Microsoft
Xbox Series X/S
If there is one thing that Microsoft can be commended for throughout 2020, it is just how transparent they were when it came to the lead up of the Series X and Series S. Since first revealing the Series X at the 2019 VGA’s, Microsoft has been keen to be consumer conscious in providing details about the “world’s most powerful console”.
From providing early looks to letting consumers know when the hardware would be available for pre-order, Microsoft trounced the competition when it came to optics.
However, much like its competition, the Series X and S also succumbed to shortages and per-order drama, due primarily to scalpers. While interest in the Series consoles was certainly high and demand was there, there was certainly a disparity to the amount of chatter between the Series’ consoles and PlayStation 5.
A major criticism during launch was that there were no true exclusives to speak of, making the case for owning a Series console at launch relatively thin. However, it can be argued that the Series consoles were never spearhead of Microsoft’s strategy to begin with. Microsoft was far more concerned with gaining attachment to the platform as a whole, and the BFG in their arsenal is Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass
The “best deal in gaming” , as it has been coined by fans, continued to be exactly that in 2020. There’s no argument that what Microsoft continues to offer is a service that has no rival in the gaming space. Game Pass has for all intents and purposes become Microsoft’s main platform, and its mission is to introduce it to as many players as possible and in as many ways as possible. Whether it be on Series console, PC, smartphone and eventually smart TV. Microsoft wants players living within their ecosystem.
Month after month Game Pass continues to add value with new blockbuster games and the promise of Xbox first-party titles day and date as they release. In 2020, Microsoft paved way for partnerships that will continue to provide players the best bang for their buck.
Bringing EA Play’s service free to all Game Pass Ultimate subscribers was a monumental move, immediately giving players access to EA’s library of titles. However, EA Play for Xbox Game Pass for PC players will have to hold off until sometime in 2021.
However, the value of Game Pass exploded with one of the biggest acquisitions the games industry has ever seen, Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda Softworks’ parent company, Zenimax Media.
Bethesda Acquisition
Microsoft’s extraordinary purchase of Zenimax Media shook the games industry like nothing else in recent memory. Bethesda Softworks is responsible for the biggest franchises around from internally developed titles like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout to its published titles like Doom and Wolfenstein. Bethesda is such a powerhouse in this industry, so much so that just five years ago they began to hold their own dedicated E3 conferences.
While the ink is not yet dry on the deal as of this writing, the potential of Bethesda games launching day and date for Game Pass subscribers cannot be understated. Players with limited income will make a choice between PlayStation and it’s library of acclaimed exclusives or the Xbox platform with Game Pass, giving them immediate access to Bethesda extensive library titles on top of the third and first-party offerings.
The jury is still out on whether Bethesda games will forever be Xbox exclusive, but it’s clear that was never the real point for Microsoft.
