Xbox plans to exit gaming business if "off-console" Game Pass subscribers don't increase enough by 2027

ulantan said:
Success or failure this strategy is horrible either way Success drives competition into the ground, and failure causes very uncertain futures for the devs they just bought.
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... they get sold? to a likely far better company.

Just keep it out of Embracer/Tencent hands and we'd be all good.
 
I'll be honest, over time I've seemed to grow increasingly unhappy with the way that Microsoft choose to do things but I do think a "third console manufacturer" should really benefit us all but I'm not so sure these days if Microsoft are able to keep being competitive for gamers.
I say that but I also can't think of another company that would be a better alternative.
It's not that I would want there to only be two console options but they really don't seem to have got the hang of being a console company yet. They may have the funds to keep trying but if they don't have the foresight, the imagination to compete, is there really any benefit to the gaming community?
 
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I genuinely don't hope they're exiting the business. They're handling the Age of Empires franchise quite well and I am afraid that it might die completely if Microsoft were to go away.
 
64bitmodels said:
1. nope.
2. Sony would keep trucking on as usual because Nintendo and PC are still looming behind to eat their lunch. Sony are not infallible.
3. They're already doing so and yet their games still sell millions.
4. That's a bad thing?
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1. Yep
2. Arrogant Sony would go super arrogant. +$20 to psn is only the beginning.
3. Nintendo is the wild card. They're highly unpredictable. Anything remotely popular can sell millions if the install-base is large enough.
4. It's always been the superior choice.

Sony Nintendo and MS should merge.
Stop being greedy and give what the players want.
Kinda like PC. Or just put all games on PC. Call it a day.
 
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fallingdove said:
Doubt it.

Sony and Nintendo were fine before Microsoft, they'd be fine after especially with the strong competition in the PC and mobile spaces.
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Not going to lie, I don't trust Jimmy without Xbox to keep him somewhat honest. Sony's pricing shenanigans keeps me with a critical eye.
 
Elbow Identity Shallow said:
I do think a "third console manufacturer" should really benefit us
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Every third console manufacturer from the past 30 years has failed us. If sega and MS are any indication what makes you think that the third time will suddenly be the charm?

Some things just aren't meant to be. Sony and Nintendo will keep doing well until either of them fail, and then we'll see a new face.
 
What he's trying to say is that they will leave the console bizz and become 3party.

He's playing with words per usuall. This is to sound over dramatic for the ABK deal to go through.
 
Snowdonhoffen said:
A few years back I thought their goal was to get to 100 million subs, now I think they would be happy with 50 million so I guess that's their goal for 2027 tbh. 10 years and 50 million subscribers doesn't sound thaaat bad.
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yeah, that's possible, i suppose... unless, of course, for every new subscriber, there's an existing subscriber who realizes that they've basically exhausted the game pass catalog...
 
When I bought a Series X I figured it was my last Xbox because I wasn't thrilled with the direction Microsoft was going with the Xbox brand and their gaming division in general. These leaks have confirmed that decison. I also don't see myself buying any software (physical or digital) for their platform going forward. Sony and Nintendo all the way.

I will pick up a Series S when they start clearing them out only to have a dedicated emulation machine that I can leave in Dev mode full time though.
 
bitbydeath said:
MS was one of the big barriers for others getting in, they effectively killed Sega.
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Sega killed sega and gave ms a path in.
But no nowadays there is no incentive for anyone else to get into gaming now that mobile exist and everyone rather be a service than a platform.

Technically steam is a service .. not a platform. EGS is a service not a platform.
Every big pub has tried and will try again when it becomes more feasible.

Even Sony is planting seeds to one day transition to a service.

It's way too late to become a hardware platform. Thats unless you are a crazy multi billionaire 🤣
 
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Ha, I wonder what Todd Howard feels now seeing this, bgs would either have to find another buyer or be shut down before elder scrolls 6 even come out, with redfall and starfield, ms certainly wont be able to hit their expectation for subscribers growth this year. Although MS have limitless money to be spent, seems like satya still has his limits.
 
bitbydeath said:
hey effectively killed Sega.
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Sega was mostly killed by their own infighting and Sony when they aggressively entered the market with Playstation while making backdoor deals with third-parties to screw Sega. I mean, during the Saturn era, Kitaragi himself had Hideaki Sato come to him only to tell him that Sega should give up, go third-party and Sony would give Sega "good treatment".

In fact, Microsoft actually helped Sega out with the Dreamcast design and online functionality. Some might even say that this was the actual origin for what later should become Xbox Live. But I dunno if anything carried over to that.
 
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Hudo said:
Sega was mostly killed by their own infighting and Sony when they aggressively entered the market with Playstation while making backdoor deals with third-parties to screw Sega. I mean, during the Saturn era, Kitaragi himself had Hideaki Sato come to him only to tell him that Sega should give up, go third-party and Sony would give Sega "good treatment".

In fact, Microsoft actually helped Sega out with the Dreamcast design and online functionality. Some might even say that this was the actual origin for what later should become Xbox Live. But I dunno if anything carried over to that.
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They mostly killed themselves but MS did their infamous extend, embrace extinguish technique and finished them off.
 
Knightime_X said:
Xbox leaving would devastate the console space.
Sony would go full ham and cheese and would make EA look like a joke.
Nintendo, as well.
PC would be the only correct option. More than ever.
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I don't think so. I think they would flex the additional money to expand their business unimpeded into other areas.

I think we wouldn't see price drops for consoles similar to the Switch and they'd get more involved in PC and Mobile.

I think the real emerging force is Apple though. Unlike Microsoft, they have an established consumer base. They could release their own console. An Apple TV Pro and it would probably have greater success than an Xbox if those games could cross play on other apple devices.
 
fire the baffoon, kill the hw division. go third party
i guess day and date games pass have to go, pretty much impossible to make it work and be profitable.
in a decade or so, we can have something nice.

emailing this to nutella, any additions?
 
Knightime_X said:
2. Arrogant Sony would go super arrogant. +$20 to psn is only the beginning.
3. Nintendo is the wild card. They're highly unpredictable. Anything remotely popular can sell millions if the install-base is large enough.
4. It's always been the superior choice.
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When Sony increases PSN price players will simply stop paying for it. Every day someone joins PC and realizes the benefits of free online.
Nintendo is the wild card yes. But they've been fucking over their consumers for years now and breaking records while doing it. They charge for the worst online service, the lowest powered console, rare sales on any of their overpriced games, shutting down fan projects and romsites, charging 60 for limited time remasters of their 3 most beloved games, designing their terrible built in controllers with a serious flaw in the joysticks that they refuse to fix, rarely making new IPs, need i go on?
They're still selling millions, because people like Nintendo games.

And if everyone went to PC, would that really be such a bad thing?
bitbydeath said:
They mostly killed themselves but MS did their infamous extend, embrace extinguish technique and finished them off.
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oh ffs. It was Sega and nobody but Sega. If MS contributed, so did Sony and Nintendo as they were basically offering far better services than Sega at the time.
How did they "embrace extend extinguish" when Sega was already losing money hand over fist by 1997?
 
Title is wrong.

It's the "off-console" numbers he cares about. PC + Mobile

Every time they bring up Gamepass and it's future, they are talking about people using it on cell phones. But they also know that shit ain't taking off.. and are still going for the ABK acquisition, so who knows?
 
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Dr.Morris79 said:
Just make some fucking good games. It's not hard.
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I've been waiting for Xbox to wake up since the EARLY 360 days. So sick of all the "studio acquisition" banners for the last ten years and almost no payoff. Ruined Halo, sidelined Gears, Forza has felt the same for 10 years. Shelved Crimson Skies, Mechassault, and over a dozen other good franchises. They freaking bought Bethesda for billions of dollars and hyped Starfield to the clouds and back for what turned out to be an okay game by Bethesda standards.
 
Oh really? *Cancels subscription*

I'll do my part in getting them the fuck outta here.

Don't wanna make good games and compete that way? Just want to buy existing games and water them down by releasing them on every platform known to man (except PS)? Gtfo.
 
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Nankatsu said:
Might be a good time for Nintendo to buy Microsoft's gaming division by then.

Uno Reverse GIF by MOODMAN
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Mario Kart Horizon

Ok, please do this.
 
Romulus said:
I've been waiting for Xbox to wake up since the EARLY 360 days. So sick of all the "studio acquisition" banners for the last ten years and almost no payoff. Ruined Halo, sidelined Gears, Forza has felt the same for 10 years. Shelved Crimson Skies, Mechassault, and over a dozen other good franchises. They freaking bought Bethesda for billions of dollars and hyped Starfield to the clouds and back for what turned out to be an okay game by Bethesda standards.
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2 trillion dollar company won't wake up, because they're sleeping on a bed full of daddy's money
 
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RoboFu said:
You guys will rejoice but really it will suck as no one else will step up. The days of getting in the industry as a platform holder are over. It will only fast track apple and google.
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I disagree. The game industry was just fine without them in the past. Nintendo is going to be around. PC gaming is more popular than ever. Ms is the least important and could easily go.
 
RoboFu said:
You guys will rejoice but really it will suck as no one else will step up. The days of getting in the industry as a platform holder are over. It will only fast track apple and google.
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Those two aren't any different from Microsoft..
 
I really don't see this whiplashing between closing up shop and spending a literal fuckton of money as sign of stability and coherent vision or sign of healthy investments.
 
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64bitmodels said:
oh ffs. It was Sega and nobody but Sega. If MS contributed, so did Sony and Nintendo as they were basically offering far better services than Sega at the time.
How did they "embrace extend extinguish" when Sega was already losing money hand over fist by 1997?
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It ended with MS paying Sega a bunch of money, Sega shutting down the console business and President of Sega, Peter Moore transferring over to Microsoft.

If you can't see MS's involvement then I don't know what to tell you.
 
Markets and projections change. I think Satya almost got out when he first took over. It will probably be a look at margin and market and growth and continued market share growth prospects that make the determination.
 
So much for all that sustainability talk.

If today hasn't proved that Microsoft adds nothing of value to the industry, I don't know what does.
 
64bitmodels said:
is this actually real. Like did you actually have a GP sub before this
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Yes I have one, no i didnt cancel it. Yes I will cancel it after the time is up. I barely use the shit. Too many other bills anyhow. I got it for Starfield but I played 10 hours of it and I couldn't give less of a shit about that game. Not my thing. If Perfect Dark or Hell Blade 2 are great, I will buy them
 
Knightime_X said:
1. Yep
2. Arrogant Sony would go super arrogant. +$20 to psn is only the beginning.
3. Nintendo is the wild card. They're highly unpredictable. Anything remotely popular can sell millions if the install-base is large enough.
4. It's always been the superior choice.

Sony Nintendo and MS should merge.
Stop being greedy and give what the players want.
Kinda like PC. Or just put all games on PC. Call it a day.
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"Arrogant Sony" after reading the wealth of arrogance and unearned hubris out of Spencer and MS in those internal emails.
 
IntentionalPun said:
Title is wrong.

It's the "off-console" numbers he cares about. PC + Mobile

Every time they bring up Gamepass and it's future, they are talking about people using it on cell phones. But they also know that shit ain't taking off.. and are still going for the ABK acquisition, so who knows?
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You're right and that's even worse news for Xbox fans. I'll get a mod to fix.
 
bitbydeath said:
It ended with MS paying Sega a bunch of money, Sega shutting down the console business and President of Sega, Peter Moore transferring over to Microsoft.

If you can't see MS's involvement then I don't know what to tell you.
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I think sony did the most heavy lifting "Sony poached Sega senior executives, including Kalinske's second-in-command Steve Race, to develop the Sony PlayStation. Sega moved forward on its own with the Saturn and Kalinske didn't believe the system would succeed" Article
 
Introducing the Samsung Galaxy game station.

Game station (digital)
Game station+ (BD drive model)
Game station Ultra (Pro model)

😁

PS: In all seriousness now, people keep mentioning Apple and Valve as future companies that could step up if one of the big ones goes down but...I don't know, I always felt that Samsung would be the one to actually do it if need arises...

They have the money, they produce...everything, from vacuum cleaners to phones and TVs and, they also have a store ready (galaxy store), they have the brand recognition (even my granny knows what a "Samsung" is).
Apple is content with where they're at, I don't personally think that they feel the need of having to fill this specific "void ", Valve could be a big "maybe" but Samsung...
 
Unknown? said:
Those two aren't any different from Microsoft..
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Google would fuck it up, this we already know because of Stadia. If MS is tonedeaf Google is tonedeaf and blind.

I think Apple has a chance, playing AAA on an iphone is a concept that could kill off all demand for streaming. But they have to show they're dedicated to really pumping out first party. They've been around for 20 years to notice and take notes at Xbox's catastrophic fail, to repeat that would be boneheaded.
 
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Knightime_X said:
1. Yep
2. Arrogant Sony would go super arrogant. +$20 to psn is only the beginning.
3. Nintendo is the wild card. They're highly unpredictable. Anything remotely popular can sell millions if the install-base is large enough.
4. It's always been the superior choice.

Sony Nintendo and MS should merge.
Stop being greedy and give what the players want.
Kinda like PC. Or just put all games on PC. Call it a day.
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Hilarious. People unironically still trying to argue that MS Is the saviour and protector of gaming from evil arrogant Sony.
 
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