Phil Spencer Pushed for Xbox Game Pass Against the Wishes of His Own Staff

[Tsing]

Image: Microsoft



Xbox Game Pass has proven to be a great success since its launch nearly five years ago on June 1, 2017, having enticed over 20 million gamers with its great library of high-quality games for a relatively cheap monthly price, but the service probably wouldn’t have ever materialized without Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, who was apparently very bullish on the idea and did more for it than anyone might have imagined. As revealed in a recent profile shared by The Wall Street Journal, Spencer actually had to go so far as to convince his own staff that Game Pass, a wildly ambitious idea at the time, had real potential and wouldn’t end up being a costly flop for Microsoft. Spencer “wouldn’t take no for an answer” and ultimately made it happen despite a slew of arguments that suggested Game Pass wouldn’t work, according to at least one former team...

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[Grimlakin]

So... like... the image used here... I know this is off topic but is this a Phil Spencer 5 years ago and Phil Spencer today image? Or is that the 'former employee'?

 

[Brian_B]

The right is the CEO I think - Satya Nadella

 

[Burticus]

It still remains to be seen if gamepass can make money depending on how many day 1 titles go in there. But even if it is a loss leader, it draws a ton of attention to the xbox environment.

 

[Grimlakin]

It still remains to be seen if gamepass can make money depending on how many day 1 titles go in there. But even if it is a loss leader, it draws a ton of attention to the xbox environment.

It generates sales of hardware, AND sales of expansions (where a LOT of profit is) for games on it. Like how many people got Forza 5 via gamepass then purchased the expansions. And how many of those 1 dollar trial memberships covert into game purchases, or extended sub's to protect the purchase of the expansions or addons that were done?

I have a feeling Gamepass is doing ok for itself. PLUS a huge win for publishers on the xbox platform. It's like having a garunteed income if your game doesn't do SUPERBALLSAMAZING just put it on gamepass and you're fine.

 

[Zarathustra]

I mean, some people really like Game Pass.

I'm not crazy about the rental approach, and I really don't want to sign up for any kind of account with Microsoft so I have just kind of passed on the whole thing.

And I don't really feel like I am missing out on anything. I have specific tastes, and I know what they are. I don't just want to play random games.

About a year ago I went through the Game Pass catalog, and of the - what - 250 titles they listed, only 3 of them even remotely interested me. Two of them I already owned. The concept of subscribing to the catalog for a monthly fee made no sense to me, when I could just buy the at most one new game per year in their catalog I am interested in for less money. Heck, for a years subscription I could buy two full price AAA titles at launch, and not be limited to whatever Microsoft decides to add as a handout.

I probably would have liked Game Pass when I was a kid though. I played a wider variety of games back then. Not because I was more open minded. I still had my favorites and games I thought were silly, but I actually had enough time on my hands that I became bored.b I haven't had the time to be bored in 20 years, so the little game time I can find gets used for my favorite games, and only my favorite games. Having a large catalog of games I am not interested in for a monthly fee just doesn't add any value to me.

I think for kids with lots of time on their hands, Game Pass is an easy win. For us grown *** adults with jobs and responsibilities maybe not so much.

 

[Brian_B]

I am kinda with Zath, and kinda not. I don't think the rental concept bothers me; I don't feel that way with Netflix either. I'm ok with having a buffet-style menu to pick from, knowing that the menu may change at any given time.

I like the idea of XBGP. Having hundreds of games available is nice. I end up with the Netflix problem though - hundreds of games, most of them crap. When I find a game I like I really invest some time into it, I never found anything that really hooked me on XBGP. I played through Outer World, tried a few others games that didn't really hook me, saw a whole lot of games that were just outright broke and wouldn't run, and feel like I got my $1 worth out of it, but it wasn't worth maintaining and and haven't really looked back. Maybe if you're into whatever the latest Halo and Forza are, maybe...

The fact that games roll off the service, I don't think that bothers me so much. If I'm in between games, it's nice having a service like this were I can kinda just browse and try stuff out without any real commitment. But once I settle on a game, that's pretty much it for me for a while.

The fact that parity doesn't exist between the console, the streaming service, and the PC bothers me. I know it's a licensing thing, but just feels like they aren't really committing to me. And the client/launcher/patcher mechanism on the PC (Windows Store) is a hot mess and should remain in the dumpster fire where it was obviously born - it's miles behind even the lowly EGS client, and I think that one is trash as it is right now too.

But I like the idea of XBGP. The reality just doesn't really live up to it yet.

 

[DrezKill]

Like how many people got Forza 5 via gamepass then purchased the expansions.

So, if you subscribe to GamePass, it only gives you access to the base game, and not any of the DLC for that game?

I mean, some people really like Game Pass.

I'm not crazy about the rental approach, and I really don't want to sign up for any kind of account with Microsoft so I have just kind of passed on the whole thing.

I don't understand the appeal of GamePass myself. I don't like that you don't have access to the game if you no longer have a subscription. I don't like that they can remove games at will (which is especially annoying if you are in the middle of going through a game), kinda like how services such as Netflix roll. I also don't wanna use Microsoft's services or launcher.

I have 2 friends that enjoy the f*ck outta GamePass. One is mainly an Xbox-only guy who has a system of farming points, which he uses to pay for GamePass Ultimate (and Xbox Live before it was rolled into GamePass). The other is a multi-platform friend who actually somehow sees value in GamePass. A 3rd friend is doing the $1 1-month free trial, and he feels overwhelmed at the choices. If he had more time in his life, GamePass would be very helpful for him, he feels. As things are, he doesn't think he's gonna stick with it.

The concept of subscribing to the catalog for a monthly fee made no sense to me, when I could just buy the at most one new game per year in their catalog I am interested in for less money.

I'd rather just own the games than have to subscribe to a service. I've been gaming for well over 30 years, I know how to choose games to play, I know what games I like (or might be interested in). I don't need some all-you-can-eat-buffet style sh1t. We live in an age where games often go on sale, with heavy discounts a good amount of the time. I can find the games I want for super-cheap, or wait for them to go on sale for super-cheap (and if push comes to shove, there is also the "community demo" option, if at least just to try out a game to consider a purchase). GamePass wouldn't save me money, it would cost me a lot more money to use. Steam library share is also very handy, where my friends and I have access to each other's Steam libraries. Paying money every month to play games I don't get to permanently keep, sounds like nonsense to me.

 

[Grimlakin]

So, if you subscribe to GamePass, it only gives you access to the base game, and not any of the DLC for that game?

As I understand it that is correct.

 

[Zarathustra]

As I understand it that is correct.

So, these people who bought the DLC, are they just SOL if Game Pass either drops the base game, or they cancel Game Pass?

Sounds sketchy as ****.

 

[Grimlakin]

So, these people who bought the DLC, are they just SOL if Game Pass either drops the base game, or they cancel Game Pass?

Sounds sketchy as ****.

You WIN the big prize! that's right if they want to play the game that they INVESTED MONEY IN to buy DLC's and such they will have to BUY the game when it falls off of game pass for whatever reason.

 

[DrezKill]

So, these people who bought the DLC, are they just SOL if Game Pass either drops the base game, or they cancel Game Pass?

Sounds sketchy as ****.

You WIN the big prize! that's right if they want to play the game that they INVESTED MONEY IN to buy DLC's and such they will have to BUY the game when it falls off of game pass for whatever reason.

This was literally my next question. Wow. On the other hand, if I was a GamePass subscriber, there is no way in f*ck I would spend money to buy DLC for a game I do not actually own.

 

[Zarathustra]

This was literally my next question. Wow. On the other hand, if I was a GamePass subscriber, there is no way in f*ck I would spend money to buy DLC for a game I do not actually own.

Yeah, it reminds me of people who built houses on rented land, and then bitched about it when they were about to lose their home when the lease expired.

 

[Brian_B]

You WIN the big prize! that's right if they want to play the game that they INVESTED MONEY IN to buy DLC's and such they will have to BUY the game when it falls off of game pass for whatever reason.

I don't see that being sucha big deal.

The DLCs don't disappear when it rolls off XBGP, you aren't out any extra money.

You paid for a sub service, you got to play the game on that subscription. It fell off the service, you would have had to buy it to play it in the first place.

The purpose of a subscription service isn't to give you access to any particular game, it's to give you access to a huge library of games for one price. That library rotates periodically (it would be better if titles didn't roll off and only got added on, but alas, money), so you are really paying for the convenience of access to a large library. Same thing as going to the buffet table: the menu is gonna rotate somewhat; if you really wanted the Prime Rib you either go on Sunday when it's Prime Rib night, or you order it straight from the menu.

If you want a specific title, you can still buy it, just like today. And your DLCs will carry over if/when you do buy a game. If anything, it's still not a bad deal because you get to play the game earlier and can wait for the inevitable sale to buy it at the lowest price you can. And if you decide your done with the game when it rolls of the service, no harm/no foul and the DLCs will be there if/when you decide to come back.