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Opinion: Xbox Game Pass is indeed disruptive, and that's not a bad thing

Lunatic_Gamer

Gold Member
iu


One of the most noteworthy disruption points of the modern video games era is the rise of multi-game subscriptions. The concept of leasing access to players for a reduced fee is attractive to platform-holders, who make long-term revenues, and players, who pay less to play games. A new way to monetize consumers was born and the industry hasn't looked back.

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Game Pass isn't just disruptive. It's one of the biggest disruptions that has shaken the video games industry. Microsoft's aggressive push towards value-oriented subscriptions has inspired Sony and even Nintendo to step up their game in order to better compete with the immense value proposition offered by Game Pass.

Make no mistake: Disruption isn't always a bad thing. In this case, Game Pass has become one of the best disruptions that the gaming market has ever seen. The Xbox business needed some disruption to help the brand break outside of its console garden.

That brings us to recent comments made by ID@Xbox director Chris Charla, who told GamesIndustry.biz that the Game Pass service isn't disruptive to Microsoft's gaming business. The comments were made in the context of whether or not

"I wouldn't describe it as disruptive, because I don't think it is in the way that like Uber came in and got rid of all the taxis in that industry.

"[Game Pass] is additive. People still buy a lot of games and they still buy a lot of games on Xbox. They buy games through Game Pass at a discount, which is what they get as members. And so I don't think Game Pass has been a disruptive business model, it's been additive in a really positive way.

"And we as an industry needs to look at more of those additive business models. A bit like digital distribution, that may have been somewhat disruptive to the retail space, but it was ultimately additive because not every game needed to be of the size to justify being on a disc."


We would argue that Game Pass is indeed disruptive by virtue of its value-oriented business model. There's a reason many people wonder if Game Pass is profitable--it seems too good to be true to offer 400 games on any given service, especially first-party titles like Halo Infinite, Forza, and others.


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Game Pass transformed the games industry and inspired everyone to get involved in the subscription market in some form, whether it be Ubisoft+, EA Play, or the new 3-tiered PS Plus and the growing Nintendo Switch Online service.

The service massively disrupted Microsoft's core gaming ecosystem and helped offer more choice, access, and discovery to consumers and developers alike. Game Pass has also had a material impact on Xbox platform revenues; since the service released in 2017, Xbox revenues have steadily risen as Game Pass amassed around 29 million subscribers as of late.

In fact, the only multi-game subscription service that would truly be additive is something like Nintendo Switch Online. Both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass offer games that are sold on each platform's storefront, so the service can actually cannibalize full game sales.

The games offered on Switch Online can't be bought separately. Nintendo does not sell its classic retro games on the Switch, so these games are truly additive to the core platform library.

That's not to say Game Pass isn't synergistic or mutually beneficial to the Xbox ecosystem. That's really the point; Game Pass is being used as a mechanism that allows more people to become involved, engaged, and monetized into the Xbox ecosystem in a way that really does promote more play time, and thus more investment, into the games.

Read more: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/9091...disruptive-and-thats-not-bad-thing/index.html
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Disruption isn't bad. It's what leads to new markets and product offerings. I like the idea behind the service. I don't really want to buy brand new $70 games any more, but I do want to play games. So if I can pay a subscription fee to get access to a catalog of games I'm happy. If I really like a game I'll still buy it.

The only way Game Pass is going to work in the long term with Day 1 releases is if Microsoft can get monthly recurring subscription numbers up. To do that they actually need to release more big games. Seems like a chicken and egg thing right now.
 

feynoob

Banned
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Three

Member
Game Pass transformed the games industry and inspired everyone to get involved in the subscription market in some form, whether it be Ubisoft+, EA Play, or the new 3-tiered PS Plus and the growing Nintendo Switch Online service.
EA Play was about before gamepass as EA Access. It predates gamepass and much like MS, EA had set themselves up with mtx/GaaS.
 
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It's difficult to know the effect. For example, look at games like Octopath Traveler.

The first game came to Xbox, but only after MS offered a check to put it into GamePass. Did SE decide that because of people playing GP games that games like that won't sell without it and thus didn't bother on the Xbox version of the sequel at all. Or would they have gotten either game without GP. None of us know
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
If you're a GP subber, it's great value, day one first party games, EA Play, most games added are recent and you can be home share the sub plan with a buddy.

As for everyone else who doesn't sub to it, thats ok.

Just buy content the traditional way like you do buying music and movies.... oh wait. Most of you probably havent bought a music track, DVD, BR (doesn't matter if digital download or physical) in probably 5, 10, or 15 years.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Hope this puts this shit to bed.

What is a disruptive business model?
Disruptive business models are a type of disruptive innovation that brings a new idea or technology to an existing market. Disruptive market entrants usually capture unmet-demands in the existing market.
https://morethandigital.info/en/9-disruptive-business-models-new-opportunities-for-companies/#:~:text=What is a disruptive business,demands in the existing market.

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Why does the discussion need to be put to bed?
 

JaksGhost

Member
Not totally.

GP still gets more recent games and all games are downloadable on PC and Xbox.

PS sub plans still have lots of games streaming only.
It's still the same business model if you don't try to make it seem more nuanced than what it is. You pay a subscription to download/stream a catalog of games. What does Game Pass do differently from that?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Both EA Play and PlayStation Now already existed before Game Pass became a thing.
Not only that but PS Plus in the PS3 era was literally the first major game subscription service on console. Only difference was you had to build your library gradually instead of having instant access to a large collection of games. Game Pass definitely evolved the model though with the large collection and ‘day one’ shtick. Evolution not revolution though.
 
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Mr.ODST

Member
It's difficult to know the effect. For example, look at games like Octopath Traveler.

The first game came to Xbox, but only after MS offered a check to put it into GamePass. Did SE decide that because of people playing GP games that games like that won't sell without it and thus didn't bother on the Xbox version of the sequel at all. Or would they have gotten either game without GP. None of us know
I always find this a good example, Trying to play OT2 but deciding what platform (console) but 1 was on Xbox and 2 is on PS5 but wanna get 100% on both ... its stupid
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
The whole point in disruptive in business is it means something new and different to the norm that disrupts the typical business landscape.

Ps now came first...on live came first....gaikai came first....but they didn't do shit to the market and had no impact at all.

Game Pass disrupted the whole shebang.

Therfore, disruptive. Pretty simple.
 

Mr.Phoenix

Member
Disruptive how? Has it affected sales of PS of Nintendo platforms? Such that those platforms are forced to adopt the same strategy?

I feel, that be it any of or a combination of fanboyism and ignorance, most gamers tend to reside minor only see extremist views. And as such, things like gamepass and PS+ are made more or less of respectively than they really are.

What gamepass and PS+ literally are, are game rental services. Akin to blockbuster of old or things like Gamefly now. Thats it. Outside newer (usually first party) games being on gamepass, there is no difference between it and PS+. But gamers have this extremist mindset that they can't seem to fathom a world where both models can exist and thrive.

I do not want a world where the only way to get games would be to go out and buy them and do not want a world where you do not have to buy games at all and as such do not own anything and just rent everything. To me, PS+ is that middle ground. And I see PS+ as no different from how movies go about their releases. First in theatres (retail for games) and then their digital/physical release (rentals for games).
 
Not totally.

GP still gets more recent games and all games are downloadable on PC and Xbox.

PS sub plans still have lots of games streaming only.

Plus, it's kind of a huge thing to say, well just take away the biggest selling point of the service and then it is the same. LOL

All of the new games that launch on there are the biggest reasons to subscribe. Specifically why MS can charge $120 a year and Sony charges $40. Look at the most played addition on PS+ Extra, the cat game, which also happens to be one of the few games they have launched over there.
 
Err..... Ok.....?

I'm not sure what discussion there is to have around this particular subject.

Why is it relevant? Who cares if it's disruptive or not?
 

Shakka43

Member
Once GamePass becomes XB's only revenue driver I expect them to fill it with trash tier budget games, no way they will be able to keep producing triple digit million games to throw them into a subscription service. They truly will become the Netflix of gaming.
 
Once GamePass becomes XB's only revenue driver I expect them to fill it with trash tier budget games, no way they will be able to keep producing triple digit million games to throw them into a subscription service. They truly will become the Netflix of gaming.

They have said they expect it at max to be 10-15% of their revenue. That they will always rely on traditional sales more. It will never be their only revenue driver.

If this is a serious take, and I assume it is because it’s a take loads of people have had for years, two questions. How do they sell these “trash budget games” at retail? And secondly, why would anyone subscribe to a service full of “trash budget games”?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Talking about the service includes discussion of the new games entering the service and speculation of what will be added next. There is nothing wrong with that at all.
To say that’s the best part of the service though? Pretty sad state of affairs if anyone gets more enjoyment from talking about Game Pass then they do actually playing the games.
 
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