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Xbox Gaf: Are you satisfied with the current state of Microsoft Game Studios?

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
I think my posting history should confirm that there is no love lost between me and Xbox's first party output. There is no real reason for me to drone on and on about this stuff, but I am interested in hearing what Xbox fans think of Microsoft's lackluster output this gen.

- Are you concerned about another barebones year with Starfield and Redfall getting delayed? 2020 was fairly empty too.
- Are you ok with the lack of next gen only games on xbox so far this gen?
- If not, who do you blame for this? Sony gaf blames Jim Ryan for everything; I blame him for the Ukraine war. Does Phil Spencer shoulder some of this blame after 9 years at the helm?
- They say it's darkest before the dawn. Are you confident MS will have a killer E3 conference with Perfect Dark, Forza, Hellblade, Fable, Starfield, Avowed and State of Decay 2 all making an appearance? That they are about to turn the corner?
- Everyone from Nintendo, Sony to From Software are delaying games. Should MS with their infinite war chest be held to a different standard?

Note to Sony gaf: No offense, but I can predict your posts just by looking at your name tags lol so let's just see what real fans of Xbox have to say first.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
This thread will have some great responses, I can already foresee it ;)


-



- Are you concerned about another barebones year with Starfield and Redfall getting delayed? 2020 was fairly empty too.
Peeved, not concerned.

- Are you ok with the lack of next gen only games on xbox so far this gen?
This is a non issue IMO, 95% of games are still cross gen anyway.

- If not, who do you blame for this? Sony gaf blames Jim Ryan for everything; I blame him for the Ukraine war. Does Phil Spencer shoulder some of this blame after 9 years at the helm?
You can't blame a single figure head for a massive production delay. Covid is the biggest factor in most recent delays.

- They say it's darkest before the dawn. Are you confident MS will have a killer E3 conference with Perfect Dark, Forza, Hellblade, Fable, Starfield, Avowed and State of Decay 2 all making an appearance? That they are about to turn the corner?
At this point I'll be happy if they announce anything that's releasing this calendar year.

- Everyone from Nintendo, Sony to From Software are delaying games. Should MS with their infinite war chest be held to a different standard?
No, money can buy studios, money can't expedite development without outsourcing to a billion different smaller studios, which also doesn't guarantee a timely delivery.
 
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LordCBH

Member
They hit the mark with Forza, every time. Gears 4 and 5 were pretty damn good imo. But the rest of their output? Oof. I get sea of thieves is good, it’s just not my type of game.

I’ve had issues with Xbox studio management since the second half of the 360 days. Adding more studios under their belt doesn’t fix the serious mismanagement problem.
 
I'm mostly hoping for new artwork for Starfield at E3, and another Hellblade making of video showing them on location in Iceland.

I'm still happy with the service on Gamepass. Hopefully this year has some of the release dates for bigger indies teased at last E3, like Replaced and a few others. I've barely even played Forza Horizon 5, and haven't started Psychonauts 2.

They have a lot to prove in terms of their first party studios, so on that front I'm definitely not satisfied. A delay is better than a busted game though. But they clearly need to sort some shit out. Everwild is DOA as well.

If it was my only system, I'd be unhappy. But it's my 3rd system. They are doing better than they did last gen considering I skipped them entirely last gen, so in that sense they're still making a case for owning the console for me. But they have a lot of room to improve, and they need to.
 

Laptop1991

Member
Well i'm a PC only gamer, but there arn't any PC only triple A titles anymore so big games on PC are directly linked to Xbox now, so for me at the moment the answer is no i'm not, the games are either not being released much or don't work properly or mostly continually delayed all the time, pretty much sums up the gaming industry right now tbf.
 

Jennings

Member
Yes, if I wasn't satisfied I wouldn't have picked up a Series X a few weeks ago. My Xbox does more than gather dust while I wait for Starfield.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Well I like Forza Horizon 5. I haven't played psychonauts 2, because i think i have to beat the first one before i consider jumping to the next. Frankly their studio management has been a hot mess so far, and i'd be more pissed if i didn't already have a nice PC by now. Nowadays, the only backlog i have are game mods XD
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I think it's still too early to tell, honestly. I mean, they've definitely purchased and acquired a lot, which I think is certainly in their favor.

But we haven't seen the fruits of those acquirements just yet, maybe we will in the next couple of weeks/months?

That being said, it DOES feel like they're TRYING to do more, which is good for them. Because outside of PC, I felt like Xbox wasn't in a great place since the 360 era.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
*taps microphone*

I think I can speak for all the xbox fans here on GAF and we're saying: "Yes we're satisfied"

Thank you, close the thread now please.

Seriously though, putting on my realist hat(s) I'd say PD will be okay-to-shite and they have no idea what to do with that franchise, just a gut feeling, I don't care about Forza Motorspurt Bleven, Hellblade 2 will be as good if not better than the first and I'm really happy with that except I'm worried that Senua's face looked total shit in the last trailer so hopefully thats not a sign of increasing the scope too much so that facial motion capture fidelity will suffer heavily (ie AC after Unity/Origins).

Fable could be good but its nothing right now except a CGI trailer and its being made by a dev who normally makes racing games, Starfield could be amazing but its not really quantifiable what the scale of the gameplay is and whether it will wow like Skyrim did back in the day + the delays and news from the last couple of days are a bit worrying.

Avowed is coming from a great dev but its also totally nothing so far except a target render trailer and the last game they made was good but a bit disappointing to very disappointing from what I've read from fans of the genres/watched some hours of gameplay.

So from my perspective as a computer game player and not a fanboy is that a lot of it is unquantifiable so far and some looks good/great.

I'll let you know June 12th, when I know what is coming this year, I'm not going to have a silly knee jerk reaction (over two games we've seen nothing off)

Exactly, we need to actually see these games in action properly and know whats coming within a reasonable time frame.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
If it was my only system, I'd be unhappy. But it's my 3rd system. They are doing better than they did last gen considering I skipped them entirely last gen, so in that sense they're still making a case for owning the console for me. But they have a lot of room to improve, and they need to. [/spoiler]
It's not my only system either. I actually play all xbox games on PC, but my frustration comes from third parties and Sony just punting so far this gen. I was hoping that MS would step up and set the standard. Especially considering the first revealed Project Scarlett way back in 2018. Figured they wouldve had studios working on next gen games back then.
 
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retsof624

Member
As of now no. But a lot of the acquired studios haven’t released a new first party game yet so I’m not gonna be too pissed off yet. Ive never cared for Bethesda developed games, so starfield getting delayed doesn’t bother me much. And red fall is just whatever to me. If next year ends up also being dry, I might fuck around and sell this bitch.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I buy all my multiplatform console stuff on Xbox - so even though I'm more of a PC gamer these days I still consider myself an Xbox guy.

The reason I'm still happy with Xbox is that Game Pass has been so great. The constant influx of new games to the system gives it a good value. Every once in a while, we get a AAA first party title "for free", and I believe that makes it a better proposition than what Sony's doing with their revamp. We have these delayed games to look forward to eventually, and also a lot more in the pipeline.

I still play my Xbox Series X way more than my PS5.
 
Thanks to GamePass, I haven’t had any lack of great games to play. Also was 2020 empty? I remember a number of good games from MS, and loads of great games on GamePass.

Even smaller less liked titles like Battletoads and Bleeding Edge were games I played a lot of.
 

kingfey

Banned
I dont know. This e3 showcase might have something.
I hate how covid fucked up my starfield time.
I still have to get XSX, so that might be a blessing for me.
 

Kacho

Gold Member
Nope.

Forza is the only thing they consistently do right. The rest leaves a lot to be desired. They are slowly earning a reputation of incompetence when it comes to managing projects. I also have concerns about the creativity of some of their studios but we’ll have to wait and see on that one.

Not blaming Microsoft for the Starfield delay though. They have nothing to do with the game and with everything getting delayed these days I’m not surprised about it. It’s to be expected at this point with any game.

Hell, even that Lego Star Wars game got delayed for forever. As long as the final product is good I couldn’t care less.
 

Zeroing

Banned
I own all consoles! I’ve always been critical of the mess all of big 3 do!

This generation I’ve decided to invest also on Xbox, I do regret getting a Xbox series X this early!

I hope that answers your question!
 

Relique

Member
- Are you concerned about another barebones year with Starfield and Redfall getting delayed? 2020 was fairly empty too.
Not necessarily concerned. My only investment into the ecosystem is gamepass which I am sure they will get SOME games for one way or another.

I am definitely bummed out though. My 3 year sub ends in a year and while I definitely got some good value out of it, it didn't necessarily come from first party. Last year had some nice output but sadly not in the genres I particularly enjoy except for Halo, which I thought was good but pretty barebones as a package.
- Are you ok with the lack of next gen only games on xbox so far this gen?
Not too bothered about those distinctions. A game is either good or it isn't. My favorite games over the years have rarely been graphical showcases.
- If not, who do you blame for this? Sony gaf blames Jim Ryan for everything; I blame him for the Ukraine war. Does Phil Spencer shoulder some of this blame after 9 years at the helm?
Not really blaming anyone. Phil did what he had to do with the acquisitions but it was late so it's gonna be another few years before we see the fruits of that.
- say it's darkest before the dawn. Are you confident MS will have a killer E3 conference with Perfect Dark, Forza, Hellblade, Fable, Starfield, Avowed and State of Decay 2 all making an appearance? That they are about to turn the corner?
Yeah I think they will impress at the conference. Releasing those games at a reasonable pace is another story.
- Everyone from Nintendo, Sony to From Software are delaying games. Should MS with their infinite war chest be held to a different standard?
No. They fucking up.
 

FalsettoVibe

Gold Member
I'll just say this......I have a Series X with Gamepass and a PS5 with both Plus and Now. .
Last time I played my SX was when Forza Horizon came out. It's been all PS5. I was seriously looking forward to Starfield and Redfall launching this year on GP so yes, I'm kinda disappointed.
I know these things take time though. I imagine in about another year MS Game Studios will be in overdrive so I'll wait.
 
I buy all my multiplatform console stuff on Xbox - so even though I'm more of a PC gamer these days I still consider myself an Xbox guy.

The reason I'm still happy with Xbox is that Game Pass has been so great. The constant influx of new games to the system gives it a good value. Every once in a while, we get a AAA first party title "for free", and I believe that makes it a better proposition than what Sony's doing with their revamp. We have these delayed games to look forward to eventually, and also a lot more in the pipeline.

I still play my Xbox Series X way more than my PS5.
Same. Their studio management has major issues. But my backlog is so big that it's just hard to be genuinely mad ... yet.

Like, Gears 6 reveal will be neat. I still have to play Gears 4 and 5 first.
Avowed will be neat. I still need to play Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 first.

If I ever dig out of this hole filled with games, I'd be pissed I guess.

They do need to reset the narrative at this E3 though and explain what they're doing for paying customers for the rest of the year.
 

intbal

Member
No.
But I only really care about old games. So there's not really anything MGS could do to satisfy me. Unless they want to do a ton of remasters of old MGS games.
 

Lone Wolf

Member
Definitely disappointed at the output of games by Xbox. It’s exciting to see studios bought but how about some games actually get released? Nice weather is here and I don’t game much until the Fall, but it will be on PS5 when I do.
 

reforen

Member
No, the games output is really slow and I don't think there will be a big game to be released during the rest of 2022. Next month event must show incredible stuff to recover people hype
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Im not exactly XboxGAF but close enough I guess.

  • Halo Infinite
  • Horizon 5
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Flight Simulator
  • Sea of Thieves
  • Gears 5
  • Grounded - Seriously if you havent tried this game give it a go
  • Gamepass as a whole.

I am well satisfied.
 
I just got an XSX so I guess I can claim to be Xbox GAF now?

The non stop delays are disappointing, but not unexpected.

They really need to start releasing content in 2023 though. It’s kinda unacceptable to have so many studios that have problems getting out content in a timely fashion

PD, Fable, Hellblade, and Everwild seem like they won’t come out for another 6 years at the current rate of progress
 

SSfox

Member
I'm not Xbox gaf, but to me first half of Xbox 360 before Kinect era is still and by far the best era of Xbox, and Xbox has never been close to that level since. Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, FUCKING Ninja Gaiden 2, Gears Of war, PGR4, Bioshock, Mass Effect and cie. The focus was on games and variety, unlike today where it's about spamming blabla gamepass word everywhere.
 
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Robb

Gold Member
I think the output has been decent thus far, although I would like more next-gen games.

Delaying StarField and RedFall feels like a big blow to this years lineup. I’m very curious to see how much they have to show and what they have to fill these gaps at “E3”.
 
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I've been a Sony guy since the PS1, but it's not because I have any sort of emotional attachment to the company. It's just because every generation the PlayStation has been objectively the best choice (I got into the seventh gen late because I was in college and gaming less, so I missed the PS3's doldrums).

At this point I think we're looking at a best case scenario (from Microsoft's perspective) of a reversal of the seventh gen: PS5 dominating the early gen (as Xbox 360 did), with Xbox Series turning it around in the second half (as PS3 did). Whether that reversal will actually happen, though. . .Microsoft's track record is what it is. They have never once actually delivered in terms of first party output. I'll believe it when I see it and not a moment before.

If they do prove themselves I'm happy to jump ship. The bulk of Sony's first party output doesn't rally interest me these days - the only PS5 exclusives I've bought are Demon's Souls and Returnal. If Bethesda and Obsidian start releasing lots of quality Xbox exclusive RPGs and Sony doesn't have a response ready I'll pick up a Series X (probably after the slim revision price drop).
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
That's the main thing. I have GP for another couple of years but I can see people churning.
This is why I avoided stacking up on the XBL Gold glitch. It's a great deal but I am like all you have done is show CG trailers of your next gen games and then you skip showing them the next year, when are you actually planning on showing the gameplay let alone releasing them?

Forza 8 was announced in 2020 and was supposed to be a 2022 title. Is there anyone who is confident that the game will release this year? They have shown no gameplay in the last two years.
 

K' Dash

Member
The thing is, if I was in high school I would be playing every fucking game in game pass, my reality is quite different though: 9 month old baby, back to college, in the middle of building our forever home, I can't waste time playing something I probably won't like or wont have time to finish, there are no games at the moment I want to play.

I would have eaten up something like Miles Morales, Ratchet or DS.
 
No .

Launching a console with a big push on backwards compatibility was pretty telling.

Each is own. I don’t rate them and without the value of gamepass I think more might be critical of them.
 

Vasto

Member
I am satified because so far every 1st party game Microsoft has released this gen has been good. If they start releasing bad games then we have a problem so for now it is all good. They are the Highest rated publisher so I do not see lack luster at all. This gen just started so we have a long way to go and when I look at the studios Microsoft has I know that Xbox gamers are in for something special.
 

Stuart360

Member
I'm on PC and dont own an Xbox, but its the same thing anyway these days. Delays suck, but it happens all the time. I dont give a shit about Redfall, but gutted about Starfield.
Being a PC gamer though, i'm more accustomed to multiplatform games over 'exclusives' anyway (in terms of AAA games, we get more than our fair share of exclusive Indie and AA games), so its not a major problem.
I just hope Scorn doesnt get a delay as that was my most wanted game after Starfield.
 

Naked Lunch

Member
Remains to be seen.
Im an Xbox fan primarily for Halo multiplayer - but would like to have different 1st party genres to look forward to as a bonus.
I had hoped adding all the studios would have a balanced and constant flow of games.
Its still too early to tell. In theory this should happen.
 

Pedro Motta

Member
I'm canceling my Gamepass sub, these news were enough to wake me up, I was keeping my sub up without playing any games in hope of what might come up...but not anymore, I've wasted more money on Gamepass than on games played this year.
 
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reksveks

Member
Are you concerned about another barebones year with Starfield and Redfall getting delayed? 2020 was fairly empty too.
As a shareholder yes, as a consumer, not too concerned. I have enough of a backlog and not enough time.

My completed games for this year

yQ9l9Hj.jpg


I am an atypical gamer.

Are you ok with the lack of next gen only games on xbox so far this gen?

Got a series S and a PC (3080, pcie4 ssd) so not a massive concern. I play my next gen games on the PC but can empathise with those won't don't.

If not, who do you blame for this? Sony gaf blames Jim Ryan for everything; I blame him for the Ukraine war. Does Phil Spencer shoulder some of this blame after 9 years at the helm?
Yes but don't really have a good solution of what he could have done

They say it's darkest before the dawn. Are you confident MS will have a killer E3 conference with Perfect Dark, Forza, Hellblade, Fable, Starfield, Avowed and State of Decay 2 all making an appearance? That they are about to turn the corner?
I didn't think all of those would appear firstly, I think it's going to be an event for 2023 but it really shouldn't be. It should be one highlighting H2 2022. I think I will be excited by what I see though, think there will be a NT clip.

Everyone from Nintendo, Sony to From Software are delaying games. Should MS with their infinite war chest be held to a different standard?
It sadly just doesn't work like that, similar to funding 67 studios with 1bn each doesn't work. I think they probably need to sort out the contracting issue. I would also be interested to see average salaries and if that needs to be increased but ultimately hiring is a pain for everyone.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
I think my posting history should confirm that there is no love lost between me and Xbox's first party output. There is no real reason for me to drone on and on about this stuff, but I am interested in hearing what Xbox fans think of Microsoft's lackluster output this gen.

- Are you concerned about another barebones year with Starfield and Redfall getting delayed? 2020 was fairly empty too.
- Are you ok with the lack of next gen only games on xbox so far this gen?
- If not, who do you blame for this? Sony gaf blames Jim Ryan for everything; I blame him for the Ukraine war. Does Phil Spencer shoulder some of this blame after 9 years at the helm?
- They say it's darkest before the dawn. Are you confident MS will have a killer E3 conference with Perfect Dark, Forza, Hellblade, Fable, Starfield, Avowed and State of Decay 2 all making an appearance? That they are about to turn the corner?
- Everyone from Nintendo, Sony to From Software are delaying games. Should MS with their infinite war chest be held to a different standard?

Note to Sony gaf: No offense, but I can predict your posts just by looking at your name tags lol so let's just see what real fans of Xbox have to say first.
As a guy who recently switched to PC, let me give my thoughts
1. Yes. We're basically forced to wait until 2023 for that to happen. that being said....
2. Yes. All the games delayed so far are basically confirmed to be on Xbox Series X only. I don't see why they'd turn to Xbox One now. Plus, last gen games are still coming out on PS and other platforms. 8th gen isn't dying until 2024 at the least
skipping the third one since i'm fine with the lack of 9th gen game sos far.
4. No, not really. They havent announced any teasers for upcoming games to be shown at said showcase. But I'd be pleasantly surprised if they could turn it around.
5. No. Microsoft's riches start and stop at their other endeavors (Office 365, Windows 10/11, Azure, etc) In the game space, we judge them by their Xbox studios only.
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
No .

Launching a console with a big push on backwards compatibility was pretty telling.

Each is own. I don’t rate them and without the value of gamepass I think more might be critical of them.
Yet you still bought a Series consoles?
 
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