Connect with us

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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

I spend most of my days working towards my Writing and Rhetoric degree at the University of Central Florida, but I spend a lot of my down time keeping up to date on the best TV, movies, and video games the industry has to offer. Here I put all of that extended time to use discussing each of them in-depth.

Consoles

If Not Already Clear, Elder Scrolls 6 Will Skip PlayStation

blank

Published

on

blank

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.

Continue Reading

Consoles

Xbox Nearly Flashed Warner Bros Cash, Sees Nintendo as Holy Grail

blank

Published

on

blank

Xbox CEO Phil Spencer’s mid-2020 dystopian email suggests the business was interested in buying Warner Bros Interactive and Bethesda. Even more alarming, the CEO calls buying Nintendo a “career moment” and “good for both companies” — and there are even rumors that Microsoft was interested in Valve.

While Spencer warns that acquiring Nintendo would be “hostile action” but “playing the long game”, the unprecedented corporate convergence is shockingly casual. He added: “Nintendo is taking a long time to realize their future is off their hardware. A long time… He even ended the chat with a smiling emoji to make it look more evil.

Spencer claims that Warner Bros Interactive was “gettable” when Microsoft was rumored to acquire it. He adds that “we wouldn’t own any of the IP which hurts long-term flexibility”. Because most Warner Bros Interactive developers work on franchises like Batman, Harry Potter, and others, the studios are worth little without the brands.

The email is over three years old, but it reveals Microsoft’s blasé approach to acquisitions and its goals. While its eventual acquisition of Activision Blizzard may have changed its plans, this leaked exchange suggests that Microsoft will not stop until it has absorbed as much of the industry as possible, even targeting Nintendo.

Continue Reading

Consoles

Stig Asmussen Leaving Respawn for Galaxies Unknown

blank

Published

on

blank

Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor director Stig Asmussen is leaving Respawn Entertainment for unknown reasons. Asmussen had planned a trilogy for Cal Kestis, but it appears another author will need to write it.

Bloomberg reports that an EA spokesperson said: “Stig Asmussen has left Respawn to pursue other adventures, and we wish him the best. Veteran Respawn leaders will lead Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.”

This move is surprising, but Asmussen leaves on a high note. Jedi: Survivor is a great game despite its performance issues, which is rare for a Star Wars game. We’ll see where Asmussen goes, but we’re excited.

Continue Reading

Trending