Spencer places emphasis on the number of players they get and not on the number of consoles they sell
The Xbox Series X and S have finally arrived on November 10, and we have now begun a new video game console era. One of the few good things to come out in 2020 are the new consoles by Microsoft and Sony. Till now, console wars have been all about teraflops, frame rates and resolutions, but this time it’s different. We are now in a Netflix era of video games, and Amazon and Google have been working on game streaming services that lets you play the latest games without having to buy a console for it.
Microsoft meanwhile, has utilized the last five years by spending billions on game developers and have come up with a unique approach – the Xbox Game Pass, a monthly subscription that lets you play hundreds of games if you pay a monthly fee.
Streaming games
Microsoft has set it’s sight on gaming through subscriptions, streaming and services. A lot has changed since Phil Spencer became the head of Xbox in 2014. After he took the helm, Microsoft has a bigger list of game developers, and have made Xbox games available for PC as well. They also made their own streaming services so that gamers can play on any screen, known as the Project xCloud prototype.
Spencer says their current focus will be on their Game Pass and cloud gaming. It’s understandable for Xbox to take more risks as the Xbox One sales were low compared to the Sony PlayStation 4 sales. Microsoft finds it more convenient to focus on subscriptions, attention and revenues instead of only focusing on console sales. Spencer said they will be focusing on the number of players they get and how often they play.