Article from Jason Schreier
https://kotaku.com/microsoft-s-new-studio-acquisitions-show-how-much-xbox-1830383030
Developing big Xbox exclusives is no longer a priority for Microsoft, and in fact, the company decided in 2016 that it would release future games on both Xbox and PC. Soon enough, Game Pass will also be available on computers, and it wouldn't be shocking to see Microsoft embrace Steam—or overhaul the Windows store—as it tries to reach the hundreds of millions of people who play video games on comp
Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart told me during an interview a couple of years ago that Microsoft had a team of directors and producers assigned to Stormlands, including one executive producer who worked with the studio during the early pitching and greenlighting process.
"About three months into the whole pitch process [he] said, 'I think what we want to do is really hit it out of the park with this. What do you guys think about dropping multiplayer and just really focusing on it being a great roleplaying game?'"
Stormlands was, in many ways, the epitome of the old Microsoft way of doing things. Microsoft insisted on a long list of supplemental features including Kinect, cloud computing, and SmartGlass support, and the project became so bloated, neither company could salvage it. Today, under new leadership and structure, the Xbox department is very different, and it's easy to envision a world where Spencer and co allow Obsidian and Inxile to thrive.
https://kotaku.com/microsoft-s-new-studio-acquisitions-show-how-much-xbox-1830383030