I have to admit: Microsoft’s performance at the Xbox Showcase outdid my expectations. Whilst thePlaystationShowcase in May wasn’t heavily criticized, ithad bizarre reveals like Project Qthat Xbox didn’t really have. On the contrary, it had a slew of heavy hitters likeStarfield,Star WarsOutlaws, and Fable, that all gave very solid showings. With the simultaneous announcement that Microsoft will be focusing on four big first-party releases a year, it’s quite an improvement in image compared to the state they were in not long before—with a 30% fall in hardware sales accompanying the release ofRedfallwhich,despite there being some love for it on this site, was received poorly by most and caused some to have doubts about the state Starfield will be in. Then there was their planned merger withActivisiongetting blocked by the CMA (which I’d call a win for everyone else, but I doubt Microsoft was chuffed about it).
The showcase caused what I would call a hasty reaction, with many calling it a redemption for Microsoft following their calamitous few months beforehand. Sure, focusing on more first-party games is a step in the right direction, but if Microsoft truly wants to win over hearts and minds, there’s a lot that needs to change.
First up,these are only trailers; promising trailers, but trailers nonetheless, and of course we can’t judge the showcase as an improvement on Microsoft’s part until we get to play all these titles. Whilst I’ve no reason to be cynical about anything displayed (save for Todd ‘It just works’ Howard being there, who’s oversold a game or two in his time), any game can have a solid trailer and still be bad. Any one of the games shown could turn out to be another Redfall—an undercooked, formulaic piece that lives up to neither its expectations nor the $70 price tag Microsoft’s begun pushing. I realize ‘Make the game good’ isn’t exactly sterling advice, but Microsoft needs to make sure it invests in all of these titles and delivers for each of them. They need to ensure everything released under them has adequate time and resources to develop.
Another thing the brand behind Xbox ought to be doing is stopping with the mergers. The Acti-Blizz fiasco has been a disaster and an embarrassment for Microsoft given the recent blocking of the deal (and an embarrassment for me as it was the UK’s regulator that blocked the deal, meaning I have to give my homeland a modicum of credit — which I’m never forgiving Microsoft for making me do). The game industry is already incredibly centralized, with the big players having far too much power to corner the market, control the direction of trends, and hoard IPs. Microsoft has already grabbed big names likeRare,Mojang, andBethesda, taking ownership over some of the most iconic franchises in the space as well as several of the best-selling games of all time.
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Moreover, the games coming out from these acquisitions have been a mixed bag.Arkaneunder Bethesda, has become the most recent example of this with the aforementioned Redfall. Not only could issues such asunderwhelming pre-release footageand a bizarre gambit to release a 60FPS mode in the undetermined future be seen from space, butthere were severe issues with understaffingand a shoehorned multiplayer mode under the hood. If Microsoft didn’t have the resources to intervene in the evident floundering of Redfall, I don’t have much confidence in them managingeven moreacquisitions. Rather than chasing mergers, it would be a better idea for Microsoft to focus on investing in the vast resources they already have instead of spreading themselves even thinner.
It’s not all bad news at MIcrosoft. With Sea of Thieves and the upcoming Everwild, Rare has been on a good track in recent years following its purgatorial period of making Kinect games, while Obsidian’s seemingly thrived under Microsoft,working on major projectsas well asmore leftfield and personal ones. Game Pass, meanwhile, remains an excellent service, but I’d be wary of giving them too much credit. If Microsoft can stop trying to monopolize gaming and start redirecting that focus into making sure their first-party plans deliver solid games, then wereallyknow they’re back on the right path.
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