Despite its success as an Operating System provider for the larger percentage of PC gamers, Microsoft has failed woefully to replicate the success as a game builder. From its failed initiative to make its mark with Games for Windows Live to other failed projects, the tech giant didn’t make much impact on the PC gaming world.
Some of the most popular PC gaming globally at the moment comes from Casino Site gaming, which is always compatible to Microsoft software.
However, Windows on the other hand has gone back to the drawing board and came up with something that has good chances of becoming successful in the gaming world: Xbox Game Pass. Xbox boasts of an attractive subscription service that keeps improving each month.
In the words of Den Decker, Xbox’s marketing general manager, Microsoft has not had a smooth start to its PC gaming project over the years. Microsoft started with PC gaming and the company is committed to getting it right, and giving the PC gaming community something they will be proud of, according to the marketing manager.
The company launched Gears Tactics. The game is apparently proof of Microsoft’s determination to stamp its authority on the gaming community through the Gears of War-like turn-based strategy game. Gear Tactics is an expensive and high-profile game from the tech giant exclusively designed for PC users. Xbox One console users don’t have a version yet. Gamers can purchase this game from both Steam and Game Pass for PC.
Decker is optimistic that the company will be successful on both platforms although he gives no clue about how the company will achieve this.
This isn’t Microsoft’s first attempt to create a strategy-themed shooter IP. The company has previously created two versions of Halo Wars games. These real-time strategy games were ambitious exercises that can be played with a controller. However, Gears Tactics’ primary targets are PC users, although Xbox console users may have a version specifically designed for them later.
Mike Crump, The Coalition’s director of operations weighed in on this. The Microsoft’s in-house studio director explained that Microsoft focuses on PC first because the company wants direct attention to its target audience to ensure that PC gamers are offered what they truly deserve.
According to the director of the subsection of Microsoft in charge of the Gears franchise, PC gamers are extremely demanding. The company wants to devote its attention to these demanding people and satisfy their desire. Thus, the company factors in the users from the building stage of the game through the entire process. That includes creating a game that gamers can play on devices that require no graphic cards such as machines and laptops so that PC gamers can have a unique gaming experience while playing the new game on their high-ending gaming rig.
In 2016, The Coalition created Gears of War 4, the first Gears game from its stable. The PC version is extremely good with its amazing visual options and optimization features that enable players to feel the uniqueness not offered by the regular console ports. Just last year, the company rolled out Gears 5, an attractive game designed to be played on a wide range of hardware. Gears Tactics seemingly shares some similarities with Gears 5.
Crump emphasized that Microsoft put a lot of efforts into creating Gears 4 and 5 as a part of its desire to give the PC gaming community a game that will satisfy their urge. PC gamers are the primary focus of these games from the beginning.
Players are offered over 40 customizable visual settings to meet their needs. For instance, the Benchmark mode allows users to run a trial of the settings before they adopt them into their gameplay. Some other settings allow users to turn on or off some UI elements. The director reiterates the company’s desire to ensure that players can tweak the game and customize it to meet their individual preference.
Microsoft and The Coalition saw an opportunity to increase their franchise’s growth by launching Gears Tactics on Xbox Game Pass for PC. Crump expressed the tech giant’s optimism that newbies into the Gears games will be drawn to the franchise after trying their hands on Tactics. Such individuals may be drawn to other Gears games through Game Pass. Thankfully, entry to Game Giveaways is relatively very low, one of its selling points, according to the director.
If Decker’s words are anything to go by, there was a 50% increase in Gears 4’s players while plans were underway to launch Gears 5 last year. 40% of this figure is first-timers. At the moment, PC gamers can choose from the available options such as Gears 4, Gears 5, Gears of War’s Ultimate Edition on their PC although Crump refused to comment on the possibility of the company coming up with new releases.
Decker explained that an average player of Game Pass games plays 40% more games than expected, although some of the games are not from their franchise. On average, other games in the franchise experienced a six-fold increase in their player bases, he explained further.
Decker continued that while this is a new model for developers, the overall performance of the franchise has really impressed them. Users usually play 30% more genres after joining Game Pass. Thus, someone who has played a series of shooter games may try out narrative-based or puzzle games out of curiosity. That has really been beneficial for the company and developers.
Users can enjoy everything that Game Pass has to offer with a monthly subscription fee of $4.99 for the regular plan while they can subscribe to the Ultimate plan for just $14.99 per month. Subscribers to the latter plan will enjoy Xbox Live Gold and Xbox consoled Game Pass Library as a part of the deal.
Game Pass has grown considerably over the years, although it started small with a handful of games. However, the PC subscription no longer offers some of the console service’s big titles. A notable example of such omission is the Red Dead Redemption 2. Conversely, Football Manager that you naturally may not expect on Xbox consoles and other PC-focused titles are parts of the PC subscription.
Decker believes that gamers want different catalogs. According to him, some franchises and genres have gained wide acceptance on PC because they are specifically built for PC users. Such games don’t have the same effect on consoles and vice versa. Thus, within each catalog are platform-dependent games.
That’s a reasonable argument. Some games on Xbox, such as NBA 2k, are not that interesting to play on PC. Games such as World of Horror on Game Pass for PC won’t perform creditably well on Xbox too. However, games like Devil May Cry 5 that is available on GamePass console and Yakuza 0 created for both Xbox libraries and PC are great on both platforms. Thus, the publisher decides the most appropriate game for each platform.
Decker made it clear that each game incorporated into Game Pass is a product of extensive discussions with the publisher with an emphasis on understanding the strategy and goals to enable them to find the right game for a platform as well as how the game can be available.
Some developers have different strategies for console and PC, according to Decker. Such developers may decide to make a game available on one platform and not on the other.
Xbox Game Pass for PC has proven over the years to be an attractive service that every PC gamer should check out. Game Pass may get more attention from the attractiveness of Gears Tactics and how Microsoft may build on that success with more releases.
Decker doesn’t see this as an experiment, but Microsoft’s commitment to do the right thing and spice up the gaming space with something out of the ordinary.
I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.
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