Summary
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the company is aiming to redefine the Xbox fan experience by leveraging Game Pass and Cloud Gaming.
- The success of Game Pass has led Xbox to prioritize making its games available on more devices, as seen with its “This is an Xbox” ad campaign.
- Despite this shift, Xbox insists it remains committed to its console hardware business.
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Xbox parent Microsoft, recently emphasized the company’s intention to “take the joy of gaming everywhere” and to redefine the meaning of being an Xbox fan. Pointing towards one of Xbox‘s latest ads, he expressed how the marketing campaign resonated with the console maker’s overall vision for the business going forward.
For quite some time now, Xbox has been making strong progress with its subscription service, Game Pass, which first launched in 2017. Over the years, Xbox Game Pass has grown significantly in terms of its offerings as well as its subscriber base, with over 33 million users reportedly paying for the service as of late 2023. Starting from 2024, the green brand has been debuting major AAA releases, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle day one for Game Pass Ultimate tier subscribers. Among the various benefits, Ultimate tier users also get access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, a beta feature that lets subscribers instantly play games anywhere by streaming them online instead of having to download them first. Leveraging Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming, the company has opened up multiple pathways to playing Xbox titles, which are also highlighted in the company’s new “This is an Xbox” marketing catchphrase.
6:15
Related
The Best Games On Xbox Game Pass (December 2024)
Xbox Game Pass is unquestionably worth the subscription fee, but which of the available games are the best use of your hard drive space?
During Microsoft’s 2024 Annual Shareholder Meeting (spotted by Game File), Satya Nadella talked about the tech giant’s new approach to its gaming vertical, which involves marketing devices compatible with Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Cloud Gaming as Xboxes in their own right. Referring to the “This is an Xbox” ads, the Microsoft chief shared how the company is “redefining what it means to be an Xbox fan,” with the core idea being the ability to “enjoy Xbox on all your devices.” Moreover, touching upon the emphatic response to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in November, he described the launch as “fantastic to see” and stressed that Microsoft’s plans with Activision IPs is now in “full force.”
Microsoft Talks About New Strategy for Xbox’s Long-Term Future
Apart from summarizing the status quo at Xbox, Nadella briefly shared his understanding of Microsoft’s gaming-related strategy in the long run. He said that the company holds the potential to bring innovation across AI, cloud, console, and PC to “build the best games that can be enjoyed by gamers everywhere.” It’s worth noting that Microsoft’s change in direction with Xbox, which apparently prioritizes Game Pass over its console hardware offerings, has been criticized by some fans. In November, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer specially addressed these concerns, reassuring the fans of the company’s commitment towards its console business.
Meanwhile, Xbox is steadily improving the products that are key to its new vision, including Xbox Cloud Gaming. It recently enabled members of the Xbox Insider program to stream a selection of non-Game Pass titles on consoles as long as they owned them, with hopes to officially integrate the feature into the streaming service in the future.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.