I’m already banned… for proving a mod wrong with data…
And yeah, on OtherEra it’s only console warring if you point out anything negative about Sony; bad-faith concern and bullshit about Xbox/Nintendo is fair game and considered “normal discussion”.
12 Likes
I expect them being way more aggressive going forward though, Sony is pressing hard with those timed deals, I’m sure Phil will go all out now.
Funny, I saw the same “concern” today about Phil’s statements about not being done with acquisitions from some of the very same people who are championing the Sony acquisitions and making lists in their OTs.
2 Likes
Yeah while I thought it was odd the Take2 guy would randomly blurt out a number he didnt know and just assumed he knew the actual number I always thought 30m was way too high, other than Outsiders and MLB, there wasn’t really any big major titles that were going to get people to subscribe
Between E3, the bigger titles from first party and the expansion of xcloud, I could see them being up around 25m at this point
With Forza, Halo and Christmas holidays, 30m or more is possible imo
To be honest, I’m not surprised:
- Halo got delayed (unsure if the June 2020 forecast was revised after that)
- All Access was hurt by the shortages (it’s still extremely hard to find a Series X)
- the Windows Store still needs a big revamp (I’m not playing on PC but I read sometimes that it’s doing weird thing when installing games or when trying to delete but it’s not deleting, I don’t know if it’s widespred)
- marketing in some areas (like mainland Europe, no TV ads) is still (very) poor, a lot of people don’t even know about Game Pass
- xCloud is still in the Beta stage and the TV app or stick is still being worked on
But +37% is still good considering the lack of big AAA hitters + the end of the lockdowns.
I also think that the main area of growth is in the mobile and PC area (xCloud, etc…) rather than console and these things are still very early (and maybe are taking more time than anticipated) and some things need to get fixed first.
8 Likes
Was there an earning report/call today or something?
So was the 48% number set before the delay of Halo last year?
Because projecting Halo as part of the 48% growth would make sense.
1 Like
Bingo. Windows store and especially Xbox app are one of the worst experiences in all storefronts. Some games just won’t work or some features, like co-op won’t work.
If MS would kindly get off their asses and fix the app AND release GP on Steam as well, then that would bring a lot more subscribers. Even EA Play is on Steam.
2 Likes
So the 25-30M subscribers was bullshit?
30m? yes, bullshit, but they are probably not too far off 25 right now
They seem to have had around 20/21m around E3, between that and all the games that have released since, they likely had faster growth or at least on par growth the last 3 months than they did from January-June
They’re probably at like 22-24 right now depending on growth
I see any growth during the down periods of gamepass a plus. The true test is obviously with exclusive games.
1 Like
Wouldn’t the 10m increase be between July 1st and December 31st? They said as of June 30th right?
Yeah, my guess was 25+ million now, and 30+ after Halo. Might be off by a bit, but not much. I think lots of companies would be happy with a 37% growth lol.
All your points are good. They presence of Xbox outside the anglosphere is abyssmal, while the competition is running on all cylinders. All I see now with Champions League is “Brought to you by Platform X” aaaaall the time, as an example. Deathloop ads still going too btw.
As for lack of consoles, yes and no, the Series S is readily available here and has been ever since launch. Wrong market for that I think, or not enough marketing idk.
But overall the Game Pass numbers are great for what Xbox has had to offer this year. Not a single big exclusive, and for all the “exclusives don’t matter”-people, they do matter. Which we will see when Game Pass true greatness is achieved with all the big AAA titles from first party landing like a freaking carpet bombing from Xbox in the coming years.
1 Like
I mean if 48% was the goal, and they hit 37, that’s still like a B+, B at the worst.
Didn’t Jez say they were between 25-30 million ?
2 Likes
This
The fact they’ve grown 37% without any of their blockbusters is very good
People seem to be forgetting how much criticism xbox was getting before E3 hit in regards to exclusive games, especially after Halo got delayed
People like us were never the target for Series S, the hardcore wants PS5’s/Series X right now
Series S will be for mums and dads looking for a cheap console with gamepass for their kids at christmas and considering how hard it will be to get PS5/X, I think it will sell very well come christmas
It’s growing more than I thought considering their questionable effort outside anglosphere. It’s obvious they are still not aggressive enough, they were behind by a landslide in marketshare and mindshare and it won’t be mended by only a couple years.
2 Likes
The 48% must have been with Halo and whatever else got delayed in mind surely? I applaud the optimism otherwise hehe.
Man, Gamepass is only around 25 millions subs? What a failure. MS better pack it in. 
2 Likes