Microsoft’s Position With Exclusive Games Is Getting Concering After Scalebound Cancellation

What Scalebound’s cancellation could mean.

[Nyxus]

"The one bit of hope we have here is that Microsoft don’t have a habit of announcing games years in advance like Sony do"
That's not entirely true.

Crackdown 3: announced June 2014, release 2017 (?)
Scalebound: announced June 2014, set for release in 2017, cancelled
Cuphead: announced June 2014, release 2017 (?)

[Neonridr]

Cuphead has nothing to do with MS though (MS paid for the game but weren't producing it themselves), they can't exactly force an indie team to finish a game. We all thought Cuphead would have long since been out by now.

[Tumaras]

No MSFT included it in their E3 presentation. So while it's an Indie game, it was shown as part of their portfolio in that presentation to market XB1. Sure Sony has done it from time to time (also with third-parties), but Microsoft is getting pretty bad both about having a very short exclusives list, and the few they have end up being announced way too far in advance. And games being cancelled before release due to those super-long lead times don't help either. Not to mention a few disappointing recent exclusive releases (Halo 5, Quantum Break, Recore, etc).

[Liqu1d]

Cuphead was announced by MS.

[Neonridr]

@Tumaras - disappointing how? Sales wise? I mean Halo 5 does sit at 84 and Quantum Break at 77 (metacritic wise). I am no expert but usually that means those two games are definitely above average.

[thekhurg]

They've lost their focus. Just think about scalebound. Each time it was shown it was on a different platform. First the xbone then it was shown on the S with some improvements. I bet MS wanted a scorpio version shown at e3 and it was just too much for the team. On top of probably being forced to get a w10 version up and running.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Lol Agreed

[medman]

You can add the cancelled Fable to that list. And while you're at it, add the "entertainment" studios focused on gaming that Microsoft also shut down.

[Z501]

Off the top of my head.

Alan Wake
Splinter Cell Conviction (Hobo Sam)

[Godmars290]

What?

MS has only insisted that exclusives don't matter, even and especially as they've talked up exclusives and exclusive content. The biggest contradiction in gaming to be sure, but there are far too many examples of which direction they lean.

[SmielmaN]

They are rudderless right now. They want to be equal or better than Sony but don't produce the variety of gaming content. They have found themselves slowly becoming Nintendo where they rely on a 3-4 yearly game cycle. Halo/forza/gears/timed exclusive Christmas money hat. Just like Nintendo, not enough variety and over reliance on franchises that are becoming stagnant.

[Godmars290]

Nintendo relies on a 3-4 release cycle? Think you mean they have 3-4 IPs which are generally recognizable, if not wholly iconic, in the mainstream market. IPs that are well known enough that divergent titles can be explored like a racing or party games whereas with MS, all they've got is the same shooter/driving sim series.

Also, rudderless? What about the Phil Spencer the Great Savoir? Surely he'll put the Xbox brand back on course to what MS wanted it to be, which was a subscription based revenue stream which used online-dependent games, provided primarily through 3rd parties, and user meta-data gathered via Kinect and sold to advertisers to make easy cash.

I mean, its not like with only the product itself left to sell itself to gamers MS has no idea what to do but drift back towards XBL-Gold and force an online-only mandate onto all of their big games, is it?

A project such as Scalebound couldn't have possibly been completed sooner, if at all, without the online four-player MP segments, now could it?

[Moonman]

Ya think? ;p

[jznrpg]

It was bad already, its just getting worse . I am really disappointed Scalebound is cancelled, I really wanted to play it. Fable got cancelles and I could of cared less because of its free to play model and it not being a true Fable, but this one really hurts them, the one Japanese exclusive (console) died. This could really hurt them long term, they nay never get any japanese support except multiplat or paying a ton for one.

[Rhezin]

no kidding. Glad I jumped ship in '08.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Scalebound and an impressive Fable 4 definitely would have got me on board to caring about this publishers games

As of right now the only Microsoft publish title I'm going to purchase this generation is going to be sea of Thieves.

[Brazz]

hun... isn't sea of Thieves. free to play MMO? well, i guess you are not buying anything than, lol!

edit: my mistake, sea of Thieves is not F2P.

[Deadlead]

Why couldn't MS just fund a true RPG sequel to Fable? Yeah Fable 3 sucked big time, but that series was loaded with potential if done right. Fable should stand as a lesson that dumbing down a game does not equal mass market appeal just a shittier game.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@brazz- I was about to say I Googled it to make sure lol

@dead- I don't really believe anything is wrong with the Fable series I actually think something is something wrong with Microsoft's expectations, simply because if a title like Infamous can barely sell 2 million copies and entry yet it still exists AS A SERIES, there is no reason why Fable cannot exist.

[BG11579]

It's actually pretty bad. Look at platinum portfolio. They have worked with Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, making exclusives and multiplateforms. Even if the results were not equal, some of their works being better than others, they always delivered the game. It's only now, when they were working in an MS, that they had a game cancelled!
This is a big sign, it doesn't matter what MS is saying for damage control.
Platinum are veterans, and do good, very good games. Right now, I'm worried for them, because we don't know what kind of deal they made with Microsoft. I just hope, they overcome this.

[Gaming4Life1981]

Platinum games haven't had a great game since 2010 with vanquish so they used to make great games is what I would say. The legend of Korra, transformers devastation, star fox zero/guard, and turtles mutants in manhattan all suck Imo.

I really want to know why scalebound was cancelled to be honest cause there must have been a major reason behind it being cancelled. I do think it hurt ms but not because they lost a exclusive, their credibility is in question. I mean this is the third game this gen that has been cancelled, how can they expect gamers to be confident their games will eventually come out anymore. Just my opinion but they are going to have to own e3 this year.

What's funny is that so many on this site was downing scalebound since day 1 saying things like this game looks bad, plays bad, will fail etc but now that it's cancelled they making a huge epic deal about it.

Oh yea i completely forgot about bayonetta 2, I really enjoyed that game. Nier looks promising but I did not name it because it's not out so after I complete it ill judge how good it is. I tried to like transformers devastation but in the end I just didn't like it.

[Sunny_D]

They released Bayonetta 2 not too long ago. Now they have Nier Automata coming which is looking really polished.

[jaymacx]

Bayonetta 2 says Hi . So does Nier

[DazaMc]

I loved Transformers.

[BG11579]

You guys forgotten Metalgear Revengeance! These guys worked for/with Hydro Kojima that is a tyrant perfectionist and delivered an great game! They ha e worked with almost everyone in the business, following every demand, budget and type of people and managed to deliver. Even if the game didn't ended up to be great, it never felt has it was unfinished or was buggy. Not to be able to deliver a game for MS speaks very loudly about on how MS deals with their partners.

[BG11579]

Oups, just answered to myself.

[Letthewookiewin]

It's time for people to wake up. Nothing good is coming from MS. It's funny how Cuphead is the new must have. Looks great yes but face it X1 is done and so is Scorpio before it gets out of the gate. Meanwhile in the first month of the new year Sony already released a really great exclusive Gravity Rush 2, and a JRPG Tales of Beseria on the 24th. And has several quality exclusives next month and the month after. All the way to 2018. Xbox blows. (Except the Gears franchise, love me some Gears)

[ApocalypseShadow]

Gamebolt.

Now that we got that out of the way, Microsoft's problem has always been there and we have been saying it over and over for over a decade that Microsoft need to build some gaming studios, create some new IPs, have better relations with foreign companies and developers like in Japan and put more effort into the game industry and not just want to cash in on it and try to monopolize the industry like they do on PC.

A lot of us can say "I told you so." But what's the point?Scalebound is just another game in line with other cancelations because Microsoft will only back profitable things. Why not just put the game on hiatus and make it TBA until you can fix it? Nope. Canceled. If it's not Halo, Gears or Forza, chances are it's at risk of cancelation. Last Guardian could have been canceled long ago. Nope. Sony kept it alive even if it doesn't sell uncharted level of profits. But that shows that they are a game company too and not just a business.

Microsoft's main goal is to promote windows. They took exclusives away from console to promote windows. Play anywhere is just to get you to play on the windows platform and Xbox is just advertising of the windows platform. Until gamers understand Microsoft and their willingness to abandon something quickly in favor of profits and windows, they will continue to be disappointed. When your lineup is in jeopardy from ONE game, you know there is something wrong. Sony could cancel ONE game. But there are TEN others to take it's place. That shows you who are more invested in the game industry.

Scalebound getting canceled should be a drop in the bucket. Where's crimson skies? Where's brute force? Where's mech assault? Where's flight simulator? Where's age of empires? Where's perfect dark? Where's kameo? Where's banjo three-e? Where's blue dragon 2? Where's lost odyssey 2?

Point is, the writing has been on the wall. The last 3 years of 360 is on that wall too in big lettered writing. Canceling regular and kinect games on 360 to sure up Xbox one launch should have been a clue. How can you not see that Microsoft needs more studio support for the Xbox platform and not just cruise controlling on third parties. And, when you can already guess that Forza 7 will be promoting Scorpio, it's too predictable.

[Nyxus]

Completely agreed.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

You can't really use TLG as an example. Few companies would wait 7 years to see a game to completion. Being in a professional environment deadlines and budgets are real things. I'm glad TLG was finished because it IMO was 2016s GOTY but it's more of an anomaly more than anything.

[wheatley]

Well said. They need the studios to back them up. If your only interest is third party games then the Scorpio will be the console you want, but they need the exclusives to convert gamers to their brand. Only having a handful of games for maybe this year (then what?), the Scorpio doesn't look like a great investment at the moment. I'm eagerly looking forward to E3 to see what both sides will announce, but the glaringly obvious statement is Microsoft need to invest and not just in timed exclusives.

[Dragonscale]

Well said. MS focus was never games, it was purely to try gain control of the living room. They showed their true colours with the xbone reveal. Gaming was just a Trojan horse, a means to an end.

[Z501]

I want to know what happened to that 1 Billion dollar game investment Phil Harrison (not Spencer) talked about the beginning of this generation.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Even before scalebound you guys should have been worried about this situation because it seems a lot of people did not want to openly talk about how strange it was that this company was not producing lots of new titles instead I continue to hear excuses and people putting fluff in their list to try to pretend that this company was on the same level as other publishers.

If it takes one game getting cancelled to suddenly have an article written up exactly what was going on before this? It tells me that lots of people have personally felt this way but have held back from openly voicing their concerns likely because they want to justify the purchase of their platform.

It benefits no consumer to not say anything regarding Microsoft's current situation with exclusives because I personally feel Gamers should have been saying this a long time ago when Microsoft was pumping out Halo gears in Forza like clockwork.

Consider I've been saying this for a very very long time well before those cancellations simply because the writing was all over the wall if you followed their development teams you would notice a specific pattern.

Specific Publishers if they have plans to bring out new intellectual properties during a generation that actually start developing the concept of these properties before the generation starts for example Ubisoft begin the concept of The Division, Watch Dogs and some of their other titles before the generation even started, this company already had teams working on those projects.

Where was Microsoft? With the exception of Rare Microsoft internally was basically not developing anything brand new with the exception of a triple A first-person shooter that was looking to be their next big franchise which basically takes me to my next point which actually begin having me worried about this company's situation.

Microsoft forms a new team, they show a in engine footage of a new Triple-A first-person shooter and it is a pretty big deal because it would be the first time in an extremely long time that Microsoft internally was supporting a brand new intellectual property..... suddenly Microsoft purchases the Gears of War intellectual property and all becomes clear Microsoft was only developing this new Triple A property to fill the void of Gears of War it's a very clear they had no intentions of having both of these properties exist.

So we see the first person shooter FIRST yet it disappears? Gears of War takes its place in the team that was even making the first-person shooter is named after a reference from Gears of War and it because apparently clear they have no intention of releasing that other first-person shooter and it's Gears of War 4, Halo combo to death.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I think Microsoft was only preparing for Epic possibly bringing Gears of War multi-platform if they were unable to purchase

What does this all mean? Clearly they need a team for Gears of War but why cancel a first person shooter? It is it not in the realm of possibility that they can have both? This is what tells me that Microsoft does not want to make multiple they only want a specific amount and they're essentially prepared to milk to death that specific amount of games.

Microsoft didn't just hire more developers to work on that first person shooter and just create two teams they essentially killed that game to work on Gears of War but I could be wrong and it could still be in development in Gears of War could have simply been to fund it.

But if it doesn't show up this E3 it is definitely in the realm of possibility that it's been cancelled.

I know I sound like Dr.Loomis from Halloween, but clearly people are now starting to realize what I've been saying for years regarding this company's pattern of behavior.

You would never question Electronic Arts commitment to new intellectual Properties by giving a list of smaller games..... regardless of how you feel about Electronic Arts at the end of the day Ubisoft has created more new intellectual properties than Electronic Arts and that is very clear

So why are people desperately trying to give Microsoft a pass simply because Sony is doing better?

You don't need to like Electronic Arts or Ubisoft but I'm pretty positive you can at least admit Ubisoft is creating and has been focusing on more new intellectual properties so why is it hard to believe that Microsoft has not been doing this despite all the evidence?

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It was already concerning. They haven't made an effort to heavily invest in their own new studios. The really only have 3 that work on the same 3 IPs.

[jokerisalive]

Really sad that MS with all the money they have and like to gloat about can't seem to afford to either keep existing studios (Lionhead,etc) or invest in new ones and some new IP's to make their sparse library more interesting. Seems all the attention and energy focused to 'Unify XBOX and Windows 10' is all they care about instead of making sure varied new IP's bolster their brand. At this rate I expect Crackdown 3 to be canned as well. Sony is really making them look more and more like a joke with each passing day and it's not even funny anymore. I thought Phil taking over was 'All about the games' and instead its all about MAU's now and no confidence whatsoever in even trying to create new IP's instead just milking the three they have over and over.

[Max-Zorin]

Good thing I don't have only one system. The Xbox could go out of commission by 2018, and I wouldn't even care. The Xbox boss chose to sit on several IP's and not use them, and chose not to take more risks by making more studios to make more brand new games. Damn near every time a studio was working on something, they were told to cancel it. Hell, I've wanted a brand new Banjo-Kazooie for a long time. Unfortunately, Philly Eagle Spencer thought, Gears, Halo, and Forza was far more important. Unless Microsoft get rid of him, the chance of all of those owned games, and establishment of new studios, and new games, it's over for Xbox.

[medman]

The only "position" Microsoft has with exclusives is under the bus. Because that's where they have thrown loyal xbox only gamers.

[Profchaos]

One game gets cancelled which was a diverse yet niche game targeting jrpg fans.

It probably wouldn't have sold well and needed more funding but didn't stand a chance on getting roi.

It's not that bad ultimately but Ms does need to invest in more game varriaty like they did back in the early 360 days when they invested in games like mass effect and banjo.

Because ultimately my xb1 is collecting dust as I have no interest in gears 5 or halo 6 or any other game coming out.

When my favourite exclusive game was horizon 3 there's issues I'm not even a racing fan

[SweetLeafSmoker]

Well microsoft lost their excluse games already when they allowed Xbox One games to be played on PC.

Gears of War on PC... haha... used to be an Xbox Console owners only game.

Quantam Break touted as the next big thing for Xbox exclusitivity....... only to also be playable on PC

They just keep shooting themselves in the foot.

The only thing right now they have is backwards compatibility... But in all honesty that doesn't really matter because the majority of people will always want to play the LATEST and GREATEST newest games that come out.

[King_Lothric]

Xbox has no games!

The very thing they critized about Playstation has become their own reality while the PS4 is a garden of full amazing exclusives games.

[SynestheticRoar]

Getting concering , its a down right red alert.