Veteran Game Developer Calls Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox Game Pass ‘Unsustainable'
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Colantonio stressed that Xbox Game Pass has damaged the video game industry over the last decade and said it has done so due to Microsoft's near-infinite money it can pump into the service. He said the model can't 'co-exist with other models, they'll either kill everyone else, or give up.'
Colantonio's post about Xbox Game Pass stirred up other developers who were critical of the model, including one from Larian Studios, the developer of Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity series. Publishing Director Michael Douse said Microsoft's infinite money plan never made sense.
Microsoft Stock Movement and Analyst Updates
Microsoft stock was down 0.55% on Tuesday, but is still up 17.89% year-to-date and 8.31% over the past 12 months. While criticism of Xbox Game Pass wasn't welcomed by shareholders, it's important to remember that Xbox is only a small part of Microsoft's business. Even so, the company likely won't want to lose money on Game Pass forever. If that happens for too long, it could turn investors against leadership.
Michael Briest reiterated a Buy rating and $500 price target yesterday, only suggesting a 1% upside for the shares.
Is Microsoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Microsoft is Strong Buy, based on 30 Buy and four Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average MSFT stock price target of $524.86, representing a potential 6.03% upside for the shares.
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