Completely agree. Absolutely tone-deaf move (though Microsft tends to make them) especially considering how vocal was the Xbox community regarding the game (people have been asking for the remake for years).
I do wonder why Microsoft passes on so many deals and it seems they avoid anything third person related too.
I never thought about them passing on so many third person games. They definitely lean towards first person over third person by far. Also, they don't see to go after the single player games. The only major one that I know of is Plague Tale Requiem which is multi-plat but day one Game Pass. Other than that, it's all this other shit.
Because Aspyr literally has never made a game in their entire existence. They just port old PC games to Mac and consoles.
True but doesn't matter. The game has it's legacy on the original Xbox. If you're Microsoft, you do not pass on this game. Hell, they could have easily just said, we'll get the marketing for the game to ensure it releases on Xbox day one but could have avoided any exclusivity since Microsoft doesn't seem to go after exclusivity unless the game is an Indie or AA title. Also, Microsoft could have an internal studio oversee/help with development. I know Sony has XDev. Does Microsoft have an equivalent? Honestly, I don't even know if they do or not.
Either way, passing on this game is a miss in my eyes and with Sony overseeing the game, I do believe that it will be a great game as Sony is publishing the title so yeah, they will definitely be keeping a close eye on the game. Imagine it releases at a 90 or so MC/OC. They would be sticking it to Microsoft and Xbox fans. To me, this was a no-brainer for Microsoft and they whiffed. The only way this isn't a whiff is if the game turns out to be bad which in all honesty, I don't see happening.