Phil Spencer has said that the purpose of Xbox Game Pass is not to replace the sale of single games.
In the video game subscription market, Microsoft is one of the undisputed masters of the industry. Its service called Xbox Game Pass – or PC Game Pass on this specific platform – is the most profitable and advantageous subscription currently. For € 9.99 per month you have access to over a hundred regularly updated games, and for € 12.99 you also have access to the cloud, Xbox Live Gold and the EA Play games library.
With so much diversity in the game library, it is difficult to want to spend money on games on the side, especially paid full price. And yet, Phil Spencer is counting on the players to continue to do so. According to him, the Game Pass is not here to kill retail ; on the contrary, the latter seems to continue to grow at the same time as the subscription to subscriptions. In an interview with New York Times, he explains :
” The retail market continues to be very strong and to grow. So let’s make sure we offer our customers the choice between subscriptions and transactions. This is probably the only difference between us and some video subscriptions. Membership is growing faster, just because it’s relatively new. And with Game Pass, we were one of the first to act in this area. “
The Netflix of video games?
The boss of Xbox also reveals that, for the moment, the sale of individual games represents a much more important part of the Microsoft economy than subscriptions, simply because it is the most important way. traditional to consume a title. However, Microsoft seems to have made a giant leap, and obtained the role of pioneer, in the field of video games on demand.
Remember, at the start of this phenomenon, the firm had the ambition to become the “Netflix of video games”. Given the popularity of Game Pass, we can probably agree that she has succeeded in achieving her goal. However, Phil Spencer notes a certain specificity specific to his subscription. He declares :
” I would say the difference for us is in the business model – you can buy all the games available on the subscription, which is a little different from a music or movie subscription. “- Phil Spencer
An intelligent economic system
As on Netflix, third-party video games offered by Microsoft are temporarily available in the catalog, except for in-house productions. However, all the titles offered on the Game Pass can be purchased individually at the same time, sometimes even with discounts when your subscription is active, in order to keep them in your library ad vitam aeternam. An excellent alternative that has the gift of boosting Microsoft’s economy, unlike Netflix’s all-subscription system. Is this why the red N keeps increasing its prices?
