Ever since I became a gamer, much of my focus has been on Microsoft platforms. I remember playing a lot of games like Halo 2 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on my Xbox and being incredibly excited for what was coming next. From there I spent a good amount of my time gaming on my Xbox 360 and eventually my Xbox One and PC. I’m very loyal to the Microsoft brand, however I can easily recognize the flaws with it. If I’m being honest with myself, as much as I love the Xbox One, it had a very rough launch and still hasn’t fully recovered to the point of being a viable rival to PlayStation 4. Xbox has made a comeback in the industry, but it still isn’t as relevant as it once was with gamers. While it’s almost impossible for the Xbox One to catch up to the PlayStation 4 at this point, it’s possible for the Xbox brand to regain lost ground and start being relevant to gamers again.
- A Focus on Exclusives
The biggest complaint most gamers have had with Xbox, also including times before the Xbox One, was its lack of exclusives in comparison to Nintendo and Sony. This is something that has become more and more of a problem over the continued lifespan of the Xbox One. The only big exclusives that Xbox One has at this point (that aren’t ports, remakes, or remasters) are Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War 4, and Halo Wars 2. I hesitate to even mention Gears 4 and Halo Wars 2 because, while both are great, they’re also available on PC. It also doesn’t help that two of these exclusives are part of the same series and none of them are new IPs. Xbox head Phil Spencer has stated that this year won’t have a focus on Halo or Gears games, but rather new IPs. This is very promising since it should hopefully add some new games/series that don’t suffer from franchise fatigue to Microsoft’s small family of exclusive titles. If Microsoft focuses on new IPs while working to make their old ones relevant again, they’ll be golden here.
- A Reinvigorated Halo
Speaking of old IPs, Halo has long been the face of the Xbox. The biggest counter-argument to complaints about the lack of exclusives used to be how awesome the adventures of the Master Chief were. However, Halo has been suffering from a bit of an identity crisis ever since developer Bungie left to work on Destiny. Now run by 343 Industries, Halo has struggled to maintain the critical and financial success that it once had under Bungie. Every single release in the series since Halo: Reach, Bungie’s final addition to the series, has either been mired in controversy or just forgotten soon after launch. As a huge Halo fan, it’s honestly very sad that the best received Halo content in the past six years have been the Anniversary Edition remasters of previous titles. Halo 4 started the series down a path that lost some of the fan base, but Halo 5 was where things got bad for the series. A combination of strange stylistic, musical, and narrative choices has alienated the average Halo fan in favor of the super fans of its expanded universe of novels and other tie-in content. Now I’m sad to say that I’m not even remotely excited for Halo 6 considering how disappointed I was in Halo 5. Microsoft could turn that around, however. Halo Wars 2 was a breath of fresh air in the series and if Halo 6 ends up being as good as any of the Bungie games, Halo will be back in business and Xbox will have a system-seller on their hands once more.
- The Example Set by PlayStation 3
I feel like a lot of people fail to recognize this, but the mistakes Xbox One made during its launch are almost identical to the mistakes made by the PlayStation 3 during its launch. Both were the most expensive console on the market at the time, both had a focus on strange new features rather than games, both had poor marketing campaigns, and both were completely outshined by the competition. However, PlayStation 3 arguably had it worse since the difference in price between the PS3 and Xbox 360 was much greater than between the Xbox One and PS4. Also, PS3 game developers didn’t seem to figure out the hardware and how to make games look good on the system for a few years after launch. However, Sony managed to turn it around with solid exclusive titles like the Uncharted series, Demon’s Souls, and The Last of Us. They also won back the average consumer by having better deals than their competition, like free PSN, and advertising this and their products well. If Microsoft were to emulate this, they could make a real comeback. This is entirely possible considering 2017 is supposed to be a year for new IPs on the Xbox, PSN now costs exactly as much as Xbox Live, the Xbox One is cheaper than the PS4, and Microsoft has the money for a solid advertising campaign.
Consoles
To keep Apex Legends running for an additional “10 to 15 years,” Respawn opens a third studio

Apex Legends developer Respawn has created a third studio in order to keep the popular battle royale genre running for another “10 to 15 years”. Madison, Wisconsin is where the new studio is situated.
This third studio (the first two being headquartered in Los Angeles and Vancouver) will largely focus on Apex Legends in order to ensure a continuous and, most importantly, sustainable production pipeline. It may, however, contribute to other Respawn products in the future. Ryan Burnett, who previously served as director of engine production at Epic Games and had a distinguished 14-year career at Raven Software, the Call of Duty Studio, will serve as the studio’s head.
Senior VP of operations at Respawn, Daniel Suarez, claims in-depth in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that “Because we intend to stick with this for the long haul, team health is unquestionably a top priority for us. We’re eager to see Apex become a franchise that endures for ten, fifteen, or more years because we think it will. We can’t just accomplish everything at once, exhaust ourselves, and be unprepared to do it over the long run.”
Consistency (as well as adequate production runway) are essential to make Apex Legends’ 90-day turnaround for new seasons of content realistic. Suarez observes that the introduction of new characters to the game takes a lot longer than you might anticipate “It takes us between a year and a year and a half to become proficient in a Legend. We are therefore making preparations well in advance.”
Only a few weeks ago, parent company EA fired more than 200 Apex Legends quality assurance testers in an impromptu Zoom call, raising concerns among some fans about the game’s future.
Do you support Respawn’s decision to open a third studio? Do you believe Apex Legends will still be around in 15 years?
Consoles
On the PS5, Kingdom Eighties brings micromanagement and vintage nostalgia

Kingdom Eighties, a micro-strategy game coming out for the PS5 in 2023, is a loving tribute to that legendary time period.Eighties will be a stand-alone novel like earlier books in the Kingdom series, such as Two Crowns or New Lands.
You take on the role of the leader, a camp counselor tasked with protecting the village against enigmatic creatures known as greed. Bike around the neighborhood with youngsters like The Champ, The Tinkerer, and The Wiz, who will support you in combat and each contribute something unique to the table while doing your best Stranger Things impressions.
Your thoughts about Kingdom Eighties Have you played any of the other Kingdom games?
Consoles
Currently available on PS5, PS4, and 18 more PS + Extra, premium games

Just now, another great update for PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium came out.There are 17 titles in all that are available for these higher membership tiers in March, which is a wonderful collection that should have something for everyone. In Europe, these games are now available for download on the PS5 and PS4, and they will soon be released in North America.
Here is a list of everything included as a reminder:
PS Plus Extra: March 2023
- Tchia (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) | Review
- Immortals Fenyx Rising (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5) | Review
- Life is Strange True Colors (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Life is Strange 2 (PS4) | Review
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4) | Review
- Street Fighter V Champion Edition (PS4) | Review
- Untitled Goose Game (PS4) | Review
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4) | Review
- RAGE 2 (PS4) | Review
- NEO: The World Ends With You (PS4) | Review
- Haven (PS5, PS4) | Review
PS Plus Premium: March 2023
- Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1) | Review
- Ape Academy 2 (PSP)
- Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)
Tchia, an independent open-world adventure, debuts on PlayStation Plus Extra on the first day of this month. In addition to everything else mentioned above, members will also have access to this endearing new game. The three classic games mentioned above are also available to PS Plus Premium subscribers. Both Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Ape Academy 2 provide a set of trophies, which is always a welcome extra.
According to our most recent poll, the majority of you are happy with the new games and oldies that were added to the catalog this month, and we don’t blame you. It’s a fantastic choice. With these more recent membership tiers, Sony seems to be finding its footing after a somewhat poor start.
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