"It's hard to launch a $120 million game on a subscription service charging $9.99 a month" - Shawn Layden

Thoughts, SW? It seems to me that people are ovestimating the Gamepass model. It's not just as simple as $ per month time X amount of people. Games, especially first party games, are very expensive to make. Continuing to release new games while also trying to support over 100 third party games is a huge endeavor. I also don't buy the "MS is a trillion dollar company, why do you care" argument. Pretty sure they want to make money lol.

In short,PS can't compete with gamepass.

Another day another butthurt cow crying over gamepass

This dude needs to put the crack pipe down. Netflix says shut yo face you big dumb dumb. They need to fire this clown.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Shawn Layden once the head of Sony at one time?

At $10-$15 development costs per sale of a game its going to take 8-12 million copies sold at full price and games dont stay at full price long.

Thats why we are seeing games going to a console and PC.

As for gamepass its not just 1 months subscription money they can use for one game, its several months.

Good/the best games dont need to cost $120 million.

And yet, indie developers produce better games at significantly lower costs. And lots of AAA games on Game Pass that have no problems making money off it. It sounds to me like Sony is doing a little gaslighting because they have no competition for it.

He also said a few months back

'Ex-PlayStation Exec Shawn Layden Says Current AAA Model Is ‘Not Sustainable’

Ex-PlayStation Exec Shawn Layden Says Current AAA Model Is 'Not Sustainable' - PlayStation Universe (psu.com)

Make your mind up Shawn.

@SolidGame_basic: His argument falls flat given the budget for Halo infinite.

This guy got absolutely demolished by tweets soon afterward stating the contrary.

That math, ouch!

The context is that, back in 1990s or now, the amount of console users remain the same at around 240m-260m but game cost kept increasing. Usual PS4 AAA cost around $100m -$150m and will be rising.

Its a challenge for anyone, including MS to sell Gamepass like services to those outside the normal console users to be profitable.

@sakaixx: It’s hard for Netflix, each season cost 100-200million to make for big budget TV shows. And the movies cost close to the same. I heard they losing money every day. Maybe go bankrupt tomorrow…lol

Good thing having Game Pass doesn’t prevent you from purchasing games the old-fashioned way.

@mesome713: netflix subscriber base is at 200 million and they do charge more than Gamepass or PSNow. But why I am explaining to sheep lmao.

Exactly. I'm sure some people think you have to chose a business model and stick to it. I love Game Pass but I do also buy games. Elden Ring will be the next one.

RIP Bethesda

@simple-facts: my God, you guys are like talking to brick walls.

Poo bovine brigade, the lil fellers have GDS ( GamePass Derangement Syndrome ). lol :P

They sell it to PC as well.

Sounds a lot like an excuse designed to make fans give them a pass for doing a worse job than their competitors.

Yes of course. On mobile phones as well.

Very interesting topic, you should read it over at the original article. Shawn Layden only took gamepass as example, his actual concern is the new users. He said good thing about MS brave taking the loss leading position.

@Sagemode87:

You must be as far gone as your first shit if you think this X Sony knackers math is correct ffs

500 million X 9.99 X 12 month = what per year?

Gamepass is successful,deal with it

Two things: this is the exact same criticism netflix got when it first launched from blockbuster etc. and we all know how that went!

Secondly does games really needs to cost 120 mio$ to be good? Some of the best games I played last generation were indies and A/AA games!

He is right you need constantly to add new content to keep subscribers and most of the content is crap

@djoffer123: The difference is AAA gaming cost more than movies on average. So you're happy with AA games as long as you get to defend Gamepass? Yes some indies are hidden gems but are they the reason we're spending 500 bucks?

@simple-facts: Being toxic doesn't make you right. 2 things you're forgetting is a lot of GP subscribers are not full price and not everyone is going to subscribe for the whole year. GP is unproven, sounds like you're the one having a hard time dealing with it. GP is like a movie going to Netflix and skipping the theater.

Xbox Game Pass currently has 23 million subscribers (as of April 2021)

If we break those users down into 4 categories equally

-$1 subscription

-average of $5 per month sub

-average of $10 per month

-$15 per month sub (which is the monthly cost of Game Pass Ultimate)

They would make $178.25 Million per month which more that recoups putting one new $100 Million game on there (not counting MTX that get bought in games)

I think AAA gaming is dying and they're looking in every conceivable space for ways to exploit us.

DON'T GIVE THEM AN INCH, PEOPLE!

@Sagemode87:

Put your hands on each side of your head and give it a shake.

This Sony bellend said 500 million

Using the 1 dollar damage control,500 million X 1 X 12 months = how much per year

Gamepass is successful and it hurts cows in the feels

It's fine. It's Microsoft's problem to sort out - but you can currently estimate ~3 billion dollars a year from GP at the current # of subscribers (which is of course growing). A single month alone with just 18 million subscribers can entirely recoup the development cost of not one but two of Shawn's big budget nightmares.

Sounds like a Playstation problem. I see Microsoft releasing big games on gamepass monthly.

This is what they tell you to justify Sony price hikes.

This isn't new. Several higher ups from Sony have said this already. They keep repeating it every few months thinking that by doing so maybe someone will give a damn. The consumer doesn't care what's going on behind the scenes. They're paying for GP and getting all these titles and that's all that matters to them. How MS is doing it is their business as far as the consumer is concerned. This proves that GP lives rent free in Sony's head that they keep coming out parroting this comment. Instead of worrying about how MS is outdoing your PS Now service, either make yours better, bring something else to the table, or shut the hell up. It doesn't do Sony any favors to cry about how they can't do it but MS can.

@SecretPolice: GDS! I love it! I'm stealing that!

Stuff like this is pretty hard to discuss. So many varables that are not public. It’s also hard to estimate short/long term effects 🤷🏻‍♂️.

But if Layden says you need 500M to support a $120M game, then I guess that’s what you need.

My feeling is that MS is pricing GP aggressively to gain marketshares rather than to maximize profits short term.

You are going to have to have 500 million subscribers before you recoup your investment $120 million game investment.

You are going to have to have 5 billion dollars in revenue a month before you recoup $120 million game investment.

You going to have to have 60 billion in revenue before you recoup 1/500 of revenue.🤔 I must be missing something.

Exactly. I don't know why they're so concerned. They're selling a weaker console with a weaker lineup and it's selling better than their direct competitor. What's the problem? You should be happy with what you're getting away with, Nintendo is.

Also, MS is a trillion dollar company. Did they think MS hadn't done this basic SWs math prior to going in this direction?

The cows are so desperate to find those faults, they're now reverse engineering MSs business plan for some kind of win over Gamepass. And none of this has anything to do with anyone's enjoyment of the service.

Pretty sure they want to make money lol.

I'm pretty sure they're burning billions out of butthurt because video gaming is just... that... toxic. MS doesn't waste billions on just anything. This is a competitive streak gone berserk

MS will just increase the sub price eventually and include micro transactions in every game.

Translation

@Pedro said:

Translation

Pictured: You reacting to my comments 🤣

You can't deflect that is your reaction to everything Xbox related.😎

In other words, I hurt your feelings again.... poor widdle fella 😭

@SolidGame_basic: "People" as in "Sony". Sony can't compete with Game Pass. This has been known for a while.

My gif really gets you. I guess being an angry chub is not a good look. 😎