Take-Two Thinks It’s Irrational to Release Games Day One on Xbox Game Pass

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Take-Two Thinks It's Irrational to Release Games Day One on Xbox Game Pass

Highlights

  • Take-Two Interactive’s CEO stands firm on not releasing major games on Xbox Game Pass day one, deeming the idea irrational.
  • Microsoft’s decision to add Call of Duty to Game Pass on day one has sparked controversy in the industry.
  • Microsoft’s changes to Xbox Game Pass, including new tiers and pricing, aim to boost subscriptions and offset slow growth.

As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I find myself standing firmly on the side of Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick in this debate. The idea of major games being released day one on Xbox Game Pass seems irrational to me, not just from a business standpoint, but also from a gamer’s perspective.

Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, has once again confirmed that their company won’t make their new games available on Xbox Game Pass on launch day, labeling the suggestion as illogical. Although Take-Two Interactive has previously added popular titles like Grand Theft Auto 5 to Xbox Game Pass, they have never done so for their main releases.

In the early part of this year, it was made official that “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” would be available on Game Pass right from its release date. This decision sparked debate because “Call of Duty,” being a highly lucrative gaming franchise, could potentially cost Microsoft money by being included in their subscription service.

Currently, Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has confirmed that their policy on launching major games on subscription services hasn’t shifted. He believes the inclusion of ‘Call of Duty’ in Game Pass might tempt more users to subscribe “for a while,” but he stresses it won’t influence their strategic decisions since they are based on reason and logic.

Take-Two CEO Criticizes Microsoft’s Day One Game Pass Policy

It’s understandable why Zelnick might find the idea of releasing major games on subscription services questionable, given that Take-Two Interactive doesn’t have anything comparable to Xbox Game Pass. Unlike Microsoft, which is heavily invested in Game Pass and sees it as a key growth area, Take-Two relies on selling games for revenue. It seems unlikely that Microsoft would pay enough to compensate Take-Two for withholding highly anticipated titles like GTA 6 from Game Pass.

No, it won’t affect our decisions. Because our decisions are rational.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve noticed some significant shifts in Xbox Game Pass lately. The reason? You guessed it – the upcoming addition of the legendary ‘Call of Duty’ series! To accommodate this, Microsoft has introduced a new Game Pass Standard tier and hiked up prices. Interestingly, day one releases are now exclusive to Game Pass Ultimate on consoles, indicating that Microsoft aims to capitalize on the enormous popularity of ‘Call of Duty’ to boost Game Pass subscriptions, which have been growing at a slower pace.

Microsoft’s latest decision has sparked some debate, as critics argue that the new tiers for Xbox Game Pass may confuse consumers due to their lack of clear timelines for when first-party games will become available. The timeframe can stretch from six months to potentially longer, creating uncertainty about when these games might be accessible, which could impact trust in Microsoft’s service. Ultimately, only time will reveal how well this change to the subscription service fares.

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2024-08-09 21:13