The MMO “Sea of Thieves” plays an outstandingly important role for the new era of Xbox under Phil Spencer, as highlighted in an interview. It was the first major game to be included in the Game Pass. At that time, there were many doubts about the model; Sea of Thieves became a test balloon that the developers regarded with apprehension.
Where is the information coming from? There is a large interview from GQ Magazine with Phil Spencer. He took over Microsoft’s gaming division, Xbox, in 2013, when it was in a poor state, far behind Sony and the PlayStation 4.
The “Xbox One” had been established as an “Entertainment Hub,” not as a pure gaming console—this decision haunted the console for a long time and weakened it. Today, Spencer makes it clear: it’s fine to watch Dune on your Xbox Series X, but primarily the Xbox must be a great gaming platform.
Meanwhile, the situation for Xbox looks significantly better again. This is primarily due to the “Xbox Game Pass,” a kind of “Netflix for gamers.” Back in 2013, everyone shook their heads when Spencer talked to them about the “Game Pass.”
No publisher wanted to put a new game in the Game Pass
What is behind the Xbox Game Pass? In 2013, the concept was known under the name “Arches.” The original idea of the Game Pass was to borrow games like a movie, but because Netflix and Spotify became popular, they opted for a subscription model.
So one could take out a monthly subscription and then play all games offered in the Game Pass for the duration of the subscription. This has since changed the industry significantly.
As Sarah Bond, who is responsible for this at Xbox, explains:
“Back then, 75% of a video game’s revenue was generated in the first 2 months. Today, it is spread over 2 years.”
At that time, Phil Spencer and his team approached the major publishers and asked them if they would put their games into a subscription. But nobody was willing to agree. The publishers feared that such a Game Pass would devalue their games.
Xbox then proposed that the publishers could place their older games in the Game Pass and thereby take a much lower risk. The Game Pass began to work, even exceeding expectations, but Xbox wanted to build on that.
Xbox takes a big risk with Sea of Thieves
This was the crucial role of Sea of Thieves: Sea of Thieves was the first project of the Xbox studio Rare in a long time. It went by the project name “Rare Next.”
To prove that Xbox really believes in the idea of the Game Pass, it was to be the first game to break through the barrier. An exclusive first-party title like Sea of Thieves was released on the same day at full price as well in the Xbox Game Pass:
- While PlayStation and Nintendo players still had to pay full price for a game
- Now, with the Xbox Game Pass, you could play the latest game on the platform along with a huge selection of older games for a handful of euros
Even the developer studio Rare was not so sure whether that was a good idea. The head of Rare, Craig Duncan, says he asked Phil Spencer at that time:
“If every single player gets Sea of Thieves through the Game Pass and we don’t sell a single copy. Is that still somewhat cool for you?”
“Absolutely,” Spencer said back then.
Game Pass has changed gaming
This is how it turned out: Today, it is known that Sea of Thieves was still purchased additionally despite the offer in the Game Pass. Nowadays, all Xbox games are released on Day 1 in the Game Pass – other studios like EA have also joined the model.
The Game Pass has ensured that spending in games increases and that games remain relevant for much longer, engagement is reported to be about 8 times higher.
In addition, subscribers to the Game Pass experiment much more with new genres.
Sea of Thieves also benefits from this: The unusual MMO continues to grow even 3 years after its release, and it has now reached over 25 million players:
Sea of Thieves 2021: Why the pirate adventure is finally worth it for you
Xbox then proposed that the publishers could place their older games in the Game Pass and thereby take a much lower risk. The Game Pass began to work, even exceeding expectations, but Xbox wanted to build on that.
Xbox takes a big risk with Sea of Thieves
This was the crucial role of Sea of Thieves: Sea of Thieves was the first project of the Xbox studio Rare in a long time. It went by the project name “Rare Next.”
To prove that Xbox really believes in the idea of the Game Pass, it was to be the first game to break through the barrier. An exclusive first-party title like Sea of Thieves was released on the same day at full price as well in the Xbox Game Pass:
- While PlayStation and Nintendo players still had to pay full price for a game
- Now, with the Xbox Game Pass, you could play the latest game on the platform along with a huge selection of older games for a handful of euros
Even the developer studio Rare was not so sure whether that was a good idea. The head of Rare, Craig Duncan, says he asked Phil Spencer at that time:
“If every single player gets Sea of Thieves through the Game Pass and we don’t sell a single copy. Is that still somewhat cool for you?”
“Absolutely,” Spencer said back then.
Game Pass has changed gaming
This is how it turned out: Today, it is known that Sea of Thieves was still purchased additionally despite the offer in the Game Pass. Nowadays, all Xbox games are released on Day 1 in the Game Pass – other studios like EA have also joined the model.
The Game Pass has ensured that spending in games increases and that games remain relevant for much longer, engagement is reported to be about 8 times higher.
In addition, subscribers to the Game Pass experiment much more with new genres.
Sea of Thieves also benefits from this: The unusual MMO continues to grow even 3 years after its release, and it has now reached over 25 million players:
Sea of Thieves 2021: Why the pirate adventure is finally worth it for you
