In the very same discussion where Xbox head Phil Spencer said Microsoft is doubling down on first-party games, he went on to say that he had been looking at Netflix and HBO's subscription models. The point that Spencer focused on with the two streaming services was how both services were able to create new content because of the subscriptions.
Spencer believes that if Xbox Game Pass were to adopt this concept of creating content as you go, it could spur new story-based games to hit the market.
“I’ve looked at things like Netflix and HBO, where great content has been created because there’s this subscription model. Shannon Loftis and I are thinking a lot about, well, could we put story-based games into the Xbox Game Pass business model because you have a subscription going? It would mean you wouldn’t have to deliver the whole game in one month; you could develop and deliver the game as it goes.”
“We’re in a golden age of television right now,” continuedSpencer. “The storytelling ability in TV today is really high, and I think it’s because of the business model. I hope as an industry we can think about the same. [Subscription services] might spur new story-based games coming to market because there’s a new business model to help support the monetization.”
Spencer seems to be describing Telltale Games' model of storytelling where games come broken up into episodes. It's the same concept that Square Enix has decided to utilize with Hitman and the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake – Square Enix even recently said that they will be adopting this game type more and more.
If Microsoft were to adopt this, we could be seeing story driven games broken up into multiple parts more often. However, this could also mean we see more first-party games from Microsoft that are released in parts as they develop.
Then again, this could also be an idea that never sees the light of day.
[Guardian]
