GTL: Microsoft's Claws In EA & Its Head In The Clouds of PlayFab
By Twin Galaxies Editorial Staff ·
Microsoft has made some very high-profile moves as of late. Between looking into buying EA, acquiring PlayFab, and starting up the Xbox Game Pass soon, is Microsoft staying relevant or struggling to keep up?
Microsoft seems to have had its eyes on buying up big players in the video game industry. The PC and Xbox juggarnaut reportedly looked into buying EA and recently acquired the Cloud-computing startup, PlayFab. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced the Game Pass for Xbox which allows players to pay a fee to get into a library of Xbox games and exclusives. Is it a sign of Microsoft strengthening its base or is it a reaction to the Xbox falling behind in the video game industry?
Microsoft's attempt to purchase EA turned a lot of heads in the industry. It wouldn't be the first time Xbox has bought out a company, such as in the case of Mojang, the company that owned Minecraft. The idea of Battlefield, Bioware RPGs, the extensive library of EA Sports games and more being owned by Microsoft was cause for concern and debate among those with an Xbox or PC and those without. The panel discusses whether there is cause for alarm, if EA is the best company for Microsoft to buy, and whether Microsoft actually understands what their consumers want.
Discussion also considers whether or not the Xbox is falling behind. Is the Xbox still an attractive console or is Microsoft simply not able to keep up with other areas of the console market? Moreover, is the console market as a whole dying or will it continue to strive? Debate includes whether or not we'll continue to see new PlayStation and Xbox generations in the future.
The next topic considers the Xbox Game Pass, which is supposed to allow users to pay a subscription fee to access a large library of new and rotating Xbox-exclusive and third-party titles. Discussion covers the possibilities of the Xbox Game Pass. Is it Netflix for video games? Are there enough exclusives on Xbox to make the Game Pass enticing? The panel debates whether the Game Pass is a model that will become commonplace in the future of gaming and whether it stands up to its similar Sony counterpart in PlayStation Now.
Other discussion includes the consideration of the Xbox Play Anywhere program, which allows players to play Xbox Exclusives on Xbox or PC. Is Microsoft hurting themselves by allowing players to play Xbox games without an Xbox? Is this Microsoft digging the Xbox's grave itself?
Interestingly enough, as Microsoft prepares to launch the Game Pass program, it also intends to launch Sea of Thieves, which is in closed Beta on Xbox Live right now. Sea of Thieves is set to be included with the Game Pass at the same time as it releases in retail. Is this a sign of the future for Xbox-exclusive releases?
Finally, the panel looks at the Microsoft acquisition of the cloud-computing service, PlayFab. The service helps to support multiplayer applications, in-game data, and more for various games. Namco Bandai, Valve, Mojang (Minecraft) and more have partnerships with PlayFab for their games. Is it possible Microsoft could use this new acquisition to gain exclusive content for Microsoft platforms from various publishers? Discussion also covers whether or not Microsoft is positioning itself to provide less consoles and hardware and merely focus on a network of software. Finally, will PlayFab help Microsoft to bulk up an emphasis on crossplay between different platforms and consoles?
The show has wrapped for today, but you can catch the whole video above. Need more Game Talk Live? Check out Wednesday's episode about body shaming and representation in cosplay and video games.