Microsoft Game Studio corporate vice president Phil Spencer knows that Xbox Live's answer to PlayStation Plus needs work. Following his session in the SXSW Gaming panel, Spencer spoke to Polygon about Xbox's Games with Gold program, which offers two free games to Xbox Live Gold subscribers every month.
In contrast, PlayStation Plus offers recent releases and new releases for free through a Plus subscription, Games with Gold on the other hand has lagged behind and been criticized for offering older and less popular games per month. Spencer attributes this difference to Xbox's Games with Gold program offering permanent ownership of games as opposed to continued access only through an active Plus subscription.
"One of our issues with Games with Gold - not 'issues,' but differences between the other system we get compared to, is the fact that with Games with Gold, you get to keep that game, regardless of whether you continue to subscribe," Spencer said. "And the business around Games with Gold, for us, is just fundamentally different from some of the other programs that are out there, which does put a different financial picture on a - you're gonna go buy a game that's brand new, the cost of putting that in, just to be kind of blunt about it."
Spencer also tells the site that the Games with Gold program will eventually feel "more true" to what people expect from it, and that the service is still young and will see some evolution as time goes on. He also states that he's been working with the team on a monthly basis to pick new offerings.
"For us, in the long run, as an industry, giving away content like that is just ... I think there's some steps and some evolution of what Games with Gold or any of the other systems will go through to their full potential. You have things out there that are kind of bigger subscription services, where I get access to a lot of content. Games with Gold is kind of this step in the middle of, 'I get games, and how do I feel about those games," said Spencer.
PlayStation Plus is undoubtedly a strong asset to PlayStation. Despite not permanently owning games through the program, Plus users are still given access to new and popular titles, many in fact across multiple consoles (PS3, PS4, Vita). Xbox launching Games with Gold is a good first step, but they certainly need to be more competitive about it.
Honestly, I'm not sure why they opted for the model they're using, where people get to keep the games forever with the crux that Microsoft has "constraints" on what they can give away. You need an Xbox Gold subscription to just about anything but play games by yourself on the console, why not just do account-tied games like Plus does?
Anyway, Games with Gold currently does not have a release date on Xbox One, but Spencer had stated a month ago that news would come soon. Here's hoping Xbox owners start to receive some good free games.
