Microsoft seems to be going all-out on this generation, as it continues acquiring more studios in an effort to keep Xbox’s first-party library on par with the competition. There’s still time until Microsoft’s purchases yield results, but the giant’s aggressive push forXbox Game Passseems to be doing a great job for now.
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Xbox Game Pass' Relationship With Developers
Ever since Microsoft ushered in the era ofsubscription-based service with its Xbox Game Pass, many fans have been curious to know more about the inner workings for making such a service profitable to the company and the developers. While the exact workings aren’t publicly available, Phil Spencer has provided some valuable insight into how the service is making profits for the company and the developers.
In the earliest days, Xbox Game Pass adopted a model based on usage. After receiving less favorable results, Xbox has now branched out into many different kinds of partnerships. Xbox might fund a developer in exchange for making its game available on the service, it might pay an upfront fee, or strike a deal based on usage and even in-game microtransactions.
Future DLC Models and Game Pass
Fans are more likely to purchase a piece of DLC for included games, especially when they are getting a base game for basically free. More and more publishers have the opportunity to tap into such loopholes without receiving too much fan backlash. This also ties into the transitional nature of live-service games, where more developers are fixated on making money over long periods of time.
Xbox Might Not Be At Fault Here
Such speculation might make Xbox, and by extension, Microsoft seem like it’s hurt the game industry in some regard, but that cannot be further from the truth.Xbox Game Pass is a great stepping stonetowards revolutionizing the way gamers consume games, and others have certainly taken note. Many reports indicate Sony might be developing a potential competitor to the service, and Ubisoft and EA already have their services and models set up.
However, it seems that there are some potential loopholes within the service which, when combined with recent industry trends, makes it seem like it could encourage even more of a specific type of game. Of course, Spencer has also seemingly indicated that the usage model is not the most popular, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be some day. Game Pass has a great future ahead of itself, and while a lot of this is kept close to the company’s chest for obvious reasons, it is likely aware and will take note of what sort of games dominate Game Pass. After all, variety is the spice of life and video games, and that’s where Game Pass' greatest strength currently lies.
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