In an interview with The New York Times, Xbox director Phil Spencer said the gaming industry could not be fully subscribed to like Netflix for the time being, and the retail market "continued to maintain strong growth momentum." "As a result, we make sure that we can offer our customers a choice between subscription and transaction." He said.
Regarding Microsoft's efforts in cloud gaming and streaming, Spencer agreed that it was a bit like Netflix, but was quick to mention that buying games separately was a "traditional part of the game" rather than something that was phased out. Because it doesn't make any sense to do so, even though XGP and PGP are growing fast, they still fail to stay ahead of traditional retail game buying methods.
"The volume of transactions is greater than the volume of subscriptions." Spencer said. "While subscriptions are growing faster, it's just because it's relatively new. With Game Pass, we are one of the pioneers in the field. But the volume of transaction business is very large. We're still selling physical discs. ”
Xbox Game Pass and its sibling PC Game Pass are a small puzzle for players. On the one hand, XGP and PGP from time to time discount 8 dollars a month of activity, in their subscription time to play a game is worth the ticket price. Even at the original price of HK$30 per month, if you play a lot of games, the subscription is very cost-effective, not to mention that there are hundreds of games in the library.
On the other hand, if you are a game collector, looking back on 2022 in the coming day, you will definitely slap yourself a few times. Because he must have a hard time understanding how he could be so stupid as to let a virtual library of subscription games replace the physical games purchased.
In addition, although cloud gaming won't replace downloaded games anytime soon, many big companies still see this as the future, including Microsoft. "I think cloud gaming is critical," Spencer said, "and Netflix clearly has the ability to evolve cloud gaming." Amazon has it too. Google also has real cloud capabilities. ”
In this regard, Spencer believes that Microsoft still has an advantage over the above, because in addition to cloud gaming technology, Xbox already knows how to make games.
"Content, community, and cloud technology are all essential. I think it's time to get into the gaming industry — that's what Netflix did. He continued, "I think what they're doing is smart. They are buying some studios and are learning about the creative process of interactive entertainment. I think it's a very clever way for them to get into this field. But for us, it was done many years ago. ”
For a new player like Amazon, its first hit game, New World, took years to try. But at the same time, Microsoft released a large number of blockbuster games last year: "Halo: Infinity", "Forza Motorsport: Horizon 5", "Age of Empires 4", "Italian Airliner 2". Don't forget Death Loop, because Both Bethesda and Arkane are now under Microsoft's umbrella.
Xbox is a leader in subscription and cloud gaming, but it's great to hear Phil Spencer say that Xbox still supports the old way of buying. But given that Xbox has called buying games "traditional," will there still be such a form in another two decades? It's hard to say.