• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Xbox will "reevaluate" its approach to video game exclusivity

Asha casually ripping off my whole strategy from the how would you fix Microsoft thread last year word for word, bar for bar
 
The only real exclusivity would be if the new games were released only on Xbox CONSOLES. If they're also on PC (and if the next Xbox is partially a PC), then you're just losing potential PlayStation customers who don't have a PC. PS gamers didn't buy Series S or Series X even when they were cheap and they're definitely not going to buy a much more expensive Helix.
 
//DEVIL// said:
They sold 5 million copies of Foza on PS5. Are they going to stop making games for a system that is giving you revenue? I find that hard to believe to be honest

With that being said. I am all down on exclusivity games. its what sells systems and what makes them unique.

To be honest Even releasing games on Steam isn't the right move as these games can be played on steam OS and that is the last thing MS want is to grow the audiance of that OS.

In theory. They should make their game console exclusive unless it's an online multiplayer game like COD

They should release it on their own store, period. Because releasing their games on Steam is basically same as Playstation console. its not under their own umbrella.

I know this sounds shitty. I always buy games on Steam and mostly on Steam. And having Xbox games on PlayStation makes it easier for me to just buy a PlayStation and avoid the whole xbox console.

Doing anything else is really just hurting the Xbox in terms of hardware sales. ( they will also lose sales on not releasing on PS/Steam. But that's what everyone is doing, including Sony, Nintendo, and even Steam.

To this da,y there is no Half Life VR on PSVR2 ... its kinda telling
Click to expand...
They are indeed selling well on PlayStation, but it came at the cost of their entire hardware division, Xbox sales have been in free fall since the ports started. Sony pulled back from PC releases over far less, you know, because their hardware sales are strong. If Microsoft wants to keep a mass-market hardware platform, they'll need to do the same.
 
So many goal posts being moved around here kind of funny to see...

People here kept saying "ok yeah all this news means nothing if they wont bring exclusives back to the console" and has now become "but games weren't moving the needle on xbox why would they even do this?"

Interesting time to be a gaming fan, that's for sure.

Microsoft might actually go all out for next gen and fire on all cylinders but it could still end up a wet fart.

Time will tell I suppose.
 
Modi Dhruv GIF
 
If they made an effort to ensure quality, this would be significant. I suspect they just want to welch on the CoD deals they signed instead, though.
 
It's so ironic. They sell 5m copies of FH5 on PS5 alone and are going dysfunctional and mulling exclusivity again? Why do some people champion this company?
 
Last edited:
I really want to believe that this woman is actually willing to go all in to make Xbox a relevant console in the market again, but everything she's been doing feels a lot like cheap PR, which is exactly what sustained Xbox for years. It's been years and years of people praising Phil Spencer, and she's playing the exact same "friendly with gamers" game.

I also find it very strange that until a few months ago we were seeing reports of Microsoft's top leadership demanding absurd margins from the Xbox division, and now they've suddenly softened to the point of reconsidering the entire business model. I'm also not sure about the commercial viability of this move. Microsoft already tried the traditional route with Xbox, and even their best-selling console still sold less than Sony's worst.

That said, it would be great to see them go back to their roots, competing on price, bringing exclusives, and so on. The market would be much better that way; Sony would be forced to react, since right now they're pretty much stagnant. But like I said, this all sounds like PR talk. It'll be easier to believe what she says if they announce that Halo, Gears, and Forza won't be coming to PS5. And if they actually want to sell consoles, they'll need to rethink their PC release strategy too.
 
splattered said:
So many goal posts being moved around here kind of funny to see...

People here kept saying "ok yeah all this news means nothing if they wont bring exclusives back to the console" and has now become "but games weren't moving the needle on xbox why would they even do this?"

Interesting time to be a gaming fan, that's for sure.

Microsoft might actually go all out for next gen and fire on all cylinders but it could still end up a wet fart.

Time will tell I suppose.
Click to expand...
Few PR water tankers later, one simple qustion still lingers: how they are supposed to make 80 billions in M&A back? By pouriong even more money in the hardware game that they've basically lost?

Asha is a prime bean counter GPT-friendly CEO. You will see even more cynical ports with 'gamepass exsclusive' cosmetics.
 
Last edited:
I mean it's not a bad strategy if:

  • Helix isn't insanely overpriced (which given everything we've heard it will be)
  • They're willing to soak in low sales for years to build hardware momentum again

I can't see Satya letting xbox be unprofitable for years at this point. There is no clear path to recoup the cost of the acquisitions to date.
 
playbignbox said:
They are indeed selling well on PlayStation, but it came at the cost of their entire hardware division, Xbox sales have been in free fall since the ports started. Sony pulled back from PC releases over far less, you know, because their hardware sales are strong. If Microsoft wants to keep a mass-market hardware platform, they'll need to do the same.
Click to expand...
So then the hardware was selling well before they went multiplat? That's not what I remember.
 
They Will move to time exclusive , release today on Helix and 1 year later on PC and Sony/Nintendo consoles.

And Helix also needs to have better graphics and Performance than PS6 , but ones that make the difference.

Honestly don't see a great returning of the Xbox brand...but they could recover some users that skipped Series X because does not has something great to offer.
 
Last edited:
reinking said:
You might be right. It seems she is going down the path they are leading her down which means she is playing to the market that Xbox has already captured. They need to be thinking outside of that echo chamber. I don't know. I will buy the next Xbox if it looks like a convenient Windows gaming PC alternative but not if it is no more convenient than what I can already build/buy.
Click to expand...
Microsoft's biggest issue is they entered the business for the wrong reasons, they started it out chasing what Sony had, so they essentially built a different Playstation. There's no grand vision that is unique to them, so all they do is basically lurch about from one objective to another.

I personally have already made my decision not to cop an Xbox next gen. They played this exact card this gen when they bought Bethesda and I got nothing out of buying a Series X.

Now that I think about it, there's really nothing they can entice me with that I can't either find elsewhere (as in they will have to port) or find better alternatives to, especially now that they have released almost everything that matters to me elsewhere.
 
focus on Xbox first, and let studios concentrate fully on the Xbox version any nothing else.
once the Xbox version is done, then they can work on ports.

that's how they should do it. it's a compromise. not full exclusivity, but making shure their studios aren't spread too thin with too many ports to support right out of the gate
 
kevboard said:
focus on Xbox first, and let studios concentrate fully on the Xbox version any nothing else.
once the Xbox version is done, then they can work on ports.

that's how they should do it. it's a compromise. not full exclusivity, but making shure their studios aren't spread too thin with too many ports to support right out of the gate
Click to expand...
Yep, that's why 6-12 month timed exclusivity on single player games works out. If a game does well at the game awards, extend the exclusivity to 18 months. If it wins GOTY, make it permanent exclusive, lol. Imagine if Clair Obscur had been published by Xbox rather than simply Day 1 Gamepass. MS simply needs to do more third party publishing to acquire permanent content for Gamepass, give devs same or better terms than Epic. 50/50 profit share once game dev costs are fully recuperated.
 
splattered said:
So many goal posts being moved around here kind of funny to see...

People here kept saying "ok yeah all this news means nothing if they wont bring exclusives back to the console" and has now become "but games weren't moving the needle on xbox why would they even do this?"
Click to expand...

Can you point to anyone who has actually said both of those things? Why not reply to them and point out their contradiction? If it is just "people here" well....no shit. That could be two entirely different people arguing about it.
 
Last edited:
Astray said:
Microsoft's biggest issue is they entered the business for the wrong reasons, they started it out chasing what Sony had, so they essentially built a different Playstation. There's no grand vision that is unique to them, so all they do is basically lurch about from one objective to another.

I personally have already made my decision not to cop an Xbox next gen. They played this exact card this gen when they bought Bethesda and I got nothing out of buying a Series X.

Now that I think about it, there's really nothing they can entice me with that I can't either find elsewhere (as in they will have to port) or find better alternatives to, especially now that they have released almost everything that matters to me elsewhere.
Click to expand...
I think I am at a crossroads with Xbox. I want them to succeed but I do not trust them to deliver. Personally, I wanted them to focus on the Xbox console but it is clear with the words they are saying, even behind Asha's pretty smile, they only care about saving the Xbox brand, not the console. I suspect Helix is going to do about the same with Asha as it would have done with Phil. Those decisions were made before she paid attention to gaming. Some of the changes she mentions are things they have already done. Lower Game Pass? It was lower before and included COD. Exclusives, it wasn't enough when the Xbox console was in a better place. Unless MS is willing to go back to throwing money at it, I am not sure what she is going to be able to pull of that Phil couldn't. Maybe she will pay closer attention to studios? I am rooting for Xbox but not expecting much.
 
Exclusives on what platform? Series S|X? Listen, I like the systems, but they are dead in the water. And as for Helix, it will be a $1K+ SFF PC. What would they do, make games exclusive to the Windows Store/Xbox App? No way they skip out on Steam or PS from here on out. There's nothing to make it exclusive to.
 
They either go full exclusive or they close door the console business. It was a good thought but people have proved they are gonna buy consoles with exclusives
 
CrustyBritches said:
Exclusives on what platform? Series S|X? Listen, I like the systems, but they are dead in the water. And as for Helix, it will be a $1K+ SFF PC. What would they do, make games exclusive to the Windows Store/Xbox App? No way they skip out on Steam or PS from here on out. There's nothing to make it exclusive to.
Click to expand...
Theres little option. They can always port the games later if they do close shop.
 
CrustyBritches said:
Exclusives on what platform? Series S|X? Listen, I like the systems, but they are dead in the water. And as for Helix, it will be a $1K+ SFF PC. What would they do, make games exclusive to the Windows Store/Xbox App? No way they skip out on Steam or PS from here on out. There's nothing to make it exclusive to.
Click to expand...

She mentioned windowing right after rethinking exclusives so they probably will keep it from steam/Playstation for a few months before porting it over.
 
mayham2199 said:
So then the hardware was selling well before they went multiplat? That's not what I remember.
Click to expand...
Sales were already in decline, but bringing first-party titles to platforms like the PlayStation 5 made that decline feel structural by weakening the need for the hardware. It also hurts confidence in any future hardware, which is why they'll need to change course just to have a chance in this market.
 
playbignbox said:
Sales were already in decline, but bringing first-party titles to platforms like the PlayStation 5 made that decline feel structural by weakening the need for the hardware. It also hurts confidence in any future hardware, which is why they'll need to change course just to have a chance in this market.
Click to expand...

They wont even release a classic console anymore so which market do you mean.
 
//DEVIL// said:
They sold 5 million copies of Foza on PS5. Are they going to stop making games for a system that is giving you revenue? I find that hard to believe to be honest

With that being said. I am all down on exclusivity games. its what sells systems and what makes them unique.

To be honest Even releasing games on Steam isn't the right move as these games can be played on steam OS and that is the last thing MS want is to grow the audiance of that OS.

In theory. They should make their game console exclusive unless it's an online multiplayer game like COD

They should release it on their own store, period. Because releasing their games on Steam is basically same as Playstation console. its not under their own umbrella.

I know this sounds shitty. I always buy games on Steam and mostly on Steam. And having Xbox games on PlayStation makes it easier for me to just buy a PlayStation and avoid the whole xbox console.

Doing anything else is really just hurting the Xbox in terms of hardware sales. ( they will also lose sales on not releasing on PS/Steam. But that's what everyone is doing, including Sony, Nintendo, and even Steam.

To this da,y there is no Half Life VR on PSVR2 ... its kinda telling
Click to expand...
I am constantly amazed at how many people fail to recognize that Steam/Valve is actually the bigger threat to Microsoft than Sony. If you are going to go exclusive, you have to go all in on exclusive. Games must be playable only on Xbox and from the MS Store. No Steam. No Playstation. No Nintendo.

Yes, it would cost them a metric fuck ton of lost sales. Quite frankly, I cannot see a scenario where Asha can convince them to go that route. But thats what exclusive means. If you put the games on Steam, all you are doing is strengthening Valve who is working on their own OS, which threatens Windows and MS cannot allow that to happen.
 
Last edited:
Fabieter said:
She mentioned windowing right after rethinking exclusives so they probably will keep it from steam/Playstation for a few months before porting it over.
Click to expand...
Keep it where, though? Series S|X or Windows Store? That's my question. I guess you could call that "Play Anywhere Exclusive". PC gamers aren't going to buy games on Windows Store, and Series S|X is dead in the water, so why try to push console sales for last-gen systems. MS has no choice but to release on Steam day-1, and waiting to launch on PS just kills sales. There's no route to get around the big platform holders getting 30%, and no console to push.
 
CrustyBritches said:
Keep it where, though? Series S|X or Windows Store? That's my question. I guess you could call that "Play Anywhere Exclusive". PC gamers aren't going to buy games on Windows Store, and Series S|X is dead in the water, so why try to push console sales for last-gen systems. MS has no choice but to release on Steam day-1, and waiting to launch on PS just kills sales. There's no route to get around the big platform holders getting 30%, and no console to push.
Click to expand...
If MS wants to truly go exclusive, then it needs to be fucking exclusive. That means Xbox consoles and MS Store only.

Being on Steam is the opposite of being exclusive.

And yes, the dilemma for them is VERY real. They will lose a TON of sales and it is a REALLY difficult way to get bring in revenue when the cost of entry is a $1200 PC. That wouldn't be the ONLY option, but they would have to aggressively convince all Windows users to use the MS Store...which maybe could be done, but it will be very very difficult.

I think that a delayed release would likely be the worst of all worlds.
 
Xbox needs a hard ass swing. THEY HAVE THE CARDS JUST PLAY THEM.

ES6 ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
CALL OF DUTY ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
FALLOUT ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
HALO ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
DOOM ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
GEARS ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
FORZA ONLY ON XBOX FUCK YOU
 
Games for Windows live and Windows store is back bitches!

Walled Garden games Inc. Party like 2013!

Oh wait... Not this?
 
It's not really going for 'the same audience' if it's now 2-3x the price a console normally is, even if they are going for living room players. I'm not sure if the audience it is going for has been proven to exist in significant numbers yet, let alone in 'compete with playstation' numbers.

Tobimacoss said:
What else you got? Show me the post.
Click to expand...
calico

Post in thread 'If you run XBOX division, what strategy would you pursue?'

This gen is a lost cause so multi-plat for now. Have 5 top tier exclusives including CoD and TES6 ready to go for the launch window of the next console and consign PlayStation and Nintendo to the pages of history where they belong. Stop referring to random objects as Xbox. Call the next console Xbox Only because all these great fuckin games are on Xbox Only.

That's what I'd do. What Microsoft will do is become PlayStation's bitch and probably end up having to agree to a 20:80 split to pretty please be allowed to sell games on PlayStation. Pathetic.
 
reinking said:
I think I am at a crossroads with Xbox. I want them to succeed but I do not trust them to deliver. Personally, I wanted them to focus on the Xbox console but it is clear with the words they are saying, even behind Asha's pretty smile, they only care about saving the Xbox brand, not the console. I suspect Helix is going to do about the same with Asha as it would have done with Phil. Those decisions were made before she paid attention to gaming. Some of the changes she mentions are things they have already done. Lower Game Pass? It was lower before and included COD. Exclusives, it wasn't enough when the Xbox console was in a better place. Unless MS is willing to go back to throwing money at it, I am not sure what she is going to be able to pull of that Phil couldn't. Maybe she will pay closer attention to studios? I am rooting for Xbox but not expecting much.
Click to expand...
I always go back to Michael Collins' book 'How the Mighty Fall' (this is basically a one-pager that summarizes it), this passage feels particularly apropos:

STAGE 5: CAPITULATION TO IRRELEVANCE OR DEATH
The longer a company remains in Stage 4, repeatedly grasping for silver bullets, the more likely it will spiral downward. In Stage 5, accumulated setbacks and expensive false starts erode financial strength and individual spirit to such an extent that leaders abandon all hope of building a great future. In some cases the company's leader just sells out; in other cases the institution atrophies into utter insignificance; and in the most extreme cases the enterprise simply dies outright.

The point of the struggle is not just to survive, but to build an enterprise that makes such a distinctive impact on the world it touches (and does so with such superior performance) that it would leave a gaping hole—a hole that could not be easily filled by any other institution—if it ceased to exist. To accomplish this requires leaders who retain faith that they can find a way to prevail in pursuit of a cause larger than mere survival (and larger than themselves) while also maintaining the stoic will needed to take whatever actions must be taken, however excruciating, for the sake of that cause.
Click to expand...
The way I think about it is this:

- If we lose Valve we lose the discovery and platform it provides for indie devs (although it's more of a challenge given the absurd amount of games coming out every month) and perhaps the very best product management in the gaming industry. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo can't do that whatsoever.

- If we lose Nintendo we basically lose the vast majority of child-friendly top-quality titles + quite a few truly iconic brands like Mario and Zelda that basically rebuilt the industry from certain ruin.

- If we lose Sony we lose a player who has basically established the 3rd party developers as key players in the industry + we lose access to a lot of the best and most polished storytelling in the medium.

But what happens if we lose Xbox? The platform had +20 years of life, yet I cannot find a single compelling reason that would make me care about its demise, like maybe Forza Horizon? But then again you already have competent copycats that can scratch that itch like The Crew. Xbox has basically had no sustained distinctive impact on the world that would cause people to feel like they miss it. I bought a Series X this gen expecting to find a lot that I missed out on, and to my shock there was next to nothing!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

[Jez] It's time for Xbox to stop apologizing for its existence
2
96
580
Thebonehead replied
  • Poll
[Jez] I polled over 14,000 Xbox gamers on exclusivity — only 12.4% said Xbox should have zero exclusive games
Opinion Poll Platform  2 3 4 5
207
2K
Hyper_hyper replied
Microsoft is giving its Xbox employees an Xbox email address
News  2
92
172
Ryseer replied
  • Locked
  • Poll
New Xbox Dashboard ad started to use the term "Xbox exclusives"
Rumor Platform 
10
200
TintoConCasera replied
So will there be next-gen Xbox games or will they just be PC games & Xbox Series games with enhancements?
48
779
onQ123 replied
Top Bottom