Phil Spencer DICE

Xbox Game Pass has been a bit of a revelation in recent years and has continued to gather pace into this generation. Xbox Boss Phil Spencer is often lauded as the vision behind the service, a service that receives Xbox first-party games (and many third-party games) on day one.

However, it isn't the only viable option on Xbox, and Phil wants us all to know that. In a talk with fellow Xbox exec Sarah Bond at GDC 2022, the pair discussed every business model on Xbox, and how Game Pass isn't the 'be all and end all' of launching games. Here's what Phil had to say:

"It's really about the diversity of business models, and this is where I sometimes contrast against other forms of media we get compared to whether it's music, whether it's video. Where, the models have really condensed down to maybe one or two business models that are working.

I fundamentally believe a strength for us in the video game business is the diversity of business models and the strength of those."

Phil also mentioned that developers sometimes question whether they are valued on Xbox if their games aren't on Game Pass. In short, they are valued indeed, and Xbox still looks at physical and digital sales as a huge part of its business:

"For us at Xbox, there's not one business model that we think is going to win. I often get asked by developers 'if I'm not in the subscription am I just not viable on Xbox anymore' and it's absolutely not true."

If you're a physical game collector, it looks like that option isn't going away anytime soon under Phil Spencer's leadership, which is great news to be honest. We love Game Pass as much as anyone, but retail purchases are still incredibly important for preservation.

Do you collect games? Or is Game Pass your main source? Vote in the poll and let us know in the comments!

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