Kotaku: Phil Spencer On Microsoft’s Struggles With 1st Party Game Quality And Efforts To Improve It

[RedGator]

I can see me investing in an Xbox next gen. I'm currently a Nintendo/Sony guy but with the acquisitions MS have been making and with how quiet the past few years have been for them in the first party space, I get the impression there's going to be a ton of big games for Scarlet's launch. I'm interested in single player, story focused games so if there are future titles in the same vein as Outer Worlds and Psychonauts 2 I'll have a 3 console household.

Phil Spencer is probably the best thing to happen to Xbox.

Yep

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Oh, the irony.

 

[Host Samurai]

Ori? Cuphead? Sunset Overdrive? Sea of Thieves?

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Cuphead and Ori are indie titles and Sunset Overdrive, while awesome, it's a few levels more safe than games like SotC, Astral Chain, Bayonetta 2, Bloodborne, No More Heroes etc.

 

[gremlinz1982]

That's true. I was just implying that the overall 1st party scene for Xbox won't change much in the next few years. It's a long-term process.

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Next generation is when the platform will begin to reap the fruits of this investment. All the studios they bought either had a prior commitment, had just launched a game or was looking to launch one.

I would guess that come mid 2021 or late 2021 is when we start seeing the initial wave of games coming from these developers.

 

[RedGator]

That's true. I was just implying that the overall 1st party scene for Xbox won't change much in the next few years. It's a long-term process.

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You have to imagine that unannounced games already in development before acquisitions were made will be exclusives? Like Bleeding Edge. I dont think it's unrealistic to imagine Xbox having a great launch window next gen.

 

[kiguel182]

You don't know if Unionizing would be good for devs neither hear the desire, Phil?

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Software developers have a lot of blinders when it comes to unions. The tech world is terrible when it comes to workers rights.

Edit: what I mean is that he has huge blinders on.

 

[starbuck2907]

That guy blew like half his interview time talking about unions. MS is well-known to be a good place to work. If it's a good place to work, you don't usually need a union.

I feel like this was a little attempt to generate some clicks. I think the PR rep picked up on it too because as soon as the union grilling came they were suddenly out of time.

It was annoying.

 

[Pryme]

Something that Gears and Halo should follow and I'll wait to see results before I judge. Results being the key word, not promises.

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But this isn't true, is it? You aren't waiting. You have posts here where you've already dismissed these games.

But I guess you left out Horizon, Spider-Man, Astro Bot, Until Dawn, Bloodborne, The Last Guardian, etc that have all been in that GOTY discussion.

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Yes. I left out these games because none of them are sequels in a long running franchise. I intended to make a point about sequels in a long running franchise. I thought that was painfully obvious.

Gran Turismo Sport is a quality racing game

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7 MC points higher than SoT. From your own posts here, wouldn't that be a mediocre game by your standards ??

MC ratings don't tell the complete story.

 

[DvdGzz]

That's true. I was just implying that the overall 1st party scene for Xbox won't change much in the next few years. It's a long-term process.

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It will have been 2.5 since we found out about them by Scarlett's launch, won't it? So the launch year should be pretty good.

 

[Golvellius]

But this isn't true, is it? You aren't waiting. You have posts here where you've already dismissed these games.

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There is probably a reason his post history is private.

 

[Pryme]

The problem with the new acquisitions is their projects won't materialize for at least another ~2-3 years. Until then, I expect little to change.

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Death Stranding will be released after 3 years of development. Same for Assassins Creed Odyssey reportedly took 3 years to make. The new Predators game that's coming out on PS4 next year would have been in development for 2 years.

So I'm not sure why there's always this talk about games not showing up until 2021 or 2022.
Definitely, there's a reasonable and credible expectation that we'll start seeing games from the new studios at the next gen Xbox launch.

 

[Pryme]

There is probably a reason his post history is private.

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Yeah, his last few posts were becoming a bit console warriorsy.

Cuphead and Ori are indie titles and Sunset Overdrive, while awesome, it's a few levels more safe than games like SotC, Astral Chain, Bayonetta 2, Bloodborne, No More Heroes etc.

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Funding Moon Studios, a new studio not known for any major release is more safe than funding games from Platinum Studios? Including a Bayonetta sequel?

More safe than Bloodborne, an exclusive From Software game?

I've seen everything today.

 

[monmagman]

I think you have to give Spencer credit......he said he was first going to sort out hardware and with the Xbox One X he did that......he said rebuilding first party would follow,and he's done that......its really up to the studio's to deliver now.
I do think they really need a new big single player IP though......they need to have a The Last of Us/Horizon Zero Dawn type moment.......their big game to launch NextBox is gonna be Halo and their most talented new studio acquisition Playground are said to be making another Fable.
I don't game on Xbox because their big IP's don't interest me......if they don't bring new stuff I'm never going to get interested in Xbox.
I anticipate a lot of the new studios making smaller games that they can use to enhance Gamepass so not sure if those types of games could pull me in.....but I guess if there are enough of them sometime into next gen I could get interested......I'll wait and see.

 

[Bede-x]

The campaign and multiplayer are not the same thing though. They are being cagey about showing off the SP, and the fact that we won't get a proper look at campaign gameplay till only a week before release abundantly highlights that. That's almost unprecedented, especially for a first party project, and especially for Gears of War.

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The Coalition has already proven that they understand Gears and knows how to make a Gears campaign, so I'm fairly confident about the quality of that. Them not showing it off I see more as a matter of focus and what they want to draw attention to. Escape is both new and ties directly into their service plans, with them obviously hoping it'll be endlessly replayable and with the potential to sell microtransactions like double XP boosters. Campaign is one and done and then players leave.

If there's one thing Microsoft is communicating loud and clear with their actions over the years, it's that their big expensive AAA games will be service focused and they will highlight that aspect again and again. Except in rare cases, it's not gonna be one and done single player experiences of the kind Sony makes. We just need to accept that.

 

[Mercenary09]

But this isn't true, is it? You aren't waiting. You have posts here where you've already dismissed these games.

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Yes by and large I am tired of those franchises. Now if these new ones come out and something drastic has been done to change how they play or the stories are much better than I may consider giving them a shot especially since I have Game Pass.

7 MC points higher than SoT. From your own posts here, wouldn't that be a mediocre game by your standards ??

MC ratings don't tell the complete story.

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Something in the mid to high 7 range is considered good and why I consider a game like Quantum break to be good and not poor. GT Sport also had far more positive scores than mixed which wasn't the case for Sea of Thieves. Sure it's no Forza Horizon but it's a quality racer which isn't what you claimed.

Yeah, his last few posts were becoming a bit console warriorsy.

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Yeah anyone pointing out some faults on Microsoft's end and praising how Sony and Nintendo are doing a better job in the exclusive department is clearly console warring. It's like people can't talk facts around here.

 

[Host Samurai]

Yeah, his last few posts were becoming a bit console warriorsy.




Funding Moon Studios, a new studio not known for any major release is more safe than funding games from Platinum Studios? Including a Bayonetta sequel?

More safe than Bloodborne, an exclusive From Software game?

I've seen everything today.

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Yes it is more safe to fund a smaller scale game than a game with a high budget.

 

[Pryme]

Yeah anyone pointing out some faults on Microsoft's end and praising how Sony and Nintendo are doing a better job in the exclusive department is clearly console warring. It's like people can't talk facts around here.

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Going into list warz and talking about how your Xbox is 'gathering dust' does raise red flags, as does your constant downplaying of popular MS franchises.

At the very worst, a wait-and-see approach towards Gears 5 and Halo infinite is appropriate VS the 'these games will be crap' position you're already taking.

Nobody disputes that MS has had by far the weakest first party output this gen so far, but there are encouraging signs for the future.

LOL @ 'may consider giving them a shot'. See what I mean?

 

[Pryme]

Yes it is more safe to fund a smaller scale game than a game with a high budget.

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One can argue that there's diminished risk if the high budget game is pretty much a definite guaranteed success.

Bloodborne was always going to be good and sell pretty well. Cuphead or Ori could have sunk on the Xbox. Ori could have failed to show up at all.

Sony probably lost money on their initial deal for Rime exclusivity. And that was a much smaller game in scope than say, Infamous. Which one was the less safe bet?

 

[gremlinz1982]

Yes it is more safe to fund a smaller scale game than a game with a high budget.

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When you are investing in anything, it is looked at as time an money. You go to an Insomniac with more money because they are a proven entity where you are more likely to get a quality title than you are to get a poor title. You are putting more money in, but the bet is relatively safe.

You see sports teams spending big money on star players because they are proven quality, then spending far less on unproven players because they would not have a huge issue getting rid of those contracts should they flop. Companies do the same thing when hiring: they are more likely to try and get people that have done it before, and pay them big money than offer the latest prodigy a huge contract before he has proven himself.

It is not only a gamble on money, every bet made has a cost on time i.e. opportunity cost.

 

[Mercenary09]

Going into list warz and talking about how your Xbox is 'gathering dust' does raise red flags, as does your constant downplaying of popular MS franchises.

At the very worst, a wait-and-see approach towards Gears 5 and Halo infinite is appropriate VS the 'these games will be crap' position you're already taking.

Nobody disputes that MS has had by far the weakest first party output this gen so far, but there are encouraging signs for the future.

LOL @ 'may consider giving them a shot'. See what I mean?

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I'm far from the only person who has gotten tired of Halo, Gears, and Forza. That's why that narrative about that's all they make exists. That doesn't mean "OMG I hate Xbox." Just b/c someone owns an Xbox doesn't mean they have to like those 3 franchises. Also nowhere did I say that Gears and Halo are crap. Being tired of those franchises doesn't equal crap. Good for the people who enjoy them. But other Xbox fans want more than that and I don't mean a bunch of 60 rated exclusives. Right now I have Ori 2 to look forward to and Battletoads looks interesting. Other than that there isn't much on the horizon for me from them in terms of exclusives it looks like. At least until next gen.

 

[Dan8589]

I'm far from the only person who has gotten tired of Halo, Gears, and Forza. That's why that narrative about that's all they make exists. That doesn't mean "OMG I hate Xbox." Just b/c someone owns an Xbox doesn't mean they have to like those 3 franchises. Also nowhere did I say that Gears and Halo are crap. Being tired of those franchises doesn't equal crap. Good for the people who enjoy them. But other Xbox fans want more than that and I don't mean a bunch of 60 rated exclusives. Right now I have Ori 2 to look forward to and Battletoads looks interesting. Other than that there isn't much on the horizon for me from them in terms of exclusives it looks like. At least until next gen.

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You put far too much stock in review scores, as game like SoT had great gameplay but will never win the hearts of critics. For that you have to prey on nostalgia (see Mario) or go for the 'feels' by bringing a heavy cinematic story with faux emotion without bringing anything new gameplay wise.

 

[crazillo]

Xbox Game Studios need two things: time and scope/ambition

Phil has stated that in the past sometimes games were rushed out, had to meet certain release dates because they were spreading thin over the course of a year. This has changed now and a game like Recore being rushed out shouldn't happen again.

Many of the acquired studios dream of going bigger with their games. I think they absolutely should. Obsidian could use an upgrade in tech, inXile might end up growing, The Initative will surely be in AAA territory, hopefully Rare's second team has high production values and Ninja Theory might stick to the Hellblade model (smaller titles with high production values and good narrative) or even go back to Action Adventures, with Playground Games likely reviving Fable again. Double Fine for a Conker reboot? Hell yeah! There are wildcards like Compulsion Games and Undead Labs. There are safe bets for quality with Forza. I'm also a bit skeptical to see Halo and Gears studios locked into these franchises forever but we'll see. Other than that, I think they need to sort out some relations with Japanese third-party publishers but other than that they're all good.

I don't think people are patient enough on here. What they'll get in a few years will definitely be bigger in production values than The Outer Worlds, Wasteland 3 and Psychonauts 2 while keeping the DNA and identity of those titles. People yelling "no results yet" are not really being fair with their expectations one year after the turnaround that Xbox had.

 

[B.C.]

I just don't see Halo catching the imagination of people like Breath of the Wild. I definitely don't see a pretty average studio like 343 pulling off what Nintendo did.

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You mean, to you, right? Cause personally I could give fuck all about Breath of the Wild or Nintendo. Give me Halo from 343i any day. Thats just me..

 

[Trup1aya]

I think there's a major hurdle that they have 3 studios now dedicated to continuing (or to put it more cynically, really only emulating) past franchise successes without the creative talent that spawned them, rather than fostering talent to create new IP and forge a new identity. Maybe Halo Infinite is this exciting new thing to inspire people, but Halo 4 and Gears 4 were largely just exercises in "Hey we wanna make a new one of these... but we can't be too different because we still need to win over the skeptics who think it's wrong for anyone else to do these soooo..."

And I mean, Nintendo obviously maintains their franchises for decades, but they also have a diverse portfolio, with a lot of games that maybe only have one entry per system. Microsoft on the 360 had that ambition. Rare making Viva Pinata, B+K: Nuts and Bolts, that was cool and weird and awesome. Remedy making Alan Wake. Gears was a shiny new thing. Fable 2 was huge, if flawed, but it just had so much charm that I got lost in it.

I'm glad Sea of Thieves seems to have evolved a bit. I hope it continues to keep people around and they continue to evolve that game. But... I dunno, it kinda feels like one of the few things you can point to and say "look at this cool-ass thing Microsoft has." Besides Ori. Ori is good shit. But Ryse was... eh. Dead Rising 3 didn't have the enthusiasm you always saw behind Dead Rising. Sunset Overdrive was fun, but Insomniac obviously went on to make Spider-Man this massive hit. Scalebound fell through. Quantum Break (or what they originally planned with their TV division) seemingly fell through. Crackdown 3... no. And it's telling that I'm mostly talking about games that were announced within, what, the first couple years of Xbox One?

They made good acquisitions. I just hope they lead to exciting new things.

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Halo 4's biggest issue, in terms of reception, is that was it was dramatically different from previous efforts in the gameplay department, do a fault. When feeling with franchise, people expect consistency and continuity - there are things about popular franchises that cause people to fall in love in the first place. Developers have to be careful not to lose that when trying to find places to improve and innovate.

Microsoft aimed to have a diverse portfolio, but unfortunately, their more risky efforts didn't pay off, nor did some of their big third party partnerships. Hopefully some of their new internal studios comes up some ideas that spawn into products that ooze the quality and heart than Sony and Nintendo have been enjoying. I think MS should be dipping into their massive IP catalog in the search for inspiration.

 

[Rabalder.]

Some embarrassing console warring in here.

 

[B.C.]

this is a dumb post lol

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Slap a cape on it, and it becomes.... SUPER dumb!

 

[B.C.]

Need to see some results before people are on board. If all those studios are producing ReCores and State of Decays then its really not doing anything to bolster MS first party.

And yea I know games take time. But people aren't going to blindly buy into MS first party because they bought studios.

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How does this line of thinking even work? Fifteen studios in all, more on the way, and all of them given the freedom to keep their original DNA and make the games they want to make. Probably the biggest part of the equation is, time. Time to make the games they want to make. Thats a big deal.

So, even at the first marker, if you took being part of the Microsoft/Xbox family out of the picture entirely, nothing would change. PGG, Ninja Theory, Obsidian, Double Fine, InXile etc would still make great games!

In fact, all of the development houses on the roster are in BETTER positions because they are in the family, because they get the necessary ingredients to make amazing content: creative freedom, financing, and time. And ALL 15 Dev houses essentially have as much of the current grocery list as they need.

So if I'm understanding you correctly, simply because they are a part of the XGS now, they loose trust and credibility?

Yeah... I don't get it. Help me understand.

 

[Almagest]

They're playing the long term game, and that's all right, they're part of a very wealthy company and can cape the storm until they have all their chips in place.

Personally, I'll keep going where the quality games relevant to my interests are. If they eventually produce them I'll be there too.

 

[B.C.]

There's no narrative that none of Horizon games, quality as they are, has captured people's attention the way Zelda and God of War have. That's not narrative. That's not misleading. That's just a fact. Would you dispute that?

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I would, definitely. All three games are C O M P L E T E L Y different from the other. And each one has their own fanbase. FH literally redefined open world racers and currently owns the crown in that arena alone. That's a title you can't put on God of War or Zelda. As excellent as they are, they still have competition in open world, 3rd person gaming. FH as an open world racer does not.

Horizon has definitely struck a chord with millions of gamers who enjoy this particular franchise. Guaranteed. And its only growing.

 

[B.C.]

"Just because I don't like it" it has a 69 Metacritic and isn't being talked about in award discussions. My original point stands so I don't need to say anything else. You're one of those people that just doesn't seem to get why people are unhappy with the exclusives Microsoft has been putting out.

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Da Fook?

So youre basing your opinion on a metacrtic score and award discussions? Lol.

People will be playing SoT for years to come. They've had 8 million players so far and its only increasing. That exceeds metacritic and award discussion forums by a mile. I would guess Rare and Microsoft are probably okay with that. Just a guess...

 

[Trup1aya]

Unions can many times be worse than not having ones.

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Worse for whom? Unions exist to insulate workers from the worker exploitation that inevitably comes from the corporate quest for profit.

I work in a union environment, but I'm a non-agreement employee. By QoL and compensation compared to the unionized employees who work under me isn't even in the same universe. Those guys and gals have it made.

Its certainly possible for a company to be advocates for their workers without Unions - but examples are relatively few.

 

[Prine]

There's no narrative that none of Horizon games, quality as they are, has captured people's attention the way Zelda and God of War have. That's not narrative. That's not misleading. That's just a fact. Would you dispute that?

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Is this a joke? I enjoyed Forza Horizon more then I did BoTW, its relative, you can't make conclusive statements based on your gut.

 

[DigSCCP]

Xbox Game Studios need two things: time and scope/ambition

Phil has stated that in the past sometimes games were rushed out, had to meet certain release dates because they were spreading thin over the course of a year. This has changed now and a game like Recore being rushed out shouldn't happen again.

Many of the acquired studios dream of going bigger with their games. I think they absolutely should. Obsidian could use an upgrade in tech, inXile might end up growing, The Initative will surely be in AAA territory, hopefully Rare's second team has high production values and Ninja Theory might stick to the Hellblade model (smaller titles with high production values and good narrative) or even go back to Action Adventures, with Playground Games likely reviving Fable again. Double Fine for a Conker reboot? Hell yeah! There are wildcards like Compulsion Games and Undead Labs. There are safe bets for quality with Forza. I'm also a bit skeptical to see Halo and Gears studios locked into these franchises forever but we'll see. Other than that, I think they need to sort out some relations with Japanese third-party publishers but other than that they're all good.

I don't think people are patient enough on here. What they'll get in a few years will definitely be bigger in production values than The Outer Worlds, Wasteland 3 and Psychonauts 2 while keeping the DNA and identity of those titles. People yelling "no results yet" are not really being fair with their expectations one year after the turnaround that Xbox had.

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While I do agree with almost your whole post I fail to see why people waiting for the promises are being unfair.
I mean after a whole gen of overpromises and underdelivering it's MS own fault that people take a sit and wait approach.
And using Recore as a long time example of an 'old MS' doesn't help either when we just got the incomplete Crackdown 3 or Sea of Thieves, from the 'new MS'.
So yeah I think they made a lot of good moves lately, I think they are in their best position ever with their 1p teams...but until they start releasing good games in a good pace I don't see how anyone should give them another chance just based on promises again.
It's ok if anyone wants to trust their words from whatever reason.
But it's not unfair if people choose to wait for the results.

 

[XDevil666]

One of the things which puzzle me is that Xbox are sitting on a lot of unused popular IP's. Just get them green lit Phil ;)

But I do agree they need to let new studios create new IPs and hopefully something beautiful will come from them.

And dam let Rare setup a 2nd team and get some of those old IPs made!

 

[Pryme]

I'm far from the only person who has gotten tired of Halo, Gears, and Forza. That's why that narrative about that's all they make exists. That doesn't mean "OMG I hate Xbox." Just b/c someone owns an Xbox doesn't mean they have to like those 3 franchises. Also nowhere did I say that Gears and Halo are crap. Being tired of those franchises doesn't equal crap. Good for the people who enjoy them. But other Xbox fans want more than that and I don't mean a bunch of 60 rated exclusives. Right now I have Ori 2 to look forward to and Battletoads looks interesting. Other than that there isn't much on the horizon for me from them in terms of exclusives it looks like. At least until next gen.

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You're right. There's a narrative around Halo, Gears and forza. Back then, it used to be Halo, Gears, Forza and Fable. And most of that narrative was being spread by console warriors.

So... To be clear. You won't play quality games if they're in the Gears, Halo and Forza series just because you're 'tired'? And you think that 'hardcore Xbox gamers' also dislike quality games In those series?

"Just because I don't like it" it has a 69 Metacritic and isn't being talked about in award discussions. My original point stands so I don't need to say anything else. You're one of those people that just doesn't seem to get why people are unhappy with the exclusives Microsoft has been putting out.

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Hilarious how You seem to pick and choose when to use MC scores in your arguments.
Sea of Thieves is apparently a bad game at 69, but you're very pleased with GT Sport at 76.

Critics rave about the Forza Horizon series, with both FH3 and FH4 scoring higher than 92% on MC, but apparently people are 'tired' of the series despite critical acclaim and increasing sales and engagement.

 

[Pryme]

While I do agree with almost your whole post I fail to see why people waiting for the promises are being unfair.
I mean after a whole gen of overpromises and underdelivering it's MS own fault that people take a sit and wait approach.
And using Recore as a long time example of an 'old MS' doesn't help either when we just got the incomplete Crackdown 3 or Sea of Thieves, from the 'new MS'.
So yeah I think they made a lot of good moves lately, I think they are in their best position ever with their 1p teams...but until they start releasing good games in a good pace I don't see how anyone should give them another chance just based on promises again.
It's ok if anyone wants to trust their words from whatever reason.
But it's not unfair if people choose to wait for the results.

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1. Crackdown 3 isn't 'incomplete' by any stretch of the imagination. It's just not a high quality game.

2. You're perfectly within your rights to dislike MS first party output. That's no issue. What feels lame is the 'halo, gears and Forza don't count' narrative and the pretense that services like GamePass aren't a compelling reason to play on Xbox.

If GamePass and the upcoming lineup don't appeal to you, I agree that waiting and seeing what they have in store for next gen is a solid choice. E3 2020 should paint a clearer picture.

 

[Blizzcut]

I used to like ole Phil Spencer and I understand why many clamor to his side as ushering in a new "era" of Xbox. But there is just something intrinsically wrong over there at Xbox, Phil is essentially the King of spin/excuses, there is no sense of identity anymore, their marketing is non existent/abysmal and with them selling out as a games as a service model al la Gamepass it just feels like a knife in the back for many of us old core Xbox fans that expect better.

 

[SuikerBrood]

Microsoft has had problems creating polished and beloved content. There have been exceptions such as Ori, Forza and Sunset Overdrive. But overall their quality hasn't been top notch. (I loved Sea of Thieves, but I understand the criticism it got at launch) I believe the thing Spencer mentions in this interview has a lot to do with that. With less budget, the portfolio you do have has to carry the weight more than they should. This will mean less time to build games, less budget and a 'one size fits all' approach for your games.

I'm happy to give Matt Booty and his team the benefit of the doubt for the next couple of years. Microsoft has done great with keeping their promises. They've promised to improve the hardware. They did. They promised to improve their PC gaming offerings, they did. And they've promised to improve their first party offerings.

The direction they are currently in really speaks to me. I'm a big fan of their older work. Games like Age of Empires, Flight Simulator and newly acquired IP's like Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland 3 will do a lot to bolster PC Game Pass.

Also think this wasn't a great interview. Instead of questions about his stance on unionization he should've asked what the hell happened with Crackdown, how he looks back at Scalebound and Lionhead Studios now. And if Game Pass could've 'saved' them.

The future is bright for Microsoft's gaming division. They just need to deliver content now. No excuses.

 

[Schaft0620]

Sony has these state of the art mo-cap studios that they use on their movies as well as these orchestral systems they use for their movies. It really does a great job of giving identity to their single player story driven games like Horizon, God Of War, TLOU. Their experience with making movies translates well to the types of games they have been making.

As the game industry grows it makes movie go-ers, Netflix 8 hour bingers, more comfortable with how these games play out. Where as games like Gears of War and Halo pivoted towards multiplayer away from their story elements as a focus. Now that it appears Microsoft is trying to pivot back to be able to offer God of War and Death Stranding type of experiences for their IP's IMO they hurt their identity going back and forth.

A perfect example of the reverse of this is GT Sport VS Forza or Sony's inability to make a SOCOM or Jet Moto game. Microsoft could make those games any day of the week. Microsoft is perfectly capable of making great games just as much as Sony inability to make a great game that is not story driven.

Microsoft just needs it's 14 or 15 studios (Whatever it is now) become a breeding ground of ideas and creativity and not dictate to them based on trends or ideas from the top.

 

[Deleted member 2254]

Xbox is paying a lot of bad decisions made by the old management from the end of the 360 era to mid-One generation. New studios, hands-off approach to their work, Game Pass, backwards compatibility, stronger hardware, the push for crossplay and crossprogression, accessibility and customization options, no more focus on gimmicky peripherals like Kinect or VR, xCloud, Play Anywhere, more deals with third parties including Japanese ones... they are doing a lot of great steps to correct the course, and as someone who's been on board with Xbox One since 2014, the difference in the quality of service, games and options is outstanding. And this is just the beginning, as most studios (old or new) have yet to show what this new philosophy brings, plus Microsoft yet has to release a brand new console too. Microsoft's future is definitely the most fascinating about the console manufacturers right now because they are bringing the most changes. It's anyone's guess whether they can truly compete with Sony's and Nintendo's output, but so far so good.

 

[crazillo]

While I do agree with almost your whole post I fail to see why people waiting for the promises are being unfair.
I mean after a whole gen of overpromises and underdelivering it's MS own fault that people take a sit and wait approach.
And using Recore as a long time example of an 'old MS' doesn't help either when we just got the incomplete Crackdown 3 or Sea of Thieves, from the 'new MS'.
So yeah I think they made a lot of good moves lately, I think they are in their best position ever with their 1p teams...but until they start releasing good games in a good pace I don't see how anyone should give them another chance just based on promises again.
It's ok if anyone wants to trust their words from whatever reason.
But it's not unfair if people choose to wait for the results.

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For me, Crackdown 3 more or less marks the end point of the 'old' Microsoft. It could have easily met the Scalebound or Fable Legends fate, yet somehow still made it with massive delays and developer change.

I fully agree MS has to sell us that their first party output is much improved, it's on them not the customer. While I think a game like Sea of Thieves is really hard to review and deserves its existence, classical singleplayer stuff is where they'll have to improve. Gears 5 already has to be much better than 4, that's for sure. Halo Infinite must have a reboot feel to it. We'll see what the other teams can do, but as for the newly acquired studios, we'll only be able to assess their performance in a few years as game development just takes time. That's why I say impatience is not really fair to judge these studios, especially given many of them still have work to finish.

I believe they've acquired very talented teams and gave them the safety so they can focus on the creative work. I'm positive but know I'll have to be patient, too.

 

[Deleted member 224]

I can see me investing in an Xbox next gen. I'm currently a Nintendo/Sony guy but with the acquisitions MS have been making and with how quiet the past few years have been for them in the first party space, I get the impression there's going to be a ton of big games for Scarlet's launch. I'm interested in single player, story focused games so if there are future titles in the same vein as Outer Worlds and Psychonauts 2 I'll have a 3 console household.

Phil Spencer is probably the best thing to happen to Xbox.



Oh, the irony.

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Sure, right back at you🤷‍♂️

Unions can many times be worse than not having ones.

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Do you think unions would be bad for the industry?

 

[BladeRunner2099]

https://kotaku.com/xbox-boss-on-microsoft-s-struggles-with-game-quality-an-1835740535

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I think a bigger issue they have this gen is Marketing.

Except SoT & Halo 5, don't think they have marketed a game on Sony's level. Games like Halo Wars 2, Quantum Break, Ori and even games like SoD2, CD3 lacked good marketing in my opinon. Gears 4 came and went, previous gears games had such huge marketing.FH4 deserved a bigger marketing campaign considering how well FH3 did. piderman, God of War, Days Gone were everywhere during release ( Champions League games, on Buses etc.)

They introduced features like Play anywhere but never marketed them the way Gamepass is being marketed now.

They need a new marketing team in my opinion.

 

[Finaj]

I think a bigger issue they have this gen is Marketing.

Except SoT & Halo 5, don't think they have marketed a game on Sony's level. Games like Halo Wars 2, Quantum Break, Ori and even games like SoD2, CD3 lacked good marketing in my opinon. Gears 4 came and went, previous gears games had such huge marketing.FH4 deserved a bigger marketing campaign considering how well FH3 did. piderman, God of War, Days Gone were everywhere during release ( Champions League games, on Buses etc.)

They introduced features like Play anywhere but never marketed them the way Gamepass is being marketed now.

They need a new marketing team in my opinion.

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Halo Wars 2 had -great- marketing :P

 

[Pryme]

I think a bigger issue they have this gen is Marketing.

Except SoT & Halo 5, don't think they have marketed a game on Sony's level. Games like Halo Wars 2, Quantum Break, Ori and even games like SoD2, CD3 lacked good marketing in my opinon. Gears 4 came and went, previous gears games had such huge marketing.FH4 deserved a bigger marketing campaign considering how well FH3 did. piderman, God of War, Days Gone were everywhere during release ( Champions League games, on Buses etc.)

They introduced features like Play anywhere but never marketed them the way Gamepass is being marketed now.

They need a new marketing team in my opinion.

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You're right. There's a dearth of common sense at Xbox when it comes to marketing.
Take Halo 5, for example. That's a game that really should have been used to move hardware. Yet The only official Halo 5 bundle was the hyper expensive 1tb $499 special edition.

Sony has been much more savvy about these things. We had GOW and Spiderman $299 PS4 slim bundles at launch. Those flew off the shelves.

 

[BladeRunner2099]

Halo Wars 2 had -great- marketing :P

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This one was good, even the other ad in the aircraft was cool but nowhere near enough especially for a Halo game (Even if it was an RTS), completely got overshadowed by Horizon Zero Dawn and Zelda : BOTW.

 

[tutomos]

A perfect example of the reverse of this is GT Sport VS Forza or Sony's inability to make a SOCOM or Jet Moto game.

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I don't think the example is good because you see Forza actually trying to introduce a penalty system similar to GT Sport but still not getting there as of yet. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. People who are invested in both games will tell you at worst GT Sport is unmatched in online sim racing in the console space, and that's where a lot of people are nowadays.

 

[Typhoon20]

I think there's a major hurdle that they have 3 studios now dedicated to continuing (or to put it more cynically, really only emulating) past franchise successes without the creative talent that spawned them, rather than fostering talent to create new IP and forge a new identity. Maybe Halo Infinite is this exciting new thing to inspire people, but Halo 4 and Gears 4 were largely just exercises in "Hey we wanna make a new one of these... but we can't be too different because we still need to win over the skeptics who think it's wrong for anyone else to do these soooo..."

And I mean, Nintendo obviously maintains their franchises for decades, but they also have a diverse portfolio, with a lot of games that maybe only have one entry per system. Microsoft on the 360 had that ambition. Rare making Viva Pinata, B+K: Nuts and Bolts, that was cool and weird and awesome. Remedy making Alan Wake. Gears was a shiny new thing. Fable 2 was huge, if flawed, but it just had so much charm that I got lost in it.

I'm glad Sea of Thieves seems to have evolved a bit. I hope it continues to keep people around and they continue to evolve that game. But... I dunno, it kinda feels like one of the few things you can point to and say "look at this cool-ass thing Microsoft has." Besides Ori. Ori is good shit. But Ryse was... eh. Dead Rising 3 didn't have the enthusiasm you always saw behind Dead Rising. Sunset Overdrive was fun, but Insomniac obviously went on to make Spider-Man this massive hit. Scalebound fell through. Quantum Break (or what they originally planned with their TV division) seemingly fell through. Crackdown 3... no. And it's telling that I'm mostly talking about games that were announced within, what, the first couple years of Xbox One?

They made good acquisitions. I just hope they lead to exciting new things.

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Im at the same stance. A+ for their efforts of adding more studios. I just dont think they have enough high quality studios, too many smaller ones that im sure will appeal to the core base but wont help them compete with the big 2. 343, Coalition, Rare have tried and we still havent seen proof they can deliver or rival those top quality games not just from their competitors but also the franchises' history. The only other big ones are The Initiative and Playgrounds new studio. And they have the biggest potential but at the end it's still just a potential. Xbox needs more of those studios.

 

[Dimple]

I think a bigger issue they have this gen is Marketing.

Except SoT & Halo 5, don't think they have marketed a game on Sony's level. Games like Halo Wars 2, Quantum Break, Ori and even games like SoD2, CD3 lacked good marketing in my opinon. Gears 4 came and went, previous gears games had such huge marketing.FH4 deserved a bigger marketing campaign considering how well FH3 did. piderman, God of War, Days Gone were everywhere during release ( Champions League games, on Buses etc.)

They introduced features like Play anywhere but never marketed them the way Gamepass is being marketed now.

They need a new marketing team in my opinion.

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Couldn't agree more, the marketing is woefully inept, we're seeing this right now with Gears 5, no campaign being shown until days before the game comes out? Are you kidding me??.

I've believed for a long time that Greenberg needs to go, instead of expanding Xbox's reach he's too busy doubling down on the US and stoking the fanboys on twitter, if Phil had any sense he'd get shot of him and bring someone new in before they launch Scarlett.