Okay, this thing with Game Pass is getting ridiculous now.

[OneBadMutha]

I'm just replying to people replying to me, many of whom seem strangely defensive. The perceived value of GP compared to what it is now will inevitably diminish over time. Whether it be due to the price increasing, more competition, or whatever, it's gonna happen. I'm also saying if you find it hard to keep up with now, wait until every platform holder and major publisher has subscription services of their own.

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It's not being defensive to disagree. Microsoft's studio acquisitions are barely a part of Game Pass yet and it's not yet integrated into cloud. I expect the value to go up. I stacked 3 years before these promos got insane due to Microsoft 1st party alone. This was before so many Day 1 Indies and newish AAA 3rd party games. I have no desire to lose Gears and Forza from my collection however buying them is a years worth of XGP at full price.

It's anecdotal however it's exactly the type of anecdote microsoft is aiming for with their studio acquisitions.

 

[scitek]

Imagine being this delusional...

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Hey, thanks for adding to the conversation. Gotta get that "Imagine being this __________" reply in!

It's not being defensive to disagree. Microsoft's studio acquisitions are barely a part of Game Pass yet and it's not yet integrated into cloud. I expect the value to go up.

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I was referring to the pointless, insulting posts like the one above. Adds nothing to the conversation, and paints me as some sort of delusional fanatic. Despite the fact I even said Game Pass is a fantastic deal at the moment.

 

[TurdFerguson]

I've had this backlog problem for years, so I can't really blame Gamepass. Though it certainly doesn't help. :P I think it's just my attention span being shitty, combined with enough disposable income to buy whatever game I suddenly feel like playing.

 

[Cthulhu_Steev]

I'm sitting in front of my TV with no idea what game to tackle next, do I finally load up Dead Cells, do I carry on with Gears, Bloodstained is going to be out tommorow, i need to remember to download THAT game now? Oh for god sake now Outer Worlds is coming out next month?

Being an adult with responsiblities and Game Pass is a grueling trial of self restraint, im beginning to dread every Game Pass announcement because its on the verge of ruining my life.

Okay im being obviously hyperbolic, but the fact i might not be buying another game until my subscription runs out in 2020 (apart from Links Awakening on Switch) is pretty darn amazing. Let me BREATHE.

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Wait till October to play new games if you collect MS Rewards, achievements aren't retroactively applied. Unless you really can't wait.

 

[OneBadMutha]

Hey, thanks for adding to the conversation. Gotta get that "Imagine being this __________" reply in!



I was referring to the pointless, insulting posts like the one above. Adds nothing to the conversation, and paints me as some sort of delusional fanatic. Despite the fact I even said Game Pass is a fantastic deal at the moment.

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Personal insults shouldn't be acceptable regardless of anyone's opinion. I'm not a mod and get temp banned when I've tried to stop it in this forum before. I have issues with the tone and piling on a lot of people do here.

 

[cowbanana]

This is a thing even without game pass. I was planning to play Astral Chain and Demon x Machina on my Switch, but then MHW: Iceborne came out and I'm playing the shit out of it on my PS4. Today Link's Awakening arrived in the mail and that's just the very recent stuff. I have a giant PC backlog on Steam as well... not enough time for all this delicious gaming.

 

[SaintBowWow]

I'm just replying to people replying to me, many of whom seem strangely defensive. The perceived value of GP compared to what it is now will inevitably diminish over time. Whether it be due to the price increasing, more competition, or whatever, it's gonna happen. I'm also saying if you find it hard to keep up with now, wait until every platform holder and major publisher has subscription services of their own.

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I was just thinking last night about how game subscription services would eventually fragment, similar to what we're seeing now with movie/tv streaming, and ultimately become a headache or just no longer cost effective. However I think a few factors in gaming will ultimately prevent that from happening to the same degree.

For one, gaming has always been an industry where a small number of companies (console manufacturers) act as gatekeepers to playing third party games, which allows them to wield a lot of power. As both the service provider and the content manufacturer, Microsoft is able to integrate Game Pass features into the console experience in a way that someone like EA can't. Additionally, Microsoft could just prevent competitor services from working on their devices and can lock online play behind a subscription to their service, meaning almost anyone who could subscribe to a competitor's service would likely already have a Game Pass subscription.

Finally, Microsoft's eventual goal is game streaming. Game Pass will eventually become a service that can be used across many devices and Microsoft has the infrastructure to support that. Does EA? Unlike movie streaming services that just need to be able to competently stream HD video, any game streaming service will have to be able to stream games just as well as the market leader, as a service with a killer library will still be unappealing if the games play like shit due to streaming issues.

So while I do think there will be serious competitors to Game Pass in the future, I think the market will only be able to support a few, similar to how it can only support 3 console manufacturers today, and that we likely won't see a scenario where there are 10 viable services like this that all have content or services worth subscribing for.

 

[OneBadMutha]

I was just thinking last night about how game subscription services would eventually fragment, similar to what we're seeing now with movie/tv streaming, and ultimately become a headache or just no longer cost effective. However I think a few factors in gaming will ultimately prevent that from happening to the same degree.

For one, gaming has always been an industry where a small number of companies (console manufacturers) act as gatekeepers to playing third party games, which allows them to wield a lot of power. As both the service provider and the content manufacturer, Microsoft is able to integrate Game Pass features into the console experience in a way that someone like EA can't. Additionally, Microsoft could just prevent competitor services from working on their devices and can lock online play behind a subscription to their service, meaning almost anyone who could subscribe to a competitor's service would likely already have a Game Pass subscription.

Finally, Microsoft's eventual goal is game streaming. Game Pass will eventually become a service that can be used across many devices and Microsoft has the infrastructure to support that. Does EA? Unlike movie streaming services that just need to be able to competently stream HD video, any game streaming service will have to be able to stream games just as well as the market leader, as a service with a killer library will still be unappealing if the games play like shit due to streaming issues.

So while I do think there will be serious competitors to Game Pass in the future, I think the market will only be able to support a few, similar to how it can only support 3 console manufacturers today, and that we likely won't see a scenario where there are 10 viable services like this that all have content or services worth subscribing for.

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Gaming is currently fragmented. I think the fragmentation is becoming less and will continue to improve. Cost is the biggest barrier. It's an expensive hobby. Attach rates for even the best rated games is small and most people are tied to one ecosystem as a result of cost. 5G, crossplay and subscriptions will increase accessibility and the community across the board.

I think it's a safe prediction that it'll cost less to access 500 games across multiple ecosystems in 5 years than it cost to access a handful of games on one ecosystem through traditional non-subscription purchases today.

 

[jviggy43]

It's all relative. Compared to the intro price, the regular asking price isn't a great deal. Compared to paying for everything separately, it obviously is. All I'm saying there will undoubtedly be people who think it's overpriced once that initial offer expires.

I also think its most avid users will likely reach a saturation point where they've played everything in the "100+ games' that interests them and they end up counting on the new stuff hitting the service to give them their money's worth. So landing the big titles will be key for it going forward.

You also have to realize down the road, yes many people will be subbed to Game Pass, but they will likely also be subbed to other subscription services. I mean, we already have several - like Ubisoft's and EA's - and the choices could eventually be as overwhelming as the streaming TV and movie services now. And if those other services have some of the same games as Game Pass (which I think they inevitably will), that can also hurt Game Pass's perceived value.

So again, for now Game Pass seems great (and it is!), but I think it will seem less great as it gets more competition, the intro price expires for many users, and the library starts to stagnate a bit as people play most of what it has to offer, and games on it start to cross over with other subscription services - i.e. Assassin's Creed might appear on it, while also obviously being on Uplay+.

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I mean if youre going to compare 15 to the intro price, I guess but everyone going in already knew that price wasnt the actual price so anyone who goes in and feels its overpriced once the initial price is over are uninformed and have absolutely insane standards for whats overpriced. There isnt a single streaming service on the market, in gaming or otherwise, that provides this much quality content for 15 dollars a month. Nothing comes close.

We'll see if theres going to be any competition.The library wont stagnate because fresh new games are always being added. We had DMC5 last month, gears 5 this month, and outer worlds next month. You essentially pay 45 dollars to play 3 brand new games that would have cost you 180+. Additionally thats on top of over 200 other titles. Anyone saying that this is overpriced at 10-15 dollars or acting like the library is stagnating when MS seems to be on top of adding new, quality titles to the service every month are out of their fucking minds, quite frankly.

 

[scitek]

Additionally, Microsoft could just prevent competitor services from working on their devices and can lock online play behind a subscription to their service, meaning almost anyone who could subscribe to a competitor's service would likely already have a Game Pass subscription.

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I think this point in particular will be key. I think Microsoft and Sony will have a hard time telling publishers they can't have their own sub services on current consoles because they've already allowed EA to have their own, so there's a precedent that's been established. With the next generation of consoles fast approaching, though, maybe that gives them a renewed opportunity to draw new lines with publishers. I'd imagine it's tricky being a platform holder and trying to strike a balance between pushing your own games/streaming/subscription services, while also keeping publishers convinced you're not doing anything that could screw them over in the process.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I think there's an interesting discussion on the future of Game Pass, and how the industry will respond to it down the road. it should probably be its own thread, though, and looking back, trying to start it in here wasn't the best idea.

 

[SaintBowWow]

I think this point in particular will be key. I think Microsoft and Sony will have a hard time telling publishers they can't have their own sub services on current consoles because they've already allowed EA to have their own, so there's a precedent that's been established. With the next generation of consoles fast approaching, though, maybe that gives them a renewed opportunity to draw new lines with publishers. I'd imagine it's tricky being a platform holder and trying to strike a balance between pushing your own games/streaming/subscription services, while also keeping publishers convinced you're not doing anything that could screw them over in the process.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I think there's an interesting discussion on the future of Game Pass, and how the industry will respond to it down the road. it should probably be its own thread, though, and looking back, trying to start it in here wasn't the best idea.

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That's true but I could also see a scenario where MS allows other publishers services to coexist with Game Pass anyway. For one this would only be feasible on Xboxes that can play games locally, so pure streaming boxes would still be locked down to Game Pass unless other publishers can whip up an equivalent to xCloud. Also, you'd still need a Live subscription to play online multiplayer in games from another service, at which point you probably have Game Pass anyway and then your Origin/Uplay subscription is just extra.

 

[crazillo]

If anything, Game Pass is less fragmented than other subscription services because it offers a cool mix of first and third parties. EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Square-Enix do seem a bit reluctant to put stuff on there but that's mostly because they want their own service to cash in. I don't really see why Microsoft would be to blame there. I rather like to pay 9,99 EUR for a cool mix than the same amount for each of all other services. I do have concerns we will be heading to this type of future but again, this is where the industry in general is to be addressed, especially big third-party publishers.

Also, the argument that people would get tired of Game Pass after they have finished playing the stuff they want on there is total nonsense. The library keeps changing and games rotate in and out, staying for about a year or so. There will always be something new to play, given the amount of titles and genres covered. Also, for Microsoft first party it's increasingly going to be an instant games collection that will only grow over time, making it additionally attractive.

 

[EdgeXL]

It seems like a great deal now, but once the trial price expires and they want you to pay $15 a month for Ultimate, it won't seem that way anymore. Enjoy it while you can.

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I am paying $15 per month for Game Pass Ultimate now and I still feel like it is a great deal. I long ago grew tired of looking for deals on XBL gold and just paid the $60/year rate just so I don't have to think about it anymore. Then I was paying an additional $10 monthly for Game Pass. From my perspective nothing has changed and I get access to an insane catalog of games. I will not even include Gears 5 in that list because I have no plans to ever play it but even with my preferences I am in no danger of running out of stuff to play. My Switch is mostly a handheld now (though that will change for a while with Link's Awakening) and my PS4 has not been turned on since Spider-Man.

As for competing services - I would hope that Microsoft will offer some sort of "add-on" feature like we see with Amazon Prime.

 

[Deleted member 18400]

I feel this post in my soul OP.

I'm literally starting and playing like 8 different Game Pass games on top of Borderlands 3 and Grandia HD Collection on other consoles!