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[Bryank75]

As long as there is value there it is worth subscribing.

The minute the value is gone you stop subscribing just like you would with Net Flix.
There is no contract here.

You guys make it seem like you're stuck if you subscribe which is simply not true.

That will change once they realize churn is a serious issue.... the minimum will go from one month to three and then to 6 and eventually a minimum of a year.

 

[Genx3]

1. Their intention was to double the fee of playing multiplayer games less than 48 hours ago. That is not ”the same old way”, thats ”our way or the highway”.
2. This shows how little they actually learned in 2013. It takes half the world of gaming screaming in their face for them to realize it will probably hurt them financially.

Being a succesful company means making right decisions at almost all times, not sometimes or when your customer says ”Fuck your product, change this shit”. Im not sure that is entirely inbraided in Microsofts DNA in the same way many other company has it, due to their sheer size and almost monopoly-like status within the PC market.

Yet they did not do it because consumers complained.

For example did Sony decide to not raise the price of games to $70 dollars after everyone complained?
No, Sony did not care and carried on with their price hike.
At least XB reacted quickly to the complaints and changed their strategy.
Point being MS learned not to try and force an anti-consumer move because it can be very detrimental.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Xbox isnt for everyone

 

[Bryank75]

Yet they did not do it because consumers complained.

For example did Sony decide to not raise the price of games to $70 dollars after everyone complained?
No, Sony did not care and carried on with their price hike.
At least XB reacted quickly to the complaints and changed their strategy.
Point being MS learned not to try and force an anti-consumer move because it can be very detrimental.

Well, I agree that Xbox reacted swiftly and listened to their base.... and others.

I do wish PS management listened more, Jim really has not been consumer orientated.

Games are 80 euro minimum in europe now.

 

[Genx3]

That will change once they realize churn is a serious issue.... the minimum will go from one month to three and then to 6 and eventually a minimum of a year.

You have no evidence of this. You can still buy 1 month subs to XBL Gold.
That would be the equivalent of me saying since Sony raised the prices of retail games to $70 that soon enough Sony will raise it to $80 and shortly after to $90. Will it happen? Likely but no one knows when.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Didn't know MS was taking away disc and digital purchases, and the only way to play games on Xbox was subbing to Gamepass.

I got my Gamepass sub. 3 years for $1. Thanks MS!

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

It's not that they don't get it, K KAL2006 , it's that they don't care.

GamePass is the only reason they're still in the console gaming business. It's the lynchpin of their entire platform strategy.

As such they're not trying to understand why it might not be appealing to some gamers, instead they simply want to convince you that it's a universally great value service for everyone (even if it isn't).

 

[quest]

Gamepass is the reason Microsoft allowed Xbox to spend so much money recently. They are all about subscriptions now. As long as Xbox keeps getting people into the service Microsoft will keep pumping money into Xbox.

I understand what you're saying because I feel the same way, I have more games than I can play already, paying a subscription for even more games I won't even own doesn't make sense for someone like me. But in a way, it's good Microsoft wants Gamepass to be successful so badly, because it's allowing Xbox to grow their portfolio (if it wasn't for that, everything would still be Halo, Gears and Forza).

That is what people want to forget. Until gamepass the Xbox division was under a strict budget with no money to fix the first party studio situation. I'm not sure they even would of bothered launching next generation consoles with out gamepass. They would of parted out anything of value leaving Sony a monopoly.

 

[Abriael_GN]

God forbid a company tries to promote its product lol.

Were you trying to highlight a silly take by posting a Twitter rando's tweet?

 

[kyliethicc]

Of course they get that but its their entire plan for making money longterm. Sell a gaming renting service sub, collect user data and sell to ad firms, etc.

 

[skit_data]

Yet they did not do it because consumers complained.

For example did Sony decide to not raise the price of games to $70 dollars after everyone complained?
No, Sony did not care and carried on with their price hike.
At least XB reacted quickly to the complaints and changed their strategy.
Point being MS learned not to try and force an anti-consumer move because it can be very detrimental.

Sony arent the only ones making $70 games.
Xbox was the only one intending to hike the price of online gaming on console. See the difference?

Well, Microsoft ”learning” looks more like them once again not having anyone at their HQ even raising a question on how this will look in the eyes of a significant amount of their consumers. Not having anyone appointed at that post doesnt really scream pro-consumer, rather the opposite.

 

[nikolino840]

Gp is for who like games and playing videogames as an hobby instead to going to the gym (nerd) and don't have the money to buy all...of course that if i can pay every single game from indie to aaa that every month comes out in the Xbox shop i don't need gp..
I play everyday from 90s

Example i have bought like a dragon and 0,1 and two on gp
I'm playing more then before the gp

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It's not that they don't get it, K KAL2006 , it's that they don't care.

GamePass is the only reason they're still in the console gaming business. It's the lynchpin of their entire platform strategy.

As such they're not trying to understand why it might not be appealing to some gamers, instead they simply want to convince you that it's a universally great value service for everyone (even if it isn't).

It's actually because they want options, and are doing a shot gun approach of disc sales, digital sales, Gamepass on console, Gamepass on PC etc..... Game Pass probably even works on tablets and cell phones with cloud.

It's an open ended approach because they know there's different kinds of gamers. Some want to purchase. Some want a sub plan. Some are console. Some are PC.

It's like Netflix. Most people (going by the crazy number of sub plans) prefers paying $10-15/month. Costs a person around $150-200/yr. They get their fill. It's working for them. NF makes lots of profit now for years.

Another approach is some people being purists buying discs from Amazon or Best Buy for $20 a movie or $100 for a complete TV set. So they got a wall of plastic cases. Good chance, you can find those shows on NF or another sub plan. But some people prefer buying. Cost of buying all the stuff? Maybe $1,000-2,000/yr.

The key difference between Gamepass and PS Now is that Gamepass has day one MS games and seem to skew more to recent games. PS Now has more games, but has a heavy build to PS2 and PS3 games. Both can work on PC. If MS added more legacy games and Sony added in some first party games fast, the service would be basically the same.

 

[Krisprolls]

Yeah like constant push for those amazing Sony exlusives

Except ratings and sales actually agree Sony games are great.

 

[M1chl]

Except ratings and sales actually agree Sony games are great.

Well GamePass has 15 million of users. I mean I don't disagree, but the logic in that tweet is broken.

 

[quest]

Sony arent the only ones making $70 games.
Xbox was the only one intending to hike the price of online gaming on console. See the difference?

Well, Microsoft ”learning” looks more like them once again not having anyone at their HQ even raising a question on how this will look in the eyes of a significant amount of their consumers. Not having anyone appointed at that post doesnt really scream pro-consumer, rather the opposite.

No but they are one of the very few charging for next-generation upgrades of games. Not even ubisoft is doing it lol.

 

[Gamezone]

They should get that the Xbox store on PC isn't for everyone. Just look at the boost Sea of Thieves got by being released on Steam. Do like EA Access and release Gamepass on Steam. They can add a 30% price increase and at least make it optional.

 

[Krisprolls]

Didn't know MS was taking away disc and digital purchases, and the only way to play games on Xbox was subbing to Gamepass.

I got my Gamepass sub. 3 years for $1. Thanks MS!

Well GamePass has 15 million of users. I mean I don't disagree, but the logic in that tweet is broken.

That's the problem. I hear everybody boasting about Gamepass sub numbers. But they made zero money from it since you got it for $1. It's just the first phase, where everything is great and nearly free. Netflix did it. So did Amazon Prime or Disney+ or Spotify. It's not hard having 10 million subs when they're free.

Second phase is increasing the price more and more to try to make it profitable. They tried to start that yesterday and failed, so they had to give up. But they'll do it later, because they have to make it profitable... or give up.

 

[skit_data]

No but they are one of the very few charging for next-generation upgrades of games. Not even ubisoft is doing it lol.

Im fairly sure your PS4 copy of Spider-Man MM will let you play the PS5 version by downloading the PS5 version via PSN. Sackboy as well. Looks like Horizon FW has been confirmed as a free upgrade as well. What games are you referrin to?

Edit: Ah, maybe the Spider-Man 2018 upgrade not being standalone. Yeah that sucks bigtime, but its the only game afaik.

 

[M1chl]

That's the problem. I hear everybody boasting about Gamepass sub numbers. But they made zero money from it since you got it for $1. It's just the first phase, where everything is great and nearly free. Netflix did it. So did Amazon Prime or Disney+ or Spotify. It's not hard having 10 million subs when they're free.

Second phase is increasing the price more and more to try to make it profitable. They tried to start that yesterday and failed, so they had to give up. But they'll do it later, because they have to make it profitable... or give up.

Does not matter how much they make from it, I think if people are happy with it, should be enough. Clearly gold is where the cash cow is.

 

[quazy]

But that's the problem. I hear everybody boasting about Gamepass sub numbers. But they made zero money from it since you got it for $1. It's just the first phase, where everything is great and nearly free. Netflix did it. So did Amazon Prime or Disney+ or Spotify. It's not hard having 10 million subs when they're free.

We should correct this though. Nobody got 3 years of GPU for 1$. Everybody had to buy 3 years of Gold subscriptions. But yeah, if people think they got this for 1$ instead of paying at least 120$ (if you bought the 3 years from dubious key sellers), then MS wasn't that stupid I guess

 

[StreetsofBeige]

But that's the problem. I hear everybody boasting about Gamepass sub numbers. But they made zero money from it since you got it for $1. It's just the first phase, where everything is great and nearly free. Netflix did it. So did Amazon Prime or Disney+ or Spotify. It's not hard having 10 million subs when they're free.

Second phase is increasing the price more and more to try to make it profitable. They tried to start that yesterday and failed, so they had to give up. But they'll do it later, because they have to make it profitable... or give up.

Possibly.

And if MS tries and fails, who cares? Every Xbox gamer subbing to GP for cheap got years of service for dirt cheap. Also, after the $1 deal expires (mine does in 2022), gamers say you can repeat the top up plan by paying for one month of service instead of $1. So fine, the top up plan when I renew will be about $15 for years more.

Microsoft now makes $40 billion profit per year. And that's already absorbing whatever Gamepass costs are baked into that number.

I'll let MS accountants figure out whether it's good or bad for their balance sheet.

Are you mad because Sony can't do the same with cheap PS+, no first party games day one and half the games on PS+ you can only stream?

As for movie sub plans, it's working. Netflix's sub count is around 200 million. It starts out as everyone gets a free month and turns out people stick around and find value. Sub count is increasing every year and they make shit loads of sales and profits.

So it's not endless cheap sign ups. Even with price increases the sub count still goes up, so it shows people still find NF good value. If they didn't it would crater.

I don't know anyone buying DVD box sets like it's 2008. Because people prefer streaming. Aside from some 4k movies I bought lately for sake of a nice small collection which NF doesn't even show half of them, I don't think I've bought a BR movie in years.

 

[captainraincoat]

Basically Microsoft are desperate to get everyone on Gamepass so they decided to double Gold price to make everyone think Gamepass is better value than Gold. Instead there was a backlash.

Microsoft doesn't seem to get Gamepass is simply not for everyone. There are gamers out there that play half a dozen games a year. So having access to a ton of games don't really matter for them. There are gamers out there that only play COD, FIFA, Fortnite etc basically games that are not on Gamepass so they don't see the value of Gamepass. Games take a long damn time to play and people don't have the time to play that many games. A game like Monster Hunter I have put over 200 hours in, being subed to Gamepass if I'm only playing Monster Hunter is a waste if money. The Gamepass model isn't comparable to Netflix where you can binge shows, movies and documentaries and finish content in a weekend and make use of your sub where as games where we have a single game that takes 100 hours of your time.

Here are examples of people I know where Gamepass doesn't make sense to them.

Friend 1
He mainly plays FIFA, plays the occasional singleplayer game at most maybe 2 or 3 singleplayer games a year. For example I remember he played Uncharted Lost Legacy, God of War and FIFA multiplayer for a entire year.

Friend 2
He plays around 5 games a year which are usually games that are bought in sales. £5-£10. He never buys a game day 1 ever. Probably spends max £40 a year on games.

Nephew
This kid only plays Fortnite, luckily it's F2P so he doesn't even pay for PSN Plus.

Myself
I rarely buy games day 1, and the games I do buy day 1 are games that are not available on Gamepass day 1. For example I bought Monster Hunter World which was not available on Gamepass. Because I have a wife and kid, and a full time job it takes me a very long time to finish a game. I buy most games dirt cheap under £10 and play probably around 6 games a year and that's when I'm not playing a multiplayer game. For example when Monster Hunter World came out that year I probably bought 1 other game.

These are just a few examples but Gamepass can have 9000 games and it wouldn't make a difference for many people as they simply don't play that many games. This idea where Microsoft thinks everyone will want Gamepass is not going to happen and Microsofts desperation by upping the Gold price to incencitize people to Gamepass was a terrible idea and the backlash made them do a U turn. I'm sure Microsoft will try another way to try get Gamepass users up but I think it's not working as expected for them and Gamepass isn't going to be the Netflix of gaming as games media cannot be consumed at such a fast rate as watching movies and TV shows.

All 3 of your examples come across as someone who is not really a gamer or is not really invested in their hobby at all
Monster Hunter world is on gamepass by the way

Gamepass is for gamers and people who are trying to justify reasons as to why its not for them are probably not gamers or they are a little shitty that their main console does not offer the same service
i cant see anything bad about gamepass apart from having too much to play...and thats not a bad thing

 

[FranXico]

What a strange question. Products are sold to people who want them. People who those products are not for are not a concern.

 

[Neil Young]

It seems like the examples you use are people who don't game that much. It's like saying "Netflix is not for everyone. Let me give you some examples of people who never watch movies to prove my point.".

Gamepass IS great and is the best deal in gaming. If you can't find something to play on the service, what kind of games DO you play?

I know people have a hard on for MS and gamepass around here but, Jesus, can some of you just allow this ONE "victory" for MS? It's a fantastic value.

 

[KAL2006]

All 3 of your examples come across as someone who is not really a gamer or is not really invested in their hobby at all
Monster Hunter world is on gamepass by the way

Gamepass is for gamers and people who are trying to justify reasons as to why its not for them are probably not gamers or they are a little shitty that their main console does not offer the same service
i cant see anything bad about gamepass apart from having too much to play...and thats not a bad thing

Damn had no idea Monster Hunter World was available on Gamepass day 1. I always thought it came out on Gamepass years later guess I was wrong here my bad.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Basically Microsoft are desperate to get everyone on Gamepass so they decided to double Gold price to make everyone think Gamepass is better value than Gold. Instead there was a backlash.

Microsoft doesn't seem to get Gamepass is simply not for everyone. There are gamers out there that play half a dozen games a year. So having access to a ton of games don't really matter for them. There are gamers out there that only play COD, FIFA, Fortnite etc basically games that are not on Gamepass so they don't see the value of Gamepass. Games take a long damn time to play and people don't have the time to play that many games. A game like Monster Hunter I have put over 200 hours in, being subed to Gamepass if I'm only playing Monster Hunter is a waste if money. The Gamepass model isn't comparable to Netflix where you can binge shows, movies and documentaries and finish content in a weekend and make use of your sub where as games where we have a single game that takes 100 hours of your time.

Here are examples of people I know where Gamepass doesn't make sense to them.

Friend 1
He mainly plays FIFA, plays the occasional singleplayer game at most maybe 2 or 3 singleplayer games a year. For example I remember he played Uncharted Lost Legacy, God of War and FIFA multiplayer for a entire year.

Friend 2
He plays around 5 games a year which are usually games that are bought in sales. £5-£10. He never buys a game day 1 ever. Probably spends max £40 a year on games.

Nephew
This kid only plays Fortnite, luckily it's F2P so he doesn't even pay for PSN Plus.

Myself
I rarely buy games day 1, and the games I do buy day 1 are games that are not available on Gamepass day 1. For example I bought Monster Hunter World which was not available on Gamepass. Because I have a wife and kid, and a full time job it takes me a very long time to finish a game. I buy most games dirt cheap under £10 and play probably around 6 games a year and that's when I'm not playing a multiplayer game. For example when Monster Hunter World came out that year I probably bought 1 other game.

These are just a few examples but Gamepass can have 9000 games and it wouldn't make a difference for many people as they simply don't play that many games. This idea where Microsoft thinks everyone will want Gamepass is not going to happen and Microsofts desperation by upping the Gold price to incencitize people to Gamepass was a terrible idea and the backlash made them do a U turn. I'm sure Microsoft will try another way to try get Gamepass users up but I think it's not working as expected for them and Gamepass isn't going to be the Netflix of gaming as games media cannot be consumed at such a fast rate as watching movies and TV shows.

Going by your examples (which sound made up), I don't think there is one sub plan in the world (gaming, music, movies etc..) that is worth it if the person only plays or uses about 5 products per year, or is so cheap is only willing to spend $40 per year on a hobby.

I can make a dumb example too.

Why are car companies pushing big spacious SUVs or powerful pick up trucks?

I'm single, never need tons of cargo room, and I never have an itch to drive in a muddy forest hauling logs up a hill.

I don't get it. Why sell these kinds of vehicles???

 

[Hezekiah]

Solidrev sums it up for me for me at 3:13. I don't have tons of time for gaming, and I know what I want to play due to preferences, and generally keeping up with reviews/reveals. I'm not going to play games 'just because they're their' - quality over quantity.

If you're short of cash and you get a deal on it, or not very fussy it makes more sense.

 

[KAL2006]

It seems like the examples you use are people who don't game that much. It's like saying "Netflix is not for everyone. Let me give you some examples of people who never watch movies to prove my point.".

Gamepass IS great and is the best deal in gaming. If you can't find something to play on the service, what kind of games DO you play?

I know people have a hard on for MS and gamepass around here but, Jesus, can some of you just allow this ONE "victory" for MS? It's a fantastic value.

My argument is that it will never be as popular as Netflix. The percentage of people who subscribe to streaming services in comparison to people who buy DVDs and Blu-ray is much higher. In comparison to the percentage of people who subscribe to Gamepass in comparison to people who just simply buy games they want is way lower. Microsoft has 15 million Gamepass subscribers in comparison to how many millions of gamers who don't subscribe to Gamepass. And that's with Microsoft barely making a profit due to giving away Gamepass for $1. Imagine when they need to bumb the price, Gamepass model works by having to have a ton of subscribers if there isn't enough it's not profitable. Their attemo to bump Gold then doing a U turn shows they are desperate and if Gamepass model doesn't work out in the long-term then what this isn't a service that can survive with a low userbase and $1 deals.

 

[Krisprolls]

We should correct this though. Nobody got 3 years of GPU for 1$. Everybody had to buy 3 years of Gold subscriptions. But yeah, if people think they got this for 1$ instead of paying at least 120$ (if you bought the 3 years from dubious key sellers), then MS wasn't that stupid I guess

It's bad maths. MS made zero money on top of what they made before. They already had Xbox Live money before Gamepass. They had to pay for Gamepass though, because of all the studios they bought. So Gamepass isn't profitable right now obviously.

 

[Desudzer10]

Ehh, i like it and i find it's a great value. But it's completely optional for people that don't want to deal with it.

 

[Krisprolls]

Possibly.

And if MS tries and fails, who cares?

Not me, for sure. For all I care they could stop with gaming altogether, I wouldn't give a shit.

But it's still interesting wondering if Gamepass may succeed or not.

 

[EventHorizon]

As long as there is value there it is worth subscribing.

The minute the value is gone you stop subscribing just like you would with Net Flix.
There is no contract here.

You guys make it seem like you're stuck if you subscribe which is simply not true.

This is quite simple. If you only subscribe, the second you stop subscribing you lose all your games. That is one hell of a lock-in, and you can't simply pretend it doesn't exist. That puts you at the mercy of future price increases versus someone who simply bought their games.

This is not like Netflix, because if you cancel Netflix, there are many other subscription services you can use like HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Sling TV. With Xbox there is only Game Pass. All these TV competitors know their viewers have this option so there is a check to keep them from price gouging that does not exist for Game Pass.

Back to Game Pass, the longer you stay subscribed, the more hooked you become. As an example, I don't have Game Pass and saw a great deal for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $24 late last year. I snatched it up and can now play the following games. Hooray for me!

• Halo: Reach
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• Halo 2: Anniversary
• Halo 3
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo 4

Someone on Game Pass would have passed on that deal because they can already play those games. Rinse and repeat for games as they go on sale. As time went by, I built a huge library of games that I can play at any time, where the Game Pass owner has built nothing. Just as a quick check, I've got ~30 games in my library not counting Halo that I want to play, and either haven't played, or only partially played. Just about every one of those I got on a great sale like the one for Halo.

Compare that to a Game Pass player. If they cancel, they have to spend a lot of money just to get where I'm already at, and that's on top of all the money already spent on Game Pass. There's no other subscription service for them to join. It's cheaper for them in the short term to suck it up and eat a Game Pass price increase. That's the lock-in.

 

[KAL2006]

Going by your examples (which sound made up), I don't think there is one sub plan in the world (gaming, music, movies etc..) that is worth it if the person only plays or uses about 5 products per year, or is so cheap is only willing to spend $40 per year on a hobby.

I can make a dumb example too.

Why are car companies pushing big spacious SUVs or powerful pick up trucks?

I'm single, never need tons of cargo room, and I never have an itch to drive in a muddy forest hauling logs up a hill.

I don't get it. Why sell these kinds of vehicles???

Big SUVs are profitable products. They have been around for decades so a product like a SUV gas a viable market, even though not everyone needs one the customer base it does have is enough to make the company profitable. Gamepass is totally different, it's a subscription that needs subs to become profitable. Even Netflix was a loss leader for many years. However I don't believe Gamepass will be big as Netflix and their subs won't be enough to keep them giving quality content. Currently the number of Gamepass subscribers is a way lower percentage in comparison to people who buy games or ally and that's with Microsoft giving Gamepass away for dirt prices like their $1 deals.

 

[quest]

Solidrev sums it up for me for me at 3:13. I don't have tons of time for gaming, and I know what I want to play due to preferences, and generally keeping up with reviews/reveals. I'm not going to play games 'just because they're their' - quality over quantity.

If you're short of cash and you get a deal on it, or not very fussy it makes more sense.

Or have kids i gave my in laws my old one x and gamepass for Christmas. The kids love it they each found games they like. Birthdays will be easy now gamepass subscription to extend it. I don't have all the much time to game but love gamepass to find games I would never play like call of the sea or plague tale recently. Next week medium.

 

[quazy]

One interesting thing would be actually GPU sharing. I think one reason why Netflix is so successful is because of most people share their accounts. At least 80% of my friends do. If Netflix would restrict this, I think half of my friends would cancel their subscription immediately.
Sharing is basically good way of word of mouth advertisement.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

My argument is that it will never be as popular as Netflix. The percentage of people who subscribe to streaming services in comparison to people who buy DVDs and Blu-ray is much higher. In comparison to the percentage of people who subscribe to Gamepass in comparison to people who just simply buy games they want is way lower. Microsoft has 15 million Gamepass subscribers in comparison to how many millions of gamers who don't subscribe to Gamepass. And that's with Microsoft barely making a profit due to giving away Gamepass for $1. Imagine when they need to bumb the price, Gamepass model works by having to have a ton of subscribers if there isn't enough it's not profitable. Their attemo to bump Gold then doing a U turn shows they are desperate and if Gamepass model doesn't work out in the long-term then what this isn't a service that can survive with a low userbase and $1 deals.

And who are you argung with saying Gamepass will be as popular as Netflix?

 

[rapid32.5]

Fortnite and COD isn't for everyone. I wouldn't play those unless somebody paid me big money. Gamepass complains are ridiculous. I sometimes feel sorry for my friends on PSN who only play COD, there is a wonderful world of awesome games out there.

 

[KAL2006]

And who are you argung with saying Gamepass will be as popular as Netflix?

I made a thread based on the fact I feel Microsoft want to push everyone into Gamepass and if they can't do that make Gold the same price as Gamepass (which backfired). Microsoft have out all their chips on Gamepass. My thread is basically discussing the fact that I feel Microsoft visions of everyone in Gamepass will fail as I feel the appeal of Gamepass isn't as big as Microsoft think it is. And it won't be some8 as popular as Netflix as the gaming medium is different to passive entertainment which is a much wider market and easier to consume.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Big SUVs are profitable products. They have been around for decades so a product like a SUV gas a viable market, even though not everyone needs one the customer base it does have is enough to make the company profitable. Gamepass is totally different, it's a subscription that needs subs to become profitable. Even Netflix was a loss leader for many years. However I don't believe Gamepass will be big as Netflix and their subs won't be enough to keep them giving quality content. Currently the number of Gamepass subscribers is a way lower percentage in comparison to people who buy games or ally and that's with Microsoft giving Gamepass away for dirt prices like their $1 deals.

YOu never know if GP will be profitable. MS has never seen said if it is or not. So you are assuming it's losing money.

Whether or not doesn't matter because MS has tons of money and can (and has already) absorbed what GP costs.

Netflix lost money for years. I don't think they made profit in 10 years. Yet they are bigger than ever and making good bank now. And they definitely don't have the corporate coffers as MS to absorb costs like a rounding error.

Think long term, not short term.

 

[quazy]

It's bad maths. MS made zero money on top of what they made before. They already had Xbox Live money before Gamepass. They had to pay for Gamepass though, because of all the studios they bought. So Gamepass isn't profitable right now obviously.

I can ensure you, nobody had 3 years of Xbox Live on their account left. All people bought their Gold subs to convert it. And now this people have incentives to stay on that platform for 3 years. With all the great upcoming games from their new studios, people won't stop their subscriptions after that time as they don't want to loose their access to all the games (since you didn't have to buy them).
But maybe you're right, MS just plans day to day and they're afraid that their investments are not paying off after a few weeks....

 

[phil_t98]

I have just completed “A Plagues tale” off gamepass, first up what a game. Great graphics and atmosphere, huge surprise how good this game was

secondly this is a game I would never of tried if it wasn’t for gamepass, yeah gamepass ain’t for everybody but you can be dawn sure a hell of a lot more people would have fun if they tried it.

thirdly if you don’t market it at everybody your limiting your audience so yeah they gonna target everybody for it

 

[quest]

I made a thread based on the fact I feel Microsoft want to push everyone into Gamepass and if they can't do that make Gold the same price as Gamepass (which backfired). Microsoft have out all their chips on Gamepass. My thread is basically discussing the fact that I feel Microsoft visions of everyone in Gamepass will fail as I feel the appeal of Gamepass isn't as big as Microsoft think it is. And it won't be some8 as popular as Netflix as the gaming medium is different to passive entertainment which is a much wider market and easier to consume.

Wow gamepass won't be as popular as Netflix. What next you tell me that electric cars won't be as popular as a f-150 in my rural northern state lol. I doesn't have to be as popular to be successful. It is growing that is with out the good content coming from the new studios.

 

[Fbh]

I doubt that they "don't get it".
But gamepass is what they are betting on as their main strategy moving forward. So it makes sense that it's where most of their focus will be aimed at.

Apple doesn't make budget $150 phones. But it's not because they "don't get" that some people want cheap phones.

Tesla doesn't make petrol cars, but it's not because they "don't get" that not everyone wants an electric car.

 

[magnumpy]

ultimate failure for microsoft which is an eternal shame they will never live down. in 1,000 years when microsoft and xbox is a long closed company this event will still resonate as the worst mistake by any company ever :0

 

[ReBurn]

When did Microsoft say that game pass had to be for everyone? So there are 4 people you know, including yourself, that won't find value in game pass. Well, so what? Big deal. Don't buy it.

There are people who do find value in it. Those are the people that it's for.

Microsoft isn't forcing you to buy it. They aren't trying to stop you from buying the games you want. So buy your games, don't buy game pass, and live your best life.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

That will change once they realize churn is a serious issue.... the minimum will go from one month to three and then to 6 and eventually a minimum of a year.

Yeah yeah we know. So according to the PlayStation users here, GamePass will:

- See a massive price increase
- See a shift to exclusively smaller, A/AA releases by MS
- See a massive drop in quality of games by MS, aka “cheap GamePass filler”
- See the minimum subscription tier jump to one year

I can totally see this happening guys, makes complete sense. MS will sell boatloads of subscriptions with this strategy.

 

[KAL2006]

YOu never know if GP will be profitable. MS has never seen said if it is or not. So you are assuming it's losing money.

Whether or not doesn't matter because MS has tons of money and can (and has already) absorbed what GP costs.

Netflix lost money for years. I don't think they made profit in 10 years. Yet they are bigger than ever and making good bank now. And they definitely don't have the corporate coffers as MS to absorb costs like a rounding error.

Think long term, not short term.

This is a gaming froum to speculate. My speculation has lead me to think Gamepass will be profitable for the reasons I have stated earlier in this thread. Microsoft doubling the price of Gold is one of their ways that shows they need to make money on subs so if people are not converting into Gamepass customers they are forced to due to Gold price doubling or if they still don't sub to Gamepass Microsoft still make more money due to the doubling of Gold price. However this has now back fried so we shall see what is Microsofts next move is to be profitable though subs as I still am leaning towards the amount of subs they have is still not enough to be profitable.

 

[Hezekiah]

My argument is that it will never be as popular as Netflix. The percentage of people who subscribe to streaming services in comparison to people who buy DVDs and Blu-ray is much higher. In comparison to the percentage of people who subscribe to Gamepass in comparison to people who just simply buy games they want is way lower. Microsoft has 15 million Gamepass subscribers in comparison to how many millions of gamers who don't subscribe to Gamepass. And that's with Microsoft barely making a profit due to giving away Gamepass for $1. Imagine when they need to bumb the price, Gamepass model works by having to have a ton of subscribers if there isn't enough it's not profitable. Their attemo to bump Gold then doing a U turn shows they are desperate and if Gamepass model doesn't work out in the long-term then what this isn't a service that can survive with a low userbase and $1 deals.

People just dont consume games nearly as quickly as TV shows especially with the amount of busy work in single-player games nowadays, and how much time people expend enjoying and getting good at multiplayer games.

The other thing is, £100 a year isnt that cheap if your the type of person who buys two or three games a year and use sales which most people do. People often highlight the fact you can still buy games on GamePass, but how many casual gamers want to buy more games on top of the £100 a year?

And GamePass will absolutely be seeing some price hikes. Forget barely making money, Microsoft is losing money on it as a heavy loss leader, hence this Gold move to double the price.

 

[Stuart360]

Why are so many people scared stiff of Gamepass lol?, its so bizaare. If you dont like it, dont pay for it.
Once the new studios start deliveing their first party games, i think subs will shoot up incredibly high. And if you include Gamepass PC into the mix, i wouldnt be surprised if Gamepass has 50+mil subs by the end of the gen.