I've been meaning to post this thread for a few days, but I believe now that things have cooled off, we can have a better discussion about it.
For those out of the loop, which I doubt there are many, or even exist, due to the extensive media coverage of this, rumors have surfaced that Xbox will be putting at least some of their games on competing consoles, as well as changing their hardware strategy. This is a massive departure for a company that, until recently, was acquiring studios and publishers with the sole intent of creating an artificial leadership position in the market while removing IP from their competitors' consoles.
So, why have they painted themselves into a corner?
I think it's important to understand that they are a platform holder as well as a video games publisher, and that their games should serve their own platform. Putting even one single game on other platforms means that they lack confidence in the exclusivity of their own, and signals not only to their buyers but, more importantly, to third-party studios and publishers, that their business is not worth investing in.
And then we have this, the biggest shot in the foot I've ever seen in gaming history:
One of the rules about dealing with rumors, especially these kinds of rumors, is that you either deny everything, or you shut up until the prescribed announcement date. Phil, either coached by their marketing and legal team or simply due to being inept at his job, decided to create a tweet that does not deny any of the existing rumors, leaving their fans and buyers hanging for a week before receiving an update. This only led to more and more discourse, and more than likely false information stemming from all this.
Now, I agree with those who say this won't be a full cataclysmic change for Xbox that will have them turn into a multiplatform publisher day one for all games. Here's more or less a summary of my thoughts regarding next week's announcement and what we can maybe expect from Microsoft/Xbox:
For those out of the loop, which I doubt there are many, or even exist, due to the extensive media coverage of this, rumors have surfaced that Xbox will be putting at least some of their games on competing consoles, as well as changing their hardware strategy. This is a massive departure for a company that, until recently, was acquiring studios and publishers with the sole intent of creating an artificial leadership position in the market while removing IP from their competitors' consoles.
So, why have they painted themselves into a corner?
I think it's important to understand that they are a platform holder as well as a video games publisher, and that their games should serve their own platform. Putting even one single game on other platforms means that they lack confidence in the exclusivity of their own, and signals not only to their buyers but, more importantly, to third-party studios and publishers, that their business is not worth investing in.
And then we have this, the biggest shot in the foot I've ever seen in gaming history:
One of the rules about dealing with rumors, especially these kinds of rumors, is that you either deny everything, or you shut up until the prescribed announcement date. Phil, either coached by their marketing and legal team or simply due to being inept at his job, decided to create a tweet that does not deny any of the existing rumors, leaving their fans and buyers hanging for a week before receiving an update. This only led to more and more discourse, and more than likely false information stemming from all this.
Now, I agree with those who say this won't be a full cataclysmic change for Xbox that will have them turn into a multiplatform publisher day one for all games. Here's more or less a summary of my thoughts regarding next week's announcement and what we can maybe expect from Microsoft/Xbox:
- They will announce that Xbox consoles will remain the best and first place to play their games. I'm unsure if they will announce future hardware plans, but it's possible they will announce some sort of streaming stick or some future underpowered console for all their Game Pass offerings.
- While I doubt they won't announce it, I think we can expect all their games to be ported to other consoles. They will likely announce smaller titles like HiFi Rush, and perhaps one megaton like Starfield, with the guise of "When everybody plays, we all win."
- Again, unsure if they will announce, but I'm expecting ports to either come on day 1 or between day 1 and 6 months from release on Xbox.
- I'm also expecting changes to the Game Pass structure and pricing, with the most expensive (new) plan getting day 1 releases, whereas lower plans will get discounts on release plus the game when it releases on other platforms.
