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[March Climber]

First we had cross-save, and now we're seeing more and more of cross-play being a standard. Now that digital sales are increasing, does anyone see cross-purchase as a standard amongst third party games?

Also, would this make the reasoning for individual storefronts more sound?

To explain, let's say you're purchasing a game, maybe the next Resident Evil in this instance. Cross-purchase would be that you would simply have to buy the game on one platform and then either through registering the product on that publisher's servers(in this example Capcom), or through some other means, you would instantly have access to that title on other platforms. So if you started the game on PS5, and then switched to a Steam Deck, then went to a friend's and played on their Xbox Series X, with the combination of cross-purchase and cross-save, you would be able to enjoy the title anywhere and everywhere.

If anyone needs an actual example of what I'm talking about, think of the 'Movies Anywhere' app/website...

...where they let you connect multiple streaming and digital storefront accounts into one central hub, and then by connecting them, you unlock those digital purchases for viewing on nearly every storefront, so that there's no issue.

Thoughts on this possible future? Do you see a 'Games anywhere' happening one day? And for the physical-only buyers, would a moment like this sway you to consider digital purchases?

 

[Banjo64]

No. Only the model Microsoft have used. Sony would only follow suit if it utilised their own PC launcher.

 

[graywolf323]

doesn’t seem likely, we need cross-save to become more standard first anyway

I’d love to have all my games support it to switch between consoles & Steam

 

[Bernoulli]

i would they enable something that makes them less money?

 

[Kataploom]

Lol no, it's literally impossible, each platform version requires additional work, why would you be working more for less money? Why would your store allow other users downloading content from your servers, which cost money to store and maintain the content, features, etc. if you didn't perceived any money from the user?

Business is first, that's what keeps the hobby afloat.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Only Microsoft have done it so I don't think others will. Would be amazing though.

 

[tr1p1ex]

Fortnite? Apex? Warzone? ...

 

[analog_future]

No way. Why would publisher's allow you to buy one copy of a game when they can force you to buy two or more?

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Sony had cross-buy for some PS3/PS4/Vita games. It was pretty neat.

Edit: Seems there's almost 400 titles with cross-buy.

 

[Lupin25]

HELL no

If I read you correctly…

People will just play on the absolute best platform for the game and the 2 other platforms would almost certainly die off from lack of game sales. It would only work for free games possibly.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

First we had cross-save, and now we're seeing more and more of cross-play being a standard. Now that digital sales are increasing, does anyone see cross-purchase as a standard amongst third party games?

Also, would this make the reasoning for individual storefronts more sound?

To explain, let's say you're purchasing a game, maybe the next Resident Evil in this instance. Cross-purchase would be that you would simply have to buy the game on one platform and then either through registering the product on that publisher's servers(in this example Capcom), or through some other means, you would instantly have access to that title on other platforms. So if you started the game on PS5, and then switched to a Steam Deck, then went to a friend's and played on their Xbox Series X, with the combination of cross-purchase and cross-save, you would be able to enjoy the title anywhere and everywhere.

If anyone needs an actual example of what I'm talking about, think of the 'Movies Anywhere' app/website...

...where they let you connect multiple streaming and digital storefront accounts into one central hub, and then by connecting them, you unlock those digital purchases for viewing on nearly every storefront, so that there's no issue.

Thoughts on this possible future? Do you see a 'Games anywhere' happening one day? And for the physical-only buyers, would a moment like this sway you to consider digital purchases?

Movies Anywhere works because there are a multitude of content producers as well as storefronts.

Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all have their own storefront and their own platforms. It doesn't benefit them at all to create a cross purchase platform.

Movies are ubiquitous in the sense that they work across devices and platforms, so they have the sole purpose of driving their own sales (until streaming came along). Games have multiple purposes. It's why we have exclusives and first party games. They want to promote their platform over others.

The closest thing in gaming to this is actually Steam.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Only Microsoft have done it so I don't think others will. Would be amazing though.

That's not entirely true, Sony also had cross-buy for PS3/PS4/Vita games: https://www.vitaplayer.co.uk/playstation-vita-ps3-ps4-cross-buy-guide/

Even Nintendo supported cross-buy but only for a few titles: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/cros...ice-versa-now-possible-only-in-europe.846647/

 

[Esca]

I've thought of this for some time and how it would be useful. I wouldn't even be upset if there was a small license fee to unlock it on another platform (s).

Won't happen when we have done many people willing to and do double or triple dip on the same game

 

[March Climber]

Movies Anywhere works because there are a multitude of content producers as well as storefronts.

Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all have their own storefront and their own platforms. It doesn't benefit them at all to create a cross purchase platform.

Movies are ubiquitous in the sense that they work across devices and platforms, so they have the sole purpose of driving their own sales (until streaming came along). Games have multiple purposes. It's why we have exclusives and first party games. They want to promote their platform over others.

The closest thing in gaming to this is actually Steam.

My case is that the onus would not actually be on MS, Sony, and Nintendo, but instead each individual publisher would give you the option to register a product on their website so that you can play their product anywhere you please. This would mean that they would be able to circumvent the issue of consoles and their locked storefronts.

Basically, by following cross-play's example, you would simply have to 'make a Capcom account' to register your game and play that Capcom game anywhere. Hopefully this post explains it better.

People will just play on the absolute best platform for the game and the 2 other platforms would almost certainly die off from lack of game sales. It would only work for free games possibly.

Yes, this is mainly a conversation point for third party games, guys. I'm not saying first party games or exclusivity deals should be part of this cross-purchase conversation. That wouldn't be a good thread.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

My case is that the onus would not actually be on MS, Sony, and Nintendo, but instead each individual publisher would give you the option to register a product on their website so that you can play their product anywhere you please. This would mean that they would be able to circumvent the issue of consoles and their locked storefronts.

Basically, by following cross-play's example, you would simply have to 'make a Capcom account' to register your game and play that Capcom game anywhere. Hopefully this post explains it better.

The individual publishers don't make any extra money from that and the manufacturers would stop them, they wouldn't support that on their platform.

To play a game on PS digitally, you have to have bought it on PS digitally and vice versa. One way or another they're going to get their 30%.

 

[acm2000]

no, only MS do this because they treat xbox as an ecosystem on pc and console.

 

[GHG]

3rd party publishers would never allow this to be a thing.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

no, only MS do this because they treat xbox as an ecosystem on pc and console.

Again, cross-buy is not a thing that Microsoft has invented. It has been done in the past by both Sony (PS3/PS4/Vita) and Nintendo (Wii U/3DS).

 

[acm2000]

Again, cross-buy is not a thing that Microsoft has invented. It has been done in the past by both Sony (PS3/PS4/Vita) and Nintendo (Wii U/3DS).

i never said they invented it, but its about the only one still going

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

i never said they invented it, but its about the only one still going

True, I just added more context so people reading the thread know that MS were not the only platform holder which provided consumers with cross-buy options.

Edit: But yeah, MS is the only platform holder right now pushing for cross-buy titles (Xbox & PC), with plenty of 3rd party pubs being in the program: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Xbox_Play_Anywhere_games

 

[SportsFan581]

Only Microsoft have done it so I don't think others will. Would be amazing though.

MS hasn't done it though. MS just has a version of their store on PC and console, so far they have never bundled a game with a version that works on a competing infrastructure.

How does that work for the stores where they expect a percentage of the sale to cover their operational costs? Is the developer "Capcom" in the example now forced into a revenue split across all the stores for one sale? And then there is MTX and other revenue, it would be quite a strange thing to ever get worked out.

 

[nial]

i never said they invented it, but its about the only one still going

True, I just added more context so people reading the thread know that MS were not the only platform holder which provided consumers with cross-buy options.

Edit: But yeah, MS is the only platform holder right now pushing for cross-buy titles (Xbox & PC), with plenty of 3rd party pubs being in the program: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Xbox_Play_Anywhere_games

What about PS4 and PS5 cross-buy?

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

For 3rd party games it needs to be.

 

[acm2000]

What about PS4 and PS5 cross-buy?

the ps4 has gone my friend, move on.

 

[Tsaki]

No. The only reason Sony allows Resident Evil to be sold on their platform is because they get a cut from every sale. If you buy the game on Steam and Valve is the one that gets that 30%, why should Sony allow you to use their platform when they won't see a cent from it? This is applied for all the other platform holders as well.

 

[The Fuzz damn you!]

Yes, it absolutely could happen, but not in the current landscape.

Cross buy makes sense when
You are selling a platform, like MS is. It gives you a cake advantage over other platform holders without disrupting your revenue stream. If other platform holders start focusing on subscription services as their primary income source and extend those services to other platforms in some way, as MS has done with PC, then it’s a possibility. Most likely, though, we’re talking about a post-hardware gaming industry at that point.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Cross-buy, cross-save, cross-progression between platforms should be industry standard. If you buy a physical game you should also be entitled to a digital copy.

 

[Unknown?]

no, only MS do this because they treat xbox as an ecosystem on pc and console.

Again, cross-buy is not a thing that Microsoft has invented. It has been done in the past by both Sony (PS3/PS4/Vita) and Nintendo (Wii U/3DS).

And just like Sony, Microsoft only promotes cross buy on their platforms. You won't see Microsoft allowing you to buy a game on Steam and also get a Mac/Linux version for free.

 

[Fbh]

It would be great but I don't see it happening anytime soon.
It messes directly with one of the main money makers for consoles: the cut they take from every single software sale on their platform. Which is also some of the easiest money they make.

 

[Mr Moose]

Wasn't cross-buy first before save? And on PS3/Vita? I don't remember if saves worked on both.

Some 3rd party still do that, PS4/Xbox One games with free upgrades. Nice to have both versions, especially if the PS4/Xbox One versions are cheaper. Discs

Cross-buy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Cross-buy, cross-save, cross-progression between platforms should be industry standard. If you buy a physical game you should also be entitled to a digital copy.

Buy a physical game and be entitled to a digital copy? That would be a nightmare for publishers. I’d just buy the game, use the digital code and sell it on.

 

[March Climber]

Buy a physical game and be entitled to a digital copy? That would be a nightmare for publishers. I’d just buy the game, use the digital code and sell it on.

Back when I collected physical, that's what was done with most blu-rays IIRC, you would need the box to scan the ISBN and when you register the code you'd have to pay a small fee of up to 4.99, for each blu-ray. Not sure if it's still done that way and I'm not sure if it still exists today as I went all digital.

 

[Beechos]

I remembering ms doing this during the middle of xbox one cycle for certain games.

Buy the xbox version get the pc version for free. They also had something with certain games buy the current release and get the last release free. Like buy rainbow 6 siege and get rainbow 6 Vegas free.

Ms quietly stopped offering this year's ago I think.

 

[Three]

3rd party publishers would never allow this to be a thing.

I think 3rd party publishers wouldn't mind but platform stores would never allow it. Where would the 30% go?

 

[justiceiro]

Yeah, Blockchain will allow all that.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Between Xbox and PC? Definitely.

Between any other consoles and PC? Have an extra $70 handy LMAO

 

[ReBurn]

I don't see it happening. For example, buy on Xbox, play on PlayStation would not make Sony's accountants happy. They want that 30% cut. Same for all platform owners.

 

[Codes 208]

What about PS4 and PS5 cross-buy?

Technically that's considered cross-gen upgrading, same as xb1 to xbs. Ps3 and vita is cross-buy because theyre different platforms, neither a successor to the other. Or buying a game on xbox and playing it on pc

 

[RoboFu]

Gamers would have to embrace full digital for this to happen. One day but not today.

 

[drganon]

Nope.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Not with the walled garden platform business model of console providers.

Each platform takes a 30% cut of sales for third-party games bought on their platform. MS can offer cross-buy because they own Xbox and Windows. Sony couldn't offer Steam keys for games bought on PSN, nor would MS be willing to provide free bandwidth for downloads of games bought on competing platforms that they see no money from.

 

[ByWatterson]

Would they give 30% to every platform holder? Leaving them with zero dollars? Or would platform holders take a smaller cut?

Makes zero sense for anyone except the consumer.

 

[Seider]

Its a good idea. I dont think a lot of players buy the same game on different platforms, so it wouldn´t be a loss for companies.

But if i buy a game and i can play it anywhere, im sure that would be an incentive to buy it. I would buy more games then.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Not unless the software arm bands together. But they’ll all draw the ire of antitrust if they try.

Unfortunately this is about as good as it gets. The market will eventually be SaaS, largely powered by the cloud and some mix of streaming/native for the next 10-20 years, but until then having three key players is a godsend.

 

[Loomy]

Just accept f2p with additional purchases (GaaS) - like Fortnite, Destiny, Genshin, etc.

 

[ArtHands]

That will mean console players will get to buy cheap Steam keys instead of $70 on PS Store for new games to play on Playstation. Why will Sony agree

 

[ryzen1]

I can imagine that the EU could bring such regulations in the future.
As far as I know, they have also managed to get Apple to make alternative app stores available, after all.
There is a lot of pro-consumer shit going in here.

 

[GHG]

I think 3rd party publishers wouldn't mind but platform stores would never allow it. Where would the 30% go?

Nah they absolutely would.

If they didn't then they would allow keys for PC games purchases to be universal (or at least allow a function to transfer said key) instead of being tied to a particular storefront.

 

[EDMIX]

Only Microsoft have done it so I don't think others will. Would be amazing though.

I don't get it man, I understand liking a company, be when trying to make such statements, its not like its a fucking requirement for you to have ever owned those games or something.

You can literally do a 5 second google search to look this up lol So I don't know if its just that you never owned those platforms or just started gaming recently or...I don't really know tbh. So I won't bore you with any of the details, I'm sure everyone who knows about the history of this feature will chime in to correct you on this.

Codes 208 Well...that isn't even cause you have PS4 games you can buy on PSN, that you can freely download on PS5 that have zero "cross-gen upgrading" so I have no clue where you heard that was what that was for or something lol

I mean....did you not know PS4 games on PSN can be downloaded on PS5 for free? Like...at no extra cost regardless of they have a next gen version or not? Its sounding like a lot of you didn't actually know this as to why some of you think its either linked to cross gen games or a new feature or something like this. Most of us understand how this works what owned PSP and PS3.

Edit (and PS4 and PS Vita...in fact it seems a lot of us get this that owned those systems lol )

 

[MaestroMike]

it fuggin should be that way if I buy a game on my ps5 thats also on xsx I should be able to access it on that platform as well it should be like movies anywhere that gives me access to all the films that I purchased on different distribution platforms