1. Horizon is nowhere near a sim. Either that or you have no clue what a sim racer is.
2. They are still AAA releases whether they ended up being fully featured or not.
Isn't a game that simulates driving? It isn't as a realistic, but it's main purpose is for you to feel like you are driving a car.
You seem to have the same issue. Halo was AAA but it was missing content that Halo usually had in previous generations where games were cheaper to make.
You don’t have a clue what the budgets are for either of these games, please stop trying to talk from a position of authority. Forza Horizon games are AAA games, just like Forza Motorsport games and Gran Turismo games. You’re confusing your personal opinion about these games with actual facts and reality.
If you think they cost as much as Starfield (you did mention it later but see my further list) or God of War be my guest lol.
Since you’re going on and on about these first party Xbox games that are built like F2P titles and have to nickel and dime customers to death, why don’t you list them for us? I could use a good laugh.
Gears 5 and Halo Infinite are two examples. You've been a member here since 2008, pretty sure you can remember the ones about Halo. Last gears wasn't mentioned online that much but it had mtx that the previous games didn't. You can search it online (lootboxes). You can also see a crowbcat video where 360 gears had more attention to detail though that could be a talent issue. Not sure about Forza Horizon since it's not a title I'm that interested about. Redfall is AAA according to xbox but that's like saying destruction all stars is AAA, and there's really not many AAA games. When it comes to the upcoming games, we've yet to see how iD's next game and Indiana Jones look like, but besides Starfield I don't see the AAA in the other ones. Clockwork and Avowed are supposedly AAA but don't look like one. Hellblade 2 looks like it graphically, but the previous game looked awesome but it was considered an indie game. Perfect Dark was claimed to be AAAA but MS likes to throw these A like they mean what they mean when they're not that. We need to see Fable's gameplay. For now, it's just Starfield until we see something maybe for 2025?
Halo development was a disaster, whether the game was launching on GamePass or not. Funny thing about you harping on Halo is that the main issues people have with the game os with the multiplayer, which is free to play and not in GamePass.
So you can see making the game cheaper to access creates those problems. I know a lot of friends that play free to play games. Most of them do not spend a dime. Whales carry those games.
I’m aware that MS hasn’t really signed a Starfield level third party game to release day one on GamePass and I never claimed they have. But Starfield is a once in a couple generations type game. If the scope and content of Starfield and maybe even budget is what you’re using to compare to other games and just whether they’re AAA or not then I imagine you’re going to come to the conclusion that there are barely any AAA games in the industry.
Doesn't have to surpass Starfield, but Re4, sf6, sw jedi, alan wake 2, spider-man 2, ff16, avatar, assassin creed mirage (though it's $50) and a few others came out this year alone and those games have a scope of a AAA game. I don't see that as barely. I don't see Avowed or Clockwork having those kind of budgets.
But again, none of this matters. You’re a warrior who doesnt even know what Forza Horizon is but you sure will talk about it.
This also doesn’t matter because like I said, you’re writing crystal ball fanfic nonsense about a potential future, I’m talking about reality.
I don't see it as a fanfic. I provided evidence what happens to games that are cheap to access and how the economy or the budget of those games are affected. Just give it more time if there aren't enough examples for you (state of decay 2, sea of thieves, grounded, pentinent, hi-fi rush, psychonauts 2, bleeding edge and other low budget games plus the AAA games I've talked about, plus big third party games like the games I mentioned above that came out this year not being on gamepass day 1 because I bet it would cost MS a lot).
I know it seems like console warrioring for you, but I also worry about sony and nintendo following this route. I prefer the premium way of consuming this hobby. It also creates competition because you are fighting for someone's money and time, and not just time.