Xbox boss Phil Spencer has stated again that releasing games at launch for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass is sustainable „right now.“<\/b>
\nWithout data-particulars, it\u2019s the debate that doesn\u2019t ever quite resolve, but Phil Spencer argues that Game Pass is sustainable \u201cright now.\u201d Published on By Without data-particulars, it\u2019s the debate that doesn\u2019t ever quite resolve, but Phil Spencer argues that Game Pass is sustainable \u201cright now.\u201d Compared to the traditional model of triple-A releases, releasing full games on launch day for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass on both Xbox consoles and PC at no extra cost, must mean Microsoft are haemorrhaging money, surely \u2013 at least in the short term? So argue the CEOs of publishers like Take-Two and Sony, the latter of which, outside of the PlayStation Plus collection, don\u2019t seem to have made good on hints at a direct competitor of their own. Their PlayStation Plus service of monthly games included with access to online play (emulated in turn by Microsoft\u2019s Xbox Live Gold) has been business as normal since the end of the PS3 era. With 23 million Xbox game pass subscribers, if anything could be said to be working for the Xbox brand, Game Pass is it. Whilst the combined Xbox One and Xbox Series X\/S unit base continues to lag behind both Nintendo and Sony, its more platform-agnostic approach to a Netflix-style subscription service has been a big success story. So, are publishers, competitors, and journalists right to write it off as a short-term, subsidised drive for subscribers that will perforce have to become less generous in time? Game Pass\u2019s current age and sustained releases, to me, would suggest not. It\u2019s not the first time he\u2019s spoken out on the topic, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also stated in a retrospective with Axios that this is not the case: And here’s more of our discussion about Game Pass, of which he says: „I know there’s a lot of people that like to write: We’re burning cash right now for some future pot of gold at the end. No. Game Pass is very, very sustainable right now as it sits and it continues to grow\u201d pic.twitter.com\/TaScS04jCU Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) November 15,2021 Without any data outside of raw subscriber numbers \u2013 which could well include a fair number of promotional subscriptions \u2013 it\u2019s hard to deduce what exact definition of \u2018sustainable\u2019 the current model satisfies. Is it sustainably less profitable to release so-called \u2018frontline\u2019 games like Forza Horizon 5 and Back 4 Blood on the service on launch day? Or about the same? Outside of any sudden changes in how Game Pass operates, we may never know. Despite its lifetime successes, Xbox Game Pass actually recently missed its target of 48 per cent growth over the year ending 30th June, hitting instead 37 percent. This comes after the previous year saw 86 per cent growth race past their targets. Whether this can be put down to the end of a pandemic boost in growth or other factors is certainly up for debate. Follow Thumbsticks on Flipboard, Facebook, Google News, and YouTube for more video game news. Thumbsticks has a couple of goals. We want to write interesting articles and cover games that most outlets won’t, and we want to give opportunities to new writers and new voices. And right now, with the current state of online publishing? It’s tough to meet those goals! We hate to ask, but if you want us to continue writing what others won’t, or to keep covering weird indie games, or to be able to give opportunities to new writers \u2013 and only if you can afford it \u2013 then please consider supporting us on Patreon. ‚Video shame’\/science writer and AI postgrad. Probably looking for political messages about systemic change in the latest Star Wars game. Xbox Game Pass gets a new exclusive and some old classics First Xbox Game Pass titles for October 2021 confirmed More super games join Xbox Game Pass from today Xbox Game Pass gets eight more games this month Krispy Kreme developing Nexus Level Doughnut in partnership with Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on PC and iOS Without data-particulars, it’s the debate that doesn’t ever quite resolve, but Phil Spencer argues that Game Pass is sustainable „right… Three new sales on the Xbox digital games store are offering discounts of up to 90%. Microsoft has announced that 76 new games are now available to play in a final update to the Xbox Backward… Just a quick reminder that the Xbox Anniversary Celebration livestream will be broadcast today, celebrating 20 years of Xbox history. This week’s lineup of new PlayStation Store releases for the PS4 and PS5 includes Battlefield 2042 and two cult classic… Pok\u00e9mon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl headline this week’s lineup of new Nintendo Switch eShop releases. Calling all Horseshoe Crab enthusiasts! It’s time to dust off your Nintendo 3DS. Battlefield 2042 and, erm, Nerf Legends are among the new video games coming to Xbox Series X| S and Xbox One.<\/p>\n