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Spencer: We Have Just Signed Exclusives That Won’t Be Ready for 2-3 Years, No Point i

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For that year they will just allow Scorpio exclusives to be a thing.

When a lot of people were delusional in thinking Scorpio was going to abandon the Xbox One name, a few of us were confident from the get-go that Scorpio was going to be called an "Xbox One" product from day one.

Why? Because it will not have any exclusives and it'd be a complete waste of a new product name to use it on the Scorpio.
 
I would be more confident if he had said that he built new internal development teams.
"Signing exclusives" sounds so much like 3rd party exclusivity deals. That won't fix Microsofts problem.

Microsoft needs a couple of new AAA studios.
The ideal thing is 1st party studios with name recognition. For example NaughtyDog. People buy Ps4s simply because they know NaughtyDog games will at some point appear on the platform.

Thats what MS should aim for.
Not 3rd party exclusives, they need to work on something that lasts.
 

Matt

Member
Perhaps their budget was first for the hardware, then game investment !?

Do you know their inner workings?

Their first party is bare to say the least though
Yes, developing the X cost money. However, a huge percentage of that money is simply paying for the people involved in the project. And those people really aren't going to be fired now, they will be refocused on future development and other hardware projects.

Console owners always have hardware teams that are always working on their next projects. Did Sony's first party die out while they were working on the Pro?

It is possible diverting funds to X had some sort of effect on total game budget, but considering the current costs of development if that was the major factor the Xbox division is on a shorter leash and more resource starved than anyone realizes.

Saying "they couldn't afford to make games because they were building X" is actually a terrifying thought.
 

Sweep14

Member
Wait, I think I did hear a rumour somewhere in the past few months that MS was exploring its own "Horizon."

I wonder if that rumor came from that LinkedIn, or if there is someone in the know.



P.S. I'm talking about myself.

And the dozens of people who share my view.

Horizon took 5 years to make. So it'll probably be a long way before having it ready for MS
 
As it stands now, if you own a PS4 and PC(excluding Switch here) there is little to no reason to own a Xbox console. If Halo, Gears, and Forza isn't your bag that reason evaporates entirely. Maybe MS is ok with that. If they aren't, and I expect they aren't, then they need to be talking big exclusive AAA games. That lineup he listed there is not going to be able to go head to head with Sony's offerings. Particularly if they ever deliver another first quarter like the one we just had.
 

black070

Member
Perhaps their budget was first for the hardware, then game investment !?

Do you know their inner workings?

Their first party is bare to say the least though

Let's accept this scenario for a moment, so what you're saying is they took a limited budget and blew it all on an incremental mid-gen upgrade for an already dwindling console that prioritises 4K gaming over investment in games for those who'd already bought into their platform ?
 

wapplew

Member
Spencer have been in the industry for how long now? He finally realized that game investment is important to a game console.
Better late than never.
 

panda-zebra

Member
What about wanted him to show game he sign 2-3 years ago? Unless they totally sign nothing for past couple years.

R&D on first the S followed by the far more extensive X won't have come cheap, possibly above and beyond the usual ongoing costs in this area. Their plan to get back on track wasn't going to happen without new hardware, Spencer comes right out with this: "hardware was a real focus for us because I thought we had more work to do there.". It was clearly the priority in getting their ducks in a row. Those two hardware projects came at a cost, and it's not inconceivable to think it did so at the expense of other areas. There's only a finite pot of resources to work from in these post-pioneering days of xbox. I'm not saying this happened, just that given what he said, it's a possibility, doesn't seem unreasonable, and could suggest a plan involving relying more heavily on 3rd party and deals during the following transition to prioritise new hardware. That such deals are currently heavily weighted in the competition's favour is unfortunate.

Canning games that don't look to have the payback in them, shuttering studios that are haemorrhaging money, this helps balance the books. In a phase with extra hardware and engineering-related costs and refocus. If the software side saw the same level of investment as the hardware side throughout that period, allowing the provision for convincing big-budget titles to announce if not launch alongside the new box to justify its existence beyond a wall full of cringey buzzwords, E3 would have been the time to fire those shots, even in they might have been 6 or 12 months early that what Spencer is a fan of.

Instead of hype-generating exclusive software reveals to validate a new hardware purchase, we were effectively presented with a solution to a paper problem. The presser leaned on 3rd party multiplats to provide the glossiest of showcases, and much of the rest appeared to be the result of a brainstorming session to checklist of genres to strike off in quantity rather than quality, opportunities to offer the word "exclusive" as much as humanly possible, and throw around mention of that buzziest of buzzwords gamers aren't yet all that invested in "4K". In the eyes of the viewers, genuine hype was reserved for multi-platform software and OG xbox backwards compatibility.

Two years in a row reveals have been thin on the ground vs previous years. Being concerned about three new deals just signed off on is not where the focus should be. If people are looking to see big exclusive first party content on their new X console, you have to look at what has already been announced... if there were deals signed in the same manner as those 3 mentioned, we would have heard about them this week, they aren't being saved up for future mic drop moments. The next 12-18 months is as you see it in terms of massive exclusives.

"trust us", there's 3 big games coming 2020. Next E3 will provide info on deals signed off this time last year.

wizard-of-oz-man-behind-the-curtain.png
 
C

Contica

Unconfirmed Member
My problem isn't so much that things get cancelled, that happens in this industry. My problem is that the things that get cancelled by Microsoft are exclusively the very things that I want to play on the platform.

I will not cry if there is never another Halo, Gears or Forza game, but the shafting og japanese titles, and the closing of Lionhead soured me heavily on the entire brand. I want Xbox One X, but just cause things will look prettier, and that's not really enough for me. These days, XO is pretty much exclusively a BC console for me. It's cool that I can play old favorites there, it's not so cool that the only new games I want to play are on PS4. I mean, it's cool for me, but not for MS.
 

Xumbrega

Banned
lol at people thinking the new generation starts in 2 or 3 years, 2021 will be the earliest, if anything we will see another mid mid gen refresh before the new gen
 

pelican

Member
Show us or shut up Phil. He's so full of shit.

You Sir are part of the problem.

Impatient people who need to know about games X years in line. The same group of people who will probably moan/whine when said game either gets delayed or there is a media black out.

Knowing about a game X amount of years way doesn't benefit our current gaming experiences.
 

Leyasu

Banned
Yes, developing the X cost money. However, a huge percentage of that money is simply paying for the people involved in the project. And those people really aren't going to be fired now, they will be refocused on future development and other hardware projects.

Console owners always have hardware teams that are always working on their next projects. Did Sony's first party die out while they were working on the Pro?

It is possible diverting funds to X had some sort of effect on total game budget, but considering the current costs of development if that was the major factor the Xbox division is on a shorter leash and more resource starved than anyone realizes.

Saying "they couldn't afford to make games because they were building X" is actually a terrifying thought.

Let's accept this scenario for a moment, so what you're saying is they took a limited budget and blew it all on an incremental mid-gen upgrade for an already dwindling console that prioritises 4K gaming over investment in games for those who'd already bought into their platform ?


I'm not saying that it is correct or that it is right or wrong.

Just trying to make some sense of their lack of first party commitment.
 

Radec

Member
They showed Scalebound many times and it was cancelled. What more for unannounced games lol.

Full of sh..

again, First Party exklusive gakes do Not and will NEVER sell a Console.

3rd party games, price etc sell a Console.

Just Look at Wii u 0 3rd party Support, best First party Support, still saleswise a failure.

Even some Nintendo fans didn't bought a WiiU with that "best first party support".
 

Chao

Member
So just wait for those games to be ported to Microsoft's next grn macine in three years time.

Thanks for the info Phil! Saved me a lot of mone and time
 

JaggedSac

Member
No way is Forza Horizon 4 or Gears 5 coming next year or the next.

I believe Forza Horizon has released every other year since it's beginning. There is a very good chance it will release next year and there is a very good chance it will be incredible.
 

OKK

Member
I wonder if it's Remedy, might be understandable with how their last couple of games ended up performing.
Probably not. After QB launch Remedy has been in recruiting phase for their two projects (CF2, P7). In other words, they have their hands full. Also the talks that Puha has given, sounds like Remedy isn't that interested in AAA game development any more due to the risks that it brings to the studio.
 
I definitely think this new approach (unless it's all talk, let's hope not) is a double edged sword. It's positive because we're being kept in the dark about new things and can't hype ourselves up too much and if things go down hill with a cancelation eventually like Fable Legends and Scalebound, we won't really know about it and it won't sting as much.

The negative is, no real hype during and after their E3 show. Nobody saying things like "oh damn, did you see that game during their show? Wonder what the game is going to be like." The negative is that we'll likely won't be seeing much new promising stuff next year at E3. It's a good approach to avoid a Scalebound situation again and to avoid some things Sony did. For the most part Sony is doing things well now but there are still games that were announced two E3s ago or so and that made them "win" the show and they still don't have a release date.
 
that was 2 years ago

so we're right on track for their reveal next year

If you want to be disappointed again as people still hold out that Phil is telling them the truth. He's responsible for the lackluster first party content right now. As already stated, he's not a bystander.
 
I definitely think this new approach (unless it's all talk, let's hope not) is a double edged sword.

It's not a double-edged sword if you actually have the discipline and pipeline to deliver.

People make comparisons with Sony, but the masters of the format is Ubisoft. (Let's pretend BGE2 didn't happen for a moment... )

Look at Ubisoft. All the established franchises (Far Cry, AssCreed, Crew) are all announced and released within 9-12 months.

But at the same time? Skull & Bones! New IP announced >16 months out. And if we look at years past, Watch_Dogs/The Division/Wildlands, all of them also new IPs (kinda) that are announced more than 16 months out.

For every 2-3 games that Ubisoft manages the "announce/release within short cycle", we have 1 game from them that are >16 months out, that are usually their big stingers that are hype-worthy, but also at the same time, generally out within 2 years. None that end up appearing at 3 E3s.

And by and large, it's smart to announce new IPs or massive reinventions longer than a 12 month cycle just in case you need to... you know, change things up based on audience response. Established franchises can take it safe, but the merit of early announcements are still valid for new ideas.
 
All this man does is talk but never delivers.

When he says 'exclusives' he probably means a handful of indie titles. Can't take anything he says at face value anymore after 3 years of promises.
 

JlNX

Member
I leave the thread at page 5 were everything should have cleared up, but instead you all with different blatant biases decided to pull it in different directions to make your on narrative point. Then proceed to argue at each other from those very different points, not only are people still confused and haven't read the OP but some of you are blatantly ignoring the confusion to push narratives. I will quote my post from the start of the thread that should have ended the confusion but apparently not:

Do you guys have no reading comprehension? He's giving an example that's shows he is actively signing games and that he doesn't want to show games of to early. Not that any new games they have coming won't be for another 2-3 years. Do you guys not read the OP, going by the OP's title choice he didn't either if he thought that was thread worthy.


I dont think the XBOX will have AAA exclusive games, sea of thieves etc are not tripple a titles

I'm sorry but after going through 5 pages of rubbish yours was one I had to answer, are you seriously trying to imply the games that MS produces are not triple AAA even tho team size and cost of development is that of a triple AAA title. Clearly a uninformed post, but what I don't understand is how you can think that. Does every game have to be photo realistic to be AAA is that the angle your getting at or something different. But some how even photo realistic or graphically intense games like Forza, Halo or gears aren't triple AAA now?
 
2-3 years means Xbox 4 hopefully.

I really cant see that happening.

In 3 years the pro and X will be about 3.5 and 2.5 years old respectively. That wont be when the new gen is out. It might be announced then but thats the best I think you can hope for. Especially for MS. I can't see them putting all the R&D into XOX only to start a new gen 2.5 years after its release.
 
I leave the thread at page 5 were everything should have cleared up, but instead you all with different blatant biases decided to pull it in different directions to make your on narrative point. Then proceed to argue at each other from those very different points, not only are people still confused and haven't read the OP but some of you are blatantly ignoring the confusion to push narratives. I will quote my post from the start of the thread that should have ended the confusion but apparently not:






I'm sorry but after going through 5 pages of rubbish yours was one I had to answer, are you seriously trying to imply the games that MS produces are not triple AAA even tho team size and cost of development is that of a triple AAA title. Clearly a uninformed post, but what I don't understand is how you can think that. Does every game have to be photo realistic to be AAA is that the angle your getting at or something different. But some how even photo realistic or graphically intense games like Forza, Halo or gears aren't triple AAA now?


I see your point man. And I hope you're right. But if they have things coming next year (that he signed on in the previous years) why didn't he mention this? He's fully aware of the worries from Xbox owners. He talks about just having signed on for new exclusives that won't be coming out in 2-3 years but no mention at all of games that have been in development for a while now and likely to be ready for E3 2018.

If he had said this it would take a lot of concern away from people I'm sure. Then again, take Super Lucky's Tale for example. Nobody had any idea of it, not even insiders and it's coming out this year.
 
I don't know why Microsoft are bothering with this.

I would have just announced the xbox 4 for next year, with backwards compatibility, and leave it at that.

Given that many people buy their games digitally these days, a PS4 owner is giving up an awful lot if they want to get in on the X - £450 up front, then probably £50 for a second controller - so ~£550 with a game AND you lose your PS digital games. Are there really going to be any people out there thinking of getting an X that either do not own a PS4 or Xbox One?

Can't help thinking that MS should just write off this generation and put in the ground work in making sure that the next generation is powerful enough to run everything at 4k at 60fps and get some good first party games in the pipeline.

All Sony need do is sneak out a PS4 Pro Slim for £300 a few weeks before the xbox X is out, and slap pictures of God of War, Spiderman and the next Uncharted on the back and they will kill it.
 

le.phat

Member
What a nothingburger. You just came out of E3 where you showed close to no new exclusive software, and you want to get some internet kudos because you just signed some contracts for games that are ways off?
 

SpotAnime

Member
I would be more confident if he had said that he built new internal development teams.
"Signing exclusives" sounds so much like 3rd party exclusivity deals. That won't fix Microsofts problem.

Sure it would, in a way they started the generation with. Rise, Sunset, Quantum Break, even last year's Dead Rising 4. Funding Development on other publishers is probably a cheaper, quicker short term alternative to bulking up their first party. If they did two AAA titles like this to support the X launch it would have made all the difference. A great stop gap. Who knows, maybe it's on the developers/publishers after the Tomb Raider backlash, that Microsoft's money isn't worth it, and the Xbox brand is just too toxic right now? Poor choice of words perhaps, but you get my meaning.

"trust us", there's 3 big games coming 2020. Next E3 will provide info on deals signed off this time last year.

Well, then that makes that $499 price point an easier pill to swallow, since that means I won't be getting one at launch and by the time they have games to show, it'll be $299. PS4Pro and PC upgrades this year it is...

I don't know why Microsoft are bothering with this.

I would have just announced the xbox 4 for next year, with backwards compatibility, and leave it at that.

I agree. All they should have done, and perhaps they should have done this with the S, is have modest upgrades to consistently hit 1080p/30 at an affordable price. They have low end and high end, but they have nothing to fill in the middle which is where PS4 comfortably sits. And it's clear that's what consumers want most and is best for developers. 4K is next generation.
 
Means shit. If thats the case were are the new exclusives he signed the last couple of years now?

These new signed games gonna be announced next year and canceled the year after it anyway.
 

zeexlash

Member
You Sir are part of the problem.

Impatient people who need to know about games X years in line. The same group of people who will probably moan/whine when said game either gets delayed or there is a media black out.

Knowing about a game X amount of years way doesn't benefit our current gaming experiences.
There isn't a 'correct' formula on when to show or not show, it's case by case and comes down to judgement.

Phil Spencer got it wrong with stuff like Phantom Dust, Scalebound and of course the Black Tusk 'thing', because they ended up being cancelled. He probably could have waited with Sea of Thieves too.

Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 and even though it's still some way away it seemed like a good call, because it's put fans at ease. Of course it could yet be delayed or - unlikely - cancelled..
 

Thorrgal

Member
Do you guys have no reading comprehension? He's giving an example that's shows he is actively signing games and that he doesn't want to show games of to early. Not that any new games they have coming won't be for another 2-3 years. Do you guys not read the OP, going by the OP's title choice he didn't either if he thought that was thread worthy.

Man, if he had any exclusive signed that was coming out next year don't you think he woul'd have showed it this E3???

It's not us who lack reading comprenhension me fears...
 

TannerDemoz

Member
You Sir are part of the problem.

Impatient people who need to know about games X years in line. The same group of people who will probably moan/whine when said game either gets delayed or there is a media black out.

Knowing about a game X amount of years way doesn't benefit our current gaming experiences.

It also doesn't help shape or influence buying decisions of consumers – which is what Microsoft should be doing.

Given their current lack of exclusive titles for the Xbox One, Spencer would be wise to at least give us a glimpse into what they're working on.
 

TwiztidElf

Member
I don't know how anyone can defend Phil any more.

Sure, he seems like a nice enough guy - it certainly came through in the GB interview, but the facts speak for themselves. What is Microsoft bringing to the table in terms of compelling gaming software on any platform?

Anecdotal I know, but I know many semi-casual/serious single console gamers that went Xbox One this gen and right now are looking to jump off, or have already bought a PS4 and/or Switch, because they were so sick of seeing the grass truly being greener on the other side of the fence.
 

SpotAnime

Member
I'm sure Xbox GAF finally understands Phil says anything you want to hear, because he is a PR dude.

I don't know how anyone can defend Phil any more.

Sure, he seems like a nice enough guy - it certainly came through in the GB interview, but the facts speak for themselves. What is Microsoft bringing to the table in terms of compelling gaming software on any platform?

Anecdotal I know, but I know many semi-casual/serious single console gamers that went Xbox One this gen and right now are looking to jump off, or have already bought a PS4 and/or Switch, because they were so sick of seeing the grass truly being greener on the other side of the fence.

There is certainly conviction in his voice. He truly seems to believe what he is saying, regardless of whether it's true or not. That's why people love him, because he comes off genuine and sincere.

If this Xbox thing doesn't work out for him, he definitely has a career in politics.
 

EvB

Member
There is certainly conviction in his voice. He truly seems to believe what he is saying, regardless of whether it's true or not. That's why people love him, because he comes off genuine and sincere.

If this Xbox thing doesn't work out for him, he definitely has a career in politics.

He can take on Tim Cook and Dwayne Johnson to become be next US president.
 
Means shit. If thats the case were are the new exclusives he signed the last couple of years now?

These new signed games gonna be announced next year and canceled the year after it anyway.

That's one way of seeing it. But that last bit is overly negative. I do agree with you about the first bit. Where are the exclusives you'd think he signed in these first three years? Were the only things he did that are gaming related canceling Scalebound, Fable Legends, Press Play's game, Project Spark and close down Lionhead Studios and Press Play? You'd think that aside from all these things he would have secured some actual games too.

Sure we had games like Gears 4, the FM and FH games and Halo 5 but those are all a given. Through the last years he has been tweeting that he acknowledged the importance of new games, so who knows. Maybe results of that next year? Let's just wait and see and not expect a damn thing though, sadly.
 
"Signed" makes it sound like just some more outsourced IPs like Ryse and Sunset Overdrive. Which is okay, but what happens when those become a success? Let the actual talent move on to a different platform using the experience they gained on your game (a la Insomniac, Playground), and then build copy-cat factory studios that will never reach the heights of the creators (a la 343, Coalition)?

Granted building new studios is hard, but there are other ways. Sony didn't create Naughty Dog after all.

Here's some things you could do:

Expand Rare, have them become your Japan Studios (multiple projects, hardware support)

Acquire A4, have them become your Guerilla Games
Acquire IO Interactive, have them become your Santa Monica
Acquire Remedy, have them become your Naughty Dog
Acquire Playground Games, have them become your Liverpool Studios
Acquire People Can Fly, have them become your Quantic Dreams

Add another team to Coalition
Add another team to 343

Whatever you do PLEASE don't rely on outsourcing for new IP.

Posts like these always read like parody. And what's wrong with relying on outsourcing for new IP? Sony have a great relationship with Housemarque, Quantic Dream and Supermassive Games, for example. All external partners who have produced multiple new IPs.

Nothing close to this is happening. Dream smaller.

And considering MS just recently turned down a new AAA game from one of those devs, perhaps much smaller.

I assume you mean they turned down a game from Remedy, given Quantum Break was a huge bomb?
 

JaggedSac

Member
Nothing close to this is happening. Dream smaller.

And considering MS just recently turned down a new AAA game from one of those devs, perhaps much smaller.

Because certainly all games are the same. If they declined to pay for one game of a certain price, they certainly wouldn't pay for another similarly priced one. Couldn't possibly come down to the type of game it was.
 
I see some comments that it's the same old tune, every year the same excuses. However this is the first time he confirmed that he has several exclusives in the making, so there's that. It's at least something I guess.

And he went into detail about how he realizes people want to see actual triple A exclusives and he says he remains committed to it. It's better than nothing, in the first few E3 interviews he barely said anything about it. So I guess we just gotta have faith that it will improve. Or remain to be negative nancies.

Posts like these always read like parody. And what's wrong with relying on outsourcing for new IP? Sony have a great relationship with Housemarque, Quantic Dream and Supermassive Games, for example. All external partners who have produced multiple new IPs.



I assume you mean they turned down a game from Remedy, given Quantum Break was a huge bomb?

My guess Matt is talking about the Playground Games game. I guess he knows a little more aboit it now. Previously the rumor came from a rather unreliable so called insider.
 
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