Ryuu96 said:
Think this is a reasonable analysis of the situation. Well, I'm not sure it was entirely to do with Game Pass, I think Microsoft just didn't want to wait for 10 or so years for a "maybe we'll improve our console situation" over the tried and proven profit sources. It is what it is, the CFOs won the battle. COD being exclusive of course like you said would make zero financial sense. AAA costs are too much, the small Xbox install-base. Console exclusivity limits their growth via acquisitions. Their Q1 Xbox hardware projections were ~600k IIRC...That's Wii U levels of bad. They basically fire sale'd Xbox last holiday and still sold meh and under their expectations. Starfield barely provided a bump. Meanwhile look at how amazing Sea of Thieves for example sells on Steam, Xbox IP are often very strong sellers on Steam so it's not like these games don't have large consumer appeal, it's more than Xbox doesn't. It has hit a ceiling where coupled with the costs of AAA development, it's starting to make more sense to go more multiplatform. At least, that's what I think is happening. I still think there are ways they could make Xbox hardware an option, and also ways they could garner developer support, but they would require drastic changes to both how Xbox creates their hardware and their entire financial system (I.E...Probably have to cut that 30% for developers down to like 15%) + Make the Xbox Store/Windows Store one unified store, something like making the Xbox hardware basically a PC which runs a Windows Gaming OS with an Xbox UI...Something like that, I'm spit balling ideas here but as I said they'd require huge changes. |
I've often wondered why MS didnt include a dual-boot option for the xbox consoles.
Allow them to run a full windows version, that you can boot into from the console OS.
So you could swap back and forth.
That would be another "check box" for console sales.
This isnt just a console, its also a desktop pc for your kid, that needs to do x,y,z school work ect ect.
Atleast I feel like that would be another, sales argument.
| Dulfite said: One thing I'm now fascinated by is the notion that, if MS has great success (profit-wise) of launching games on PS5, with Sony already admiting their business model is outdated compared to MS's, how long until Sony follows suit and releases brand new PS5 games on Series S/X? |
I honestly don't see that happending.
Lets say the gen ends 120m PS5 and 45m series X/S, if they do what you suggest.
Maybe not doing so, could result in a "why not just get a PS5, since it has everything" situation, that then has a beneficial effect on hardware sales.
Lets say that results in a further 5-10m console sales (hypothetically).
I could see Sony picking the extra hardware sales, over trying to win over xbox users, with playstation games.
Also sony has alot of old school mentality, set in their ways, type of people (alot of japanese elders), that probably wouldn't want to see this happending.
