Games as a service. I’m not sure if those are dirty words to most people, but the fact is, it’s happening.
Think about it, we already have PlayStation Now, Xbox Game Pass and EA Access. The future is now. I’m not entirely sure how popular these services are, but what I do know if they are growing all the time and perhaps this is just the start.
In the case of PlayStation Now and Xbox Games Pass, you can play full games without having to purchase them, with a yearly or monthly fee taking the place of the outlay for the game. PlayStation Now recently updated to allow you to download full games, rather than just stream them. Microsoft’s excellent Games Pass service meanwhile allows you to play 1st party titles from day one of release, practically negating the need to purchase the game at all, even if you do like it.
In fact, Xbox Games Pass is £47.99 for a year’s access at the moment, which is around the same price you’d pay for one 1st party title, yet this cost will gain you access to all of Microsoft’s 1st party titles, released in both 2018 and in future years, although how many Xbox 1st party titles will release any time soon remains to be seen.
What I find interesting about these services is that they are likely the future of gaming, rather than an added convenience. Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, recently told an audience at the Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference that “Game Pass will eventually come to every device.” Doesn’t this then negate the need for a console? And at the same time, does it not negate the need for retail? We all know that one-day games at retail will be a thing of the past and while there will still be the option to buy games via digital means, chances are you’ll be playing these games via an app on your TV, rather than via a box, much like we do now.
There’s no doubt Xbox One Two (as I like to call it) and PS5 will roll around in a year or two, but after those consoles have been put out to pasture you begin to wonder if we’ll ever see the need for a new console ever again. Mobile devices are getting more powerful all the time, as are TVs. Is it beyond the realm of possibility that instead of releasing a console, Sony and Microsoft could instead release an Alexa Firestick sized device and controller bundle which plugs into our TV and gives us access to unlimited amount of old and new releases, all for one monthly cost?
Imagine plugging the stick into your TV and there’s your Xbox. Or maybe even more conveniently we’ll just get access to an app. Download the PlayStation App, Xbox and Nintendo. Pay a monthly subscription fee, buy the controller from Amazon. No need for expensive hardware (or dedicated game stores for that matter), maybe the yearly cost of all three will come under £200, giving you access to all the games you need, with all your saves stored in the cloud and your trophies and achievements joining them. It doesn’t really seem that far-fetched does it?
People love physical discs, but those same people are the ones who are currently praising the likes of Xbox Games Pass, EA Access and to a lesser extent PlayStation Now, so maybe it’s a case of being careful what you wish for, because the more people who move the way of Xbox Games Pass and PlayStation Now and away from discs, the faster services such as these will negate the need for them completely. Personally, I’m ok with that, but are you?
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The nightmare of the industry continues...people, it's on you. Don't subscribe to this shit or we'll only get incomplete games from now on.
Games as a service means companies can shit out incomplete games (even more than they already do) as a way to justify monetization in every game to maximize profits and reduce development costs all while saying how expensive games are to make. These companies make me sick. The industry has been growing insanely over the past few years and companies like EA make more money than ever. It doesn't matter if a game fails. They just shut down a studio that has no say in anything and the big wigs get their 6 digit income for the month.
Games as a service is just used to screw consumers over even harder than before.
Before it was actually used as "Early Access" games, games sold on their premise and promise of developers.
Before that there were actually beta testers that were paid to do that shit.
When is it going to end? Are we going to have to pay for games that are just a concept? Oh wait, Ubisoft is doing that with Beyond Good and Evil 2 and now, I don't even want it anymore. Fuck any sequel for Beyond Good and Evil if it is going to come from Ubisoft (because they own the IP) and even more so when they are gonna make it a Live Service Game. Disgusting is what it is.
I think most gamers and press are missing the point. Game as a service isn't just a system to replace discs or physical copies of the games. For that we already have digital distribution. GaaS is a whole different concept. It changes the way the games are produced to fit the business model. No more complete games, GaaS demands "on going" games (as VGA called them) like Fortnite, Sea of Thieves, Pokemon GO and Gran Turismo Sport. For singleplayer, episodical games and small cheap games are the choice.
Please, don't buy GaaS as digital distrubution alone.
It's just an option, but a great option for those who want to get games this way. But just like Netflix titles will come and go. So being able to try a game and buy it based on your experience is a bonus.
I do personally think it is a good idea, but I can see Xbox especially going down this route more as Microsoft is all about offering these type of digital services. Much easier for them than releasing discs.
They'll have to release disc for the foreseeable future. Retail won't support them or give them shelf space otherwise. Then there is internet with its cap and not being able to reach rural areas. But I remember when they said digital games would be lower price, and look how that turned out. Once they figure out the latency issue, gamepass will be available on every mobile device and pc. That will definitely effect mobile gaming