Next generation: the end of the "xbox has no exclusive'' problem?

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

The lack of exclusive games has often been pointed out and mocked regarding the Xbox one. Either has a joke or valid complaint, it is commonly brought by both xbox owners and people who don't own it but find it a reason to not buy one.
Microsoft has been investing in studios to make first-party games. However, Microsoft is also remembered for shutting down Lionhead Studios , and canceling Scalebound(which was, or not ,justified depending on people)
This background can leave doubts on Microsoft ability to push new Ips that Sony wouldn't have access to.

As someone not working in the industry, I could only "guess" why Microsoft did not get more exclusive:Where they cheap and unwilling to sign the paychecks when it was needed?To money hat three right studios? Where are they considering abandoning the xbox brand as it was once rumored when the One was struggling during the Mattrick Era?

What I wonder is, can we get big games, like Horizon Zero Dawn, Spiderman,, Bloodborne, and other names that made the fame of the PS4?Can they beat Sony on that garden?

Ragnarok Flames · Sep 11, 2019

nah, people will still use it as a barometer for "how bad xbox is compared to PS5"

its tribalism and silly as fuck

Ryuelli · Sep 11, 2019

The Xbox exclusive is Gamepass.

Mad_Rhetoric · Sep 11, 2019

Yeah with alll the new studios it wont be a problem next gen.

Guymelef · Sep 11, 2019

How if they are releasing everything on PC from day 1?

Powerofthecloud · Sep 11, 2019

Its like gears did not just come out or something.

mael · Sep 11, 2019

the real answer is probably that they had a vision for the Xbone that didn't pan out and they've basically rolled with it while trying to steer the ship in another direction.
Games take time so if they invested a lot, we'll see the result eventually.

Powerofthecloud · Sep 11, 2019

Guymelef said:
How if they are releasing everything on PC from day 1?

Its still exclusive to ms platform

Jaded Alyx · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
The lack of exclusive games has often been pointed out and mocked regarding the Xbox one. Either has a joke or valid complaint, it is commonly brought by both xbox owners and people who don't own it but find it a reason to not buy one.
Microsoft has been investing in studios to make first-party games. However, Microsoft is also remembered for shutting down Lionhead Studios , and canceling Scalebound(which was, or not ,justified depending on people)
This background can leave doubts on Microsoft ability to push new Ips that Sony wouldn't have access to.

As someone not working in the industry, I could only "guess" why Microsoft did not get more exclusive:Where they cheap and unwilling to sign the paychecks when it was needed?To money hat three right studios? Where are they considering abandoning the xbox brand as it was once rumored when the One was struggling during the Mattrick Era?

What I wonder is, can we get big games, like Horizon Zero Dawn, Spiderman,, Bloodborne, and other names that made the fame of the PS4?Can they beat Sony on that garden?

The Xbox consoles have "no exclusives" because they're releasing all their games on PC.

Gundam · Sep 11, 2019

Your problem is looking at it from an "exclusives" angle. That's not MS's and Xbox's primary focus anymore. They want you in their ecosystems.

Look at it from "first party" - They're putting a lot into that. Between Obsidian, Coalition, Playground, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory, you can bet they're gonna have one hell of an output next gen.

Villein · Sep 11, 2019

if they manage to capitalize on their RPG studios and other studios based on narrative and single player, then they won't see any complaining from me

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

Gundam said:
Your problem is looking at it from an "exclusives" angle. That's not MS's and Xbox's primary focus anymore. They want you in their ecosystems.

Look at it from "first party" - They're putting a lot into that. Between Obsidian, Coalition, Playground, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory, you can bet they're gonna have one hell of an output next-gen.

but what benefit do they get from having me on their ecosystem if I just play on PC and don't buy their console, and just get games which are not on steam(but I don't like the store) or just use the game pass? Moneywise that will bring them the games sold on digital and a few dolars from the pass, but overall?

LewieP · Sep 11, 2019

Yeah I reckon that all those studios that MS bought will be working on games.

I'm curious when they'll start to phase out Xbox One support from their internal studios. We know Halo 6 is coming to Xbox One, Scarlett and PC.

I imagine we'll see far fewer instances of MS publishing games from external studios, I think it makes less sense all round these days, especially with the studios MS have acquired, after turning most of their other internal studios into factories for a specific series (with varying degrees of success).

We'll probably see marketing deals and such, and a few partnerships with indie studios for timed exclusivity. But yeah I don't think we'll see projects like Sunset Overdrive, Crackdown 3 and Scalebound, I get the impression that MS will just want to maintain their strong third party support and focus on their robust internal studio lineup.

More curious to me is how Sony will phase out PS4 support. All their currently announced titles hitting PS4 will surely do so (and likely have a native PS5 version for many of them, perhaps it will be the same purchase/license though), but I wonder how long they will wait after PS5 has been on the market to stop games releasing first party games on PS4. I think that's almost a harder problem for Sony, where it's hard for them to turn a blind eye on the massive PS4 audience, whereas MS are probably more keen (and well positioned) to get a fresh start.

I wonder how the launch lineups of both consoles will look. Will it just be all games that are available on the prior consoles but with more graphics, or will either platform holder have proper exclusives at launch?

Jakisthe · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
but what benefit do they get from having me on their ecosystem if I just play on PC and don't buy their console, and just get games which are not on steam(but I don't like the store) or just use the game pass? Moneywise that will bring them the games sold on digital and a few dolars from the pass, but overall?

What OS will you be using on PC to play these games?

MilesQ · Sep 11, 2019

It's weird to single out MS for closing Lionhead when Sony shuttered a number of studios this gen. Studios that were outputting great content, if sometimes a little rough around the edges.

And no-one cared about Scalebound. Go back to the gaf threads, they barely had any posts and the ones that did were usually mocking the game and its main character.

Eggiem · Sep 11, 2019

Jakisthe said:
What OS will you be using on PC to play these games?

SteamOS. :P

statham · Sep 11, 2019

LewieP said:
Yeah I reckon that all those studios that MS bought will be working on games.

:O, shocking!

Yerffej · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
but what benefit do they get from having me on their ecosystem if I just play on PC and don't buy their console, and just get games which are not on steam(but I don't like the store) or just use the game pass? Moneywise that will bring them the games sold on digital and a few dolars from the pass, but overall?

Are you really under the impression this is a fly by the seat of their pants operation? Do you know how much money and thought had to go into shifting to this model? Pretty sure a corporation as massive as MS wouldn't wing it. Whatever it is they planned seems to be working and is relatively successful so far.

Braaier · Sep 11, 2019

Powerofthecloud said:
Its still exclusive to ms platform

That doesn't count... for reasons

Powerofthecloud · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
but what benefit do they get from having me on their ecosystem if I just play on PC and don't buy their console, and just get games which are not on steam(but I don't like the store) or just use the game pass? Moneywise that will bring them the games sold on digital and a few dolars from the pass, but overall?

Your not playing those games on windows?

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

Jakisthe said:
What OS will you be using on PC to play these games?

Windows 10, but I got it for free. Granted I will have to pay if I change PC.and they sold Windows before.

Ragnarok Flames · Sep 11, 2019

MilesQ said:
It's weird to single out MS for closing Lionhead when Sony shuttered a number of studios this gen. Studios that were outputting great content, if sometimes a little rough around the edges.

And no-one cared about Scalebound. Go back to the gaf threads, they barely had any posts and the ones that did were usually mocking the game and its main character.

i mean its obvious that since MS is the "loser" this gen, its fine to bring up stuff like that.

Governergrimm · Sep 11, 2019

Ragnarok Flames said:
nah, people will still use it as a barometer for "how bad xbox is compared to PS5"

its tribalism and silly as fuck

This.

Powerofthecloud · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
Windows 10, but I got it for free. Granted I will have to pay if I change PC.and they sold Windows before.

You got it for free?

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

Powerofthecloud said:
Your not playing those games on windows?

Microsoft has been dominating the OS market for averylong time on PC. There is no study about this, but are Xbox One and gamepass consolidating that?

Zoph · Sep 11, 2019

Forza Horizon 4 and Gears 5 have been extremely welcome, high quality titles and I think it bodes well for their first party future. There is still that concern that they are still shouldering all of their hopes onto their three tentpole franchises, but we'll have to see what all their new acquisitions turn out before we have a truly good picture of their lineup going forward.

JusDoIt · Sep 11, 2019

Microsoft has a lot of work to do with their library. With exclusives, but also indies and non-Western games. They leave a lot of great games on the table that Nintendo and Sony snatch up and there's really no excuse for it because they lead the charge with XBLA last gen.

Hopefully they get back to the variety that made the 360 so necessary and game changing.

Kingpin722 · Sep 11, 2019

We can potentially get those level of games on Xbox but it'll take patience from the devs and consumers alike. Just because they bought studios, doesn't mean that the first IP they push out from there will achieve that level of quality that Sony has. It took Sony's studios YEARS to reach the level of quality they achieved on PS4.

sn00zer · Sep 11, 2019

Ryuelli said:
The Xbox exclusive is Gamepass.

This might actually be it

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

Powerofthecloud said:
You got it for free?

as a free upgrade when Microsoft was offering it for 7 and 8 users.

Deleted member 58846 · Sep 11, 2019

They're literally trying to put all their games on everything.

Camonna Tong · Sep 11, 2019

LewieP said:
We'll probably see marketing deals and such, and a few partnerships with indie studios for timed exclusivity. But yeah I don't think we'll see projects like Sunset Overdrive, Crackdown 3 and Scalebound, I get the impression that MS will just want to maintain their strong third party support and focus on their robust internal studio lineup.

You'll definitely still see it but it's GP-focused of course. MS will continue to invest in MSGP. They did get Peter Wyse as the head for a reason. There's also the matter of reaching regions through xCloud with content tailored to them. So definitely more than a few partnerships.

XGS is definitely going to be the big investment and it already is. Not to say MSGP won't, but not as much.

XGS will have more AAA titles. MSGP won't have as much as the focus is on AA more (XGS has a lot of AA too, but there's more AAA funded teams than MSGP will have). Though if those games are big enough hits, and the studio wants to make an AAA title, Microsoft will allow them as they want to build IP and franchises.

LewieP · Sep 11, 2019

MilesQ said:
It's weird to single out MS for closing Lionhead when Sony shuttered a number of studios this gen. Studios that were outputting great content, if sometimes a little rough around the edges.

And no-one cared about Scalebound. Go back to the gaf threads, they barely had any posts and the ones that did were usually mocking the game and its main character.

I think MS are in a better place now, but they've had some real trouble managing their studio/games lineup this generation. Crackdown had massive delays and got shifted around different studios, Fable Legends got cancelled, Phantom Dust got cancelled, they had problems with things like the technical troubles of MCC etc. They have somewhat thrown money at this problem, but basically all of their acquisitions were smart moves, and studios that add something to the breadth of their lineup.

Sony have shut some studios, but they've also put out a huge number of very successful games (both in terms of critical reception and sales), and they've got a bunch of great teams working on anticipated projects. In addition to games we know are on the way, I'm sure players looking for a next gen console will be very interested in potential sequels like Horizon 2, nuGod of War 2, Spider-Man 2, Uncharted 5, Astro Bot 2

Knack 2

etc.

OldDirtyGamer · Sep 11, 2019

I know ms wants people in their ecosystem but its gonna be hard to do that with no exclusive games.

It's not working now and I dont see that changing .

Mekanos · Sep 11, 2019

I'd buy a Scarlett if it had a legitimate Banjo-Tooie sequel that was great and everything fans have hoped for over the last 20 years.

But Banjo-Kazooie being in Smash is almost as good.

zedox · Sep 11, 2019

Powerofthecloud said:
Its like gears did not just come out or something.

Oh it did so it's time and is successful so the concern trolling comes at an all time high.

Kleegamefan · Sep 11, 2019

You don't need an Xbox to play Xbox games.

I doubt this policy will change next gen

Gundam · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
but what benefit do they get from having me on their ecosystem if I just play on PC and don't buy their console, and just get games which are not on steam(but I don't like the store) or just use the game pass? Moneywise that will bring them the games sold on digital and a few dolars from the pass, but overall?

The more popular the games are, the better for them. Brand awareness through word of mouth, it all feeds back in.

And even if they don't benefit? Who cares, they're Megacorporation One

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

zedox said:
Oh it did so it's time and is successful so the concern trolling comes at an all time high.

I don't see it like that. Like I can play it on PC right now. But precisely my issue is to see it as an ace card to have it on several platforms, even if the console maker, is also the main os seller on PC.

Tiago Rodrigues · Sep 11, 2019

I feel like i hear this for over a generation now.
MS usually start amazingly well and as the generations happen, they lose steam.
They've had studios before and we all know what happened.
The new acquisitions outside of Ninja Theory are rather small....we'll see how they go.
But they are trying for sure.

Also...now that Xbox is more than a console and it's more like a service that has games for more than consoles, the term "exclusive" is kinda more broad for MS games now.
We can play them on our pcs anyway now so it's kinda pointless to discuss MS's exclusives in 2019 like if it were 2013.

GUNDAM STARDUST · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
but what benefit do they get from having me on their ecosystem if I just play on PC and don't buy their console, and just get games which are not on steam(but I don't like the store) or just use the game pass? Moneywise that will bring them the games sold on digital and a few dolars from the pass, but overall?

They make more money on games than hardware. Maybe you'll but a controller too 😜

fireflame · Sep 11, 2019

GUNDAM STARDUST said:
They make more money on games than hardware. Maybe you'll but a controller too 😜

Right it is true I use a xbox controller right now;)

zedox · Sep 11, 2019

OldDirtyGamer said:
I know ms wants people in their ecosystem but its gonna be hard to do that with no exclusive games.

It's not working now and I dont see that changing .

Well Gears 5 is exclusive to Xbox Live... Which is their ecosystem. So I think they are doing pretty well right now... Along with their other games...

mael · Sep 11, 2019

fireflame said:
as a free upgrade when Microsoft was offering it for 7 and 8 users.

The price was too high...

tutomos · Sep 11, 2019

It'll take time. Phil has said repeatedly that one of the reasons to acquire those studios is to give their AAA studios some breathing room. The quality of their AAA games will increase as a result of that, and the smaller studios will have the creative freedom to do what they want.

LewieP · Sep 11, 2019

zedox said:
Well Gears 5 is exclusive to Xbox Live... Which is their ecosystem. So I think they are doing pretty well right now... Along with their other games...

Gears 5 on Steam

From one of gaming’s most acclaimed sagas, Gears is bigger than ever. With all-out war descending, Kait Diaz breaks away to uncover her connection to the enemy and discovers the true danger to Sera – herself.

store.steampowered.com

Edit: and Xbox Live is optional. You can play the single player without it.

I do think it's great for Microsoft to make their games available outside their own store, but it's only really happening because their store for PC games utterly failed to gain traction.

nib95 · Sep 11, 2019

The Xbox has exclusives, it just doesn't have many highly critically acclaimed tentpole ones. I think Gears 5 is a step in that direction though, and I'm certainly interested to see how their first party games (of which there will be a greater number) are recieved next gen.

rusty chrome · Sep 11, 2019

I think most people will always define exclusive as "only available on one platform." The PC is a platform, so if a PS4 game ends up on PC, it's officially multiplatform, and there's less reason to buy it on PS4.

Ascenion · Sep 11, 2019

Why do they need to beat Sony? Why is there this constant need for Microsoft to chase Sony? Sony has their niche, and are very good at it. Microsoft is carving a new one based on a damn good service which is now the platform. So yeah they have exclusives. And out of the big 3 they have consistently been the best at delivering service oriented content. Microsoft is fine. They literally just released a game that dethroned Fortnite on their platform as the most played game based off the Early Access SKU. Xbox owners are eating fine.

Akabeko · Sep 11, 2019

I do wonder if gamepass gives them an incentive to release more, smaller games more quickly. Like a steady stream of 7.0-8.0 games probably keeps more people subscribed than one or two 9.0s a year.

Next generation: the end of the "xbox has no exclusive'' problem?

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