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[rakkadakka]

I still like this guy, but actually don't know why. He is a master in talking stuff which sounds good, although the state of xbox these days is sad.

In all other matters besides the games (heh) he has done pretty well by Xbox and the direction it's heading.

That said, they need 1st party games and exclusives but those aren't as easy as snapping your fingers. Especially when you've been behind all gen.

What we've seen is his view of having 3rd party exclusives outside of Halo/Forza/Gears being proven wrong.

Sony is making it look easy right now but Horizon didn't come out of a vacuum, it came from a studio that MS likely would have canned years ago.

 

[ironcreed]

I would hope so, as it is getting pretty flimsy. I say this as someone who loves Xbox as well. I just want to see Microsoft find their balls and be aggressive again when it comes to exclusives.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

In all other matters besides the games (heh) he has done pretty well by Xbox and the direction it's heading.

That said, they need 1st party games and exclusives but those aren't as easy as snapping your fingers. Especially when you've been behind all gen.

What we've seen is his view of having 3rd party exclusives outside of Halo/Forza/Gears being proven wrong.

Sony is making it look easy right now but Horizon didn't come out of a vacuum, it came from a studio that MS likely would have canned years ago.

So you are saying Microsoft's viewpoint/strategy with first party isn't the necessary the right one?

seamus blackley said something like that a few weeks ago on a podcast

 

[SPEA]

WHERE
IS
RARE

I mean, I know they're working on Sea of Thieves, but what on earth is Microsoft doing with their amazing stable of IP? I thought Rare Replay in 2015 was the start of something great but they've done absolutely nothing since then. I can understand the lack of Banjo as perhaps they just want to give Yooka-Laylee some time to breathe out of courtesy, but there's no excuse for the complete dearth of Conker, Perfect Dark, Battletoads, Viva Pinata, Mr. Pants, and so on... okay, maybe not Mr. Pants.

The last Xbox exclusive I bought was Rare Replay in 2015, and the next exclusive I'm looking forward to is Voodoo Vince HD... and they're both ports of games I've already played. Phil Spencer loves to talk about how they're going to focus on the games but it's about time we see some results.

I'd guess the whole company is on SoT. It seems to be a very very big game.

 

[Fisty]

How does rebuilding XBL and OS have any bearing in first party games? Like... shouldn't all three of those be the pillars? Why would you even admit to putting focus on areas besides games as a console manufacturer? This interview just raises more questions and concerns, honestly

 

[Crayon]

I still think they are fine with their position and winding things down over the next few years. We'll see after e3. To me it seems like they have earned a rally lucrative come fanbase. Expanding that fanbase is just too expensive for the return tho.

Either they are waiting for next gen to resume fighting for first place or what we see is what we're going to get from here on out.

 

[oti]

That's not a bad thing.
They could make spin-off for Halo and Gears, they've successfully make Forza spin-off that on par if not more popular than mainline.
It's a great strategy, Nintendo is super successful by doing that. Next Halo/Gears/Forza spin-off could be their Mario Kart.

A couple of things. What MS has done with Forza is remarkable. Very efficient studio, two distinct and much-loved franchises. That's great management.

But, what you're suggesting isn't as easy as you think. I doubt their Gears studio is big enough to be developing the next mainline Gears and a spin-off at the same time. The problem with Microsoft's studio structure is that it's banking on Gears and Halo still being those huge juggernaut franchises, which they are not.

And don't compare MS with Nintendo. They work very differently. Nintendo is "super successful" because they are Nintendo. Their games sell for years and years. And they typically release one game per franchise per console. That's a business model MS could never, ever, support.

And I thought that's what people expected from console iterations ? "Fuck your gimmicks, just give me a more powerful console", well there it is.
The base of the concept is compatibility. The fact that Scorpio is more powerful is obvious and expected, what's interesting is that XB1 and Scorpio are cross-compatible, and even more so that Scorpio and "Scorpio 2" should also. The concept of "Xbox family" is to erase the barriers between platforms and generations.

"what's interesting is that XB1 and Scorpio are cross-compatible"

Dude, it's not rocket science. Scorpio is just an XBO with better hardware.

 

[Crescende]

Phil, do me a favour and stop showing awesome games at E3 just to cancel them when they are about to release...

Yes, Fable and Scalebound still hurt. How about some TooHuman2 to ease my pain?

 

[MeisterLeder]

Phil, do me a favour and stop showing awesome games at E3 just to cancel them when they are about to release...

Yes, Fable and Scalebound still hurt. How about some TooHuman2 to ease my pain?

Fable Legends was garbage. Nothing to really miss there.

Scalebound on the other hand

 

[Majine]

They need something big, gameswise. Forza 7, Halo 6 or Gears 5 isn't gonna cut it anymore.

They need something on the level of Death Stranding. Something that gamers can see and go "That's different, cool and beatiful".

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Phil, do me a favour and stop showing awesome games at E3 just to cancel them when they are about to release...

Yes, Fable and Scalebound still hurt. How about some TooHuman2 to ease my pain?

Fable legends sucked. I was in the beta.

 

[oti]

Fable Legends was garbage. Nothing to really miss there.

Scalebound on the other hand

MeisterLeder
Junior Member
(Today, 05:20 PM)

bruh

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Less talk, more show. Nobody care about E3 either if you just gon cancel the games.

 

[phantasmic_glaive]

Really? How much damage did Street Fighter 5 do for Sony's brand?

A lot. "PS4" is always shown at Capcom tournaments for SFV. So, are you implying MS has something to do with the development of Cyberpunk, like Sony did with SFV?

I hope MS sticks to strengthening their first party studios, no matter how long it takes, if they are willing to stick it out. It's going to take some time.. like, next gen. And build from there.

If I were them I wouldn't even have made a Scorpio. This gen, PS4/pro, Xbone/s/Scorpio, wiiu/switch is sewn up. I would've rode Xbone s out all the way through, dropped it too $199 and focused on the 1st party and exclusives (whatever they have now), garnered some content deals and system features.

All the while building up some heavy hitters combined with the usual forza, halo, gears for a strong lineup in a few years when the next gen starts.

 

[m23]

Phil, do me a favour and stop showing awesome games at E3 just to cancel them when they are about to release...

Yes, Fable and Scalebound still hurt. How about some TooHuman2 to ease my pain?

Too Human 2 would be a dream announcement for me. Loved loved loved the first game.

Oh man make the first one BC while you're at it.

 

[watership]

Everyone was so happy that Spencer was on twitter often and was vocal. Well this is what happens when you get 8 articles on twitter responses ever few week, and games still take 2-3 years to be made. Given that he was appointed head of all Xbox exactly 3 years ago, this E3 is going to be very important for Xbox games. We'll see what happens.

 

[Head.spawn]

Fable Legends was garbage. Nothing to really miss there.

Scalebound on the other hand

Fable Legends was actually pretty fucking tight and was only getting better if the last build they had up was anything to go by. Gameplay was on point, better than any of the previous Fable games by a country mile (which I assume means big).

 

[Camjo-Z]

I'd guess the whole company is on SoT. It seems to be a very very big game.

I don't expect Rare themselves to make new installments in their old franchises at this point, I expect Microsoft to find other developers to make new entries. Killer Instinct was amazing, we should be seeing that kind of revival for all of their Rare IP.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Phil Spencer, the master of telling people what they want to hear without actually doing much.



If you think you'll be getting PC ultra level performance from Scorpio I have a bridge to sell you.

You probably will pretty much get ultra presets, just with a 30fps frame cap.

 

[Beatrix]

I'll see what E3 has. Hopefully something good and a variety of games. As of right now I have no regrets of getting rid of my Xbox One. Halo, Gears, Titanfall, Forza, Sunset Overdrive, and Ryse are the only exclusives I played/would play, but it's not enough for me to keep an Xbox One around. Hope the Xbox division has some great exclusives coming.

 

[Dynomutt]

Everyone was so happy that Spencer was on twitter often and was vocal. Well this is what happens when you get 8 articles on twitter responses ever few week, and games still take 2-3 years to be made. Given that he was appointed head of all Xbox exactly 3 years ago, this E3 is going to be very important for Xbox games. We'll see what happens.

Honestly IMO I think this E3 is super important for all 3 companies equally.

MS: How do the "truly" bounce back to the 350 era and reclaim the combination of power and services.

Sony: How do they challenge themselves and takes the next step? Games are on point and at 50 millions PS4's hardware is good as well maybe a new feature or service?

Nintendo: How do they really hit home the value proposition for the Switch? Is Pokemon the killer IP? Do they have any 3rd party surprises? Destiny 2 on the go?

Obviously it is fun to wonder but E3 2017 is going to be quite important!

Spoiler

All E3's are important lol

!

 

[blakep267]

Fable Legends was actually pretty fucking tight and was only getting better if the last build they had up was anything to go by. Gameplay was on point, better than any of the previous Fable games by a country mile (which I assume means big).

Not the actual gameplay, but the gameplay loop and the draw sucked. Nothing about running those dungeons was fun or rewarding.

 

[rakkadakka]

So you are saying Microsoft's viewpoint/strategy with first party isn't the necessary the right one?

seamus blackley said something like that a few weeks ago on a podcast

I think Spencer's strategy of third party exclusives isn't looking good.

The hope I think was to partner with "good" studios and let them take the risk on new ips's.

It hasn't really produced hits for them and I think they should orient towards cultivating talent internally.

 

[Scoops]

Microsoft first party has fallen so hard I literally have no interest in their platforms anymore. :/

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Wut?

Good reading comprehension, but I said before this year. So before BoTW and Mario Odyssey the last major Zelda and Mario games were A Link Between Worlds and 3D World released in 2013.

 

[funkystudent]

I do totally expect a few aggressive deals from them announced this E3 on the levels of Titanfall and Tomb Raider deals.


I just wonder what they can do since those didnt exactly seem like good deals for those franchises in the long term.


Punlishing Cyberpunk 2077 has been my wildcard bet for a while. MS and CDPR are close, only seemed to have gotten closer in recent years.

 

[HighResTomato]

They need something big, gameswise. Forza 7, Halo 6 or Gears 5 isn't gonna cut it anymore.

They need something on the level of Death Stranding. Something that gamers can see and go "That's different, cool and beatiful".

"Something on the level of Death Stranding" fucking lol 😂.
Let's see some gameplay first because that trailer wasn"t anything to wow at.

 

[RichiRamjag]

Fable legends sucked. I was in the beta.

I kind of dug it. Something was off about it, but it wasn't that bad.

 

[Shin-Ra]

We've rebuilt XBL and [the] OS so now when we lose cloud service, not only can you not communicate online, but your downloaded games do not function.

 

[Breakage]

And I'll ask you again, what exactly in those few words makes you believe it's a new platform, in the sense of previous generations ?
Your quote from the trailer doesn't contradict the "Xbox family" strategy, it actually confirms it. Scorpio is a new Xbox iteration, but with full cross compatibility with the current model. People usually compare it with smartphone iterations, where iPhone 7 is a new and more powerful model, but still runs the same apps as iPhone6, and will be able to run the same apps as iPhone8. Theyre all part of the "iPhone family". (except that with MS, such compatibility can also extend to PC, phones, hololens etc)

All the superlatives they use to describe the tech, the way it'll break barriers...And now the way Spencer avoids using Xbox One despite Microsoft saying Scorpio is part of the Xbox ONE platform. It gives the impression that it is a new platform - a departure from the Xbox One. We've been lead to believe that Scorpio will only play Xbox One software titles and that Scorpio games will be playable on a standard Xbox One (No Man Left BEhind). Scorpio's not going to play its own software that is built from the ground up since everything has to work on Xbox One. They said Scorpio games will work on Xbox One so how is Scorpio not just an improved Xbox One? It's a new iteration of a 2013 platform.

It can't be both?

Well, how can it be both? It won't have exclusives according to Microsoft. All that beast-like power will simply be used to embellish Xbox One games. It's just a turbo Xbox One that will only play software for a 2013 platform.

 

[BizarroPete]

Not the actual gameplay, but the gameplay loop and the draw sucked. Nothing about running those dungeons was fun or rewarding.

This is true. I liked the gameplay, but going through quest was boring. I still hope they'll give us a proper Fable 4 at some point, or even a reboot of the brand.

 

[RedAssedApe]

It's nice to give hope.

But at some point you have to stop giving lip service and cash those checks.

 

[RPGamer92]

Good reading comprehension, but I said before this year. So before BoTW and Mario Odyssey the last major Zelda and Mario games were A Link Between Worlds and 3D World released in 2013.

Still Triforce Heroes came out in 2015.

 

[Chris1]

We've rebuilt XBL and [the] OS so now when we lose cloud service, not only can you not communicate online, but your downloaded games do not function.

Ummm. but they do?

They only don't function if you're game sharing with someone else and I think there's only trouble if you're either not signed into the account that owns them, or you're not on the console with it set as home console. I'm guessing set as home console like the other 2 platforms that offer it (I don't GS so I wouldn't know for sure)

That's no different to the PS4 where you can't play games offline if your console isn't set as the primary.

From what I can find on Google this is how it works on Steam aswell.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

Xbox One has been a pretty miserable console, imo. Software library has been slim pickings since launch and the sales pale in comparison to the 360. To me, it's Microsoft's Wii U. Interested to see if they can turn it around, same goes for Nintendo.

 

[dr_rus]

Sorry - you were beaten to the punch with this joke on page 1.

Why do you think that this is a joke? 8)

 

[Liabe Brave]

Honest question but when has Microsoft ever annnounced major titles outside of e3?

I think multiple Forza games have been announced in the spring. And didn't Microsoft announce stuff at a couple Gamescoms early this gen?

Although it must hurt them as Japan is one of the main reasons the gap between Xbox and PS4 is growing worldwide day by day.

Basically every country is one of the reasons the gap is growing. Japan is notably high, but PS4 is still winning by half that much in the U.S.--Microsoft's absolutely strongest territory.

I mean, it could easily be third parties. They have good relationships with a few, and there's a bunch like Human Head, Digital Extremes or Ruffian Games that we don't know what they're working on right now.

Human Head was working on Dungeon Defenders II until recently, and hasn't made a console game on their own since the original Prey. Digital Extremes is working on continual support for Warframe (though they've been so successful, a new second team isn't totally out of the question). I believe it was figured out that Ruffian are helping with Crackdown 3.

The next Playground game, the next Double Helix, the next Supermassive.

Playground's next game might be multiplatform, and won't be out for a while. Double Helix is Amazon first-party and is working on Breakaway. Supermassive's next game is very likely to be multiplatform (if not Sony exclusive).

 

[formasymphonic]

In all other matters besides the games (heh) he has done pretty well by Xbox and the direction it's heading.

That said, they need 1st party games and exclusives but those aren't as easy as snapping your fingers. Especially when you've been behind all gen.

What we've seen is his view of having 3rd party exclusives outside of Halo/Forza/Gears being proven wrong.

Sony is making it look easy right now but Horizon didn't come out of a vacuum, it came from a studio that MS likely would have canned years ago.

Lack of a broad 1st/2nd party lineup is something thats been a problem with MS since the second half of the 360 era (if not earlier). lets not write it off as some tough new challenge they have to face as a result of them being behind all gen — it is one of the very reasons they are behind.

 

[MilkyJoe]

I'll see what E3 has. Hopefully something good and a variety of games. As of right now I have no regrets of getting rid of my Xbox One. Halo, Gears, Titanfall, Forza, Sunset Overdrive, and Ryse are the only exclusives I played/would play, but it's not enough for me to keep an Xbox One around. Hope the Xbox division has some great exclusives coming.

Does it have a mortgage?

 

[Bits N Pieces]

"Something on the level of Death Stranding" fucking lol 😂.
Let's see some gameplay first because that trailer wasn"t anything to wow at.

Are you for real!? Death Stranding is going to revolutionise gaming as we know, don't you know.....

 

[Jumeira]

I still like this guy, but actually don't know why. He is a master in talking stuff which sounds good, although the state of xbox these days is sad.

Xbox has never been as feature rich and service ready as it is currently, it's far ahead of the competition in this regard. But yes, interms of games they need to work but I feel Spencer is just waiting for the right time to show the investments made into games, hopefully at E3. Sony have done a fantastic job with games, they should take note.

 

[flkraven]

I have a feeling that there will be a few exclusive 1st party games revealed at E3 this year, with a release date of holiday 2016.

a) Phil Spencer has said repeatedly that he wants to greatly shorten the time between 'reveal' & 'release'

b) Scorpio releases in the last quarter of 2016

c) It's been said that Scorpio will be treated a bit more like a traditional 'new' console, with 'launch' games (even though they will obviously be compatible with Xbox One).

d) Spencer has said that there will probably be a Scorpio reveal before E3, since E3 is focused more on 'games' rather than 'hardware'

Here are my guesses for the games that will be released within the launch 'window' of the Scorpio release:

Sea of Thieves
Crackdown 3
Forza 7
Unannounced Dead Rising 4 stand alone DLC (like Super Ultra)
Unannounced 3rd-party-made Rare IP game, published by MS (ie. Battletoads, $20-$30)
Unannounced smaller 3rd-party exclusive game, published by MS (Like Recore)
Minecraft update, adds mod support + realms (possible Scorpio exclusive stuff for mods)
and my pie-in-the-sky hope is something like Sunset Overdrive 2 (but I think Ryse 2 is far more likely right now)

Other games, like State of Decay 2 and the remasters of Voodoo Vince/Phantum Dust will come out, but I doubt they will be in the 'Scorpio launch' window.

Also, keep in mind that when Spencer refers to 'first-party', he considers any third-party game published by Microsoft (exclusive to Xbox and/or Win 10) a first-party game. So Sunset Overdrive and Cuphead for example are 'first-party' games in his eyes.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

"Something on the level of Death Stranding" fucking lol 😂.
Let's see some gameplay first because that trailer wasn"t anything to wow at.

I think you're missing the point. It isn't about Death Stranding itself but rather how Death Stranding came about.

Sony partnered with an iconic dev in order to push a unique, new IP. It would be great if MS did something similar.

 

[Idle Storm]

I had a dream last night that Microsoft got exclusivity deals to the next elder scrolls game. Man would that be something.

 

[Liabe Brave]

d) Spencer has said that there will probably be a Scorpio reveal before E3, since E3 is focused more on 'games' rather than 'hardware'

This is a good plan, since it can make their awesome upcoming hardware the top news item during a period when otherwise the lead headlines would be "more exclusives for Sony" and "PS4 beats Xbox in monthly sales again".

But they'll need to get cracking on it. There's only 11 weeks until E3, and two fly-out events only a couple weeks apart might be onerous for game journalists (and would have far less PR power). So we can expect at most 8 weeks until such an event. The Xbox One reveal event was announced a month ahead of time. So by late April, we should know if a Scorpio event is occurring.

 

[Crayon]

This is still just a matter of perception among core enthusiasts and will take time to impact their perception with the larger gaming public. But in this matter they have further yet to fall. The switch eventually putting them in third place, for example will further weigh on their reputation in super hardcore circles.

 

[N7.Angel]

Yeah sure Phil, all I can read from what that dude say now is Bla Bla Bla...

 

[DriftingSpirit]

I had a dream last night that Microsoft got exclusivity deals to the next elder scrolls game. Man would that be something.

Like promotion stuff? If it was like Tomb Raider, I wouldn't be a happy camper. I'm really looking forward to the next mainline Elder Scrolls.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

Just give me more Japanese style titles, especially RPGs (the good ones), and it will represent a major improvement for the lineup.

 

[Fata1moose]

I really only care for Halo and Fable as far as first party games. FH3 was amazing though, so I'd definitely be up for 4. I want a Fable reboot though, it feels like a gaping hole in the Xbox stable. A action adventure/RPG rounds things out. Fable also has tons of innate charm and potential, which is why I'd prefer that over a new IP. They'd need the right developer to nail the British charm.