After the Xbox One reveal, we asked a handful of independent developers what they thought Microsoft said to them with the presentation: "It was sort of weird," was the overall summary. Before even that, we asked a larger handful of indies what they thought of Microsoft in the current generation, and received a mixed response.
It feels like the video game console is at a crossroads. With Xbox Series X and S floundering in the ‘console war’, Sony suggesting PlayStation 5 is approaching the second half of its life after missing sales targets, and uncertainty around the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, there is growing concern that the traditional video game console business could be under threat.
It's obvious that MS is leaving the console biz. MS may have tons of money, but that doesn't mean they want to keep losing money on the gaming division to prove a point. Thanks Phil
Good article and this is not a duplicate. The link that @Maximus Prime shared is just a small portion of the full interview. This post is the full interview.
Times are changing quick, the same ol way the industry been is changing. Where people play is changing.
“What I think Phil is doing is setting up some smoke signals that we're thinking very differently”
I’m surprised how slowly Microsoft is moving toward Xbox as a software platform. They usually don’t care so much about upsetting their customers with unpopular changes like they do with every other version of Windows.
This "console market hasn't grown narrative " is overblown. The market has grown just not as fast as say smartphones. But so what? There is still money to be made in the business and just because Microsoft has failed doesn't mean the entire industry is facing sudden collapse. Gaming will be fine, every industry has to go through periods of restructuring. AAA games are made becuase its what attracts gamers the most and is where they spend the most money. (Demand/supply) Microsoft abandoning hardware should have happened years ago, they clearly lost interest at a base level in producing games and/or paying 3rd parties to back during the tail end of the 360 generation. Tired of hearing about the future of gaming, just make great games and/or invest in one's made by other to attract people to your platform.
"All signs point to the hardware becoming less and less important to Microsoft."
Less innovation and competition. People act like if MS went away life would be better but it would just mean you have one less choice as to where to spend your money. If Sony became the defacto home console provider and Nintendo the handheld, then these companies could limit what you get and you would ultimately have very little choice but to support them if you want to play games.
I was a video that suggested that Steam could potentially get into the console market if Xbox ceases to exist. They already had the Steam Machine(?), and they have the Steam Deck for the portable market. I’m not in the pc space at all so I wouldn’t know if that would be a realistic statement.
No Xbox future I am going to guess Microsoft will go down the path Sega choose and be a publisher/game developer with their in house studios. Or sell off their in house studios and just go back to making os for PC's. I highly doubt the second part. Microsoft like any company wants to make money. So if Microsoft did say pull the plug on Xbox I see them going down the path Sega went. And utilize Xbox as a brand and not just as a console. I can see the name of XBox being mainly a brand after that. And maybe with the game you see published by or developed by Xbox studios.
Hanzala from eXputer says, "Abandoning exclusives meant while Microsoft could still profit, Xbox would be doomed as a platform; I'm relieved it's not happening."
They even said it in the article.
"Xbox business meeting clarifies the future of the console, which is that it’s not the end of the platform."
Ives said for the 100th time this past week. LS and AA don't grow console sales, or services. Sustainability and revenue is what it drives. So those types of games only makes sense to drop your walled garden and drop those types of games everywhere.
However Again, logic says Just buy a PS6 if games like Blade, Elder Scrolls, next Halo release on PS6 Day date or year or so after it
Doesn't matter. Makes no sense for an Xbox to even exist and no saying "get it on GP!" definitely won't work because you're getting everything on PS6 including Sony's AAA's. Xbox rental service would render useless. Those AAA games need that walled Exclusive garden to sell your console and services AA or LS drive long term revenue and sustainability but don't grow your console sales or services.
Oh it's happening. It's clear to me that the xbox division has recieved new marching orders from on high once Microsoft was duped into spending near 100 billion on gaming. This move is purely financially motivated and has nothing to do with a philosophical change regarding exclusivity. That podcast last week was about managing the message as it is clear from the Nintendo direct and how quick announcements for ports to ps5 afterwards that Microsoft has made the decision long ago and is moving forward with it. All those reports leading up to the podcast of everything being ported were maybe from disgruntled xbox execs who had hoped to manipulate Microsoft into changing the new plan.
You're only deluding yourself if you think xbox's meager fanbase can financially support all the content potentially coming out of their now enormous 1st party. I was opposed to abk purchase but it may have forced Microsoft to eventually give up their identity as a platform holder.
The major problem with MS is that it just wants to buy the industry, it doesn't want to add to it, it doesn't want to improve it, it just wants all the money and they'll do anything they can to turn the entire thing into a subscription service where you can only rent games.
Nintendo is the only one that would be doomed because Mario and Zelda support inferior tech. If players have the choice, they would play these games on Xbox, PS5, or PC/Steam Deck, not the cheaply made Switch.
I don't get it. If there are a lot of developers complaining about Microsoft, why are there more third party exclusives (or timed exclusives) to Xbox consoles?
The only PlayStation third party exclusive left was Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which now has gone multiplatform. Yet, there is Titanfall, Dead Rising, etc for Xbox.
I hope that Sony is much more successful this generation. I want to see a PS third party exclusive to see if they really can make a game of the caliber of Naught Dog with PS hardware.
MS has some deep pockets to pay for exclusives. Sony not as much so to compensate they depend more on their relationships with developers and publishers.
I'm all for indies, but seriously - the LIVE independent section was partially good, but most of it was a bunch of either ripoffs of already released indies or simply crappy games. You really had to wade through a lot to find a decent title other than the already famous ones. Basically, it's the Apple App Store.
Xbone is dead nuff said