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| Vincent Desmazes - Xbox France |
During the Paris Games Week 2019, we were able to test the future blockbusters but also to talk with some of the industry's personalities. Thus, we met Vincent Desmazes, Games and Services Manager (Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass) at Xbox France. We asked him about the future of these famous services but also about Project xCloud and Xbox Game Studios.
- Hello Vincent. Let's start by talking about services. With the launch of the Xbox Game Pass on PC and that of the Ultimate version that includes Xbox Live Gold, the service has further densified its offer this year. According to you, what is the next step in the evolution of the Game Pass, especially with the arrival of Scarlett?
Vincent - Hello. I think we have already found a cruising speed on this subscription. I think our goal is to make the PC part that is still in beta bigger. Indeed, we want to have a definitive subscription on PC and that is suitable for all. Our goal is also to enlarge our catalog on PC. We have more than 200 games on the Game Pass console and just over 100 on PC. And I think that in the longer term, it's also allowing all the players wherever they are, on any device, to play our games and maybe arrive, at some point, to put that (the Xbox Game Pass) on mobile.
Do you know when the PC version of the Game Pass will come out of its beta phase?
In the coming months but no, I do not necessarily have a specific date. What is important to say is that we are talking about beta because it is really the application that allows you to run games that are in beta. But the product itself, the PC GamePass with more than 100 games, is not in beta. It's a finished product. This is really what makes it run on a PC that is still in beta mode.
In addition to exclusive Xbox Game Studios, major third-party titles and a multitude of independent games are on the Game Pass each month. How do you manage to convince the biggest and the smallest studios to offer their titles on your service?
It depends on games and studios. The discussion is not the same as a big studio and a small independent studio. What they are told, and they see it for themselves, is that it will allow them to address a wider audience. On catalog games (that is to say already available), the interest is also to revive a game that has a few months or years. And what we see is that a game, from the moment it enters the Game Pass, will multiply by 7 his activations in relation to its natural tendency. So it's really interesting for them. It can even go up to 35 times for smaller games. So it's a boon for them. It is at the same time multiplication of the activations but it is also a multiplication of players. For any developer and creator of games, his ultimate dream is to have a maximum of people who play his games and there is an incredible bargain.
Okay. We do not know the number of subscribers to the Game Pass with precision but can you give us the general trend around the service in France?
In France, on an installed base of consoles, we are the country of intercontinental Europe which holds the biggest ratio of Game Pass on the console. And with the announcement of the Ultimate version and the PC Game Pass at E3, we observed a huge acceleration, especially on the PC part. There really was an immediate membership to the offer, so it's absolutely great. Ultimate has also clarified the offer by integrating the (Xbox Live) Gold. For example, people who held the Game Pass did not understand whether Gold was needed or not. Now we have an offer that is extremely clear with everything in it. So, we have seen a clarification and a fairly clear increase in subscriptions since E3.
Many games are forging a worldwide reputation thanks to the Game Pass. For this year, we think of Outer Wilds and Gears 5. So, it is not totally absurd to think that your service could end up holding true exclusives, so games that would come out on the Game Pass, a little like the Netflix Original. Would such a strategy be possible according to you?
I'm not going to move forward ... What I mean is that our goal with the Game Pass, but also with the games inbox, is that anyone can consume video games the way that she wishes it. If you want to buy your disc game in a store, you have to find it. If you want to buy it in a digital version online on a shop or directly on the Store or if you want to have it via a subscription, you must have the choice. The keyword is the choice, there is not necessarily for the moment reasons to return to the model.
Like Microsoft with the Xbox Game Pass, several players in the video game industry are embarking on subscription services for their catalog (like Ubisoft with Uplay + ). In these circumstances, do you think that Xbox will still be able to attract publishers who could favor their own platform? Finally, are not you afraid that users will get lost among all the offers available to them?
It is true that there is a multiplication of offers and this is normal. We opened the way 2 years ago with the Game Pass and the offer took very quickly, with real interest from the players and a real desire to play this way. So it's quite natural that others, publishers or builders, get started. We are rather for this trend but we are still in the process of transformation. Some start but maybe in a few years they will say that the model does not necessarily fit them, they are not strong enough or their catalog is not important enough to continue. Or maybe it will work very well. For now, it's pretty complicated to say. Indeed, the risks
What interests us at Microsoft is to have the greatest diversity possible with an important catalog for all tastes. As an Xbox, we manage to attract a lot of different brands and games without being dependent on a single studio or publisher. Our real strength is to have the ability to agglomerate a multitude of publishers and players in the video game, which is not necessarily the case for all.
Can you clarify the outline of the launch of Project xCloud that will take place in November?
Our streaming service will be launched in November in 3 countries, that is to say, the USA, Great Britain, and South Korea. For France, it will happen a little later. It's a question of infrastructure, availability of 5G and a lot of things that are elusive for now. Currently, we are in the beta test phase in these three countries with 4 games. We lead the way and perform many tests. What I discovered at Microsoft is that we like to work by iteration. We test things and if it works, we continue or we go back. We take the time because the goal is that the day when it will no longer be in beta and it will happen in France, it is a finished product, safe and will not cause any disappointment among subscribers. So we will take the time that
You think the players are ready to welcome this "new" way of playing. There is a lot of distrust, especially with regard to competition like Stadia. Do you think you can convince reluctant gamers with xCloud?
I think we will convince them but it will take time and that is why we are also taking our time. The worst that could happen is to launch a product that is not ready. And here we are sure to lose the players. That's not what we want to do. We will do this when we are sure of our offer and some that infrastructures are nickels in all countries to accommodate Project xCloud. For now, we have the Game Pass that works very well, it's the first step. Finally, streaming already exists in music and cinema. I think it will come naturally in the video game. It will take time because it is more demanding than video or music.
With xCloud, players will no longer need to have an Xbox console to play your game catalog. A smartphone will suffice. Are not you afraid that Scarlett will pay the price?
For a few years, we are in a logic of transformation and propose our games to the greatest number whatever the way of playing. So, if users are interested in Project xCloud and want to play our games without a console, it suits us very well. We want to give them a choice. On the other hand, we have a history of more than 15 years in the universe of the console, it is a historical pillar on which we built our ecosystem and it is in no case question to leave it or to put it of side. Our current three pillars are the Cloud, the content since we bought the studios, and the community. We rely on this community which is above all a community of console players. So, if players do not want to go to the console universe playing our streaming games, that's fine. For those who are loyal to the console, who like to play the console, we will continue to accompany them. We will always favor an ultimate console experience.
This year, we saw a merger between Xbox and Nintendo with the release of Cuphead, Ori & The Blind Forest and New Super Lucky's Tale soon. Can we imagine an even stronger partnership between the two companies with the arrival of Project xCloud on Switch for example? Would Microsoft be inclined to associate in this way with PlayStation too?
Yes, Ori and Cuphead arrived at Nintendo. It must be taken on a case by case basis. I think these two games went very well with the Nintendo universe. I think that if there are opportunities that are consistent, we will not stop thinking about it. But it has also been said that it is not our strategy to go all our games on Nintendo. Exclusivity is still a key pillar in the video game. It's important to attract people to our ecosystem. So we will not give up on that. That does not mean that we will not be listening to new opportunities. Ben Decker (director of services at Xbox) also said that his dream is to see the Game Pass everywhere. But it's a dream of a dreamer. For the moment,
Since last year, Microsoft has bought many studios. What do you think is the most promising acquisition, and is there room for new studios to arrive? What are the criteria for choosing one studio over another?
It will be personal but I really like Ninja Theory (Hellblade). This is a very nice studio and I was quite happy with what I saw on Bleeding Edge, which I played at E3. This is a small favorite for Ninja Theory.
As for new redemptions to come or not, I can not answer. I do not have the faintest idea. What I can say is that what prevails in the choice of this or that studio, is, on the one hand, to expand our offer of studios, to be able to expand our offer of games, but c is above all to have a real variety. Indeed, when you have to compose a Game Pass offer on PC, you need PC experts. So, we bought some studios like Obsidian which is very good for the PC game. We also bought studios according to their know-how, to see how they came to fit into the universe (Xbox) Game Studios and did they add a force to the already existing team. One last thing, it was necessary to gauge their desire to collaborate with the other studios. It's very important.
When Double Fine (Brutal Legend, Psychonauts ...) was announced at E3, I really liked what the boss of Double Fine (Tim Schafer) said: "I'm so happy to join Microsoft. We are ready to work with the other studios and if we have to excel, we will excel. " I think that's what prevailed in the choice. They are people who want to collaborate with other teams and bring their know-how. For example, at the Playground (Forza Horizon), they are very good in two areas: car games and open universes. With regard to open universes, they can probably bring their expertise to other teams. It's very exciting. So someday, if Phil Spencer (the boss of Xbox) wants to buy a studio,
To conclude, at the dawn of the new generation, what would you say to Xbox players to stay with you and newcomers to come into your ecosystem?
Several things. We have an offer for everyone with Project Scarlett coming and announcing itself as the most powerful console ever created. For console players, we have what it takes. If a user is more turned to the computer, we have the Xbox Game Pass PC. We go to the mobile with xCloud ... So I think we have proposals for all in terms of services. We also have games for everyone with these famous 15 studios that will allow us to accelerate the pace in February with Ori (and the Will of the Wisps) then Bleeding Edge and Minecraft Dungeons. In the longer term, we will have Flight Simulator on PC ...
For all tastes, there is a game and then we have the Game Pass offer at 9.99 € / month which gives access to a huge catalog. A player can find his Grail on each of our offers and that's why I invite everyone to join us on Xbox. We are an open and active community. Let's not forget the Mixer that helps strengthen our social dimension. There is something for everyone and it is really exciting for those who would like to join us.
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