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Phil Spencer suggests Halo Infinite is not critcal to XBSX launch

Rolla

Banned
You miss his main point which was that both consoles will sell out irregardless this holiday. He wanted it now, but considering capacity it can't sell more than consoles they can make.

It's spin but not incorrect. Neither console will be available this year.

Saying an item will be sold out at launch regardless is a really strange point to make in my opinion. Any >product< with the enough hype can sell out with ease. People know and love the XBOX brand.

But what happens when you've sold every console you can make to your core audience? That's where Halo would have been critical.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Halo is worth billions and M$ has to be smart with it, Infinite has been in the kitchen cooking and will show you don't have to be a launch title to be successful but you can't make that same mistake next generation.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Series X is already smoking hot without it
images
 

Elias

Member
Saying an item will be sold out at launch regardless is a really strange point to make in my opinion. Any >product< with the enough hype can sell out with ease. People know and love the XBOX brand.

But what happens when you've sold every console you can make to your core audience? That's where Halo would have been critical.
It's coming next year.
 

Moogle11

Banned
But what happens when you've sold every console you can make to your core audience? That's where Halo would have been critical.

That's why it’s key to get Halo out Q1 or early Q2 next year IMO. It’s not needed to move consoles around launch, but will be to keep sales going and can likely have more impact than when people can see ads and walk in stores and buy it vs launch when things are sold out most places for a few months.

Of course the ideal is to have a big launch title AND big game(s) a few months later to keep sales momentum rolling. But it doesn’t seem like MS had that option as if Halo had been launch it doesn’t seem like there’s a Forza or Gears or Fable type game that would have been ready to keep things going in Q1 anyway.
 

GHG

Gold Member
I have to disagree. If the game would have launched in a mediocre state than it would have done nothing to advance Xbox sales. If they can somehow manage to turn this into a "must have" just as inventory opens up globally then the delay was easily the right choice.

I literally said if it had looked good in my post.
 

OrtizTwelve

Member
I don't think Halo being delayed hurt XBOX at launch, as the new consoles will be hard to find this holiday season.

The $299 Series S is going to be highly sought after, I think people are underestimating it's potential.
 

Unknown?

Member
You miss his main point which was that both consoles will sell out irregardless this holiday. He wanted it now, but considering capacity it can't sell more than consoles they can make.

It's spin but not incorrect. Neither console will be available this year.
Yes but so did Wii U. A poor launch lineup will hurt going into next year until games start to drop.
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Selling out before launch literally means nothing. Wii U was sold out before launch and look how that turned out.
Yes but so did Wii U. A poor launch lineup will hurt going into next year until games start to drop.
Well the WiiU had RETTBONE helping with sales.
lh7ZrwAVGmgqfOGpFamba0wkOHNuDiqYpt8ita6hLeU.jpg



Also the WiiU properly had no games and no target audience, people who bought it realized it wasnt what they wanted from a WiiU.
The Series consoles are pretty well explained and everyone buying one knows what they are in for.

We already have a massive lineup of titles thirdparty or otherwise to tide us over till the XGS titles are ready...whether that will move units I dont know only time will tell.
The WiiU looked doomed from the jump.
 
A head guy brushing off his non-existant first party exclusive launch line up and downplaying because his hardcore buy regardless. No shame - absolutely no shame.

I remember House rightfully admitting PS4 first party offerings were sparse when they were - not making excuses.

He will continue to lose his hardcore even if the trickle gets slower as the fanatical crop shrinks to a place where only the extreme brand loyalist are left (who don't budge for any reason).

Imo some folks keep rewarding this snake oil salesman against their own best interests. At this point you could say these fans are deserving of it - as ugly and as not -political correct as it sounds.

The good thing is that there are other options out there if these fans decide to break away from the spell.
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
Saying an item will be sold out at launch regardless is a really strange point to make in my opinion. Any >product< with the enough hype can sell out with ease. People know and love the XBOX brand.

But what happens when you've sold every console you can make to your core audience? That's where Halo would have been critical.
With all Microsoft first party going to PC and gamepass I don't think that Microsoft is counting on any one game to sell consoles any more. Console sales aren't their metric for success any more. They won't care whether people are playing Halo on PC or Xbox as long as people are paying to play Halo either through gamepass subscription or direct sale.
 

truth411

Member
He's right that it hasn't hurt the launch. It was gonna sell out everywhere regardless.

However, the longer Xbox goes without a good new first party exclusive, the momentum/hype of the console will diminish.

They need Halo before the end of March '21 IMO.
I agree they need something to maintain momentum, but releasing Halo before holiday 2021 would be a mistake. They need Halo Infinite to be a showpiece title. Not a higher resolution Xbox One game as it currently is.
 

REDRZA MWS

Member
You can argue Infinite’s delay will actually be better off for MS. Like Phil said, consoles ALWAYS sell out at launch. They literally cannot make enough of them to meet demand.

So Halo launching next year, especially if they have used this time to improve the game substantially, that will be a huge seller and will move more consoles.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
He's half right.

But Halo Infinite is vital to XBox come January and February, when sales will inevitably plummet.
 

Hezekiah

Banned
First-party exclusives on Xbox don't mean as much and anticipation for it has cooled a lot since gameplay was shown.

But after the first quarter or so when the hardcore fans have their machines the lack of exclusives will impact a lot more.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
That’s probably the first time they’re going to be on shelves though. They’re not plummeting then.

We'll see.

I think the public views the Series X/S similarly to how they viewed the XBox One X. I don't think it's going to be a hot item for very long.
 

JimiNutz

Banned
It's way to early to make this statement.
Let's see what XSX console sales look like in early 2021.

For me it certainly made XSX go from a 'must have day one' purchase to a 'maybe sometime next year' purchase.
 

Vol5

Member
He's completely out of touch. HALO not there at launch with no fixed date, the BC difference is now gone with PS5 having a good, if not great, BC solution. No game talking full advantage of a brand new console...it's a disastrous launch in my opinion.

Although tbh it can't get any worse so it should be all good from here on in.
 

#Phonepunk#

Banned
a game that isn't coming out isn't critical, no shit?

what is he supposed to say, "We fucked up massively and have no launch title"? dude's job is putting a positive spin on everything.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Based on what exactly? What do they view it as?

Because it's essentially the same product.

More powerful XBox with a continued game drought. I don't think the public perception on XBox has changed yet. It will once the game start rolling in, but not right now.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Because it's essentially the same product.

More powerful XBox with a continued game drought. I don't think the public perception on XBox has changed yet. It will once the game start rolling in, but not right now.
There is no game drought to the general public.

You think that the S and X are essentially the same product as the One and One X?
 
I think it would help Sony considerably if they had their own top tier first party FPS game considering that Halo may not end up being of the same quality as games of the past. Not another iteration of Killzone though. That ship has sailed.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I think it would help Sony considerably if they had their own top tier first party FPS game considering that Halo may not end up being of the same quality as games of the past. Not another iteration of Killzone though. That ship has sailed.
There are already so many FPS games, though. Is there really value in another one?
 

H-I-M

Member
I'm sure a killer launch game could have helped compensate the horrible performance of the Xbox One generation.

Let's not fool ourselves and act like there was a massive demand for a new Xbox.
So saying that it's 'sold out' doesn't really say much.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
There is no game drought to the general public.

You think that the S and X are essentially the same product as the One and One X?

I disagree.

I think a large reason why XBox has historically sold less than PlayStation is because the public views it as the B team. An inferior brand.

The public sees Sony's exclusives + third party support...and they see XBoxs continued lack of exclusives + third party support.

XBox just isn't a premier brand yet. They will be in 2022. Not today though.
 

Nubulax

Member
I don't think Halo being delayed hurt XBOX at launch, as the new consoles will be hard to find this holiday season.

The $299 Series S is going to be highly sought after, I think people are underestimating it's potential.

The more I think about it the Series S seems to be the console they actually want to sell and push and the X is only there to claim PR victories with "most powerful console"
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
I don't think it's coming that soon. The game looks like it still needs alot of work and they already spent 5 years on it.

I don't think it is either, that's why I think sales are going to tank in January/February.

I do think Halos multiplayer could become a smash hit when it finally releases, and Microsoft could use that ASAP.
 

Nubulax

Member
If their main focus is gamepass than the Series S is their best platform for it. At least that's how I see it.

Ya true...The Target next to me actually received 10 Series X and 16 Series S...which is weird...I figured larger retailers wouldnt even bother selling many of the digital only systems. Related to that, they got 10 PS5 Disc Version and ZERO of the PS5 Digital
 
I guess like most Microsoft execs he forgot rest of world exists. I just checked and I can easily order one for delivery tomorrow :D
 
It would have been nice to have it there day one, but considering its sold out anyway, it kind of works out better for them to have Halo available once the hype starts to die down.

The console wont be readily available until 2021 and once the hype goes down, they can come out with Halo. Works out perfectly.
 

MastaKiiLA

Member
Phil is doing his job. You can't fault him for what he said.

It is worth noting that being sold out is a bit of a nebulous statement. How many units does that comprise? If the rumors of PS5 outselling XSX+XSS at 3:1 combined is true, then that's a deficit that's hard to overcome. Worse yet, if that deficit is faced in your best regions, because it gives your competition a substantial global userbase advantage. That has a knock-on effect on the competition's ability to secure further exclusives, as they have a larger installed base, which then gives them an advantage in growing that base even more.

GP and a power advantage didn't help X1X very much, as it faced a userbase disadvantage, and an ongoing impression that the console lacked games. Exclusives are really important, as they represent the differentiator in gaming libraries. You're not overcoming a deficit by saying, "yeah, we have everything the other guy has, except their popular franchises." You have to leverage your heavy hitters too. Halo still has mindshare, even if it lacks the same market punch if once had.

It was really important to come out the gates with that familiar brand on the console. Whether it sold additional units or not is immaterial. It's about setting a good first impression, particularly if your competition has a production advantage over you. It can keep some of those thirsty casuals on the fence while you ramp things up.
 

Elias

Member
A head guy brushing off his non-existant first party exclusive launch line up and downplaying because his hardcore buy regardless. No shame - absolutely no shame.

I remember House rightfully admitting PS4 first party offerings were sparse when they were - not making excuses.

He will continue to lose his hardcore even if the trickle gets slower as the fanatical crop shrinks to a place where only the extreme brand loyalist are left (who don't budge for any reason).

Imo some folks keep rewarding this snake oil salesman against their own best interests. At this point you could say these fans are deserving of it - as ugly and as not -political correct as it sounds.

The good thing is that there are other options out there if these fans decide to break away from the spell.
You still aren't getting Star Field or Elder Scrolls 6, bro.
 
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