Papa Phil discusses GamePass, games as a service, monetization, first party content, exclusives, etc

[sales2099]

Jumpinbeans said:

LudicrousSpeed said:

https://www.gamereactor.eu/phil-spencer-on-exclusivity-monetisation-and-game-development/

Admits that putting games on PC hurts the strength of the Xbox console, but it doesn't really matter in how they measure things:

The fact that we sell our games on PC does undermine one of the value propositions in that it doesn't force somebody to go buy our console. Our high-level goal inside of our team, of how we measure ourselves, is how many people are playing on Xbox. And when we say 'playing on Xbox' it doesn't mean an Xbox console. It means somebody who is logging in and playing a part of our ecosystem, whether first-party or third-party. And it could be on an Android phone. It could be on a Switch. It could be on a PC. That's how we think about it.

To condense that

XBOX console - not important

XBOX gamepass - crucial

Well to be fair they have 2 different spec consoles compared to Sony’s 1. Technically that’s double the commitment to consoles. They would prefer you play their consoles because everything they sell is on their tailor made device.

However, their expansion and choice initiative has a point. An example is take a Steam user. PC gamer to the bone. Has no intention of buying a console, much less a Xbox. Instead of MS trying to market to these guys (futile), just bring the games to them. A 30% cut from Steam is better then $0 from not giving the option at all. 

And plus the image of giving options and lower barriers to play Xbox games gives them a really good image. In a age of increased corporate distrust, the value proposition they bring can resonate with people.