Consoles

Since Xbox’s last significant first-party game, Phil Spencer admits that “it’s been too long”

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2022

Although the year has been rather quiet for first-party Xbox games, Microsoft’s head of gaming asserted that 2023 will be more busier for the platform owner.

By the end of 2022, Xbox Game Studios will have released five games, although only one of them, Obsidian’s Pentiment, will be a brand-new title created in-house.

The other games are Obsidian’s Grounded, a Forza 5 expansion, an Age of Empires re-release, and independently made As Dusk Falls (which has been in Game Preview for two years).

On the Same Brain videocast, Phil Spencer remarked, “One thing we’ve clearly heard loud and clear is it’s been too long since we’ve shipped what people would consider is a huge first-party game.

We might cite Covid and other reasons for our shortcomings, but in the end, I know that consumers utilize our platform because they want high-quality games.

Spencer continued by saying that Xbox’s 2023 lineup would be much stronger and that the production delays brought on by the pandemic that caused Starfield, the company’s original big holiday release, to be postponed until 2023, were now in the past.

We’ve talked about the upcoming games, and we’re enthused for 2023,” he remarked. “Those games are progressing successfully, and we have completed the production schedule changes made by Covid.

“And when you simply consider the launches, the industry as a whole has less games this Christmas season than we have in a while. God of War and Call of Duty are on the way, which is fantastic since Nintendo has had a tremendous year. But generally speaking, I think we’ve been a touch light.

But when I look ahead to 2023, I see a fantastic lineup of upcoming games that I’m looking forward to. It will be exciting to have our first authentic Xbox first-party titles from Bethesda, which will launch alongside Redfall and Starfield.

Spencer continued by saying that Xbox was “doing a lot more work” on PC and that it will soon release a significant update for the Xbox app.

This week, Spencer asserted that while subscriptions to Game Pass on consoles are “slowing down,” they had increased by a staggering 159% on computers.

He added at WSJ Tech Live, “I’ve seen growth slow down, partly because at some point you’ve touched everyone on console that wants to subscribe.”

Spencer asserted that Xbox Game Pass is “10-15% of (its) overall income” and that the service is lucrative for the business in the same interview.

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Consoles

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox Version Will Help PS5

Published

19 hours ago

November 30, 2023

Zach Riley

Belgian developer Larian Studios’ work on Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox Series S version will improve performance on all platforms, including PS5. The game’s fifth major patch, expected to launch this week, will include upgrades and new features. More details will be revealed later today.

Director of Publishing Michael Douse says PS5 performance improvements may be the “least exciting thing” in the title’s next update, so it sounds like a big one. Larian Studios employees are proud of “finally” implementing tweaks, fixes, and changes, Douse says. Later today, we’ll bring you all the Baldur’s Gate 3 update details.

Those who reached the RPG’s third act have reported technical issues during the narrative’s conclusion, especially in co-op, so today’s update should fix them. New features like a permadeath mode are expected, along with Xbox Series S optimization fixes. What else should be added to the game?

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Consoles

PC Mounts Show PlayStation Trophy Support

Published

2 months ago

October 16, 2023

Zach Riley

We love the PlayStation ecosystem, especially its top first-party studios, but Sony Interactive Entertainment could do more to build goodwill. The long-awaited Trophy support for PS5 games on PC appears to be closer to reality, though nothing official has been announced.

TrueTrophie’s scanners found a new PS5 Trophy list with “PSPC” as a platform. The list, titled “Trophy Set” and unattached to a game, appears to be a test. TrueTrophies notes that developers rarely submit their own platforms to PSN, suggesting Sony is behind it.

TrueTrophies says this platform is separate from PS5 but can connect to it, suggesting compatibility. As PlayStation fans know, PS4, PS Vita, and PS3 games could share a list. In October 2022, Sony added PSN support to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered’s PC release, allowing players to link Steam accounts to unlock an exclusive skin. Potentially minor, but something we’ll watch.

TrueTrophies lists PlayStation Trophies for serious hunters. They scrape the PlayStation Network’s ominous underbelly with scanners to provide the most up-to-date trophy lists, sometimes dangerously. TrueTrophies posted Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s trophy list weeks ago, with spoiler titles.

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Consoles

If Not Already Clear, Elder Scrolls 6 Will Skip PlayStation

Published

2 months ago

September 19, 2023

Zach Riley

Despite Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls 6 was not confirmed as an Xbox exclusive a few months ago. This happened because Xbox executive Phil Spencer indicated that target platforms hadn’t been selected yet, but it always felt like he was talking about the game being years away rather than the RPG being on PlayStation.

If you’re still holding out, Microsoft plans to release The Elder Scrolls 6 just on Xbox and PC. Documents from the company’s FTC lawsuit were recently released. In the document, Bethesda’s announced titles (both as a publisher and developer) are listed, and The Elder Scrolls 6 is listed for Xbox, PC, and nothing else.

We expected this, but The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced before Microsoft acquired its developer. The Elder Scrolls is a beloved franchise that’s been on various platforms for generations, so this isn’t Starfield.

However, the game isn’t due until 2026 at the earliest, according to the paper, and who knows what the gaming landscape will be like then.

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