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What does Microsoft need to do to improve the perception that they struggle to release games?

ungalo

Member
My hope is that microsoft learned a hard lesson from this, and will announced their big games within 6 months to a year of them actually releasing.
No they won't, they're just pretending. Every annual showcase they come with a new stance. One year it's "we gotta show gameplay because people asked us" but they'll forget entirely about that next year and come with "we need to have release dates people wants something tangible this time". Then it's "There's been a lack of game, we gotta make announcements" and then "there was too much announcements and not enough gameplay", it's an infinite loop because they don't want you to focus on the fact that there is not enough releases and rather think they're just bad at marketing, when they're actually very smart.
 
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Fbh

Member
Aside from the most obvious things, which is release more games.
Maybe start announcing games when they are deep into development, you actually have things to show and a somewhat reasonable estimate of when it will release.

Hellblade was announced in 2019 and still hasn't a date, Everwild was announced the same year and is seemingly MIA, Fable and Perfect Dark were announced in 2020 and both have yet to show something that isn't CG, Avowed isn't much better having just showed a short "in engine" teaser since 2020, Outer Worlds 2 was announced a year later and joins the CGI only club.
 

Sethbacca

Member
Keep buying up the top third party publishers and IPs that are cyclical with their games.

Boom: Instant "1st party" releases.

Imagine no Bethesda going into the 3rd year of the new machines.
Step 1 - Buy up 3rd parties and ips
Step 2 - ????
Step 3 - Profit

Microsoft management are underpants gnomes confirmed.
 
No doubt, Xbox is still missing a few key Nintendo/Sony-esque tent pole games that change the whole brand perception e.g. Mario, Animal Crossing, Pokemon, God of War, Last of Us etc. It's not a necessity but if Xbox wants to reach full potential they need them for sure. They already have some really great games (Gamepass fillers too), with plenty more on the way. It's been a sore point for Xbox.

Right now Xbox just needs to keep doing what they're doing for a sustained period. The lightning in the bottle will hit soon enough, more than twice by the roadmap of IPs and studios MS/Xbox helms now.

If Starfield is great, problem resolved for years. If Starfield sucks, problem continues for a little while longer.

For example had Halo Infinite and the TV show come out of the gates at the level of Destiny 1/2 or TLOU/show this conversation would be over. It's funny many post, why don't MS organically build, and then completely ignore the multi-year efforts and failures and successes of

SUCCESSES
  • Atomic Heart
  • Cuphead
  • Sea of Thieves
  • Flight
  • Minecraft
  • Forza/Horizon
  • Gears of War
  • Age of Empires
  • Ori
  • Halo MCC
  • It Takes Two
  • Tunic
  • Psychonauts
  • Hellbade
  • Inside
  • Death's Door
  • As Dusk Falls
  • Vampire Survivor
  • Pentiment
  • Grounded
  • The Ascent
  • Killer Instinct II (yeah it's old but I love it and it was super well crafted)
  • Hi Fi Rush
FAILURES
  • Halo Infinite
  • Halo TV show
  • Bright Memory
  • Crossfire X
  • Crackdown 3
  • Game delays
  • Game reveals too early
They have more success than misses in recent years, that trend is only going to continue this generation. It was never on the cards to compete 1:1 against Ninty/Sony at the start of this gen, we're going to see turbulent mid-last act of this gen though.

As for outside of the console world MS is on fire and about to explode, PC, mobile and cloud coming at us fast. Ninty and Sony are nowhere with their cross platforms, strategy, support, systems, dev pipelines and more in terms of anything outside of console. Apple, Google, Tencent, Meta, Amazon (Netflix/nVidia to a lesser extent) etc are the major competitors and MS/Xbox is the first to drop real coin into the market(s). Some of other big tech firms will be throwing their hats in too, we'll see more cries for "but where are the games" from them too all while they amass tech/talent/IPs/mindshare/revenue etc.

Let us not forget the variety and scale of Gamepass inclusions, which is just straight up killing it and far too many to list. Xbox is a different beast to Ninty or Sony, as is their path ahead.

Further what of the games yet to come e.g. Perfect Dark, DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Minecraft Legends, Redfall, Fable, Everwild, TES VI...actually here's the roadmap instead, probably should have just posted this (the perception is changing) - *I also didn't post anything from ActiBliz.

FnZmKSFX0AEVF81
 
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Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
They announced the games before they started working on them. They really didn't have much choice being so behind. This is the year. The wait is over friends.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Keep buying up the top third party publishers and IPs that are cyclical with their games.

Boom: Instant "1st party" releases.

Imagine no Bethesda going into the 3rd year of the new machines.

Excuse Me Reaction GIF



There have been Bethesda games in 2021, 2022 and will be at least 3 in 2023.
 
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They could try to actually create and release some new AAA single player games. Single,player with an emphasis on open world action adventure that is playable offline. This is the one area that seems completely foreign to Xbox lately.
 

Warablo

Member
They just didn't really have any developers, they didn't want to commit to full on game development in the early days. They had Halo and Gears carrying them.
 
It's the type of game that people are talking about. I want more high quality AAA single player games from Microsoft. Just 2 a year and I'm happy. That's not a big ask.
 
They could try to actually create and release some new AAA single player games. Single,player with an emphasis on open world action adventure that is playable offline. This is the one area that seems completely foreign to Xbox lately.

Here's the rub for MS/Xbox, why compete directly with tent pole games against Ninty/Sony who do it so well? The answer is brand perception, FOMO, walled garden etc; not exactly where MS/Xbox is heading.

Here's the rub for this Xbox fan, why haven't MS/Xbox pushed GaaS coop games big time? Halo Infinite was steered in completely the wrong direction IMO. Imagine if they had an Unreal engine BR and PvE title at launch and left arena to MCC with a spin off title a year or two later for esports; which is in the shitter for Halo anyway, comparative to other esports or Halo's own history. When you see the success of Sea of Thieves and PvEvP or Forza Horizons and DLCs I'm left wondering WTF Xbox and 343 were doing for 6+ years and how the hell didn't they know to steer the ship into PvE subs/DLC etc.

Xbox is missing that sort of single player campaign title but it's not their MUST have like Ninty or Sony. The other answer to why do such games for Xbox is you don't need to compete directly against other titles or IPs or multiplayer pools/retention. If a solo game/world is good it sells itself as a standalone. For Xbox I think it makes far more sense to differentiate with online coop being playable solo or coop in those tent pole stories/worlds.
 
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FUBARx89

Member
Start kicking their studios arses rather than let them fuck about so they release games.

Stop with the "this is the yr of xbox" & "we've heard the fans" malark; it's meaningless at this point.
 
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Um, I'm going to run with "releasing more games" is how they kill that meme.
2021 they were publisher of the year.
2022 was a desert.
2023 will be amazing with HiFi Rush, Forza MS, Starfield, Redfall and maybe Hellblade 2.
2024 and 2025 look chocker block with games like Perfect Dark, Contraband, Fable, Indiana Jones, Project Midnight, Avowed, Project Cobalt, State of Decay 3 most likely due out.
After that a new Gears game, a new game from id, a new Wolfenstien game, a new Forza Horizon game, a new game from Double Fine, Project Mara, The Outer Worlds 2, and so on.

The amount of games coming out on Xbox is going to turn heads.
 

Saber

Member
Man...use their so called deep pocket money to actually invest in their own games. Why they only seems only interested to burn money to buy everything and not to invest in themselves?
Also someone should hire better management for their games.
And the most important is stopping this social media bullshit.
 

Three

Member
I think MS need to have a consistent output of top tier games. Pentiment and hifi rush while great are too niche and probably don't tickle that itch of owning a high end console for most people. They just need more releases like FH5 but in other popular genres. Their releases for this gen haven't catered that well in terms of blockbuster high budget games, in particular to big single player games and they've been kind of coasting on the more varied lower budget ones and older ports. That has its pros and cons.


When you don't have big releases you will always have that problem. PS3 had the same perception for a little while even though it had those smaller lesser known games resulting in those lists people would post. It also didn't help that MS showed a bunch of early in development pre-rendered trailers so the lineup isn't living up to the hype MS set for themselves in terms of games for the system.
 

Clintizzle

Lord of Edge.
Because its not a question worthy of it own thread - Who thinks there is a perception that if a game is not exclusive, it doesn't really count.

Is the arguement really "Microsoft has no top tier exclusive games"?
 
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Iced Arcade

Member
The have everything but need to tighten shit because some of the cogs are not connecting.
They have mountains of games/IPs, hardware (High and budget and PC), network, subscription services, Studios, money.


They don't have
- someone gamer savvy running the marketing... Seriously stfu with the hoodies for controller, Oreos, fridges we support you and all that wokeness.
- a team that focuses on a game release schedule for all the studios... There really isn't a reason they can't pump out a AAA every quarter and a few smaller games in between.
 
Ummm, they need to release more games?

Full House 90S Tv GIF


Seriously though, 3-4 decent title each year for a few years is enough to get rid of that silly talking point. This year they are off to a really good start. Can't have years like last where no major games released.
 

SHA

Member
Ask Elon Musk, he's an organized being freak, watch some of his videos, it should give some help.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Um, I'm going to run with "releasing more games" is how they kill that meme.
2021 they were publisher of the year.
2022 was a desert.
2023 will be amazing with HiFi Rush, Forza MS, Starfield, Redfall and maybe Hellblade 2.
2024 and 2025 look chocker block with games like Perfect Dark, Contraband, Fable, Indiana Jones, Project Midnight, Avowed, Project Cobalt, State of Decay 3 most likely due out.
After that a new Gears game, a new game from id, a new Wolfenstien game, a new Forza Horizon game, a new game from Double Fine, Project Mara, The Outer Worlds 2, and so on.

The amount of games coming out on Xbox is going to turn heads.

Don't agree with you a lot but.....
Awkward Tonight Show GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
 

CGNoire

Member
Release a statement stating that..
.. "We didnt do too great last year....but we Pinky Swear Promise this year will be different".
 

CGNoire

Member
Um, I'm going to run with "releasing more games" is how they kill that meme.
2021 they were publisher of the year.
2022 was a desert.
2023 will be amazing with HiFi Rush, Forza MS, Starfield, Redfall and maybe Hellblade 2.
2024 and 2025 look chocker block with games like Perfect Dark, Contraband, Fable, Indiana Jones, Project Midnight, Avowed, Project Cobalt, State of Decay 3 most likely due out.
After that a new Gears game, a new game from id, a new Wolfenstien game, a new Forza Horizon game, a new game from Double Fine, Project Mara, The Outer Worlds 2, and so on.

The amount of games coming out on Xbox is going to turn heads.
Phil is that you?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
If 2023 had ended up like 2022, I would have sold off my Xbox. I have almost lost my patience.
2022 was my breaking point and I sold my Series S this week.

I’ll renew GP Ultimate (using a cheap foreign marketplace) next year if the three year conversion still works. I’ll play Starfield through xCloud.

The Steam Deck is £314 on sale this week, why keep or buy a Series S when the Steam Deck does everything the Series S can do, and more, and has no online fees?
 

Stare-Bear

Banned
Release more games and DO SOME MARKETING for the games that do release.

Hi-Fi Rush seems to be a fun game but there’s no marketing for it. How are people going to know about it? They are relying too much on gamepass. “Oh it’s on the front page of gamepass, that’s enough marketing from us”.
 
Simply release games. That’s the point in buying up all these those studios and companies. I feel they should use what they have first before trying to procure new ones.
 
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Monad

Member
As someone who actually play and enjoy games instead of whimper about console wars like an adult child, I don't find that "struggling releasing games" perception too accurate.

Hell, I enjoyed Pentiment, As Dusk Falls, High on Life and most recently Hi-Fi Rush way more than anything Sony and Nintendo have launched in the past 12 months (with the exception of Metroid Prime Remastered).
 
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murstdurst

Neo Member
Releaseing games in a state that is both working and has content.
And stop mismanagement of the talent they buy up.

2 things they have trouble doing, so fix that and maybe...
 
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