Less than a month away from next-gen consoles, Microsoft’s real end goal is now the Xbox Game Pass. Their game streaming service is the true king.
When many think about the next big thing for Microsoft, people think it’s hardware. They believe it’s all about the Xbox Series X and Series S. It’s hard to fault them for that belief. Even then, The Xbox Game Pass is the real endgame for Microsoft.
Sony is just another Xbox competitor
Over the past few months, Phil Spencer has come around and repeated the new mission of Xbox. He underscores how players are now the center of the entire ecosystem. It’s not about the device, but about accessibility.
“We’re about putting the player at the center. It’s not about the device in the middle anymore,” Spencer said in a previous interview.
“Our device is not the centre of our strategy, our game is not the centre of the strategy,” he said in another. “We want to enable you to play the games you want to play, with the friends you want to play with, on any device.”
The rapid building of the Game Pass library is building unbelievable value. The community is warming up to its “Netflix of video games” service. It’s hard to deny that this is the future that Microsoft is fighting for.
Xbox doesn’t see Sony as a hindrance anymore. They’re in competition in the console market, and nothing more.
Microsoft’s video game brand is putting itself everywhere, and ubiquity is the name of the game.
Players are “the center” for a reason
The key to the entire Xbox strategy is the Xbox Games Pass, and for a reason. Microsoft is moving past, being a small portion of the market.
Rather than fight for a portion of the console games market, they’re trying to win in all devices.
It makes sense to put their service in PC, consoles, and mobile, attempting to capture most of the market.
PC gamers are a hardcore bunch who look into value and performance. Mobile gamers are looking for better, higher-value games and value portability. Console gamers want quick access to the titles they want to play.
Microsoft understands the difference for each and knows the answer is not a device.
They understand that the future is to connect players to a service that they would use. For US$15 a month, PC, console, and mobile gamers can get all the games they want.
The Xbox Series X and Series S act as a medium to get console players into the Game Pass ecosystem.
By offering great value games, players will move to the Xbox. This works, considering the upcoming price increase for next-gen console games.
PC gamers already user the Game Pass. While there was apprehension, many accept the service now as a viable alternative to Steam.
For mobile gamers, xCloud is a great way to play games on mobile. Microsoft currently has no issue with Android. They’re pushing their way into iOS as well, one way or another.
The Xbox Game Pass is the true endgame for Microsoft. The player is the center of their ecosystem because they’re trying to follow them anywhere.
The Game Pass could stay forever, far after consoles die out.
Featured image courtesy of Xbox/Youtube Screenshot