fans want system selling AAA games, but those games cost 200+ million dollar and take 5 years to make. How many copies would an Xbox exclusive game sell in 2031 with a 20 million user base? Certainly not enough to recoup costs. And Xbox would need a lot of exclusives to grab back marketshare from Sony and Nintendo. Sateh Nutella already heard this spiel from Phil Spencer when Xbox One needed to be saved from the brink of disaster. That didn't work because pouring money into games development is not enough to create best selling games. So why would MS try this once again in a declining games market?
Exclusives could save a failing system 15 years ago when devs could create a best selling game in 12 months on a low budget. Those days are over.
Fess
Member
Why?
As I see it it's their best thing. And literally the only thing they can pull in money from once they have the Xbox App future rolled out.
They can't make games exclusive to Xbox App. Already tried that.
And nobody is going to use Xbox App if it's just launching Steam and Epic games.
And third party ain't going to make Windows Store versions once there is no dedicated console needing that store.
So how will they get any money??
With Gamepass. There they can pull people in to Xbox App since it's not working on SteamOS and is a hassle to use within Steam.
So…
They should invest more money on Gamepass. Make it more attractive. Do more and better day 1 Gamepass releases. Don't increase the price! Re-launch Xbox Live Arcade, call it Xbox Gamepass Arcade, and Xbox Gamepass Indies. Add the backcatalog like Nintendo are doing with Nintendo online. Use their 25 year legacy to get more subscribers.
![L*][*N*K](/data/avatars/m/842/842515.jpg?1756724107){kind=avatar}
L*][*N*K
Member
Fight Sony in every aspect, Fight them like they fight everyone steal 3rd party games, make deals with companies like Bandai Namco and Square Enix that is %100 anti-consumer but hey if it works it works, Elder Scrolls 6 day 1 on next Xbox Console exclusive....etc
Instead of buying another company for 70 Billion use that money to take every ground from Sony, neither might win but at least you wont be losing.
Instead of buying another company for 70 Billion use that money to take every ground from Sony, neither might win but at least you wont be losing.
Zathalus
Gold Member
Lol, almost nothing in the OP will save Xbox.
It's perfectly possible to save Xbox, but unless papa Microsoft really opens up the purse strings she has her hands tied.
Saving Xbox (the hardware platform) will require some work that will literally require Microsoft to spend tens of billions of dollars.
- Don't get rid of Gamepass, Playstation offers a competing service and getting rid of it will just piss off the core audience you still have. Reduce the price and maybe cut back on the day one exclusives. Just like Playstation does.
- Release Magnus as soon as possible. Subsidize the price to price match the PS6, and forget about windows and other storefronts on the damn thing. Make sure the OS and DX version it uses is as lean and customized as possible.
- Stop day one PC exclusives. Not cancel them, but the PlayStation approach of a two year gap is smart.
- Throw money at all the major GaaS platforms. One, get all the popular GaaS games that are not on your platform back. Second, get the current major GaaS players to offer some exclusive perks and content.
- Invest in China. Get those popular upcoming Chinese games on your platform. Help expand the brand in a huge market.
- Throw money around to all current major developers. And I mean a shit ton of money. Get exclusives on your platform. Ones that are popular and matter.
- Have some actual major marketing. Fire your current marketing team.
- This is probably impossible, but stop using the Microsoft model of using contractors. It is cheaper, but just ends up causing issues.
The above may work. But it will be hellish expensive and I doubt Microsoft at this moment cares that much to invest in the platform. The ROI on Cloud and other platforms is just too high at the moment.
The smarter move right now is to focus on Windows and being a massive third party publisher. Optimize the shit out of your OS, have it work seamlessly on desktop, living room PCs (like Magnus, and what Valve is attempting to do with the Steam Machine), and handhelds. Make it so you don't want PC gamers to switch to Linux, because Windows has become really good. Have Windows be such a rock solid OS that gaming crashes and other niggles become a thing of the past. Make the Xbox store something people would want to spend money on, because it competes with Valve on features. But even all of this seems beyond Microsoft at the moment.
It's perfectly possible to save Xbox, but unless papa Microsoft really opens up the purse strings she has her hands tied.
Saving Xbox (the hardware platform) will require some work that will literally require Microsoft to spend tens of billions of dollars.
- Don't get rid of Gamepass, Playstation offers a competing service and getting rid of it will just piss off the core audience you still have. Reduce the price and maybe cut back on the day one exclusives. Just like Playstation does.
- Release Magnus as soon as possible. Subsidize the price to price match the PS6, and forget about windows and other storefronts on the damn thing. Make sure the OS and DX version it uses is as lean and customized as possible.
- Stop day one PC exclusives. Not cancel them, but the PlayStation approach of a two year gap is smart.
- Throw money at all the major GaaS platforms. One, get all the popular GaaS games that are not on your platform back. Second, get the current major GaaS players to offer some exclusive perks and content.
- Invest in China. Get those popular upcoming Chinese games on your platform. Help expand the brand in a huge market.
- Throw money around to all current major developers. And I mean a shit ton of money. Get exclusives on your platform. Ones that are popular and matter.
- Have some actual major marketing. Fire your current marketing team.
- This is probably impossible, but stop using the Microsoft model of using contractors. It is cheaper, but just ends up causing issues.
The above may work. But it will be hellish expensive and I doubt Microsoft at this moment cares that much to invest in the platform. The ROI on Cloud and other platforms is just too high at the moment.
The smarter move right now is to focus on Windows and being a massive third party publisher. Optimize the shit out of your OS, have it work seamlessly on desktop, living room PCs (like Magnus, and what Valve is attempting to do with the Steam Machine), and handhelds. Make it so you don't want PC gamers to switch to Linux, because Windows has become really good. Have Windows be such a rock solid OS that gaming crashes and other niggles become a thing of the past. Make the Xbox store something people would want to spend money on, because it competes with Valve on features. But even all of this seems beyond Microsoft at the moment.
Fess
Member
Awful idea. Just awful.
They could use Sony to their advantage. New Sony Steam port = Show it in ads "Also on Xbox", use the same controller, show the improvements over PS5/PS6/Steam Machine "Better on Xbox", show how easy it is to go from hundreds of "free" Gamepass games to a Steam Sony port - No hassle, automatically added to the menu after purchase, one click to start, make sure Quick Resume works, make sure they can show Playtime, Achievements, Screens, Game Description from Steam games.