Company News Bethesda acquired by Microsoft

[Duraframe300]

Successful app stores print money, and there's no way Microsoft isn't trying to get their hands on some of that.

None of that really answers why they went back on Steam. I mean this happened after GamePass was already a thing. So, they still had the Microsoft Store, they already had the perfect start with keeping people in place with the $1 subscriptions and the new XBOX app. And yet they still went back to Steam.

Not only that, they went back to Steam with their biggest franchises including Halo, a game that was never before on Steam. Suddenly, they have started an expectation that Halo comes to Steam. Why? And if they went back to the drawing board they have done fuck all with said drawing board since. If anything all they have done has been counterproductive to that idea and only made it harder for themselves to fall back to EEE.

Let's say you're a PC gamer who doesn't bother with consoles and you primarily buy your games through Steam. As a gamer, you've heard of Halo. Maybe you've even played it at a buddy's place. You enjoyed it, but you're not going to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a console just to play it. Microsoft releases the game on PC. Either you don't hear about it or you don't care about yet another storefront. But then one day you log into Steam and see Halo on the front page. You're intrigued, but you pass. Then a Steam sale comes around and the price is cut just low enough for you to take a chance on it. You play it and you enjoy the hell out of it. You're hooked. You're now paying attention to Halo news eagerly awaiting the next sequel. That's the embrace. They need to get their software to consumers, and that means putting their software in storefronts where the consumers are actually buying games. Of course they're going to put their biggest franchises there. Those are the ones most likely to reel people in.

While paying attention to Halo news learn that the next game will be available directly from Microsoft as well as on Steam, Epic, etc, but if you buy it directly from Microsoft it comes with additional features. Further, you learn that the multiplayer will now be compatible with your console playing buddies... but only if you purchase it through Microsoft. There's now two versions of the game available to you. You can either stick with Steam and buy the objectively worse version or you can make the jump to Microsoft for the ultimate experience. Maybe it's not enough for you to make the jump. But you slowly start realizing that a lot of your favorite games now being made by companies owned by Microsoft and they are all better on their storefront. How long are you going to continue buying inferior versions? That's extend.

As for extinguish? Well, you can't buy Halo on Steam anymore now that enough people have moved over to Microsoft's store. And maybe Microsoft eventually gets bold enough to release a patch that prevents installation of software outside their store. For your security, you know.

I'm not sure what your argument is here, but you don't have to spend multiple paragraphs to explain these tactics for me. I'm fully aware of them.

And again, they tried that shit already. There were games already that had unique features in the Microsoft Store. Didn't work because nobody wanted to buy anything from their shit storefront. Gamepass, just by being cheap, was a 1'000'000 times more successful. That's why Microsoft is happy enough exploiting other store fronts for extra cash than go through that shit again. You're talking like its 2015.

And also don't get me wrong. They will still get people into their ecosystem as much as they can, like with Grounded's online being on their XBOX servers. I just don't believe they will try again what failed so badly so soon.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Gotta admit that I saw the Halo Masterchief edition and snagged it (was also on sale).

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Successful app stores print money, and there's no way Microsoft isn't trying to get their hands on some of that.

None of that really answers why they went back on Steam. I mean this happened after GamePass was already a thing. So, they still had the Microsoft Store, they already had the perfect start with keeping people in place with the $1 subscriptions and the new XBOX app. And yet they still went back to Steam.

Not only that, they went back to Steam with their biggest franchises including Halo, a game that was never before on Steam. Suddenly, they have started an expectation that Halo comes to Steam. Why? And if they went back to the drawing board they have done fuck all with said drawing board since. If anything all they have done has been counterproductive to that idea and only made it harder for themselves to fall back to EEE.

Shareholders. Company may have a long term strategy, but shareholders want short term profits.

 

[Volrath]

Gotta admit that I saw the Halo Masterchief edition and snagged it (was also on sale).

Eh, maybe at 80% off. And even then...

 

[Tyrr]

Imagine how pissed Microsoft must be that they need to sell their software through Steam. They spend time and resources on making a game that they have to sell through a storefront (owned by a former employee no less!) that takes 30% just so the customer can then play the game on an operating system that they also spend time and resources on! The customers are there! They just can't get to them!

Apple, a company with a fraction of the user base of Microsoft, is able to compete with them because nearly every time one of their users buys something on their system, whether that's applications, movies, music, etc., they nearly always get a cut of every sale. On Windows, the user might buy their copy of Windows, but then spend all their money at other places where Microsoft gets nothing. This must piss Microsoft off to no end.

It doesn't help that the Windows Store is the worst digital distribution platform for games out there.

 

[GreyWardens Rock]

It doesn't help that the Windows Store is the worst digital distribution platform for games out there.

Is there really a worst though? Sure, steam has some cool features, but neat shit is still shit, even gog's.

 

[Vorark]

Is there really a worst though?

UWP is pretty bad.

 

[GreyWardens Rock]

Is there really a worst though?

UWP is pretty bad.

But that's besides the store aspect right? Are all WinStore products using UWP?

 

[prengle]

And maybe Microsoft eventually gets bold enough to release a patch that prevents installation of software outside their store. For your security, you know.

eheh funny story - win10 already has an "s mode" switch that gimps the os even further by:

• only allowing the end user to download software from the microsoft store - no exceptions
• forcing the default browser to edge w/ bing - you can allegedly download other browsers from the ms store, but you can't set them as default no matter what
• restricting hardware compatibility with things like printers for some fucked up reason
• completely disabling access to cmd, powershell, regedit, the group policy editor and virtually every useful configuration tool or utility that windows typically ships with

i think it's mostly limited to shitty low-end craptops so microshaft has something to compete with chromebooks, but there's something particularly ominous about s mode... windows nt is a fucking dinosaur at this point and i honestly wouldn't be surprised if ms eventually goes apeshit and replaces the standard consumer version of windows with some locked down apple-esque bullshit like windows 10x and oh wait this is the zenimax buyout thread oopsy doodles

 

[RobotSquirrel]

oh wait this is the zenimax buyout thread oopsy doodles

its still pretty relevant. They use games to trick the normie consumers into accepting really unethical and obviously bad for them business models.
Its not like they already used Bethesda to push DLC as a business model or anything in the past. But we can all blame Bethesda for why it became a successful trend.
I don't think Microsoft is going to stop doing that they have an opportunity with Bethesda's fanbase to push the industry into some pretty terrible places and I fully expect them to do that. Its the same as how Microsoft used to gate their software after acquiring other businesses. OS level DRM isn't unheard of in post-Dos Microsoft (see DR Dos for example).

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Ahnx]

It's a big blow to GOG.com. Bethesda was putting all their games on the store, Microsoft ignores them completely.

Not exactly. Remember Deadlight?

 

[abnaxus]

Will Todd ever stop winning

 

[Tacgnol]

And maybe Microsoft eventually gets bold enough to release a patch that prevents installation of software outside their store. For your security, you know.

eheh funny story - win10 already has an "s mode" switch that gimps the os even further by:

• only allowing the end user to download software from the microsoft store - no exceptions
• forcing the default browser to edge w/ bing - you can allegedly download other browsers from the ms store, but you can't set them as default no matter what
• restricting hardware compatibility with things like printers for some fucked up reason
• completely disabling access to cmd, powershell, regedit, the group policy editor and virtually every useful configuration tool or utility that windows typically ships with

i think it's mostly limited to shitty low-end craptops so microshaft has something to compete with chromebooks, but there's something particularly ominous about s mode... windows nt is a fucking dinosaur at this point and i honestly wouldn't be surprised if ms eventually goes apeshit and replaces the standard consumer version of windows with some locked down apple-esque bullshit like windows 10x and oh wait this is the zenimax buyout thread oopsy doodles

its for strict corps, you can put company approved software in store for your drones to download.
its useful, dont be dense

Yep, the place I work is considering it. It helps us meet a whole bunch of security certification requirements without any real effort.

 

[Fenix]

I like both Pillars of Eternity and the entire setting. Please don't hate me.

I dont hate people with bad taste, so dont worry, what I hate are people who stop artistic expression because of mah feelings or worse, the feelings of others because they are afraid of making internet psychos feeling bad. Cowards only deserve a shallow grave.

Sadly, the first such person that came to my mind is MCA...

 

[Fenix]

While paying attention to Halo news learn that the next game will be available directly from Microsoft as well as on Steam, Epic, etc, but if you buy it directly from Microsoft it comes with additional features. Further, you learn that the multiplayer will now be compatible with your console playing buddies... but only if you purchase it through Microsoft. There's now two versions of the game available to you. You can either stick with Steam and buy the objectively worse version or you can make the jump to Microsoft for the ultimate experience. Maybe it's not enough for you to make the jump. But you slowly start realizing that a lot of your favorite games now being made by companies owned by Microsoft and they are all better on their storefront. How long are you going to continue buying inferior versions? That's extend.

It's for real, or you just pulled it out your ass for an example?

 

[OSK]

It's for real, or you just pulled it out your ass for an example?

That was just an example I came up with.

 

[Fenix]

Dude, you scared me. I thought MS went that ugly and bold already.