Amid the current flurry of Xbox news, all eyes are now on how the company plans to return to the profit margins expected of it now that an operational restructuring is underway. There are even reports suggesting that a possible spin-off is being considered to turn Xbox into a subsidiary, and even to allow external investors to come in alongside Microsoft itself.
In short, these are turbulent times for the green team, with news breaking today that it is losing the head of Xbox Game Studios, Craig Duncan, and the head of staff, Louise O'Connor. Xbox is exploring new business models more in tune with the current tech industry landscape, and it seems it also wants to introduce some changes to the traditional way of purchasing games on its platform. According to reports on X (thanks, Insider Gaming), an option has appeared in the backend (out of sight of users) enabling a 'Play now, pay later' feature, with options to link PayPal and Klarna accounts, two of the leading secure online payment platforms. These services would include interest-free instalment payments for games (up to a certain number of payments).
Sharma commented a few days ago that industry players could begin to see "radically different business models, which we had never imagined, start to take shape by the end of this year." This 'buy now, pay later' option has not been officially announced, and it is unclear whether it will actually see the light of day or remain in the internal testing phase.
If it does eventually become a reality, do you think that would facilitate price rises for games, such as the rumoured $100 price tag for GTA VI?