Listen, I know that we only saw the demo, but from what we saw it is pretty clear that this game is still in need of serious work that will not all be done in 3-4 months. To quote Chris Lee after the July event:
> “In fact, in many ways, feedback and community flighting will be even more important after launch as we partner together to continually evolve and update the game into the future.”
To me, this is PR speak for the game not being feature-complete at launch. I know there are a billion discussions going on whether or not this is true; if the game is in trouble or not. If you disagree with me straight away on that front, let’s maybe try to debate that elsewhere. For those who are already in my camp, I guess this topic is mainly for you. I’m mainly operating my argument on the assumption that we may get another Halo 5 launch scenario. So, if its true, I am speculating that Xbox is cleverly using Gamepass to soften the blow of a half-baked launch. Giving players so many options for day-one games for only $15 a month is unprecedented for Microsoft in terms of being pro-consumer. I personally think Gamepass is one of the main reasons why I haven’t ditched Xbox as a whole (aside from Halo). However, it’s interesting that they are leaning on it really heavy going into next-gen. While this is good for the average casual gamer, for those like us who are die-hard Halo players this may mean some trouble. Especially if we want to buy a collector’s edition or a physical copy, this will be a huge monetary risk for the player if the game launches barebones. For Gamepass users, if the game is lacking at launch, then there will be less of a loss and therefore less of a risk. This could easily affect the game’s rating/perception unfairly.
So, do you think Microsoft will use Gamepass as a safety net in the future for games that are not complete at launch, knowing that there will be less push-back? Or am I being way too cyncial? lol
*P.S. I understand that I guess this turns into a larger issue beyond Infinite, but I think its still interesting to think about!