@Fiendish-Beaver Allow me to make myself clear here, I feel this is getting slightly too argumentative on all sides.
Let me lay out why I disagree with you, not why you’re wrong, because none of us have a clue what will happen.
Phil Spencer’s plan was to buy studios and fatten up gamepass which would have lead to more subs, but that didn’t happen. Asha has stated the price increase lead to losses but now it’s back to a stable condition.
For the last decade XBOX has chased a growth strategy which relied on growth at any cost, and that’s part of the problem, because buying up so many studios doesn’t mean they create a stronger platform. They failed to meet the challenge of executing the original plan behind such a strategy.
But taking in what Ball, Sharma and Nadella have said, we get a better idea of what the idea is going forward. Because debating the past is pointless at this stage. So, Ball talked about the need for a consistent pipeline of exclusives and has openly admitted they will sell fewer copies, but his argument was that it was defining XBOX and why people SHOULD buy an XBOX. It is not part of the revenue maximization plan.
Sharma talked about resetting XBOX and building a more sustainable business. Nadella has echoed this. They’ve also talked about other gamepass options, so you’re right, it COULD mean removing day one, but the wind looks to be blowing to ad tier options, or at least until 2027.
It seems that they’ve woken up to the realisation that more studios does not make XBOX successful, and the money wasted on some of them is just bad business, I mean, look at the 360 days, it didn’t need a ton of studios it just needed a decent, brand identifiable portfolio.
XBOX needs to be more sustainable, and I think the way they’ll do this is by re-organising, and re-prioritising studios, essentially becoming leaner but more focused. Gamepass is still very much needed for their survival, and I honestly do not see them getting rid of day one. But we can go around in circles over this, and only time will tell which one of us is right.
If we take everything that Ball and Sharma have said, we can at the very least ascertain there will be blood, and it would appear they might see this more of a sacrifice in order to reset the brand. They know exclusives hurt, but they also know they need identity. A leaner XBOX could, COULD, take the hit of losing some sales.
When we also look at their desire to win the attention of gamers, that’s another reason gamepass is required.
Either way, Phil’s plan to spend spend spend, then put those games on gamepass failed, because the games sucked, or were just too messy, and this hurt the pipeline, which hurt the profit, and clearly buying Activsion made things worse. I think it can go two ways. XBOX might end up being more like 360, but with the added bonus of owning enough IP’s to play both publisher and platform.
I remain cautiously optimistic that XBOX will come out stronger for this.
@Weebleman @Fiendish-Beaver @PsBoxSwitchOwner it's the whole gang hahah.
Well, see, I feel like all three of you are doing the same thing here, you're presenting evidence that XBOX has challenges, then treating your preferred explanation as the only possible exlpanation.
I don't think anyone is disputing that XBOX needs to improve, Nadella has said that in regards to profitability. Asha has said that. The leap happens when you move from "XBOX NEEDS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY" to "DAY ONE GAMEPASS MUST THEREFORE END." These are not the same statements.
You've pointed to underperforming games, slower subscriber growth, pressure on margins, and business restructuring. FINE. BUT where is the evidence that day one gamepass is the cause of those problems rather than one of the tools XBOX uses to address them?
Because I can point to facts too. XBOX just spent its showcase advertising GAMEPASS more aggressively than ever.
First pary and third party day one games announced all the way to 2027.
Nadella never identified gamepass as the problem.
XBOX leadership continues to market gamepass as a core part of the ecosystem (see where Ball said it actually can be helpful with hardware shortages I.E cloud)
What I keep seeing people saying is something must change and then assuming the thing that changes has to be gamepass. Why? Why could it not be tiers? Why could it not be an ad supported tier? Why could it not be broader platform distribution? Why could it not be restructuring costs? Why could it not be improved monetisation around gamepass rather than removing its biggest selling points?
The reality is none of us know exactly what they will do, but it is clear you are all very anti-gamepass, that's fine too, but you're just as obnoxious and wrong as I could be.
I'm not disagreeing with you as such, I am pointing out that there are multiple possible outcomes, and if we take the words of Ball and Asha, it seems gamepass is not going anywhere, nor is day one.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner You're making up a few assumptions there, and treating them as established facts. Sadly, this is a common trait among armchair analysts.
So, you say people are not buying XBOX games because some titles underperformed? That's not really evidence is it? It just means certain games did not meet expectations. Those are very, very different claims.
You also keep framing XBOX as if it is still a console only business. It is not. XBOX revenue now comes from console sales, gamepass, PC, cloud, mobile, DLC, premiums, Playstation sales, etc. Nadella was talking about monetising entertainment more effectively, not simply selling more copies of XBOX consoles.
Everyone arguing that gamepass needs to lose day one games seem to ignore what XBOX is actually doing. They just spent their biggest showcase in years plastering COMING TO GAMEPASS" across first party and third party games stretching into 2027.
If leadership believed day one gamepass was fundamentally the problem and planned to remove it, why spend the entire showcase marketing futre gamepass content.
Saying people are not buying games is a huge leap. A game underperforming doesn't mena nobody is buying games. And as for your argument "exclusivity will sell less simply because XBOX has 40m or so consoles" totally ignores that XBOX is no longer just a console platform.
Microsoft is consoles, windows PC, gamepass, cloud, mobile. A new Gears, Halo, Forza, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, isn't restricted to a 40 million console players only.
You're again relying on assumption and poorly performed titles. Hence why they mention Asha focusing on the more popular IP's, and as Ball said, they're aware they won't sell as many as they would if they brought some games to Playstation, but it's the long term they have to think about.
It's painfully obvious that this site attracts a lot of anti-gamepass and some even anti-XBOX people, but just because you THINK something works one way, does not mean it actually works that way.
The next 100 days will, or rather should, make clearer what XBOX will likely become. Until then, assumptions and inaccurate readings of the business is just silly.
@Fiendish-Beaver I see where you're coming from, but I think you're assuming gamepass is the only variable XBOX can change.
Nadella was not talking about gamepass, he was talking about XBOX overall business model across console, PC, mobile, cloud and publishing.
XBOX could grow gamepass subs, introduce tiers, add an ad supported tier, improve monetisation, increase engagement through stronger first party releases, focuses resources on bigger fracnhises, expand PC revenue, improve third party publishing revenue.
All of this could improve profitability without removing day one for gamepass.
I also have to pull you up on "we, the gamers, are still not going to buy first party games on XBOX", that's a massive assumption. Also, didn't you say you DO buy them?
Some people do buy them, some subscribe, some buy DLC's, some buy premium editions, some play on PC.
XBOX doesn't need everybody buying games outright, nord does PS. The business is about the combination of revenue streams.
Your comment about E-day is also a bit iffy, Asha did not claim one exclusive fixes everything. She said that a healthier business can support more exclusives. That's a different point entirely.
Look, I can't actually sit here debating you, but you're wrong. A lot of what you say is based on assumptions. This is a case that, no matter what anyone says to you, you will contextualise it to fit your narrative, just as you have done with her "the plan" quote. You're just as bad as the xbox diehards.
You're far too blinkered by your disagreement with Gamepass.
@Fiendish-Beaver I agree with this. I actually cringed when I saw klin, and double fines other game releases, also Redfall...this has to stop. They've got to start focusing on their beasts, people will come for that. Look at Forza. It's a small spike, but a spike where the heart is barely beating is called LIFE haha
@Fiendish-Beaver You’re mixing up with up “xbox needs to be healthier” with “gamepass is about to be gutted.”
I agree, there will be layoffs, restructuring, and studio closures, but Nadella’s comments about sustainability suggest XBOX is under pressure to improve its economics. Where I think your argument falls short is the jump to “day one gamepass is ending”> I mean, c’mon, they literally just spent the last year, the recent showcase, announcing first party and third party day one games all the way into 2027. If they were planning to remove day on first party games in the next 100 days why would they market future game pass games so aggressively?
Also, Nadella didn’t say game pass was the problem. He said XBOX needs to monetize its entertainment better, which actually fits in more with gamepass going to other platforms but that’s a different conversation. If anything, his comments could easily support new tiers, advertising, better conversion, or different pricing rather than removing day one. I do see that you’re quite a gamepass critic, and that’s fine, but take the blinders off a second.
People underestimate how important day one releases are to XBOX. If Asha is serious about rebuilding platform identity and doing more exclusives, taking away day one access to those exclusives would weaken one of the biggest reasons people subscribe.
The more likely outcome is ad tiers, or some kind of evolution. A lot of what Nadella said is more about making XBOX stand out more, monetize better, and be more affordable. This likely means third party console makers, ad tiered gamepass models, studio closures, and perhaps more aggressive advertising (I know they may make layoffs there but, y’know, what A.I can do sadly)
@Skinny-Pete I wanted to put a Traitors reference from the TV show but couldn't think of it. All I'm saying is, the Idiolect is 99.9 percent and their arguments are matched perfectly. That, and some background searching at my end. But I'll leave it there, because I'm not trying to stir anything and it's not relevant to the article. Sammy knows I can't wait for more exclusives though, I think I read them finally admit that they'll lose money but long term it makes sense. I'm hoping Fallout remasters are just XBOX and PC.
@Skinny-Pete If you actually read what Beaver says it is hate filled, wrapped up in constructive criticism and lies. Only Sammy knows I'm telling the truth though, so it is what it is
@Kaloudz I'd bet on it. But it doesn't matter, I'll happily take the badge of crazy conspiracy theorist. But for the record, I do not believe his is in his sixties. I am certain he's Sammy, one of the ones who write articles for Pushsquare. He's been here for years because the site has been here for years, just like Sammy. Their Idiolect is 99.9 percent.
I have read someone attack someone for being a XBOX fanboy. This confused me too. And people angry about Gears of War E-DAY, complaining about strategy etc, (I suspect one on here is Sammy from Pushquare, they write the exact same, same idioms, same IP) but yeah, if you own an XBOX and play on XBOX then you're going to be a fanboy, and happy with the new direction, regardless of when they decided to change course. Those attacking us for such clearly don't come here because they enjoy XBOX. And that's odd, to think you can change anything under a comment section of mostly the same characters.
On a side note, this is a fansite for xbox fans, why are there people coming on here to attack us? We like XBOX, so? I hope XBOX make many more games exclusives, which seems to be the plan. A lot of disingenuous folks, and to see the comment section moistly riddled with the usual suspects, ones who openly admit to not having an XBOX, or very active on Pushsquare as a Playstation fan (which makes sense obviously) It's not really a fan site anymore is it? It's a hate site, a vent page, a place for angry full grown men to attack the few who come here to enjoy XBOX news.
Comments 14
Re: 'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox
@Fiendish-Beaver Allow me to make myself clear here, I feel this is getting slightly too argumentative on all sides.
Let me lay out why I disagree with you, not why you’re wrong, because none of us have a clue what will happen.
Phil Spencer’s plan was to buy studios and fatten up gamepass which would have lead to more subs, but that didn’t happen. Asha has stated the price increase lead to losses but now it’s back to a stable condition.
For the last decade XBOX has chased a growth strategy which relied on growth at any cost, and that’s part of the problem, because buying up so many studios doesn’t mean they create a stronger platform. They failed to meet the challenge of executing the original plan behind such a strategy.
But taking in what Ball, Sharma and Nadella have said, we get a better idea of what the idea is going forward. Because debating the past is pointless at this stage. So, Ball talked about the need for a consistent pipeline of exclusives and has openly admitted they will sell fewer copies, but his argument was that it was defining XBOX and why people SHOULD buy an XBOX. It is not part of the revenue maximization plan.
Sharma talked about resetting XBOX and building a more sustainable business. Nadella has echoed this. They’ve also talked about other gamepass options, so you’re right, it COULD mean removing day one, but the wind looks to be blowing to ad tier options, or at least until 2027.
It seems that they’ve woken up to the realisation that more studios does not make XBOX successful, and the money wasted on some of them is just bad business, I mean, look at the 360 days, it didn’t need a ton of studios it just needed a decent, brand identifiable portfolio.
XBOX needs to be more sustainable, and I think the way they’ll do this is by re-organising, and re-prioritising studios, essentially becoming leaner but more focused. Gamepass is still very much needed for their survival, and I honestly do not see them getting rid of day one. But we can go around in circles over this, and only time will tell which one of us is right.
If we take everything that Ball and Sharma have said, we can at the very least ascertain there will be blood, and it would appear they might see this more of a sacrifice in order to reset the brand. They know exclusives hurt, but they also know they need identity. A leaner XBOX could, COULD, take the hit of losing some sales.
When we also look at their desire to win the attention of gamers, that’s another reason gamepass is required.
Either way, Phil’s plan to spend spend spend, then put those games on gamepass failed, because the games sucked, or were just too messy, and this hurt the pipeline, which hurt the profit, and clearly buying Activsion made things worse. I think it can go two ways. XBOX might end up being more like 360, but with the added bonus of owning enough IP’s to play both publisher and platform.
I remain cautiously optimistic that XBOX will come out stronger for this.
Re: 'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox
@Weebleman @Fiendish-Beaver @PsBoxSwitchOwner it's the whole gang hahah.
Well, see, I feel like all three of you are doing the same thing here, you're presenting evidence that XBOX has challenges, then treating your preferred explanation as the only possible exlpanation.
I don't think anyone is disputing that XBOX needs to improve, Nadella has said that in regards to profitability. Asha has said that. The leap happens when you move from "XBOX NEEDS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY" to "DAY ONE GAMEPASS MUST THEREFORE END."
These are not the same statements.
You've pointed to underperforming games, slower subscriber growth, pressure on margins, and business restructuring. FINE. BUT where is the evidence that day one gamepass is the cause of those problems rather than one of the tools XBOX uses to address them?
Because I can point to facts too.
XBOX just spent its showcase advertising GAMEPASS more aggressively than ever.
First pary and third party day one games announced all the way to 2027.
Nadella never identified gamepass as the problem.
XBOX leadership continues to market gamepass as a core part of the ecosystem (see where Ball said it actually can be helpful with hardware shortages I.E cloud)
What I keep seeing people saying is something must change and then assuming the thing that changes has to be gamepass. Why? Why could it not be tiers? Why could it not be an ad supported tier? Why could it not be broader platform distribution? Why could it not be restructuring costs? Why could it not be improved monetisation around gamepass rather than removing its biggest selling points?
The reality is none of us know exactly what they will do, but it is clear you are all very anti-gamepass, that's fine too, but you're just as obnoxious and wrong as I could be.
I'm not disagreeing with you as such, I am pointing out that there are multiple possible outcomes, and if we take the words of Ball and Asha, it seems gamepass is not going anywhere, nor is day one.
Re: 'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox
@PsBoxSwitchOwner You're making up a few assumptions there, and treating them as established facts. Sadly, this is a common trait among armchair analysts.
So, you say people are not buying XBOX games because some titles underperformed? That's not really evidence is it? It just means certain games did not meet expectations. Those are very, very different claims.
You also keep framing XBOX as if it is still a console only business. It is not. XBOX revenue now comes from console sales, gamepass, PC, cloud, mobile, DLC, premiums, Playstation sales, etc. Nadella was talking about monetising entertainment more effectively, not simply selling more copies of XBOX consoles.
Everyone arguing that gamepass needs to lose day one games seem to ignore what XBOX is actually doing. They just spent their biggest showcase in years plastering COMING TO GAMEPASS" across first party and third party games stretching into 2027.
If leadership believed day one gamepass was fundamentally the problem and planned to remove it, why spend the entire showcase marketing futre gamepass content.
Saying people are not buying games is a huge leap. A game underperforming doesn't mena nobody is buying games. And as for your argument "exclusivity will sell less simply because XBOX has 40m or so consoles" totally ignores that XBOX is no longer just a console platform.
Microsoft is consoles, windows PC, gamepass, cloud, mobile. A new Gears, Halo, Forza, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, isn't restricted to a 40 million console players only.
You're again relying on assumption and poorly performed titles. Hence why they mention Asha focusing on the more popular IP's, and as Ball said, they're aware they won't sell as many as they would if they brought some games to Playstation, but it's the long term they have to think about.
It's painfully obvious that this site attracts a lot of anti-gamepass and some even anti-XBOX people, but just because you THINK something works one way, does not mean it actually works that way.
The next 100 days will, or rather should, make clearer what XBOX will likely become. Until then, assumptions and inaccurate readings of the business is just silly.
Re: 'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox
@Fiendish-Beaver I see where you're coming from, but I think you're assuming gamepass is the only variable XBOX can change.
Nadella was not talking about gamepass, he was talking about XBOX overall business model across console, PC, mobile, cloud and publishing.
XBOX could grow gamepass subs, introduce tiers, add an ad supported tier, improve monetisation, increase engagement through stronger first party releases, focuses resources on bigger fracnhises, expand PC revenue, improve third party publishing revenue.
All of this could improve profitability without removing day one for gamepass.
I also have to pull you up on "we, the gamers, are still not going to buy first party games on XBOX", that's a massive assumption. Also, didn't you say you DO buy them?
Some people do buy them, some subscribe, some buy DLC's, some buy premium editions, some play on PC.
XBOX doesn't need everybody buying games outright, nord does PS. The business is about the combination of revenue streams.
Your comment about E-day is also a bit iffy, Asha did not claim one exclusive fixes everything. She said that a healthier business can support more exclusives. That's a different point entirely.
Look, I can't actually sit here debating you, but you're wrong. A lot of what you say is based on assumptions. This is a case that, no matter what anyone says to you, you will contextualise it to fit your narrative, just as you have done with her "the plan" quote. You're just as bad as the xbox diehards.
You're far too blinkered by your disagreement with Gamepass.
Re: 'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox
@Fiendish-Beaver I agree with this. I actually cringed when I saw klin, and double fines other game releases, also Redfall...this has to stop. They've got to start focusing on their beasts, people will come for that. Look at Forza. It's a small spike, but a spike where the heart is barely beating is called LIFE haha
Re: 'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox
@Fiendish-Beaver You’re mixing up with up “xbox needs to be healthier” with “gamepass is about to be gutted.”
I agree, there will be layoffs, restructuring, and studio closures, but Nadella’s comments about sustainability suggest XBOX is under pressure to improve its economics. Where I think your argument falls short is the jump to “day one gamepass is ending”> I mean, c’mon, they literally just spent the last year, the recent showcase, announcing first party and third party day one games all the way into 2027. If they were planning to remove day on first party games in the next 100 days why would they market future game pass games so aggressively?
Also, Nadella didn’t say game pass was the problem. He said XBOX needs to monetize its entertainment better, which actually fits in more with gamepass going to other platforms but that’s a different conversation. If anything, his comments could easily support new tiers, advertising, better conversion, or different pricing rather than removing day one. I do see that you’re quite a gamepass critic, and that’s fine, but take the blinders off a second.
People underestimate how important day one releases are to XBOX. If Asha is serious about rebuilding platform identity and doing more exclusives, taking away day one access to those exclusives would weaken one of the biggest reasons people subscribe.
The more likely outcome is ad tiers, or some kind of evolution. A lot of what Nadella said is more about making XBOX stand out more, monetize better, and be more affordable. This likely means third party console makers, ad tiered gamepass models, studio closures, and perhaps more aggressive advertising (I know they may make layoffs there but, y’know, what A.I can do sadly)
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
@Fiendish-Beaver Oh to clarify, hate filled wasn't aimed specifically at you, Sammy. I was generalising other comments I have seen.
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
@Skinny-Pete I wanted to put a Traitors reference from the TV show but couldn't think of it. All I'm saying is, the Idiolect is 99.9 percent and their arguments are matched perfectly. That, and some background searching at my end. But I'll leave it there, because I'm not trying to stir anything and it's not relevant to the article. Sammy knows I can't wait for more exclusives though, I think I read them finally admit that they'll lose money but long term it makes sense. I'm hoping Fallout remasters are just XBOX and PC.
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
@Skinny-Pete If you actually read what Beaver says it is hate filled, wrapped up in constructive criticism and lies. Only Sammy knows I'm telling the truth though, so it is what it is
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
@Kaloudz I'd bet on it. But it doesn't matter, I'll happily take the badge of crazy conspiracy theorist. But for the record, I do not believe his is in his sixties. I am certain he's Sammy, one of the ones who write articles for Pushsquare. He's been here for years because the site has been here for years, just like Sammy. Their Idiolect is 99.9 percent.
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
@Kaloudz You're talking to Sammy, mate. It's obvious
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
I have read someone attack someone for being a XBOX fanboy. This confused me too. And people angry about Gears of War E-DAY, complaining about strategy etc, (I suspect one on here is Sammy from Pushquare, they write the exact same, same idioms, same IP) but yeah, if you own an XBOX and play on XBOX then you're going to be a fanboy, and happy with the new direction, regardless of when they decided to change course. Those attacking us for such clearly don't come here because they enjoy XBOX. And that's odd, to think you can change anything under a comment section of mostly the same characters.
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
On a side note, this is a fansite for xbox fans, why are there people coming on here to attack us? We like XBOX, so? I hope XBOX make many more games exclusives, which seems to be the plan. A lot of disingenuous folks, and to see the comment section moistly riddled with the usual suspects, ones who openly admit to not having an XBOX, or very active on Pushsquare as a Playstation fan (which makes sense obviously) It's not really a fan site anymore is it? It's a hate site, a vent page, a place for angry full grown men to attack the few who come here to enjoy XBOX news.
Re: Xbox Employee Responds To New Trailer Showing PS5 Logo For Gears Of War E-Day
@Fiendish-Beaver Can I just say, it's obvious you're Sammy from Pushsquare