A thread about Xbox being Stupid

[Old_Hunter_77]

Microsoft shakes up Xbox marketing as key exec departs for Roblox

Jerret West is leaving Xbox at the end of the month.

www.theverge.com

Not just leaving but going to freaking Roblox- the real money-maker in video games.
I also like the bit about moving marketing "inside the game content" or whatever. This dovetails to the point Sterling was making in her video highlighting Spencer's celebration of the showcase.

XBox is moving to be the AAA version of Devolver Digital- not actually make anything just sort of oversee a ton of other content from the boardroom.

 

[BrawlMan]

​

 

[BrawlMan]

Xbox Game Pass getting big changes, ditching day one releases for basic tier

Microsoft has confirmed sweeping changes - including price increases - to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service in th…

www.eurogamer.net

Xbox Game Pass getting big changes, ditching day one releases for basic tier
Plus price increases across the board.

Official Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 screenshot showing an enemy in tactical gear

Microsoft has confirmed sweeping changes - including price increases - to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service in the run-up to October's launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which will include the removal of day one releases for its overhauled basic tier.

As reported by Windows Central, which says Microsoft has now confirmed the details, the first big Game Pass change comes with the imminent closure of Xbox Game Pass for Console. While this will continue to be available to existing members until their subscription expires (notably, from 12th September, Microsoft will only allow users to stack Game Pass for Console for up to 13 months), new users looking for a basic tier package will need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Standard, which launches in September.

This costs $14.99/month and includes Xbox Live Gold for multiplayer gaming, plus access to Xbox's back catalogue - but not, crucially, access to first-party releases on day one. That means console players wanting to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 via Game Pass when it launches on 25th October will need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Ultimate, which will also remain the only Game Pass subscription tier offering access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, is getting a price increase too, with its monthly cost rising from £12.99 / $16.99 to £14.99 / $19.99. Things are a little bit different on PC insofar as PC Game Pass will continue to get day one games, but its price is also increasing - this time from £7.99 / $9.99 per month to £9.99 / $11.99 per month.

There's one additional price increase to note: Xbox Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold) will see its annual cost rise from £49.99 / $59.99 to £55.99 / $74.99, but its monthly price remains £6.99 / $9.99. Recurring billing prices for all Game Pass offerings increase from 12th September, according to Windows Central.

All this follows Microsoft's $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year, and confirmation in May that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 would be a day one Game Pass release when it launches in October. In response to reports that Microsoft was planning "changes" to Game Pass to take advantage of Black Ops 6's arrival, the company told Eurogamer the game would be "playable on Xbox and PC for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass for Console members" at launch. And that still appears to be true - albeit now with an additional cost, and not if you're a new Xbox Game Pass Standard subscriber.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Ok so since this change is being timed closed to, and reported with, the upcoming CoD, let's look at some quick math:

17 american bucks per month for the tier that will get you new CoD. 70 bucks to just buy the game. So basically like 4 months subscription = just owning the game. A game with multiplayer, where the whole point of such games is to play it much longer than 4 months!

Of course it's kind of not fair to just compare them as CoD costs because GamePass gets you like hundreds of other games, so as a value proposition there's no comparison. But the news and the marketing- whether deliberate or not- is making it seem to me as if it is.

I don't think they've said yet when CoD will be available for players on the lower tier. It's only a difference of two bucks but, as we've seen with streaming services, that's how they get ya- two bucks here, two bucks there.

 

[BrawlMan]

that's how they get ya- two bucks here, two bucks there.

Which is what the same crap Sony keeps pulling (Look at the PS+ cost when they fasley promised back in 2015 not to raise the prices for it anymore) and why all of them can go to hell and die.

 

[BrawlMan]

Calling it now, This is going to make MS lose money and a possible lawsuit.

Microsoft CFO wants to turn Xbox into a subscription business, and is "really encouraged by some of the progress" of Game Pass - NewsBreak

Amy Hood weighs in on Xbox's future

share.newsbreak.com

 

[BrawlMan]

A listing of all Microsoft's and XBOX failings, and calling out the many studios they bought just to shutdown them down, cancel the interesting projects, or all the above. Especially during the 2010s. Due note it is a long list. I got it time stamped.

​

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

A listing of all Microsoft's and XBOX failings, and calling out the many studios they bought just to shutdown them down, cancel the interesting projects, or all the above. Especially during the 2010s. Due note it is a long list. I got it time stamped.

​

It’s almost like their only goal at this point is being king of the hill.

 

[BrawlMan]

​

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

They need to rip the bandaid off quickly and just pull a SEGA already.

 

[BrawlMan]

They need to rip the bandaid off quickly and just pull a SEGA already.

That won't do MS any good now. Especially when they're replacing so many people with AI. SEGA actually cared and still cares enough to have actual people work on their games.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I may listen to the Yo Video Games podcast later while doing errands but without getting into all the details about XBox right now here's what for me is the most interest/painful/important observation, at least from what I am understanding:

XBox is profitable. Not Microsoft as a whole (as we know XBox is probably like .01% of their business or something), but actual XBox. Despite all these failings. Because of all these failings?

We live in a world where, for large companies, there is either no causal relationship between quality goods or services and profit. There are even incentives to produce poor goods or services. That's freaking crazy.

 

[BrawlMan]

There are even incentives to produce poor goods or services. That's freaking crazy.

Which is why I will never touch anything new from XBOX ever again. At least Nintendo bothers to make sure their products work and will throw in free repairs with or without the warranty.

I may listen to the Yo Video Games podcast later while doing errands

You mean this?

​

I still have not watched it yet either. I think both Max and Simmons are on vacation, so expect another podcast for a while. I know Max Dood is on a 10 vacation, though Simmons might pop every now and then.

EDIT:


YoVideoGames on the Microsoft and XBOX lay offs. There problems go all the way back to 2009. And then the case with every XBOX ONE had to be bundled with the connect. Phil was right about them losing this generation hard.

Simmons mentions how the new Perfect Dark title, which got cancelled recently, was in pre0production for 4 years. There was apparent in-fighting and no one having a set idea. At MS, game studios usually lied about positive progress on developing a game, or downplaying issues (promising to be fixed later), because no one likes to bring up bad news or issues.

Simmons lays on the hard truth: Microsoft does not know how to manage a game studio. That is the short of it in this entire podcast

 

[CriticalGaming]

They need to rip the bandaid off quickly and just pull a SEGA already.

They can't make video games either, how would that work?

 

[CriticalGaming]

YoVideoGames on the Microsoft and XBOX lay offs. There problems go all the way back to 2009. And then the case with every XBOX ONE had to be bundled with the connect. Phil was right about them losing this generation hard.

Simmons mentions how the new Perfect Dark title, which got cancelled recently, was in pre0production for 4 years. There was apparent in-fighting and no one having a set idea. At MS, game studios usually lied about positive progress on developing a game, or downplaying issues (promising to be fixed later), because no one likes to bring up bad news or issues.

Simmons lays on the hard truth: Microsoft does not know how to manage a game studio. That is the short of it in this entire podcast

I think what they lack is a decent game director. Someone who can manage the vision of what the game is supposed to be and direct the team to get it done. If you let a dev team do whatever they want, you get nothing but conflict and a shitty game if you get any game at all.

Anthem is the perfect example of how a game director makes or breaks a game. That game had directors leave, then come back, then leave again.

And it might be Microsoft's mismanagement or it might be the studio's mismanagement. Ultimately it is clear that MS doesn't know what the fuck it's doing with their gaming division anymore. Considering how long they've had a game division this shouldn't be a difficult problem to solve for them considering the money they have. Frankly Phil Spencer should have been fired a decade ago and someone brought it who knows what the fuck their doing brought in.

 

[BrawlMan]

They can't make video games either, how would that work?

Exactly why getting a Series X since 2021 became worthless, aside from backwards compatibility.

I think what they lack is a decent game director. Someone who can manage the vision of what the game is supposed to be and direct the team to get it done. If you let a dev team do whatever they want, you get nothing but conflict and a shitty game if you get any game at all.

Simmons does mentions this too. Hence what he meant by management as well. Almost no studio had a director, had a director with conflicting and inconsistent ideas, or a hot shot exec part of the team kept constantly changing things on a whim for the sake of following trend that's already became old hat. Or all the above.

That game had directors leave, then come back, then leave again.

The same thing happened with most game studios at Microsoft.

And it might be Microsoft's mismanagement or it might be the studio's mismanagement.

Both.

Frankly Phil Spencer should have been fired a decade ago and someone brought it who knows what the fuck their doing brought in.

Like Simmons said, it don't matter who they bring in, even if they'd ever fire him. Microsoft is all in on AI, and invested $80 billion into AI, and laid off 15,000+ employees. They're not going to get the equivalent of Miyamoto or Iwata. They're just going to get another stooge full of false promises and triple down on AI grift to please their investors.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

They can't make video games either, how would that work?

lol must have been the nostalgia.

 

[Samtemdo8]

I choose poorly. I only got the Xbox because it was the one that I found first over a PS5.

I bet on the wrong horse.

 

[BrawlMan]

I choose poorly. I only got the Xbox because it was the one that I found first over a PS5.

I bet on the wrong horse.

You did what you could. You can still keep your console or trade it in for a PS5. Most people wouldn't blame you either way. Me included.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I choose poorly. I only got the Xbox because it was the one that I found first over a PS5.

I bet on the wrong horse.

Sorry man. Hopefully you can get a PS5 at some point and enjoy some of the great games this generation came out with *COUGH* FF7 Rebirth *COUGH COUGH*