My issue with this statement is they still should be able to want to create new IP's with those studios 343i and coalition included. But MS has cultivated a environment that puts a lot of emphasis on brand recognition, and that's where starting from scratch should come from. Gears should be totally different in story, approach. If MS truly had that mentality a long time ago in how developers were able to approach new IP's/projects or re-imagine a series we would have seen a lot more diversity a long time ago.
That's why there is so much skepticism about their new messaging, new studios and what not. And with them talking about game pass and how they want games to fit on that service it's just not something that jives with what their past messaging has been in how they treat their development.
Like what others have said, show us a consistent stream of high quality releases that are not rehashes of IP's that have had a rollercoaster in terms of reception, and iterations.
Any time I pick up a Playstation console, I am sure Gran Turismo, God of War are coming. I was always sure that Uncharted and Killzone were coming to the Playstation 4 even before they were revealed.
I am always sure that there is a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, coming to a Nintendo console because they are what have defined their hardware from a time before I started gaming.
The lack of diversity was never going to come from 343i, Turn 10 or The Coalition. To have that diversity, especially from first party they would have needed to have more studios, something that they did not have. Established series also rarely ever see a harsh reboot if there is a strong following for the title because more often than not huge shifts to how a game plays is generally there to try and keep a franchise relevant. None of Microsoft's big hitters is irrelevant.
They tried getting that diversity through second party partnerships that mostly did not work out. Last generation those partnerships yielded Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Gears of War, Alan Wake, Crackdown, Dead Rising, Ninja Gaiden II, Dead or Alive 4, PGR, Mass Effect along with third party support on games that never made it to the PS3 like Chromehounds.
It is also strange that people want a change to the story of Gears of War yet they already are expanding the arc, they have brought in new characters.
Talking about Minecraft integration is not making me and others confident in what he also says about content. Also talking about one already established developer like Ninja theory who are known for single player experiences small and large is not addressing any of my concerns. Especially when talking about Playground, 343, coalition and the likes.
Like others have said shows us the games, and people will start to believe in your mission/brand again. Right now it's literally words and promises that have been broken, closed and cancelled within this gen.
What did people want to see from Microsoft?
1. More investment in games. They have done that by expanding their first party studios.
2. Less mismanagement and less focus on a select few titles.
3. People wanted to see more single player games.
All of those have been addressed. I also like that they took a long term plan instead of the short term solutions that have got them to where they are. But they cannot win because anything positive they do has to be trashed, questioned or doubted. I believe that some of the developers they bought will struggle, and that is normal, but they also have a strong base that they can build on.