Microsoft Gamepass vs Players. Fewer new subscribers than expected

Due to the nature of the Xbox ecosystem, the purpose of the company’s brand success is to please everyone who plays along Xbox One/Series X, S/PC. For some, affordability, the rest of the non-exclusive policy is detrimental to buying a new console. The problem is that today the concept of exclusivity has only a temporal meaning. Sony is just moving its catalog gems to the PC market, the field of old Microsoft’s maneuvers. Market adaptation is the key to survival and, most importantly, profit. February 28, 2017 is the start of the console game subscription era.

Players participating in the Xbox Insider Program get their first access to Xbox Game Pass. Although EA Access is emerging faster, the initiative of the Phil Spencer division has taken hold in recent years, helping those who were reluctant to buy consoles bearing the X logo. Redmond is slightly disappointed with the service’s recent roster. Less subscriber growth, but still an increase. Subscription games have become fashionable. Even if it’s just an illusion of owning the game.

Tradition above all

In 2018, we heard responses from retailers in response to a Microsoft project. US stores cried the most, fearing the previously imported zero-return Xbox products. Some even heralded the collapse of physical game sales. This was followed by a slight analogy when the Xbox One was announced as a console that prevents rotation of the software used. At that time, details were written that heralded the end of the secondary market. However, none of this materialized. On the other hand, Game Pass has grown to an exorbitant size and is now referred to as the strongest ace in the Redmond sleeve. Whoever owns it understands. Having access to a huge library of products bigger and smaller for just PLN 50 seems tempting after all. Cunning has embraced the easy buying system thanks to the Brazilian XL. At the time of writing today’s entry, Microsoft has theoretically blocked this possibility, but was quickly able to tear down the barrier. It was about ridiculously low prices for games. Meanwhile, Game Pass is still the biggest attraction.

In 2018, opinion-former GamesIndustry prepared an interesting report based on the opinions of sellers. At the time, Microsoft was accused of dealing a blow to small companies selling games for the Xbox. “Our Xbox business stopped paying overnight,” Stuart Benson of Extreme Gamez recalls. It was just a drop in a sea of ​​uncertainty. However, Xbox games have never been so expensive. Every decision that radically affects the market leaves behind (non-accidental) victims. It fell to smaller retailers who stopped importing boxed versions of games over time. Some decided not to make it to Sea of ​​Thieves, when it turned out that the largest rare project to date would be available as part of a subscription. The first year of service resulted in a large influx of active users. Classic stores have begun to seriously consider not caring about the distribution of Xbox games, even despite the official partnership. The profit from the games was almost insignificant. Customers were satisfied, and Microsoft turned out to be the winner in winning over a larger community.

Remember when was the last time you bought a boxed version with Game Pass? Forza Horizon 5 or the promising Halo: Infinite will go to the family on the first day thanks to the service. Tradition requires buying a boxed portrait of the main boss, but the economy will do its job. The digital product is never the property of the customer, but it does not interfere with the game experience. The current gaming community places less emphasis on the traditional purchase of physical versions. We became comfortable, we got used to digitization. Replacing the discs in the drive was a normal matter. Today? There is no shortage of entries about the need to change discs. These are our times. Xbox Game Pass defined the concept of profitability of purchasing prepackaged games at retailers’ account.

better?

A few days ago, we read an interesting statement about Redmond. Although the noticeable increase in the number of users of the service is proving a success, Microsoft does not seem completely satisfied. Game Pass, with all its appeal, has a major drawback, which is the traditional choice. Indeed, this would be an insult to the entire nobility of the subscription. The choice is always limited. This is not the point. Phil Spencer, the great Xbox leader, has given numerous lectures on the centralization of all Xbox extras in the Game Pass (Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Insider) segment of Ultimate. Services are currently a bargaining chip in buying a new console. The coming weeks with great prime ministers, led by John 117, are also sparking optimism. This is only the first season of this type since the XSX came to market.

The lower influx of XGP clients than expected has resulted in the catalog of available games. It is undeniable that most surnames often come from previous generations. The numbers are impressive, but we’re not just talking about the availability of all the new releases. Hence the term illusion of wealth in XGP. This is more than fun for customers who are not yet familiar with the Xbox world. However, we soon got used to the good. I will return for a moment to another equally painful issue. When Game Pass dominance began, some retailers announced the “end of exclusives”. It partially happened. The question is, does this really matter in today’s free-to-play terms? I’d like the much-anticipated Halo: Infinite (343 Industries) to focus solely on the XSX to bring out the true power of the system.

The next generation of startups seems to be the tallest ever. This is confirmed by the number of games between generations. Microsoft bought itself a lot of time by activating XGP. But this is slowly coming to an end. Players are already used to the service, while an attempt to raise the subscription price at the beginning of the year ended in a comment boycott. Phil Spencer made society accustomed to cheap access, creating a “comfort zone”. The problem is that it may not be enough soon. Microsoft will not guarantee access to every next-generation game directly in the service, with the exception of internal study projects. Do we want to play the old generation only? For PLN 55 per month, we should not ask for miracles, but recent marketing on Xbox causes otherwise. If suddenly it was decided to raise prices, then the toy catalog will have to include fresh market products. Can you imagine a brand like Call of Duty premiere on Game Pass? exactly.