Yeah there is no need if you have one store front. When you go onto any PC forum online its mostly about Steam, GOG or more recently EGS. MS store isn't even worth mentioning. I'm still amazed at how Epic Games Store has got a foot hold in the PC market since its release in late 2018. The store isn't half bad. Also the free games is a huge draw. Maybe Microsoft should be doing that *hint hint nudge nudge*

That's a ridiculous argument.

At best its praised for a being functional and Gamepass is a great deal for the content. Being a good service doesn't mean you have to be doing as well as Steam.

I also think a valid argument is people are loyal to Steam because they have much of their library there and perhaps they just like the app. Having multiple programs to use does become a burden. I mean between Steam, GOG, Gamepass, Origin, Epic... its a bit of a nuisance.

I think the primary reason the Epic Store has relevance is because of Fortnite. That's arguably more significant than the free games. Epic has also been buying exclusives, not sure what impact that really makes though.

So take away Fortnite, I don't think the Epic Store would be very relevant. Its so popular that Epic seemingly doesn't make other games at this point.

Last, you also have to consider MS is opting to share games with Steam. MS chose to get significant sales on Steam over forcing more people to use Windows Store. Which is the opposite of what Epic is doing. Epic is instead spending significant money on exclusives (keeping games off Steam) and free games so you use their app.

Although, Steam doesn't have Minecraft and that's still the most popular game on Windows Store. People who want to use Gamepass also need to use Windows Store.

Er no, EGS is popular as it gives out good value, i.e; lots of discounts and a tonne of free (a lot of which high profile like GTA V) games and a passable store. Not to mention more and more exclusive games. They also own Fortnite and Rocket League which now requires a EGS account to play, regardless of platform.

Nope you just go on the Xbox website website and download the app. Still ain't nobody using the Microsoft Store to buy games. Maybe there are select few who buy games on GP Store.

Oh for crying out loud, would you cut this shit out? We've seen a goddamn cinematic trailer for the game, we know next to nothing about the game and won't know much about it until it's closer to release. Everwild CAN be good, but until I have it and it's out, I'm going to assume - based on past history - that it's not going to be a complete game. Sea of Thieves took how long to become a game that wasn't a failure? 

Your narrative is shoddy. Rare has done nothing of value since Perfect Dark. They did Donkey Kong Country, and that was a mega-hit. They did Banjo-Kazooie, which was also a pretty significant hit and a contender to Mario 64's throne. They revolutionized Console FPS games with Goldeneye and Perfect Dark...then Microsoft bought them and can you think of a single game they've made that has contributed anything of value to the gaming landscape? Can you find any casual gamers who know what all they made? Do you think normal people even know what viva Pinata is? Microsoft took one of the most influential and revolutionary game devs of the 90's and turned them into a boring company with no further legacy. 

They've bought many other studios and so far have done nothing to prove that they give a damn about gaming. IF Ninja Theory's games come out and they're great, then AWESOME! I'd like for that to happen. I'd like for ALL the companies they've bought to make great games because that's good for Microsoft and for gamers worldwide. As it stands, Microsoft only has a legacy of buying companies and doing nothing of value with them. Hell, even with their mega-hits like Halo and Gears of War, they had NO idea how to maintain that momentum. Halo was a cultural milestone and another outstanding leap forward for console FPS games...and now? Hardly anyone cares. Halo 4 and 5 were meh, Halo Infinite so far only has bad press (And isn't even a launch title), and Gears 4/5 have the same issue. They're on a downward trajectory and I don't see that changing any time soon. 

As I said, I'd love to be proven wrong, but every franchise they have has been going down in quality and notoriety (Except Forza, let's be clear; that franchise has been more or less great aside from 7's microtransactions), they can't seem to create new IPs that have cultural impact, and the two games I'd consider their best efforts in the past ten years - cuphead and Ori - came out on Switch. 

Look, the nonbiased part of me WANTS to believe that Microsoft will actually do something good in Gen 9, because I know they have potential. 

The nonbiased and critical part of me has been burned by them too many times to trust them. Sorry, mate, it was the same song and dance coming up to the Xbox One's release, all these promises of better games and more exploration. 

Tell me, when was the last time ANY Xbox game had the sort of cultural impact of The Last of Us 2? Of God of War? Of Spider-Man? Of Final Fantasy VII Remake? Of Mario Odyssey or Breath of the WIld? When was the last time they launched a successful franchise like Splatoon or Horizon or Ghost of Tsushima. Until they actually succeed in making great games or launching new franchises...as far as I'm concerned it's all snake oil sales tactics. Until they actually succeed at releasing games that matter and are fun, I don't trust them. 

History proves that exclusives sell Nintendo consoles. MicroSony consoles sell mostly for third party multiplats.

aaaahahahhahahahahahah

no

The Xbox 360's biggest games outside of CALLADOODY was Kinect Adventures and Halo.

PS4's best selling games aside from Calladoody are stuff like Uncharted, Spider-Man, God of War, The Last of Us, and Horizon Zero Dawn. 

If you don't think exclusives sell games, then damn boy you need a lesson in console history. If it was third party multiplats, then why didn't Xbox One sell the most? I mean, it was the most powerful console, wasn't it? the OneX was WAY stronger than the PS4 pro, yet the years after its release were poorer than the years prior to its release, getting destroyed even more by PS4 afterwards. 

More mental gymnastics, kids. This is how you identify it. 

the bar for what someone defines something having a cultural impact must have hit an all time low.

Normal people? Are you talking about non-gamers, because everyone knows Viva Pinata you can actually play on Gamepass? 

Are you even aware that Microsoft doesn't make the games? It's really up to the studios to create their own masterpiece. You are aware that none of the people that create Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark & Blast corps are still at the studios. I'm not comparing RARE games to any of the Sony or Nintendo masterpiece. You made the argument that Microsoft bought Rare and as done nothing with the studios. Do you know how many cancel games Rare as since the acquisition of the studios Black Widow, Sundown, Urchin, Fast and the Furriest, Ordinary Joe; Savannah, Sequel to Diddy kong racing, and Kameo: Elements of power.  

I've been playing Rare games for over 30 years so I've seen the evolutions of the studios and I must say that Kinect games were a low point but Microsoft has stuck with them, they stuck with them with the failed project and as allowed the studios to turn it around and created a masterpiece in Sea of Thieves. Despite all of the people that left the studios and the failed project Microsoft as supported the studios and I look forward to what they do next. 

Have you ever played Sea of Thieves? Sea of Thieves wasn't a failure it simply wasn't a critical success at launch with super high Metacritic. As someone that played the game for over 250 hours, got my captain legends and had a blast with it. Sea of Thieves is the sort of cultural impact game of the last generation. You claim they did nothing and now you switch your tone to well it's not better than the masterpiece from Sony or Nintendo. 

Microsoft now as 23 studios, What that really means is that there are actually 35 different teams working on next-generation games. I don't even know why you are still in this Thread, go buy a PlayStation 5 enjoy your games and keep an eye out on what Xbox is doing in the future you might want to reconsider and try out some of their games. I will do the same thing to enjoy all the next-gen games on Xbox Series X and keep an eye out on what Playstation 5 is doing. 

Giving away GTV is impressive. But not incredible given the game is nearing a decade old. Also, if the goal is just having users then I guess MS should give away games.

All the digital store services have pretty significant discounts on games. Especially in the PC market. Again, Epic Store is likely getting attention from Fortnite, free games and exclusive content they buy to compete with Steam.

I use the Windows apps because I have Gamepass. Over the years its obvious activity is increasing and it should be given all the notable games being added. That's also apparent from the increase of user reviews.

On a side note I do believe Sea of Thieves was a hit on PC well before it came to Steam. Its the second most paid game on Windows Store and has almost always been.

Anyway, if your stance is Windows Store is irrelevant, I simply disagree but also argue they share games with Steam which is arguably a good idea to increase profit, the opposite of what Epic is doing.