One thing I straight up don't get is Microsoft's strategy. Like, I can accept that they want to move more towards a service model and they want to start locking players in their eco systems but...where's the content to do that? If I'm someone that hasn't hopped aboard the Xbox bandwagon, what's exactly there to entice me? Gears, Halo, and Forza? If those didn't interest before then they sure wouldn't interest me now. Sure maybe titles like Scalebound and Phantom Dust wouldn't have set the world on fire but they're the types of titles you need to diversify your lineup. This is a lesson Sony learned way back in the PS1 days and they still continue to strive for the most diverse lineup possible by funding titles like Gravity Rush 2. It feels like MS wants the dominance but they don't want to put in the work to stay there.
To me...with everything that MS is doing right now (with games) is weathering the storm of not having new successful IP and focusing on certain things.
Xbox One: Get platform features out that the competition has no answer for (right now)
Windows Store (games): Get platform features out that you have on Xbox, start throwing games on there (hope they stick)
Scorpio: Make a powerful console for great looking games.
It's all about platform features, having a powerful device, and introducing games that highlight those features in use.
Sea of Thieves - Looking for Group, look for pirate friends on an easy way that share the same way of how to game than you. Keeps you looking for people on the xbox platform. Groups, communicating with your pirate buddies, that you found with LFG, getting relationships on the xbox platform. Beam Broadcast to show your adventure to other folks, getting them to watch something on the xbox platform. We don't know anything about microtransactions/DLC but we can make an educated guess on it happening.
Crackdown 3 - THE CLOUD. Potentially doing something that is going to be very hard for another platform holder to replicate. Multiplayer only feature, guess what you'll use (not saying you specifically but people)...LFG, Groups, Beam.
Killer Instinct - Arena! Competition, Beam, Tournaments.
Windows 10 (PC) - Get "all" the same stuff you have on your Xbox...on your PC, all consolidated to you in an easy to use platform (at least that's what they are building it out to be...not what it is now).
Obviously MS wants people to use the Windows Store (which they do by default on Xbox...digital sales) but as a Xbox brand...this is what they are doing. Not saying that they aren't gonna keep making games, but they are truly trying to build a platform and rival the likes of Steam but from the Xbox side nicely, and half-assed on the Windows side.
MS future landscape for the short term, the way that I see it is to sell you on these features, throw in some exclusives that you'll play and hopefully get you so acclimated to their system that they are trying to build out, that you see anything else as less than. Look at how people viewed Xbox Live vs. PSN in the 360 days...they are trying to recreate that. Like Gamerscore, but on 100. A new hook but it's at the platform level.
It sucks for people like me who want new games but don't necessarily want it to appease the platform, even if I totally understand why they do it. That is what I view their strategy is...platform features on different devices that are highlighted through the games that they make and supported by 3rd parties easily.
