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Rumour Xbox First Party going third party/multiplat - Discussing and Summary Thread (UPDATE: 4 Xbox exclusives are coming to Nintendo Switch and PS5)

Uh, I take my eyes of the internet for a while and this happens. What the hell. So many questions right now…

Well it’s not that strange; for the past decade Microsoft has been in a bad place; Xbox One having that bizarre start (Tier 1 and 2!), projects cancelled, Sony steamrolling them, Nintendo coming back.. and their Series line didn’t have an idea at all.

I get it. They’ve been pouring in money for two decades and never been stable. Still, to push several titles to other platforms, that would be huge. My Nintendo brain starts wondering too. With this move, does it mean they are not confident enough they can compete with Nintendo’s new machine either? I know PS, dominates the news, but Nintendo wants something out of these as well
 
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Until MS announces something i assume there's a grain of truth (some games are going multiplat) but the bigger pieces like having other manufacturers make Xboxes or going fully 3rd party with just Gamepass to anchor Xbox seems a bit out there.
 
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thoughthaver said:
it really helps that nintendo isn't part of a larger conglomerate that's run by people who could care less about exclusives and who just want maximum profit immediately. if they were just a division on another company I don't think they survive the wii u era. and honestly even playstation has gone third party, even though they act like they didn't. throw in ps and xbox breaking the bank to make a single game and suddenly you can see why they have to put their games outside of their consoles to try to recoup some of the cost back. it's all wildly unsustainable but both of them walked right into this mess.
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Nintendo also has one of the highest employee retention rates in the industry (at least on the Japanese branch). This builds up experience and trust as teams work together on software. Of the 5 living people who worked on the original Super Mario Bros., all of them still work at Nintendo and 3 of them have a credit on Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Having employees work for the same company for four decades is unheard of in almost any industry but especially video games.
 
Magic-Man said:
  • Hardware sales have not met the projected sales and the CFO got spooked.
  • In the last three months of last year, they had consoles for $350 and no one cared.
  • Xbox One was more wanted than Series consoles.
  • They said the hardware is dead, and they are seeing declines in hardware year over year.

Holy shit, that's brutal.
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You know, I kept wondering why we were seeing discounted Series X bundles long after Black Friday.
 
Magic-Man said:
  • Hardware sales have not met the projected sales and the CFO got spooked.
  • In the last three months of last year, they had consoles for $350 and no one cared.
  • Xbox One was more wanted than Series consoles.
  • They said the hardware is dead, and they are seeing declines in hardware year over year.

Holy shit, that's brutal.
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“Play games anywhere, you don’t even need an Xbox”

”why does nobody want an Xbox”
 
Is this Tim xcloud guy reliable?

-Tim has heard that Call of Duty may not be coming to game pass.
Yeah I could see that, want the full retail price for such a big series. I do hope some of them come eventually though.

- Hardware sales have not met the projected sales and the CFO got spooked. Yep Series consoles aren't doing great.

- In the last three months of last year, they had consoles for $350 and no one cared. Yeah but Sony also had big sales too. I guess everyone who wants a cheap Gamepass machine has it.

- Xbox One was more wanted than Series consoles. This genuinely baffles me, that they have lost markets share with a cheaper console and passable halo and Gears games and good forza horizon entries and some little gems like Ori and also gamepass. The series consoles aren't super enticing but the xbox one was far more dire in my eyes.

- They said the hardware is dead, and they are seeing declines in hardware year over year. Yet Sony is doing better than its Ps4 days, Nintendo is killing it and PC hardware continues to grow and there is room for PC handhelds. Hardware may not be THE growth area for profit, but everyone else seems to be doing okay in that regard.

- Game pass is unsustainable; the market they have is not enough to offset the cost.
Oh, oh no, this is the biggest drop here (if true). I suspected it wasn't particularly profitable, especially considering the large acquisitions, licensing cost, loss of day 1 retail, servers and expenses, but I was at least hoping it was somewhat sustainable for now. This is really is the early tech growth loss leader strategy. Its fine when debt is low. But at some point you have to make enough money to be worth the investment. I guess some cost increases and changes to the gamepass strategy are coming soon.

- Tim heard from someone at Microsoft that you may not like Xbox when they get Activision. They want ROI.
Don't all companies? I guess that means the dream of a variety of IPs may not come to fruition, devs are still in COD salt mines. No surprise really. I hope at least Crash or Spyro fit in to these plans. How much worse could Activiblizzion-King Monetization get?

- He heard that Xbox has an insane showcase with tons of games, but everyone is going to be saying asterisks.
Awesome. But what asterisks? GaaS? Microtransactions, shorter, smaller budget, whats the catch? I'll take smaller games, no issue.

- The leaks happened because a Microsoft employee who didn't want this to happen leaked it, so there would be a public outcry.
if true, this person is definately getting in looot of trouble. If any company can track you, its Microsoft. Kind of unbelievable honestly. Not sure I buy it. Stranger things have happened though.

- Microsoft now has no problem buying more companies in the future if all games go to all platforms. Microsoft's not just potentially going 3rd party (if true) but a straight up gaming publishing house to put EA to shame. This level of consolidation is straight up non-competitive. I'll give them Activision and Bethesda. But at what point do regulators actually care?

Looks a lot like the Disney acquisition spree to me. I hope Microsoft can direct and greenlight better projects than Disney has

- Tim thinks they will go all-digital. Adorably so, even (eww).
- with ads on game pass (pre-roll or at the end of a chapter e.g. Like a Dragon), eww. But makes sense I guess. Hope there is a reasonably priced ad free tier and the ad tier has a price cut.
-AI community managers. Useless random bans while actual bad behavior often goes unpunished. Got it
 
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I wonder if this could lead to MS being welcoming of their studios working for other platform holders? For example, Nintendo ask if Rare could work on a Nintendo IP and they pay MS for the option?
 
Tim is a massive Xbox fanboy, but Idle retweeting it gives it some leeway, so that's why I bothered to post it.
 
IMHO could be a good move for MS and Xbox in the long term. After losing X1 gen they couldn’t win this gen but now that they have a big first party portfolio it’s wise to make it broader as possible. For example, if they can sell 5 mln of Starfield on Ps5 they will probably have 5 mln of new Xbox/MS account with achievement and cloud save. This gamers in 10 years will probably have a lot of games in their Xbox account and when the cloud gaming will become mainstream they could not buy a PS anymore and simply sub to the XGP.
 
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Meelow said:
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Feel like the biggest takeaway that people are overlooking is COD not going on gamepass. Every Microsoft owned game goes there. If they don't release COD that tells me either gamepass is being discontinued or heavily reworked.
 
Meelow said:
Era is really hurting my brain.

The amount of, "Nintendo doesn't count because their system isn't super powerful".
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idk why that place still refers itself as an enthusiast forum since they seem to have such a poor grasp of the industry but that whole "nintendo doesn't count" is such an idiotic line. I can guarantee you sony is treating the switch 2 as threat because it will be, especially in japan. I mean nintendo games, cod, fifa and most third party games? why would you not see that as a potential competitor?
 
thoughthaver said:
idk why that place still refers itself as an enthusiast forum since they seem to have such a poor grasp of the industry but that whole "nintendo doesn't count" is such an idiotic line. I can guarantee you sony is treating the switch 2 as threat because it will be, especially in japan. I mean nintendo games, cod, fifa and most third party games? why would you not see that as a potential competitor?
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I remember when I used to be on there and that huge thread predicting the Switches lifetime sales. A lot of people said it would be Wii U levels or below.
 
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"Nintendo doesn't count" isn't the correct way to frame it but the problem is that Sony and Nintendo don't really seem to care what the other one does or nearly to the degree that Sony and MS have been fighting an arms race fueled by spite for pretty much two decades and I don't really know how that's debatable.

Like Sony ceded the handheld market and all of Japan because they didn't care if Nintendo had it to themselves, just like Nintendo doesn't care if Sony releases a console significantly more powerful than theirs with more online features etc.

I mean maybe this will change with MS out of the picture and they will behave more reactionary in responding to what the other one is doing but overall it isn't good from a competition standpoint with MS out of the picture if that is what happens.
 
As long as the end goal is Valve, Sony, and Microsoft bowing to Nintendo, I don't care how it happens. I am rooting for Nintendo.
 
Been chewing this for a few hours. Gonna drop my thoughts before bed (these thoughts are obiviously assuming that the rumors are true)

  • If Starfield is getting a PS5 port, then it is clear that Microsoft isn't doing a case by case basis as much as it is everything is clearly on the table.
  • I don't think that it is crazy to think that there is something going on with ABK games and GamePass. When the Bethesda deal closed, the entire back library was made available on GamePass within a few days. It was a matter of "flipping a switch". We are about to close on four months since the deal was finalized, and Microsoft has barely given a peep. Maybe it is just a COD issue. Maybe it is something bigger. Maybe it is just requiring more work to "flip the switch" this time, but given the other rumors swirling around, I can understand why people would be asking questions right now.
  • Unless the plan is for all first party games to launch simultaneously on Xbox and PlayStation going forward, I fully expect there to be one more generation of Xbox consoles. The question is how big of an install base does Xbox need to be for Microsoft to consider it viable.
  • A follow up to the above point, I don't think we will see a mass exodus of people selling off their Xbox consoles. A lot of us have months or years remaining on our GamePass subs and most people have large digital libraries that they are not ready to give up. Most of the people falling off from the console will happen when Sony announces the PS6.
  • Side note: I hope that Xbox consoles manage to remain viable in some way as I believe that more competition is better in every marketplace.
  • Maybe we get the scoop on this one day, but I'm curious as to what the internal projections/timelines were for the first party pipeline back in 2020 when all of those games were announced. Was Phil hoping/expecting most of those games to be out in 2/3 years time? What if Xbox's first party slate got off to a better start to the generation with both consistent release timing and quality. How much better would console sales have been? Would it have even mattered. Just me pondering a what if scenario.
  • No shit this is a huge industry shifting move. Who knows. It may be more beneficial to Microsoft in the long run.
Whatever Microsoft's original plans of announcing this were, they have most likely been moved up. I guess we will see what this week brings.
 
BlackthornOrion said:
Pentiment's another one of their recent games that feels like it could be a good fit on Switch (2)

e: oh also maybe Killer Instinct and that Battletoads game from a few years back
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Killer Instinct would be an interesting port. The Battletoads game is just bad meme fodder.
 
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Soul Skater said:
"Nintendo doesn't count" isn't the correct way to frame it but the problem is that Sony and Nintendo don't really seem to care what the other one does or nearly to the degree that Sony and MS have been fighting an arms race fueled by spite for pretty much two decades and I don't really know how that's debatable.

Like Sony ceded the handheld market and all of Japan because they didn't care if Nintendo had it to themselves, just like Nintendo doesn't care if Sony releases a console significantly more powerful than theirs with more online features etc.

I mean maybe this will change with MS out of the picture and they will behave more reactionary in responding to what the other one is doing but overall it isn't good from a competition standpoint with MS out of the picture if that is what happens.
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I do think depending on Switch 2 specs we will see more devs make games that can target it and create more direct competition. But I do agree the thought of Sony basically unchallenged in the premium console field makes me a bit nervous.

Honestly Sony’s biggest competition is gonna be PC gaming. It’s much more accessible and popular than it was 15-20 years ago.
 
Magic-Man said:
  • Hardware sales have not met the projected sales and the CFO got spooked.
  • In the last three months of last year, they had consoles for $350 and no one cared.
  • Xbox One was more wanted than Series consoles.
  • They said the hardware is dead, and they are seeing declines in hardware year over year.
Click to expand...
I cared I bought the fucking thing at 350$
Click to expand...
 
Mekanos said:
I do think depending on Switch 2 specs we will see more devs make games that can target it and create more direct competition. But I do agree the thought of Sony basically unchallenged in the premium console field makes me a bit nervous.
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feels like they already are unchallenged with lagging Series sales at 30 million and PS5 at 50 million and going by how last gen ended it will be the same maybe less xbox more ps5
 
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Lugia667 said:
damn....

so there is an internal conflict going on right now about this? Apparently this was leaked in an attempt to stop it
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This is all rumor of course, but it's entirely possible that executives higher in the overall Microsoft hierarchy could try to dictate Xbox's direction if they have reason to believe shit is too dire.
 
Nice to hear that I can expect to play Hi-Fi Rush soon but I really do hope that this doesn’t indicate them possibly leaving the console space in the future. Having some proper competition helps keep things in check
 
You think about it, this is Don Mattrick doing, the screw up of Xbox One which pushed people to PlayStation in the generation where digital purchases became big/important. They’ve been playing catch up ever since and look where we are now.
 
since the xbone era, i always assumed it was an eventuality, just surprised it's hitting so fast and out of nowhere (guess the holiday sales where just that horrid)
 
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Microsoft never had a coherent, consistent, and feasible strategy for becoming a major worldwide gaming brand, all they had was money. After 25 years and who knows how many billions thrown away they finally realized that money actually can't buy everything.

Their one period of major success was the late Xbox/early 360 days, but that was in large part them just taking advantage of Sony burning themselves on 599 US dollars and the general hubris of the PS3's design and strategy. Xbox Live, while a big advantage for MS at first, could never last because an internet service is relatively easy to copy. Lately they went all in on Game Pass, which is probably even less sustainable than TV streaming.

Ultimately to survive as a hardware maker today you need people to really like your exclusive, first-party games. And MS just screwed themselves on that front for way too long to survive. With how long it takes to develop games now, just buying studios left and right was never gonna be enough to fix the hole they dug.
 
I see several things with this. I do understand the frustration from people who invested in the ecosystem but honestly this could be a great move by Xbox.
  • IP's get played by more players over several ecosystems
    • These IP's get more known due to this
  • You still have to chose between Game Pass or premium price
  • I will assume that games will run better on Series consoles for the time being
  • Next generation starts and they could actually go exclusive again, you want to play XYZ that you loved before, now you have to get their box to get it.
That said, it is obvious Game Pass is their main focus and I think this will also help getting people to the service. Yes, you can get their games on Playstation or Nintendo, but you have the pay a full price as well as wait. I think this could push more people to Game Pass.

I am curious for the long run.
 
Assuming there’s truth to all this, I really wonder to what degree they offer their games on other platforms. I said it in another thread, but it makes zero sense for them to give up making Xbox a compelling purchase. Otherwise all it does is tell third parties to progressively invest less into the platform, kind of throwing their fans under the bus.

I wouldn’t call myself an Xbox fan, but I really do like what they made with the Series X. I really want them to find a way to succeed in the dedicated hardware space.
 
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Wild.

I hope this means a big further push for crossplay all around the industry.
Sony should do that too for all titles that are on PC/Playstation (okay, they mainly have singleplayer games there now).

I want to play with my PS-friends but I just own a PC (+Switch), not a PS5.
 
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Huh, of all companies, i didn't expect the biggest money monster to fold to "effectively third party".

Man, i'm unsure how this will impact the market. Would this lead to Sony not buying so many third party games as (at least timed) exclusives? Or will this lead to them doing that even more in an attempt to shut Nintendo out?

Nintendo will prolly do nothing, keep marching on it's own speed and beat.
 
Absolutely mad.

I think it's clear that there are separate elements within Microsoft who have mutually exclusive views on the Xbox division and where they want the gaming part of the business to go.

While I was and am against the Activision buyout, you don't complete a 69 billion dollar purchase like that to bolster your first party lineup, then a couple of months later effectively announce you're going third party. It feels as though someone above Phil Spencer has taken a look at recent company spend, and is now trying to dictate company direction based on what they see as lost money.

As someone who had an OG Xbox back in the day, Microsoft do know how to make a compelling box with good exclusives. They do know how to compete. They've just spent the last ten years fucking around, and this feels like the next step for a company that doesn't know what it wants to do and is just reacting all the time
 
Hardly surprised tbh. Xbox was only ever kind of succesful as a console maker in the US/UK and Microsoft is a multinational. A lot of that is just straight up Microsofts fault; non-anglo support is often a crapshoot with them. Even in regions where they should have been able to succeed like Brazil (being a more "budget" console option compared to Playstation), there's a complete lack of marketing for anything Xbox related, leaving the console brand to flounder outside the US - Xbox stuff at least locally was always maybe one shelf of games and a ton of peripherals, while Sony and Nintendo get multiple full shelves of games for sale in gaming stores.

Add to that the failed launch of the Xbox One right around the time digital libraries started taking off and you have a permanent concoction where the console part of the brand is on the backfoot. Now that they're so heavily geared towards game publishing (having bought the two biggest console third party game developers), actually keeping a lot of money on the console arm probably becomes harder and harder to justify (particularly considering the 360 onwards run a modified version of Windows NT).

There's other compounding issues like the weird focus to try and break into the Japanese market for over 20 years, even though the literal PC market took off there again instead that make it very difficult to not see this as a business decision by upper management to nix the failing parts of the brand.
 
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@NateDrake How do you feel about these moves from Microsoft? I remember listening to the podcast a couple of years ago and you seemed to think they had everything in place to go past both Nintendo and Sony.
 
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JazzPotatoes said:
Absolutely mad.

I think it's clear that there are separate elements within Microsoft who have mutually exclusive views on the Xbox division and where they want the gaming part of the business to go.

While I was and am against the Activision buyout, you don't complete a 69 billion dollar purchase like that to bolster your first party lineup, then a couple of months later effectively announce you're going third party. It feels as though someone above Phil Spencer has taken a look at recent company spend, and is now trying to dictate company direction based on what they see as lost money.

As someone who had an OG Xbox back in the day, Microsoft do know how to make a compelling box with good exclusives. They do know how to compete. They've just spent the last ten years fucking around, and this feels like the next step for a company that doesn't know what it wants to do and is just reacting all the time
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Are they actually going third party though? Seems more like a ‘we’ll still make Xbox consoles and games release on those first’. Which is more of a ‘we have a platform, it’s just not a walled garden any more’ thing.

I don’t know, I get the ‘well if there’s only timed exclusives, what’s the point of choosing xbox when it’s time to choose a plastic box to sit under the TV’. But I think they are moving towards ‘Xbox is an online platform/account now. We aren’t focusing on the plastic box as the thing stuff revolves around any more, what we want is RoI on all these studios we bought, which means releasing the games across every platform’.

I don’t know, it’s odd, but it’s not quite ‘we’re going third party’. It’s more ‘locking exclusives to hardware forever does us no good when our hardware has struggled, and those games have the capacity to still sell huge amounts across other platforms over time’.

It’s an attempt to sidestep the ‘platform war of plastic box vs plastic box with Sony’ and I don’t blame them for doing that, even if the rest of it seems fairly opaque as to what the strategy actually is.
 
The one good thing is, this is the one "third party" that won't take money from Sony for making games (time)exclusive! ^^

PixelKnight said:
Are they actually going third party though? Seems more like a ‘we’ll still make Xbox consoles and games release on those first’. Which is more of a ‘we have a platform, it’s just not a walled garden any more’ thing.

I don’t know, I get the ‘well if there’s only timed exclusives, what’s the point of choosing xbox when it’s time to choose a plastic box to sit under the TV’. But I think they are moving towards ‘Xbox is an online platform/account now. We aren’t focusing on the plastic box as the thing stuff revolves around any more, what we want is RoI on all these studios we bought, which means releasing the games across every platform’.

I don’t know, it’s odd, but it’s not quite ‘we’re going third party’. It’s more ‘locking exclusives to hardware forever does us no good when our hardware has struggled, and those games have the capacity to still sell huge amounts across other platforms over time’.
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If i can just buy their games on my system(s) of choice, without the need of buying any of the "official Xbox's", then yeah, it's pretty much third party, imo.
 
Bonejack said:
The one good thing is, this is the one "third party" that won't take money from Sony for making games (time)exclusive! ^^



If i can just buy their games on my system(s) of choice, without the need of buying any of the "official Xbox's", then yeah, it's pretty much third party, imo.
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That’s fair. I think that’s what it’s going to be read as by customers, which is why they really need to explain what the strategy actually is that leads to Xbox (however they frame what their platform actually is that now has humongous staff and dev costs and billions spent) making money. Which is something I guess Xbox executives have been chasing for a while :D

I’m just curious at seeing this as following the Actiblizz sale. Maybe I just don’t speak enough modern media corporate talk to understand what the possible strategy is here.
 
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PixelKnight said:
That’s fair. I think that’s what it’s going to be read as by customers, which is why they really need to explain what the strategy actually is that leads to Xbox (however they frame what their platform actually is that now has humongous staff and dev costs and billions spent) making money. Which is something I guess Xbox executives have been chasing for a while :D
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MS making bank was and will always be the end goal.

Curious what happens with Gamepass though. I doubt Sony (or Nintendo for this case) will allow it on their console(s) unless they're forced by court decisions (ending the closed garden approach on consoles).

The success of "third party Xbox hardware" has yet to be seen, and if there's less incentive to buy into the MS/XBOX ecosystem, it's a valid question to ask how long Gamepass will stay "useful".
 
Bonejack said:
MS making bank was and will always be the end goal.

Curious what happens with Gamepass though. I doubt Sony (or Nintendo for this case) will allow it on their console(s) unless they're forced by court decisions (ending the closed garden approach on consoles).

The success of "third party Xbox hardware" has yet to be seen, and if there's less incentive to buy into the MS/XBOX ecosystem, it's a valid question to ask how long Gamepass will stay "useful".
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Yeah, it all seems really nebulous. Why would you want your games run though Gamepass on a MS online-only platform that’s likely to get remodelled or positioned on a moments notice, when you could just wait and pick them up anywhere else. I tend to avoid platforms that feel like they are about to either implode or throw all my old accounts in the bin on the whims of whatever grand reorganisation is on the cards. I much prefer stuff that keeps it simple and feels like it’s likely to be around in five years time, which I guess is perhaps some element of permenance that hardware offers.
 
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Well I have been catching up with all this over my morning cuppa tea. Feels like a hugely significant moment in gaming history if that were to come to pass.

I wonder just how much recent poor Xbox sales will have contributed to this decision. I can't imagine some of the even higher ups than Phil would have been happy to have funded stuff like the ABK acqusition only to see hardware sales slipping further behind the others. I always said they should have looked to play the long game and focus on building an impressive launch lineup for their next console (kinda similar to what Nintendo did with Switch). But maybe the metrics have been analysed and they've realised they could make more money by ditching the huge expense on hardware and following the Tencent strategy of just having as many fingers in as many pies as possible.

I still believe there is a place for consoles as 'prestige purchases' in the industry, but the issue Microsoft have had is the PlayStation (and Switch to a different degree) have been much more desireable than Xbox this gen, and there's no guarantee that if they did make an all singing next gen console in four or so year's time that the consumers would come back. I'm not that worried about the impact of Sony being the only dedicated home console manufacturer because the gaps in hardware stand to become lessened (if rumours of Switch 2's capabilities are to be believed). It could very well be that you don't need a dedicated big box under your TV to play high end games in the future.

Perhaps that's what Microsoft is banking on. I remember debating their cloud plans during the ABK acquisition and while I'm still sceptical that it will be the future, I wonder if Microsoft disagree with me. Whether they are aiming for an era in which you just download an Xbox App to your TV, laptop, phone or tablet, pick up a controller bought at Wallmart, and then just play games like you currently binge a Netflix series. It would be a gamble, but if they're earning big bucks by having the likes of Halo on Nintendo platforms to help cushion the cost, maybe it would work out for them long term...

...Blimey I just said 'Halo on Nintendo' without a trace of sarcasm with it being a very real possibility. What a time to be alive.
 
PixelKnight said:
Are they actually going third party though? Seems more like a ‘we’ll still make Xbox consoles and games release on those first’. Which is more of a ‘we have a platform, it’s just not a walled garden any more’ thing.

I don’t know, I get the ‘well if there’s only timed exclusives, what’s the point of choosing xbox when it’s time to choose a plastic box to sit under the TV’. But I think they are moving towards ‘Xbox is an online platform/account now. We aren’t focusing on the plastic box as the thing stuff revolves around any more, what we want is RoI on all these studios we bought, which means releasing the games across every platform’.

I don’t know, it’s odd, but it’s not quite ‘we’re going third party’. It’s more ‘locking exclusives to hardware forever does us no good when our hardware has struggled, and those games have the capacity to still sell huge amounts across other platforms over time’.

It’s an attempt to sidestep the ‘platform war of plastic box vs plastic box with Sony’ and I don’t blame them for doing that, even if the rest of it seems fairly opaque as to what the strategy actually is.
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I think one of the main problems that's led this is Microsoft spending years trying to avoid the "console war" with Sony, and utterly failing to control the messaging and losing anyway.

When you go back and look at the 360 launch again, you can absolutely see how hungry the Xbox team were, and how unafraid they were too say they were aiming to take Sony's lunch. Some people may have seen that as arrogant, but it was that attitude that led to the strongest Xbox launch and the strongest Xbox generation so far. The Xbox team knew they were in a fight for consumer attention, and brought the goods accordingly.

The last few years of messaging have gone in completely the other direction, and I don't think it's done anything for consumer confidence in the Xbox brand. Yes, saying that your competitors are also great and how everyone is getting along just fine may be wholesome and sweet, but in terms of getting people to actually turn out and buy an Xbox console, it's clearly done nothing.

I dunno... I'm a big believer that confidence in your own product is what sells it to consumers. For better or worse, Sony always have absolute confidence in their home consoles. If you're telling consumers that you can buy an Xbox to play games, but you can also buy another box to play those same games, it just comes across as lacking confidence in the hardware that you're offering to the market.
 
JazzPotatoes said:
I think one of the main problems that's led this is Microsoft spending years trying to avoid the "console war" with Sony, and utterly failing to control the messaging and losing anyway.

When you go back and look at the 360 launch again, you can absolutely see how hungry the Xbox team were, and how unafraid they were too say they were aiming to take Sony's lunch. Some people may have seen that as arrogant, but it was that attitude that led to the strongest Xbox launch and the strongest Xbox generation so far. The Xbox team knew they were in a fight for consumer attention, and brought the goods accordingly.

The last few years of messaging have gone in completely the other direction, and I don't think it's done anything for consumer confidence in the Xbox brand. Yes, saying that your competitors are also great and how everyone is getting along just fine may be wholesome and sweet, but in terms of getting people to actually turn out and buy an Xbox console, it's clearly done nothing.

I dunno... I'm a big believer that confidence in your own product is what sells it to consumers. For better or worse, Sony always have absolute confidence in their home consoles. If you're telling consumers that you can buy an Xbox to play games, but you can also buy another box to play those same games, it just comes across as lacking confidence in the hardware that you're offering to the market.
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Yeah, agree. It all feels very lacking in focus. There’s services and games on everything and presumably still Xbox hardware in there somewhere… but it’s all so nebulous that it’s lacking in clarity and confidence despite having just invested ludicrous amounts of cash into IP. If my time/money in the hobby were based around the xbox platform at the moment I’d be looking to step away from it and just let them sort themselves out, as it feels like something that’s going to restructure itself multiple times over the next few years and I’d prefer to just pick up the games on a platform likely to still be around in a few years time.
 
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Magic-Man said:
What are we thinking the release schedule will look like for Switch/Switch 2/PS5 ports for this year? Just previously released stuff, not stuff that hasn't released yet. This could easily be the next Wii U -> Switch situation. Here's what I'm thinking:

Spring 2024:
  • Hi-Fi Rush (Switch)
  • Hi-Fi Rush (PS5)
Summer 2025:
  • Sea of Thieves (PS5)
  • Pentiment (PS5)
  • Pentiment (Switch)
  • Psychonauts 1 and 2 (Switch)
Fall 2025:
  • Sea of Thieves (PS5)
  • Sea of Thieves (Switch 2)
  • Rare Replay (Switch 1 and 2)
  • Ori and the Blind Forest (PS5)
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps (PS5)
  • Call of Duty (all platforms)
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Worth reminding that anything comes after Perfect Dark (N64) in Rare Replay was emulated on Xbox One. It won't come to Switch as that bargain package but that doesn't mean MS won't remaster the Xbox era Rare titles separately. Like Viva Piñata Collection, Kameo Remastered etc.

The rest, Rare is already bringing them to NSO.

Also, I reckon if the floodgates are open, there much more than just those to come to Switch. Battletoads 2020 and Killer Instinct 2013 should be among them, though I expect Bethesda to dig into their past to have some ports, such as Dishonored.
 
Banjo Threeie in name is great. But please remember Rare made those games. Their humor is so hard to match. That’s a vital part of the Banjo Kazooie series. If Rare doesn’t make Banjo Threeie (which they won’t), then I’ll have some skepticism
 
Dark Cloud said:
Banjo Threeie in name is great. But please remember Rare made those games. Their humor is so hard to match. That’s a vital part of the Banjo Kazooie series. If Rare doesn’t make Banjo Threeie (which they won’t), then I’ll have some skepticism
Click to expand...
imagine humba wumba the shaman is back at banjo threeie 🤩
 
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