OPINION: After a year of confusion, Xbox is closing out 2024 with a ton of momentum, and plenty of cause for optimism

[Windows Central]

After a year of confusion, Xbox is closing out 2024 on a high note with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, a big Xbox Game Pass boost, major support from previously Xbox-agnostic publishers, and two major timed console exclusives.

OPINION: After a year of confusion, Xbox is closing out 2024 with a ton of momentum, and plenty of cause for optimism : Read more

 

[Lurking_Lurker_Lurks]

I've very much enjoyed being on Xbox this year. More than ever. Just like I did last year. Recent Xbox "buzz" has really felt like people just... want to belive it's failing. Whether it's because Xbox isn't playing by the traditional rules or that it's actually growing into quite the beast. And then online there's just a positive ongoing loop reaction that makes it seem like the doom and gloom holds water when it doesn't. As someone whose been here since the 360 golden days... yeah I don't want to go back. Previously I HAD to get a Playstation because basically every major JRPG was a PS exclusive or otherwise not on Xbox. That isn't the case anymore. Previously I've had to choose between devices and buy games multiple times. With Xbox Playanywhere that isn't the case anymore. I'm having a lot of fun hopping on my Xbox library in the bed with my legion go and streaming casual games I don't want to download. And playing some games on the go on my phone with touch like Path of the Goddess and freaking Yakuza (Like a Dragon) which play wonderfully.

On Call of Duty, I'd say my concern was that Xbox would pull in ABK and it'd benefit Microsoft way way more than it did Xbox. And I mean, yeah it's definitely doing more for Microsoft as a whole than Xbox as a platform, but that Xbox and COD are benefiting a lot as well is really fantastic too. This was called an investment so it's nice to see that growth is on the horizon. This is the biggest COD release and a record number of game pass subs with insane user engagement from console users. It really makes it look like there was purpose to the acquisition and they didn't just pull in more revenue, but they bought an asset that can help accelerate growth plans. I'll also say I think this was a REALLY good time for COD to join Game Pass. Like if it came during a dry year like 2022 then there'd be a question of how to retain subscribers and get them to spend more in other games. But on top of COD's Microtransaction machine, Xbox is deliver MS flight Sim, Stalker 2, and Indiana Jones on GP back to back. That actually shows great promise in keeping COD subs locked in and playing more games (and Xbox only needs them to stay subscribed for half a year (or less) before they paid more than COD cost to purchase alone).

I think we all wanted Xbox to hit this stride in 2020, but all things considered that was unlikely. I mean they just finished purchasing and building up internal studios. Xbox Game Studios as an entity only came into existence in 2019 (when they rebranded) and game development takes a few years. But now we're past those few years and Xbox also built up more in the meantime with Zenimax and ABK now first party and they continued to do a lot of work to have more third party support than ever. The platform is stronger than it's ever been and leading the industry. The concern I have left is in overall management and user experience. Xbox built up its first party content offering, now it REALLY needs to build a stronger user experience and community. We need more community features on Xbox and the PC Xbox App, the Xbox overall needs an overall, better marketing overall, expanded regional support, a better user experience across all platforms, improved storefront, and so much more.

Xbox is headed in the right direction and I definitely think new hardware (potentially starting the next wave early and breaking away from PS as well) would be perfect. If they keep headed in the right direction and investing in Xbox as a platform AND an ecosystem then they'll continue to reap more rewards than ever.

 

[fjtorres5591]

On COD: the biggest win for XBOX (and PC) is the end of playstation timed exclusive DLC. Parity across all platforms puts everybody on a level playing field.

On XBOX being on the ascendancy, that is more perception than reality. XBOX is healthy but not yet dominant. It just looks better than it is because it isn't as weak as the PS platform. Yes, Sony is making lots of money off hardware and remasters but not as much as their installed based should bring in. And their software partners aren't doing so hot. (square enix in particular is barely treading water.)

XBOX Hardware sales *are* down after all so the growth of the platform isn't as strong as it could be given the strength of 1st Party software and services. XBOX is also benefiting from Sony's weakness driving asian developers to look for extra sales on XBOX. The two together make XBOX healthier than it would under the old, dated model that only counted shipped boxes.

Sooner or later the gaming media is going to have to move from a hardware-centric outlook to an ecosystem-centric outlook and start looking at each platform's attach rate to judge the strength of the ecosystems.

That said, wait a bit.
XBOX is just getting started.
The momentum is real.

 

[fjtorres5591]

People fretting over COD losing significant sales over game pass don't understand Game Pass, the game, or its community.

A strong plurality of COD players, across all platforms, only plays COD--paying $10/20 a month versus $70 makes no sense. Add in the players on PS that can't get Game Pass and that adds up to something like 85-90% of the COD community.

So all MS is gambling is 10% of the existing launch window COD sales against the added engagement (and post release revenues) that Game Pass might bring.

So far, the quality of the game is bringing more sales than last year's and by itself making up for any launch windows "losses*. At worst, they would break even, at best grow the COD community. A gamble with little if any downside.

So far, it looks like they win the bet.

 

[fatpunkslim]

After a year of confusion, Xbox is closing out 2024 on a high note with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, a big Xbox Game Pass boost, major support from previously Xbox-agnostic publishers, and two major timed console exclusives.

OPINION: After a year of confusion, Xbox is closing out 2024 with a ton of momentum, and plenty of cause for optimism : Read more

that's funny, you post this article by saying "After a year of confusion" when Phil continues to create confusion by saying on Bloomberg that there are no red lines, etc.. when The last annual report said that exclusive games were important !!

That said, the fact that nothing is excluded means everything and nothing; it doesn't mean day one, we don't know after how long an old exclusive becomes potentially available on another platform, and it doesn't mean they want to stop exclusives altogether, it's just that they leave themselves the freedom, according to criteria we don't know, to consider certain games on other platforms.

If that was really their strategy, it would have been done a long time ago, why wait? In fact, we've never had so many exclusive games on Xbox, the facts contradict their communication which is vague in this case.

These kinds of statements, apart from pleasing partners and shareholders, I don't see much interest for the consumer, apart from telling them 'stay on your platforms, other Xbox games are coming!' no interest in saying that! In what way is it in Xbox's interest to say that? So I think he's hiding something behind it:
>> Either the next Xbox will integrate the Steam library and therefore PlayStation games! So it's a way to reassure competitors, even if in the end it's just communication.
>> Or he's preparing a new acquisition! So it's a way to reassure the regulatory authorities.
>> Or it's to push competitors to do the same! We had Death Stranding on Xbox recently, but also games like Kena, Sifu, Stray, some FF, MLB The Show, etc.... Even if they are not all games created by PS, they remain old PS exclusives.

I don't think he said that by chance, and that something bigger is being prepared. I increasingly feel that Phil is a chess enthusiast and has several moves ahead, or he is completely stupid, at least in his communication.