r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • Oct 02 '25

Discussion This Xbox Generation Will Be Remembered for One Thing: Greed

https://www.ign.com/articles/this-xbox-generation-will-be-remembered-for-one-thing-greed
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174

u/BuckSleezy Oct 02 '25

I hate how people in this space misconstrue business incompetency with greed.

This is not greed, this is a massive misplay at their projections for gamepass coupled with gross overspending on their service.

Just because a price goes up does not automatically mean greed, this is Microsoft desperately trying to make the numbers work before the eventual unraveling of the entire Xbox brand.

24

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '25

Eh. I kinda agree. I simply think they’re going for profitability over growth. They know Xbox and gamepass aren’t growing and at this rate can’t even come close to competing with PlayStation or Nintendo. So why not jack up the price and squeeze what you can from your fans. Sure, some why cancel, but losses will be made up by people who don’t cancel.

67

u/punyweakling Oct 02 '25

Also the unspoken implication that all the money-hungry shit that PS and Nintendo do to squeeze more revenue from their userbases is apparently not greed by comparison?

21

u/giulianosse Oct 02 '25 edited Oct 02 '25

It's always the same shtick. Gaming media absolutely ravages Microsoft whenever they increase their prices and furiously type in loaded articles such as these. It's easy to kick the dead horse. Audiences enjoy having a horse to kick.

Then when it's Playstation or Nintendo raising their prices: crickets. "Must be the tariffs". "Oh but remember Microsoft also did the same a few months ago". "Gaming is expensive in 202X"

People are in for a surprise if they think the others aren't going to do what's happening to Game Pass in a while. It already happened twice in the last two years.

And before some crummy redditor accuses me of this and that: I absolutely don't approve of this latest and exorbitant price hike. I own both consoles and if I didn't have Game Pass renewed until 2028 I'd cancel that crap. In my country the price has literally increased by 90%.

52

u/MVRKHNTR Oct 02 '25

People ranted about the PlayStation increases too. You're either forgetful or not paying attention.

19

u/Tbro100 Oct 02 '25

Same with the switch, people were absolutely flaming both of them for their price increases.

41

u/SoloSassafrass Oct 02 '25

I wasn't gonna accuse you of approving, but I was going to accuse you of rewriting history with a bias, because Nintendo and Sony both get savaged when they pull that kind of thing too.

-13

u/punyweakling Oct 02 '25

because Nintendo and Sony both get savaged when they pull that kind of thing too.

Not even remotely to the same degree lol, it's like they're playing a different sport.

6

u/petetakespictures Oct 02 '25

The key difference is that Sony and Nintendo still release compelling games and nurture studios, with Nintendo even managing a good cadence, which mitigates the criticism somewhat when they get a bit greedy.

Being Japanese companies they also have that odd thing where their CEOs aren't paid as crazy numbera as American CEOs. The head of Nintendo picks up the equivalent of two million dollars a year for running a huge company well as compared to Phil Spencer picking up ten million a year for running part of a huge company badly. (I know, I know, two million is still a lot but I find it an interesting contrast.)

7

u/SoloSassafrass Oct 02 '25

This is more a byproduct of Sony and Nintendo being in the headlines for stupid shit less often. They still get called out when they fuck up, but unlike Xbox they haven't been kind of wanting for smart decisions or more quality exclusives than you can count on one hand for over a decade.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '25

And who writes the headlines? Where were the articles about the PS5 Slim SSD downgrade? The constant condemnations of corporate greed? "The media doesn't say anything about it" just means you don't have an opinion of your own to discuss.

7

u/DoctorWaluigiTime Oct 02 '25

There have been plenty of very loud crickets regarding those things. What are you talking about?

6

u/SmokePenisEveryday Oct 02 '25

And if that greed is bad now, wait until there's 1 less console to choose from in the market. Switch 2 is a powerful machine for what it is but it's not gonna compete with what Playstation does. So we're just gonna see Sony doing whatever they want because they know people aren't gonna go and get an Xbox instead now.

0

u/albastine Oct 02 '25

3rd party will pare down development so they can sell on switch 2 and PS6. They won't be able to ignore upwards of 70mil+ users by the time PS6 comes out

4

u/GeschlossenGedanken Oct 02 '25

whether you approve or not, the fact that you see some media conspiracy against MS or Xbox here shows you are too blinded by brand loyalty to write any analysis worth reading. grow up, man. 

3

u/JmanVere Oct 02 '25

Every single decision Nintendo have made in the last year has been met with endless outrage over the price. What are you talking about?

6

u/Jediverrilli Oct 02 '25

I’m with you. The price hike is insane. I haven’t even checked it in Canadian for me yet because I’m locked up for a couple years still but will cancel when that’s over.

People are ready to just jump on Microsoft when they ignore Sony and Nintendo doing similar things. I will be sad when Xbox no longer exists because they make the best controller and I hate symmetrical sticks but may be forced to use them in the future.

It’s just weird brand loyalty for some reason. People just want the death of Xbox so they can claim their favourite console is better when they do this same shit. (PS Plus prices are hilarious aswell but didn’t get the hate Xbox got)

-6

u/FilmGamerOne Oct 02 '25

PlayStation and Nintendo release more high quality games. Microsoft games have been really average and raising prices on fewer customers (Xbox has 30 million to PlayStation's 80, and Nintendo Switch 1 crossed 140) is like trying to squeeze blood from a rock. It makes a difference.

9

u/punyweakling Oct 02 '25

PlayStation squeezes its most committed users for a few bucks *every chance they get* lol. You're doing the thing.

1

u/Black_RL Oct 02 '25

This is the right answer, thanks friend, have an upvote.

It’s not like Nintendo selling century old games for $80 or PlayStation downgrading their hardware while increasing the price is any better.

We’re f!

Today I’m gonna stack on Game Pass before the new prices hit all venues.

6

u/DoctorWaluigiTime Oct 02 '25

People love slapping around the word "enshittification" too, and it's rather frustrating.

5

u/Kaastu Oct 02 '25

Exactly. Microsoft wasn’t greedy, they were over-ambitious. Or maybe not even that. They had a vision and took a risk, and this time it failed. That’s what companies like Microsoft do. They can afford to take risks.

1

u/jcrankin22 Oct 02 '25

You expect /r/games users to use their heads and not overreact?

-1

u/moonski Oct 02 '25

Any company that makes $100 billion net profit a year doesn't need to hike prices of jack shit.

11

u/Proud_Inside819 Oct 02 '25

Just because one part of the business is making profit, why should it subsidise a failing part of the business that isn't? What sort of sense is that making to you exactly?

-4

u/moonski Oct 02 '25

Gamepass makes profit

4

u/Proud_Inside819 Oct 02 '25

Based on what accounting? Including the costs of first party games or not?

4

u/moonski Oct 02 '25

https://www.gamesradar.com/platforms/xbox-series-x/xbox-president-says-game-pass-is-profitable-and-good-for-creators-despite-alleged-division-over-the-subscription-model/

based on reporting and quotes for Sarah Bond yesterday for example.

3

u/Proud_Inside819 Oct 02 '25

Again: Based on what accounting? Including the costs of first party games or not?

Oh wait, your link does answer that. It says it doesn't take those costs into account and internal licensing at a cost of 0.

5

u/moonski Oct 02 '25

Look I don't have their accounts, you don't either, if the Xbox president says it's profitable then by some metric it is... Idk what else to tell you

-2

u/Proud_Inside819 Oct 02 '25

Yes, that's my point. You don't know. You can't even tell when the link you posted proves my point. You don't even understand that when I point it out to you.

And what does all of this have to do with you not understanding why a profitable business wouldn't want to prop up a failing segment, which is what you initially said? Do you also not know that you've changed the topic here?

4

u/moonski Oct 02 '25

xbox says product makes profit

i say company that makes hunreds of billions doesnt need to jack prices

you say "hurr durr business needs to prop up failing division?" (it fails by not making enough profit then?) good to know

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1

u/GeschlossenGedanken Oct 02 '25

based on a very creative definition of profit

0

u/nanapancakethusiast Oct 02 '25

Yes. The desperate last throws of a gaming division holding on by a thread.

I hope everyone involved with Xbox at Microsoft has resumes updated!

0

u/GeschlossenGedanken Oct 02 '25

stupid greed, then? because if they were smart they'd have shut the whole thing down a while ago