Xbox One Games Will Still be Playable When Servers Shut Down

[Steven Bogos]

Xbox One Games Will Still be Playable When Servers Shut Down

Major Nelson assured us that at the end of this generation's lifecycle, when the Xbox One's servers shut down permanently, you'll still be able to play your old games.

In an interview with /r/games [http://www.reddit.com/r/Games], Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb answered some of the most "upvoted" questions from the popular videogaming sub-reddit. Right off the bat, he was asked what would happen after the Xbox One servers are shut down at the end of the new generation. Specifically, he was asked if games would be unplayable after Microsoft pulled the plug. His response was a reassuring one: "That's certainly something we would not do. That's not the way the system is designed. It's designed for flexibility. But let's get the system out there first."

Next, Hryb was asked whether players who were banned from Xbox Live would lose access to the single player portion of all of the games they have registered to their account. "Absolutely not," Hryb replied with confidence.

"Come with us toward the light on an amazing journey, where we can unlock the potential of great gaming experiences."

Unfortunately, from this point on his replies are more deflections rather than straight answers. When asked why the Xbox One couldn't use a physical disk as a "failsafe" to bypass the 24 hour check-in policy, Hryb went on to talk about how its not possible because of how awesome the Xbox One's "family sharing library" is.

Hryb also seems unshaken by Sony's press conference, which practically devolved into mockery [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124817-PlayStation-4-Game-Sharing-This-Is-How-Its-Done] of the Xbox One. "I don't think we're going to change anything [after having seen Sony's conference]. We're very happy with what we've done with Xbox One."

Major Nelson seemed to keep coming back to the Xbox One's "flexibility" and "future proofing" as counters to the policies being scrutinized by reddit users. He ended the interview by again bringing up how great the "family sharing library" system will be, and how he wished more people would ask him about it. If nothing else he seems to be pretty damn excited about the system.

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[Nazulu]

So it becomes 'flexible' when the generation ends. Good to know.

 

[vallorn]

Considering you never allowed us to play online after the end of the Xbox 1 games I call bullshit. You will keep it going a bit into the next generation then hold up your hands and say "We cant support these costs so we`re shutting down the servers. If you want a gaming experience you need to buy our new console; The Xbox Poo."

Oh and that habit of repeating things? Yeah that's a politicians tactic. "Say a lie enough times and eventually it gets accepted as truth"

 

[alphamalet]

Well this just opens a new can of worms. If this is possible at the end of the generation, then why not just scrap the DRM now? It's the question that begs to be answered.

Additionally, if games will still be playable, then I guess we aren't relying on the cloud too much then...?

 

[devotedsniper]

How are the games going to playable when the servers are gone? They keep claiming cloud computing is going to make the console more powerful...but if its doing calculations server side how will the console do it when they max out the console &cloud power as with every generation? How will those games work offline?

I think there planning is very stupid, they don't seem to be future proofing their console and after watching the angry joe one he just dodges the questions and accuses joe of not caring about the family things and such.

Microsoft really just don't seem to get it, it's a shame really I liked the first 2 xbox's.

 

[SergejH]

I think, that title is a little misleading, because he actually didnt say, that games will be playable, only that servers just never go off (yeah, right)...

 

[oldtaku]

Oh come on. That's really poor journalism to just take their word for it. Just because one guy at MS says he wouldn't disable XBones when they shut down the server doesn't mean that's what will actually happen. I believe he believes that, but he's not the guy making the final decisions.

They don't respect their users now, what makes you think they will respect them at some nebulous time in the future?

Seriously, Escapist should not take any of these bastards at their word, and I don't just mean Microsoft, that goes for Sony, Nintendo, EA, Activision and all other corporate sociopaths. Why would you trust them?

 

[Roxor]

Uh-huh. And what about the fabled cloud processing? How is a game which uses that supposed to work without your servers?

I reckon this guy's making it up on the spot.

 

[BreakfastMan]

So, basically... Wait until Gen-9 to get an Xbone, since all the crap DRM junk will be removed when the Xbone's successor comes around? Good to know, I will be looking forward to buying an Xbone at that time, then.

 

[uchytjes]

If anything, they'll make an update where they put in an option to have the Xbone work like normal, but when it isn't connected it'll require the disk be in the drive regardless of installation. Either that or they'll just not turn off one of their servers in order to dedicate it to the remaining Xbones.

I'd bet on the first one, but it still won't bring me back.

 

[Steven Bogos]

I think, that title is a little misleading, because he actually didnt say, that games will be playable, only that servers just never go off (yeah, right)...

The direct question was
After the Xbox One servers are shut down at the end of the new generation, will Xbox One games still be playable?

to which he replied

That?s certainly something we would not do. That?s not the way the system is designed. It?s designed for flexibility.

Call me crazy but it does look like he is responding to her question and saying that yes, the games will still be playable. Considering this was the question she had just asked

 

[neppakyo]

But..but THE CLOUD!!

If there is no CLOUD, then where is the rain?!

 

[Revolutionary]

You can just sort of see him mentally exercising telling himself "Don't say Xbone. Don't say Xbone, Don't say Xbone"
I have to say after watching a few Major Nelson interviews, he is genuinely really excited about this "family proposition" or whatever the fuck. Despite myself I really want to know exactly how that works.

 

[Callex]

I have to say after watching a few Major Nelson interviews, he is genuinely really excited about this "family proposition" or whatever the fuck. Despite myself I really want to know exactly how that works.

Credit where it's due - it's perhaps one of the few good changes they made, but now that the Microsoft hate-ball has gained momentum it's been completely overshadowed.

You can have a shared game library with up to 10 other family members, with two consoles at a time accessing and playing games from it. As someone in a household of many gamers this would be an absolute godsend. I wish there was a steam equivalent of this sort of thing.

 

[T'Generalissimo]

Really? He really expects us to just take it on faith that our games won't cease to exist when the servers go down based on the claims that "It's designed for flexibility" and "That's certainly something we would not do"? But everything we've heard about the console has demonstrated that it is incredibly inflexible and they are completely willing to just screw over the consumer like that.

 

[IronMit]

I'm no expert...and I will pick the PS4/PC over the Xbone no contest. But how much server 'power' do you really need for games to check-in once every 24 hours?

Running constant multiplayer games surely must be 1000000x more costly then simply 24 hour check -in's under a 1mb?
Xbone will patch the xbone or keep running their cheap servers.....


..wait a minute whilst typing this I just realised something. Those apparently cloud enhanced games....that must cost a lot.....yh.... doesn't make sense

 

[MiskWisk]

So in other words, the bullsh*t about cloud being used to improve the game quality was absolutely rubbish since if it was used for anything other than an optional save slot, you wouldn't be able to play the game when the servers went down.
(unless it is used to work bigger multiplayer stuff, but that would probably generate enough lag so that any game using it would be unplayable anyway)

Also, if the servers are shut down, does that mean we could trade games normally, or would game trading become impossible?
(hypothetically of course, I'm not actually going to get one)

 

[The White Hunter]

Erm, this produces a problem for Major Nelson. Either....

a) He was lying before when he stated that games take advantage of "cloud processing" that allows their games to do things that they couldn't do without it. This would allow these games to continue working after the servers shut down, because they don't actually need this "cloud processing" to work. This, of course, begs the question of why this "service" is even there at all.

Almost definately was all lies and marketing fluff.

OT: Cool, I still don't really want it though. None of the exclusives bar titanfall grab my interest and no one game can sell me a format. Bar a new main series Pokemon game that is.

Does the Xbox One have a main series Pokemon release in the works?
No?

Well too bad I guess.