Support NeoGAF

[Represent.]

You can have all the multiplatform GAAS trash you want. (Fortnite, the list goes on)

You can have all the successful multiplayer focused games you want (Halo, Gears)

You can have all the successful racing and sports games you want. (Forza)

But.

The reason people buy CONSOLES is to play quality, exclusive, single player games.

Its the ONE thing Microsoft failed at. They had MP hits, they have sports games, they have great service and value, they were the pioneers of online console gaming, they have everything on their platform they need to succeed except quality single player exclusives that Sony and Nintendo have in droves.

Like? Whats the difference between PlayStation and Xbox? They both offer the same exact shit, one just has an onslaught of quality single player exclusives the other doesn't.

How did Sony build the brand power the PlayStation has? quality single player exclusives

Nintendo? quality single player exclusives.

Quality single player exclusives are what give your console an identity. They are the Game of The Year winners, which help give your console recognition. They are the games people talk about decades later.

Xbox doesn't have that. And it cost them their brand.

Publsihers will always need to invest in quality single player games, its the only thing that has been proven succesful time and time again. Generation after generation. Even with the rise of GAAS trash. MS should have invested in more big budget, AAA, single player games - They wouldn't be on the verge of becoming Sega 2.0


edit: importance*

edit 2: My first ever thread without a or reaction, mods, un-tag me

Spoiler: in lieu of gamespot 2004

TLHBO

 

[ChiefDada]

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Jeeze this form over the past couple of days has been wild.

Can we get another live tag EviLore

Ops username tag checks out.

 

[ManaByte]

The reason people buy CONSOLES is to play quality, exclusive, single player games.

The top 5 games on the US PSN are always multiplayer games: Fortnite, EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Call of Duty, Madden. That disproves your entire thesis.

 

[bender]

 

[ThisIsMyDog]

I don’t give a single fuck about Xbox, but I’m enjoying this situation.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

It's true though. Day 1 PC and Day 1 Gamepass are bad ideas in terms of incentivizing hardware sales. Like, fatally bad.

 

[Artistic]

Thank you. ManaByte

 

[64bitmodels]

The top 5 games on the US PSN are always multiplayer games: Fortnite, EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Call of Duty, Madden. That disproves your entire thesis.

they're also all 3rd party multiplatform projects. You can play that stuff on Xbox too.

 

[StueyDuck]

It really actually comes down to leadership...

I'd also recommend waiting for the official announcement before making huge sweeping declarations.

Something tells me this announcement is not gonna be a huge massive blowout admitting defeat and exiting the game like people think...

They'd just quietly do that and put out a blog post. The fact they are making an announcement rather says there is more to this than xbox is dead and MS is 3rd party.

Most likely a hifi rush confirmation and maybe sea of theives and everything else will be case by case like they've said before

 

[Represent.]

The top 5 games on the US PSN are always multiplayer games: Fortnite, EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Call of Duty, Madden. That disproves your entire thesis.

All multiplatform titles available on Xbox. The difference is the exclusives. The reason people buy PS twice as much as they do Xbox is because of the quality exclusives.

 

[Woopah]

You need successful games but they don't have to be single player only.

Halo and Gears were huge for Xbox 360.

Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Animal Crossing and Pokemon are just as important for Switch as Zelda is.

 

[64bitmodels]

Nintendo? quality single player exclusives.

Nintendo has both bases covered arguably and if anything their multiplayer projects are significantly more popular than their singleplayer endeavours.... Mario Kart and Smash are the 2 best selling games in their respective genres of fighters and racers, and Splatoon 3 sold 10 million copies in 6 months.

That being said it's easy to get people to invest in your multiplayer franchises when you have an insane history of singleplayer IP & quality franchises to basically bankroll interest and generate hype. Too bad MS never figured that out though

 

[Mr Moose]

The top 5 games on the US PSN are always multiplayer games: Fortnite, EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Call of Duty, Madden. That disproves your entire thesis.

(Not that I fully agree with what OP is saying, but single player exclusives are important).

 

[Crayon]

The time for this would have been way back when so many were pretending that an HD DVD drive, 6tf, and compatibility with 360 games were world-beating features. It was too late for games to save them even before the series launched. They just ignored it for too long..

 

[Badlucktroll]

I hope switch 2 is powerful enough to run the xbox games

 

[Dane]

WiiU did well with that I suppose.

 

[64bitmodels]

I hope switch 2 is powerful enough to run the xbox games

if it is close to or better than steam deck you won't have to worry. That thing can run Forza Horizon 5.

 

[Jesb]

It actually was just bad management.

 

[BlackTron]

It really actually comes down to leadership...

I'd also recommend waiting for the official announcement before making huge sweeping declarations.

Something tells me this announcement is not gonna be a huge massive blowout admitting defeat and exiting the game like people think...

They'd just quietly do that and put out a blog post. The fact they are making an announcement rather says there is more to this than xbox is dead and MS is 3rd party.

Most likely a hifi rush confirmation and maybe sea of theives and everything else will be case by case like they've said before

Stage 3: bargaining

 

[NeverYouMind]

Hi-Fi Rush is the best new single-player console exclusive of 2023, so not really...

 

[Mortisfacio]

Crazy because it doesn't even take many. The Last of Us, Bloodborne and God of War. For me, that's honestly about it "worth" playing the last decade for Sony exclusive, but still those 3 titles alone are more than the 0 on Xbox.

 

[64bitmodels]

Hi-Fi Rush is the best new single-player console exclusive of 2023, so not really...

cool, it's been a year since that launched and despite the like 3 other games that they launched that year none have come close in quality or love.

 

[StueyDuck]

Stage 3: bargaining

I'm by no means an xbox fanboy. I'm actively making fun of all this.

But I also think people need to be a little more humble, no one actually knows what Phil is going to say. We all know it's most likely their vision to become more 3rd party, but we have no idea to what end, what time frame and for how long.

They aren't coming out next weeks and saying "to all our xbox players out there, fuck you" then Phil shows his ass and they start playing cartoons of fanboys being railed by dildos.

Phil has a fiduciary duty to MS and Shareholders to make the brand profitable. He's not going to come out and shit on everything and potentially kill the brand in one statement, even if eventually everything will come to PS and Nintendo, we aren't going to hear that officially confirmed next week. It would be wild if we did.

I see us hearing alot about still being loyal to the Xbox Brand with potential consoles or streaming devices teased and then one or 2 multiplatform games confirmed and the rest being labeled as maybe.

 

[Lions Gate]

he's doing fine

 

[analog_future]

I hope switch 2 is powerful enough to run the xbox games

I’d be shocked if it wasn’t as capable as a Series S when factoring in DLSS and such.

 

[Represent.]

Hi-Fi Rush is the best new single-player console exclusive of 2023, so not really...

Shadow drop, no advertising,
Not big budget.
Cartoony.
No one is buying a non-nintendo console for that game, as good as it was.

 

[NeverYouMind]

cool, it's been a year since that launched and despite the like 3 other games that they launched that year none have come close in quality or love.

Sony only launched Marvel's Spider-Man 2 in 2023. So, what is your point?

 

[BlackTron]

Phil has a fiduciary duty to MS and Shareholders to make the brand profitable. He's not going to come out and shit on everything and potentially kill the brand in one statement, even if eventually everything will come to PS and Nintendo, we aren't going to hear that officially confirmed next week. It would be wild if we did.

There's no telling what his boss told him to do.

 

[StueyDuck]

There's no telling what his boss told him to do.

Exactly my point, so big large sweeping statements about the demise of Xbox being because of single player games is rather silly.

We should first get all the facts of the situation from the horses mouth

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Thank you for cross posting this on Myspace

 

[BlackTron]

Shadow drop, no advertising,
Not big budget.
Cartoony.
No one is buying a non-nintendo console for that game, as good as it was.

I don't think anyone is buying a Nintendo console for it either, because everyone already bought one; and that audience is a better opportunity for the game to tap.

Exactly my point, so big large sweeping statements about the demise of Xbox being because of single player games is rather silly.

We should first get all the facts of the situation from the horses mouth

Well, Satya DID say if it was his way, there would be no exclusives. Doesn't mean he will say it again tomorrow through Phil, but we're not exactly taking potshots in the dark here.

 

[64bitmodels]

Sony only launched Marvel's Spider-Man 2 in 2023. So, what is your point?

GOTY contender. Hi-Fi Rush was not. there's a difference...

 

[Dutchy]

Wrong. They just need to make good games. Irregardless of genre.

If it's fun, people will buy and play it.

 

[analog_future]

Shadow drop, no advertising,
Not big budget.
Cartoony.
No one is buying a non-nintendo console for that game, as good as it was.

Halo Infinite campaign? (received great reviews from critics and was GAF's GOTY)
Sunset Overdrive?
Quantum Break?
Starfield? (you can roll your eyes, but it got solid reviews and ranks higher on GAFs GOTY rankings than games like Spider-Man 2 and FFXVI)
Ori and the Blind Forest / Will of the Wisps?
Cuphead / Delicious Last Course?
Gears 4? Gears 5? (both received great reviews from critics and generally have a solid reputation despite many not considering them as good as the first 3)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider?


I will agree that Xbox has never hit that "unmissable, GOTY single player experience" that Sony has become known for, but to claim Xbox has never produced quality single player games is nonsense.


The reality is that Microsoft simply dug themselves into an impossible hole over the Xbox One generation, and it was always going to take an absolute miracle for them to stay competitive in the hardware space after that catastrophe.

They did many, MANY things right since that horrific 2013 launch, but in the end the challenge was insurmountable. Too many consumers are dug into Sony's ecosystem and have invested thousands of dollars into their libraries. There's no way people are bailing from their platform anymore.


As Phil said about a year ago, Xbox lost the worst generation to lose.

 

[Danjin44]

Wrong. They just need to make good games. Irregardless of genre.

If it's fun, people will buy and play it.

/thread…

 

[StueyDuck]

I don't think anyone is buying a Nintendo console for it either, because everyone already bought one; and that audience is a better opportunity for the game to tap.



Well, Satya DID say if it was his way, there would be no exclusives. Doesn't mean he will say it again tomorrow through Phil, but we're not exactly taking potshots in the dark here.

I am not saying they aren't going to release most their catalog on other platforms though. Just that I don't think we are going to get that massive blow out in one go.

Microsoft are the absolute best a pr fluff nonsense speak. They'll say the bare minimum they can and will leave the worst parts up for interpretation. It's like how their games are best Xbox games sold ever... on a Monday... at 10pm... during the rain... in Uganda.

Again I'll be shocked if they just lay it all out on the table next week. If they do I think you see Phil stepping down a few months later.

 

[BlackTron]

Halo Infinite campaign? (received great reviews from critics and was GAF's GOTY)
Sunset Overdrive?
Quantum Break?
Starfield? (you can roll your eyes, but it got solid reviews and ranks higher on GAFs GOTY rankings than games like Spider-Man 2 and FFXVI)
Ori and the Blind Forest / Will of the Wisps?
Cuphead / Delicious Last Course?
Gears 4? Gears 5? (both received great reviews from critics and generally have a solid reputation despite many not considering them as good as the first 3)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider?


I will agree that Xbox has never hit that "unmissable, GOTY single player experience" that Sony has become known for, but to claim Xbox has never produced quality single player games is nonsense.


The reality is that Microsoft simply dug themselves into an impossible hole over the Xbox One generation, and it was always going to take an absolute miracle for them to stay competitive in the hardware space after that catastrophe.

They did many, MANY things right since that horrific 2013 launch, but in the end the challenge was insurmountable. Too many consumers are dug into Sony's ecosystem and have invested thousands of dollars into their libraries. There's no way people are bailing from their platform anymore.


As Phil said about a year ago, Xbox lost the worst generation to lose.

All true but also

Bad management

 

[Syphon Filter]

I like single player games but I dont think Sony has good one's either. They are slow watered down for casuals walking sims and movie games with politics,etc.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

So I guess no more consoles, but 3rd party and GP for all.

 

[NikuNashi]

Sony only launched Marvel's Spider-Man 2 in 2023. So, what is your point?

DIfference is one moved units and one didnt.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

this 7 days in a row. Thanks Phil "I hear you but we will talk next week" Spencer.

 

[Flabagast]

No man trust me me and my Xbox pals have figured it out a long time ago

-hardware sales don't matter
-game sales don't matter
-game exclusives don't matter

This is 5D chess you can't understand

 

[F31 Leopard]

If Xbox leaves the console market Sega should come back with Dreamcast 2.

 

[Represent.]

Halo Infinite campaign? (received great reviews from critics and was GAF's GOTY)
Sunset Overdrive?
Quantum Break?
Starfield? (you can roll your eyes, but it got solid reviews and ranks higher on GAFs GOTY rankings than games like Spider-Man 2 and FFXVI)
Ori and the Blind Forest / Will of the Wisps?
Cuphead / Delicious Last Course?
Gears 4? Gears 5? (both received great reviews from critics and generally have a solid reputation despite many not considering them as good as the first 3)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider?


I will agree that Xbox has never hit that "unmissable, GOTY single player experience" that Sony has become known for, but to claim Xbox has never produced quality single player games is nonsense.


The reality is that Microsoft simply dug themselves into an impossible hole over the Xbox One generation, and it was always going to take an absolute miracle for them to stay competitive in the hardware space after that catastrophe.

They did many, MANY things right since that horrific 2013 launch, but in the end the challenge was insurmountable. Too many consumers are dug into Sony's ecosystem and have invested thousands of dollars into their libraries. There's no way people are bailing from their platform anymore.


As Phil said about a year ago, Xbox lost the worst generation to lose.

Im not saying they've never made quality exclusive games. They have made a bunch, but nowhere NEAR on a consistent basis. Notwhere near as much as they should have.
A lot of their quality single player games are tiny budgeted passion projects. Thats never going to move the sales needle.

As for your list:

I'll give you the first 3 HALO's

Sunset Overdrive was a niche game that flopped. Not big budget. Poor advertising.

Quantam Break never got a sequel. I loved that game.

Starfield is too new, but safe to say it didnt have the impact it should have, hyped as GOTG, didn't even get a GOTY nomination.

Ori is a side scrolling small budget game.

Cuphead is a side scrolling small budget game.

Gears 4/5 were good, not great, nowhere near the same reception/impact as the first 3.

Tomb Raider, even as an Xbox exclusive for a year, is more recognized as a PlayStation game. Regardless they needed more exclusive games like THAT.

 

[Js562]

Ahh shit here we go again

 

[Yoboman]

You can have all the multiplatform GAAS trash you want. (Fortnite, the list goes on)

You can have all the successful multiplayer focused games you want (Halo, Gears)

You can have all the successful racing and sports games you want. (Forza)

But.

The reason people buy CONSOLES is to play quality, exclusive, single player games.

Its the ONE thing Microsoft failed at. They had MP hits, they have sports games, they have great service and value, they were the pioneers of online console gaming, they have everything on their platform they need to succeed except quality single player exclusives that Sony and Nintendo have in droves.

Like? Whats the difference between PlayStation and Xbox? They both offer the same exact shit, one just has an onslaught of quality single player exclusives the other doesn't.

How did Sony build the brand power the PlayStation has? quality single player exclusives

Nintendo? quality single player exclusives.

Quality single player exclusives are what give your console an identity. They are the Game of The Year winners, which help give your console recognition. They are the games people talk about decades later.

Xbox doesn't have that. And it cost them their brand.

Publsihers will always need to invest in quality single player games, its the only thing that has been proven succesful time and time again. Generation after generation. Even with the rise of GAAS trash. MS should have invested in more big budget, AAA, single player games - They wouldn't be on the verge of becoming Sega 2.0


edit: importance*

Spoiler: in lieu of gamespot 2004

TLHBO

Spoiler

TLHBO? No, TLHBR

Core memory unlocked

 

[64bitmodels]

Ahh shit here we go again

it's gonna keep going until xbox eventually retires from hardware so get used to the hate

 

[SmokedMeat]

No.

It’s just quality games period. The biggest, most popular games aren’t single player.

 

[KimDongHwan]

I just really hope that Sweet Baby Inc. can turn things around at Xbox