Thanks for your usual insight Jinca, which is "kind of say something good about MS, but always end it saying something negative about Xbox".Wasn't planning on renewing my sub once my free trial was over, I'm still going to cancel it but it will be worth subscribing again once they get a first party game out that I actually want to play. I am already mad at myself for buying Gears of war Bore because that came out on service not long after the One X launched, bought Halo wars 2 as well and now that's there, luckily both were on sale when I bought them but I wish I had waited now as I couldn't get into gears at all and HW2 isn't as good as the first one.
He did a pretty good job sandwiching the insults with compliments I thought. A straight shooter with management potential written all over him.Thanks for your usual insight Jinca, which is "kind of say something good about MS, but always end it saying something negative about Xbox".
Well as for EA Access:Good news for:
- MS. Game Pass looks more attractive and will get more gamers interested in it
- Gamers. For people who care about a disc and don't mind playing a digital version (which seems the growing trend), then you get lots of games and now MS launch games
- Devs still squeaking out revenue from old games. With more Game Pass people who will join, they might buy that game at discount so they have it permanently, or buy some DLC. Maybe they won't, but if gamers didn't see it and try it on Game Pass in the first place, they'd never buy it anyway. Also, MS surely funds devs. So the more gamers who sign up, the more rev they should get.... even if it's like 10 cents per person
Not good news for:
- Retailers. Any Game Pass subber won't bother buying the disc
- Sony and Nintendo. Makes them look like cheapskates not offering good subscription plans
Undetermined effect:
- EA Access. With Game Pass now getting extra value, will gamers who already do EA Access want another sub? Or will they ditch EA Access for Game Pass? Or no effect as gamers won't mind double subscriptions as it's two sets of totally different games?
This is Netflix for games....screw Gamefly yo...this is cheaper and no limits!...at least if you are primarily an Xbox gamer that is .
Well as for EA Access:
While standard joe probably doesn't know, you could get Xbox Live free and XGP free using Microsoft Rewards as well. There are games that I do want to support so I'll probably buy them on disc instead of waiting for them to hit a service but always on disc. With these 2 services, I'll be saving $$$.
- EA games aren't on XGP so nowhere else to get them
- The service comes out to $2.50/mo which is cheap. Not as many games but some fairly big ones (I only buy EA games on disc that I can trade in as I know they'll eventually come to EA Access).
I think retailers will feel a slight hit but realistically, what % of the base do you think will sub to this? 10%, 25%? Hard to say. Microsoft published games NPD sales are sure to be way skewed because of this (with this news, I don't plan to buy any MS published games directly) but they obviously are taking the Netflix route where the subs are what matter and hopefully this will allow them to take some more risks with new IP/most requested sequels and reboots.
This is Netflix for games....screw Gamefly yo...this is cheaper and no limits!...at least if you are primarily an Xbox gamer that is .
LOL...as if MS doesn't know what it's doing. They understand the ramifications of moving to a subscription model and it's actually pro consumer. I can buy the game or rent it for as long as I want. These are probably the same kids that beat off to NPD numbers every month. Hey, better tell Netflix not to make any more exclusive shows/movies as it cuts into their profit!As a safety tip, beware of skimming other gaming forums out there about Game Pass.
You may run into gamers telling you Game Pass is bad because it cuts into MS' profits as games like SoT and Crackdown 3 are part of the deal.
LOL.
He did a pretty good job sandwiching the insults with compliments I thought. A straight shooter with management potential written all over him.
Could be but obviously Microsoft has crunched the numbers on this over and over and this wasn't a knee-jerk decision. I imagine they have sub numbers that they need to hit with this new model at various times and if they don't hit them they may have an issue. However, outside of pointless hand wringing (we don't know the numbers) it's hard to criticize the move with the obvious consumer benefits.I think it has its positives and negatives. Could be more negatives in the long run.
What's the opportunity cost between a physical and digital copy of a game? Why would MS gladly have an exclusive title ready at launch for essentially a $5-10 rental? Does this mean moneyhatting is a thing of the past too?
Unstandably, depending the gamer, it's either you buy everything up or pick and choose which exclusive you want to directly support.
I have EA Access. Don't use it much, but have got my worth out of it.Value is subjective. While I think EA Access is great, I have not subscribed because I perceive the value is not there. Part of the reason is I felt games have generally lost their juice when the arrive. I feel the same about Game Pass until today. The fact AAA games will be there day 1 adds a ton more value to me. Now the additional catalogue is a nice perk.
$9.99 plus tax a month is 2 much for 2 little.
EA access cost me $25 for a whole year....
Much better value
Value is subjective. While I think EA Access is great, I have not subscribed because I perceive the value is not there. Part of the reason is I felt games have generally lost their juice when the arrive. I feel the same about Game Pass until today. The fact AAA games will be there day 1 adds a ton more value to me. Now the additional catalogue is a nice perk.
There's 100+ games in Game Pass, not two titles.
EA Access is a hell of a deal though.
Problem I see with this... where's the incentive for a developer to take their time and make a stellar title if it's just going to get lumped in with 100 other titles?
And I can't see how this doesn't hurt the studios profits.
Developers will still be selling their games separate. Even developers who put their games in Game Pass will sell separate. It’s just another option. One more way to gain exposure and potentially sell DLC, micro-transactions or their sequel to the new fan in addition to whatever they get paid for having their game on the service.
Right now developers are lumped in with 1000’s of other games.
This could be industry changing.
- Netflix didn’t start with Superstar franchises. Game Pass has bigger names than Netflix had when it began. There’s a snowball effect once momentum of a few big IPs drive the service...which allows more opportunity to invest in new IP...which drives more Investment, etc.
- New IPs like Sea of Thieves have a much greater chance to become hits and sustain their community on a service like this.
- If Sunset Overdrive was exposed to millions of more gamers, there probably would’ve been a sequel. Again this gives new IPs a far greater chance to live.
- The average gamer isn’t buying more than 1 Microsoft IP a year. Average gamers usually buy COD, GTA and Madden. This could eventually drive more average gamers into the Xbox ecosystem if Microsoft finds their next new Halo.
- Microtransactions and DLC will still be paid for separately like they are now. When a stadium doesn’t sell out a sports game, they’ll sometimes give tickets away because you’ll pay for parking, a hot dog and beer.
- People who think this is bad for gaming don’t trust Microsoft. Every reason given for why this is bad revolves around that one issue. It’s just Netflix. You can still buy movies separately while having a Netflix sub. You can still buy the games separately if this service weirds you out.
I wouldn't even consider trying my free trials as aa i stated its overpriced imo.There's 100+ games in Game Pass, not two titles.
EA Access is a hell of a deal though.
And it's nice for dumb asses like you too.