I don't have issues with the game. I think it's fun and it entertains me.
But...
Your not wrong, I've long held to the conspiracy theory that MS pushed Rare to release much sooner than Rare would have if it were up to them. It's also why I feel they are offering the "Free DLC" we have gotten and is planned... because if they had it their way... that content would've been in the initial release and we'd have more depth of story and lore at launch.
I also think that the only reason they don't admit this and haven't since launch is that they weren't initially expecting to be offered on GamePass. Which is where the $60 price tag comes from, they wanted to offer the game like any other game but since MS has this new plan and service offered for a recurring price... MS needs titles to put on it, they need a reason for people to fork over 120 or so a year. New "AAA" games are the way they're doing it.
MS has a plan, which they expressed during E3... they've already been committed to it and I've said it for months before E3... but E3 solidified my theories.
MS is buying developers willy-nilly. Tasking them to create MS Exclusive titles. Then MS can put the title on gamepass and perpetuate the gamepass platform. And the gamepass platform is only reinforced by the few offerings that are also play-anywhere.
This allows MS to get customers who might only buy a game or two a year... to now pay around 120 a year (not accounting for gold memberships) even if they dont buy a single game. This doesn't account for any actual game purchases that will be layered on top of the subscription.
The customers will have reason to choose Gamepass versus PSNow which is almost entirely old games, customers interest and gaming habits will gravitate towards MS versus outsiders, PC customers will have more reason to play on Xbox as well and if they simply wont transition to Xbox.... play anywhere at least assures they're buying MS games and keeping a gold membership (even if not a paid one).
So yea, Rare sold the game at $60 and lauded it's AAA price tag and value... and I guarantee SoT meets the qualifications of being called a AAA title... doesn't mean the budget wasn't spent more on donuts than game play and it doesn't mean the money was there in the first place, however it was used.
But just as all this was happening and the game was launched... Gamepass screwed it all up for them. They had to make a big deal about their game, it only stands to reason.
But I am sure... if left alone.. they'd have waited till the end of the year to release the game. Unless release was meant to recoup money spent... or to increase the pocketbook so they could reinvest in the game and finish things up... they went into this just as we all have been saying since launch...
Which is to say, your right.... it's early access, lauded as AAA because MS won't dare allow anyone to admit otherwise.
If only because if you release an Early Access game on gamepass it draws a HELL of a lot less interest than saying it's a fully realized AAA game.
State of Decay 2 is the same in that regard. Sure, they had a AAA budget... but the near unplayability of the broken game at launch was a joke. Very likely due to Undead Labs reinventing the game on an engine they're unused too, time constraints, UL being an independent company unused to developing for MS and more.
Which brings me to a side point... that is MS really wants Gamepass to grow... they need reliable titles launched with fewer bugs or low content offerings. And if E3 keeps it's promises... that is just around the corner. The real question is just how committed to the idea that ALL MS games will launch on Gamepass are they? I mean it's one thing to say that but if they cherry pick games for the platform? No one will bother...
I know I wont pay 120/year for Sea of thieves and a catalog of games I could care less about. But I will pay 120/year (not accounting for gold memberships) for a chance to play every MS exclusive title that launches in a never ending game library.
And that's pretty good since I MIGHT spend 60 on a game per year because most games I do buy are NOT MS games.
So yea OP I support your perspective, but there is this to consider. This is the first major offering on Gamepass (IMO) and it probably didn't come out with all the content Rare would have preferred. There really is only ONE fix...
We continue to wait for the content to arrive, accept that it is as you claim - basically an Early Access title... and realize no one can ever admit it or stock prices and marketting plans will fail.
And if this isn't as I've described above... then we really did get a low content game at AAA price pointlessly. Which is bad, because if this is what Rare calls a fully realized game... I won't waste time investing in or buying Rare games again. I'll at best rent them first.
