Xbox Game Pass: Microsoft goes Netflix and that’s a good thing

Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2: All of these new exclusives will be part of Xbox Game Pass. You pay $60 for six months, so 10 a month - let’s call it what it is: Xbox Netflix and that’s a smart move.

Times have changed

Right of the gate, some media outlets are concerned because Microsoft might devalue their own IPs. But let’s be honest here: The brand value of a game in 2018 is not about the price tag anymore, it's about playtime and longevity:

Rockstar made roughly half a Billion with GTA Online which was launched on October 1st, 2013. 

Rainbow Six: Siege was born on December 1st, 2015 and according to Ubisoft is still being played by 2,3 Mio. people every day.

That’s what you want. Personally, I am excited about Sea of Thieves, because it has the potential to become the PUBG meets Fortnite with ships and ?I am on a boat“ memes. It also looks really good on Xbox One X. But it’s also one of these games that would sell okayish, not more. Bundling it in a Netflix-styled subscription gives players the opportunity to try it out. For free. No strings attached. 

Xbox as part of the value economy

Like the one and only human powerhouse, Gary Vaynerchuk loves to say: Give, give, give, take, give, give, take. He calls it the value economy and that’s what it is: By building this Netflix styled Game Pass, you automatically lower the price point for new gamers: The budget gamer will get an Xbox S for $219 or $239 with one game. He starts the console, gets 14 days access to 100 other games, including some true work of art: BioShock Infinite certainly has some of the best storytelling I’ve ever encountered in a game. Plus Sea of Thieves fairly soon, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3. You see: Even a budget gamer will play a lot of games because they are easily available. Once he has more money, he won’t have a problem spending some more. 

Lowering the price point of NextNextGen aka Xbox One X

The Xbox One X has a great value proposition: It delivers a full-blown high-end PC to your living room capable of bringing something like Assassin’s Creed: Origins or Forza 7 to life in native 4K. Which is kinda stunning, if you’ve just bought a 4K tv. So the value proposition is here, but it’s still not cheap: $500 is money. Which means it is quite likely that someone that just bought a One X doesn’t have a lot of cash left for multiple games, he will very likely go with one of the bundles. Game Pass sound’s like a smart move, especially in case Microsoft decides to also include some fantastic, but kinda forgotten jewels from 2017 like Quantum Break - which is Max Payne meets 24. One of these virtual pearls that deserve to be seen by way more eyeballs in 2018. And you still remember why Netflix blew up, right?