Microsoft canceled 4 first party games for this year?
At least we're still getting Phantom Dust. I can't wait to see Forza 7 for PC/Scorpio.
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I want to get excited for the future of Xbox but Microsoft aren't helping
- Thread starter purseowner
- Start date
Microsoft canceled 4 first party games for this year?
At least we're still getting Phantom Dust. I can't wait to see Forza 7 for PC/Scorpio.
Yeah it does seem like they were trying a lot harder on the software front during the 360 days. Also they were the only next gen console on the market for a while so snapped up a lot of stuff de facto. The thing is Sony and Nintendo transparently have all their chips in the gaming market but with MS it's just not so clear what their long term motives or plans are.
anothertech
Member
The wounds from Phantom dust and Scalebound still sting.
Really hoping E3 can heal those wounds in a meaningful way. Scorpio alone won't do it.
Really hoping E3 can heal those wounds in a meaningful way. Scorpio alone won't do it.
Jaguar Victory
Member
Sorry you're not excited OP. I'm excited! 4K Halo hnnnnng
Shil Pencer
Member
Mass Effect, Bioshock and the latest Tomb Raider being (timed) exclusives was bullshit. It gave you all the wrong reasons to be excited for a console. I can get behind japanese games being exclusive to Playstation, because I guess they sell better on that platform and Sony have way better connections with japanese developers for obvious reasons. But a western AAA game?
And regarding the lack of 1st party exclusives: We're having threads like this every week I feel like. They can't change this over night. Why not wait for E3 at least and then blow them to kingdom come for it when they fail to deliver?
And regarding the lack of 1st party exclusives: We're having threads like this every week I feel like. They can't change this over night. Why not wait for E3 at least and then blow them to kingdom come for it when they fail to deliver?
I think Xbox' identity crisis started way earlier - in the middle of last generation.
Xbox division as a software company is competing with Activision, EA, Ubi...Sony, not so much, as Sony seems to have no interest to cater to the MP-crowd with their exclusives. (The tried with KZ, failed and moved on)
Halo 1 +2 shaped the identity of OG Xbox. Halo 2 was THE console MP-game.
Then early last gen this trend continued with Gears 1 and Halo 3 and MS banked on those franchises and other MP-focussed games later on. COD came along and in hindsight it took a massive share of the Gears/Halo crowd, but MS lived a happy life till the end of the gen with the holy trinity and believing that Xbox is the best place to play COD. For the latter, turned out they were wrong. Doesn't help that tons of games with MP-focus took Halo's and Gears' spotlight this gen: Overwatch, Destiny, The Division, BF, COD, TF.....
So their main problem is: even if they can somehow regain a huge chunk of the hardware share, the focus of their software in this state will never be competitive again even on their own plattform. They are just giving more of the same to people who are mainly interested in MP. As someone who went mainly SP this gen, they will have a hard time getting me back onboard. A 400-500$ Scorpio won't cut it for me, because if power matters that much, for that price I can get a 1070/1080 that will destroy whatever MS puts in that thing.
All they can hope for is that people like me are a tiny minority and that there's still millions of people out there who are in for the power-game (but don't want PC) and who are mainly playing MP-focussed games.
Xbox division as a software company is competing with Activision, EA, Ubi...Sony, not so much, as Sony seems to have no interest to cater to the MP-crowd with their exclusives. (The tried with KZ, failed and moved on)
Halo 1 +2 shaped the identity of OG Xbox. Halo 2 was THE console MP-game.
Then early last gen this trend continued with Gears 1 and Halo 3 and MS banked on those franchises and other MP-focussed games later on. COD came along and in hindsight it took a massive share of the Gears/Halo crowd, but MS lived a happy life till the end of the gen with the holy trinity and believing that Xbox is the best place to play COD. For the latter, turned out they were wrong. Doesn't help that tons of games with MP-focus took Halo's and Gears' spotlight this gen: Overwatch, Destiny, The Division, BF, COD, TF.....
So their main problem is: even if they can somehow regain a huge chunk of the hardware share, the focus of their software in this state will never be competitive again even on their own plattform. They are just giving more of the same to people who are mainly interested in MP. As someone who went mainly SP this gen, they will have a hard time getting me back onboard. A 400-500$ Scorpio won't cut it for me, because if power matters that much, for that price I can get a 1070/1080 that will destroy whatever MS puts in that thing.
All they can hope for is that people like me are a tiny minority and that there's still millions of people out there who are in for the power-game (but don't want PC) and who are mainly playing MP-focussed games.
E3 is too late. MS reveals games more than 2 years in advance often. Anything they announced would be way to far off from release. That's assuming it doesn't get canceled like everything else.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
There's a difference between software platform and hardware platform. And the former is more common in technology parlance, and what is being referred to here.
I'm in agreement with this.
They must have 1 or 2 AA-AAA level collaborations cooking in the background.
My theory is CGI trailers with no release date insight (mainly because there are really no rumblings at the moment) but are shown early to enthuse the Xbox fanbase.
This is the flip side to my post above.
There's also a chance the execs at Xbox are comfortable with the current MO.
I mean they've still sold a crap ton of consoles and are making money hand over fist through Xbox Live and microtransactions in 1st and 3rd party games.
MAU focus and all that.
They may not feel the need to invest in new studios or partnerships to create some of the more defining games we expect to see from platform holders during a console life cycle (yes I know life cycles don't exist anymore for them)
Yep, even if they announce new games with a release date two or three years from now---by that time PS5 is most likely to get launched.
Jack The Nipper
Banned
It's a little saddened by it.
They need a new direction at halo. The guys they have now simply don't know how to make it.
Forza never peaked my interests but horizon does at least.
Gears was good but was a one hit wonder to me
Xbox was there best days with many japanese titles and exclusive high profile pc devs.
I feel they are content with third party offerings and getting the best versions of those. A push there it seems.
I like what they are doing with bc and that gives me confidence but hope they get original Xbox and push harder to get most of the games working very well.
I know they want to sell them but surely can offer disc and emulation support for all games would be incredible. Especially installation.
They need a new direction at halo. The guys they have now simply don't know how to make it.
Forza never peaked my interests but horizon does at least.
Gears was good but was a one hit wonder to me
Xbox was there best days with many japanese titles and exclusive high profile pc devs.
I feel they are content with third party offerings and getting the best versions of those. A push there it seems.
I like what they are doing with bc and that gives me confidence but hope they get original Xbox and push harder to get most of the games working very well.
I know they want to sell them but surely can offer disc and emulation support for all games would be incredible. Especially installation.
The Hermit
Member
I don't see the point of the xbox if all will be available on the pc
purseowner
Member
Whatever happened to that supposed Ori 2 rumour?
Every single person on Earth owns a gaming PC, so I agree.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Ugh, not this again.
dragonyeuw
Member
Xbox's content simply hasn't excited me this generation. I don't know why but I lost a lot of interest in both Gears and Halo the last 3-4 years, and both of those IPs were driving hardware purchases from me before. Nothing else they produce is making me run out to get a XB1. i was actually trying to talk myself in a slim just for the UHD, but then I realized I don't care enough about that either. Basically once I built a capable PC and MS started putting their games up on Windows, it basically removed any desire for me to own their hardware. All I need is a GPU upgrade( which I'm planning on getting a 1070 this year when the price drops), and that takes care of any urge I might have to get a Scorpio. I may have bought something like Scalebound but we know what happened there.
LukasTaves
Member
What a weird statement. Yes, they are, but what matters is whether or not they are good games.
Nioh, nier, gravity Rush 2 isn't going to sell playstations either, and honestly most of the single 1st party releases doesn't, so I guess they might as well not just be released either?
Nothing has come from it yet.
The first Ori was announced in 2014 and came out in early 2015, so maybe we could be looking at a similar situation here with an announcement this year and release in early 2018.
Shit atleast pc players dont have to port beg for console games anymore. Like Shandy said, not everyone owns a gaming pc. Im sure many pc owners would love to play Sony 1st party game but theres no chance in hell of that happening. Sorry pc gamers.
MilkyJoe
Member
It's a dead cert.
Phil said he wont be announcing projects way in advance anymore, just in case they go to shit, like Scalebound. So you'll just have to trust them if they say there is stuff they are not ready to talk about, which they did say, so...
A single show can't solve all of Microsoft's issues. The kind of sentiment we often see around it has been years in the making, and it will take years of consistent delivery to fix, perhaps in the face of lingering skepticism. There's a trust disconnect there, IMO, trust is built or re-built with reliable execution and delivery, and that takes time.
So, have the shows, by all means, make the promises, deign to impress on this level. But the follow-up over the coming years is where Microsoft will or won't fix these issues.
So, have the shows, by all means, make the promises, deign to impress on this level. But the follow-up over the coming years is where Microsoft will or won't fix these issues.
Yup, because all people own a gaming PC. You can't look at play anywhere on an individual level..
LiveFromKyoto
Member
The Xbox One is completely dead in Japan. Last week's sales:
Playstation 4: 32,432
Switch: 50,821
Xbox One: 112
Switch had already beaten XB1's LTD sales on launch day. There's just no chance, any Japanese Xbox exclusive would effectively be ending that franchise in Japan.
But no 1st party games! There a sinking ship i tell ya!
Salty Hippo
Member
I doubt it, Phil Spencer is already doing pre-emptive damage control. Every time he has gone on record lately to say they "have more 2 do" or "1P is critical", it always comes bundled with "I'll be very cautious of when we announce things". I don't think that's in reference to the past two lousy E3s they had, but to the next one. Expect announcements of Forza 7, Ori 2 and a Halo teaser. MAYBE another third-party "AA" game that will get zero marketing and be shipped before it's finished just like ReCore.
The Artisan
Member
i'm surprised the first post didn't say scorpio
FingerBang
Member
I was worried but now I simply don't care. I'm trying to sell my Xbox One (almost impossible here...) and I'm building a gaming rig in a couple of months.
I honestly can't think of a single game on Xbox I care for (it was GOW4 and Scalebound and guess what) but even if something like Sunset Overdrive 2 came out I would buy it on PC so... yeah, Xbox is changing. It's going to be less and less a gaming console and more a service like Steam and Origin.
This. A used game/console shop wanted to give me 5000 yen for the console and online people keep asking me to sell it for 15000 yen (I'm asking for 20.000, which is a fair price).
I honestly can't think of a single game on Xbox I care for (it was GOW4 and Scalebound and guess what) but even if something like Sunset Overdrive 2 came out I would buy it on PC so... yeah, Xbox is changing. It's going to be less and less a gaming console and more a service like Steam and Origin.
This. A used game/console shop wanted to give me 5000 yen for the console and online people keep asking me to sell it for 15000 yen (I'm asking for 20.000, which is a fair price).
wapplew
Member
MS have been published 3-4 AAA titles every year consistently. They will have maybe 2 unknown AAA for 2018 I think.
Depend on how willing they are to show 2019 games, we might see more than 2 big unknown titles this E3.
Not counting FH4 and Halo6.
MilkyJoe
Member
Maybe you shouldn't post on the internet then,
Agreed.
Tbh, though. Those announcements wouldn't make for a bad E3 if it wasn't for the fact that E3 has become Microsoft's only venue for announcements again. When they only do one conference a year it's not enough to just deliver decent presentations.
I'm guessing that one of the games they've announced for 2017 is going to be delayed to 2018.
Remember: Halo Wars 2 and Scalebound was announced for 2016. Crackdown 3 was supposed to have a beta in 2016.
OP, do you enjoy the Halo series, Gears of War, or Forza Horizon/Motorsports?
If yes - YOURE IN LUCK!!
If no - YOURE FUCKED!!
Individually? No. Collectively? Yes.
If yes - YOURE IN LUCK!!
If no - YOURE FUCKED!!
Individually? No. Collectively? Yes.
its pro consumer, same with xbox game pass
I can't remember MS announcing a single new IP last year at E3 and Scalebound got canned (I was actually a bit hyped for the game tbh).
They might try to save the announcments for Scorpio and handle it as a new console launch, which would make sense, but I'm not holding my breath.
They might try to save the announcments for Scorpio and handle it as a new console launch, which would make sense, but I'm not holding my breath.
Yeah but it seems no one cares about these things. It s more fun joking about a lack of 1st party games and prophecy of doom.
Angel Whispers
Member
Nobody had mentioned the Switch, or PS4 in this thread before your post. Both have nothing to do with Microsoft and the XBox division. So, that console war BS for a post can fuck the fuck off out of here.
The OP has a point. Microsoft's XBox division hasn't given video game fans a reason to be excited for its future. I actually thought they had very good E3 conferences in 2014 and 2015, but even there, some elements were questionable.
Scalebound being cancelled was the final straw for a lot of people, and Project Scorpio is in trouble, because it doesn't bring anything new to the table - It's an XBox One Pro. Microsoft will be able to claim that it has the most powerful variant of home consoles on the market, but it doesn't matter, because that power won't be utilised for anything special. It won't have anything exclusive to it, because every release must support the 2013 Editions.
It won't matter, because a lot of the audience they're chasing after likely owns a PS4 already, is playing popular "third party" titles with friends on it, and is content with it, while XBox fans can buy a 2013 XBox One, or the S Model, if they don't own one already. 4K? Well, even the XBox team tweeted that the XBox One S can do more than a PS4 Pro for less - So, trying to talk it up as a unique selling point NOW would be rather pointless. Some might even argue that 1080p and HDR is better than 4K with SDR, or that the quality of pixels should matter more than resolution. Nintendo fans who want something else won't be interested in it all of a sudden - they would likely buy a PS4 because it offers more in the way of exclusives than XBox One, or a PC, where they can play Microsoft exclusives without the baggage of online subscription fees, while having something more future-proof in the process.
There's little to no reason to bite, unless you like driving and shooting. There isn't a sense that they're looking to other demographics, and delivering titles which appeal to them. Scalebound, Fable Legends and Press Play's projects would've brought some much needed variety to the XBox One's library. Yooka-Laylee getting funded quickly and Super Mario Odyssey's 17.7 million views (on this day) should've shown that there's a demand/high anticipation for 3D platform titles - Conker fans were trolled. Kinect 2.0 was dropped within six months to match the PS4's price - It was a key differentiator, which played a role in making the X360 a success, but on the XBox One, it hasn't had a mention for quite a while. Titles such as Killer Instinct and Ori And The Blind Forest don't have physical releases, so, the little difference there is isn't as visible as it should be. Won't hold my breath for a Lost Odyssey sequel... I also fail to understand how the cancellation of exclusive games is "a good thing", tbqh.
For Me, the most exciting thing that Microsoft has at the moment is the Surface Studio. I would be able to play its exclusives on it, too. It had a super impressive presentation and showed lots of possibilities.
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Consoles sales are dead in Japan yes but I still thinks Phils trip to Japan was to convince some of the devs without exclusivity deals with Sony to port some of the games to xbox one, maybe financing the ports
RedSparrows
Member
I like my Xbox. I play it more than my PS4, and will do all year.
GLOOM DOOM.
See you all again next week.
GLOOM DOOM.
See you all again next week.
My ps4 just sits right next to my xbox, not doing a thing
purseowner
Member
Triggerhappytel
Member
Thomas Mahler (boss of the developer) on this very forum has all but confirmed it'll be revealed at E3 this year.
shnurgleton
Member
Mine's been packed up in its box for over a year now. After I binged Sunset Overdrive, the only thing left was MCC, and that was a trash fire. Lack of any interesting exclusives and the daily struggle with the awful sluggish UI led to its early demise for me.
RedSparrows
Member
Do I really need to avatar quote you two?
I know it's fatuous, but that's all these threads are. Once you get past the point that 'one company has more exclusive games/sales than another', what have you got? Opinions that have fuck all meaning for anyone else, because they're not about anything actually debatable or substantial or even interesting. Just repeat the mantra, 'Horizon, Nier, Nioh', and say 'garbage' or 'trash' a few times and bingo.
I realise I shouldn't even open the thread, but every damn week...!
/rant
VincentMatts
Member
I agree with you OP. Im primarily an xbox guy (Halo guy actually) and yeah, other than scorpio im not excited for anything they're releasing in terms of exclusive software this year.
I also liked it when they had games like Mass effect back then. Even though they didnt own the games, they had a lot of interesting exclusives. Now i feel like their games department isnt doing a particularly great job in terms of getting good 3rd party exclusives.
Heres hoping theres surprises at E3.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
I don't think the noticeable lack of first party games is a joke. There's a vast difference between what we saw with Xbox 360 and what we're seeing with Xbox One. It feels like there's much less effort on Microsoft's part in bringing first party titles to the system.
I'm actually excited for the Scorpio but they need some more games to draw me in. Not really be interested in their offerings so far except Gears 4 and several games yet as to be released like the Phantom Dust port and Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves.