Game Devs Are Reportedly "Baffled" By Microsoft

Game companies are reportedly "baffled" by Microsoft's multiplatform strategy, and they are reluctant to develop games for Xbox consoles.

[italiangamer]

Ironically what killed the xbox brand was the Activision's acquisition, in hindsight if that was blocked it would have let the brand survive a little bit more. Oh well 🙉.

[Aloymetal]

''Ironically what killed the xbox brand was the Activision's acquisition''
Actually the green brand was killed the moment they entered the gaming space, MS and their fanbase didn't know it but if you look at their tracking record there's never been a war as so many love to call.
First time in market (PS1: total sales102mil)
First time in the market (Original xbox: total sales 24mil)-----( PS2 total sales 160mil)
360 total sales 85mil----PS3 total sales 87mil This right here is a battle not a ''war'' and only because MS decided to rush and show up 1 year+ early to the battlefield.
Xbone total sales 58mil----PS4 total sales 117mil
Series S/X total sales as of now 31mil----PS5 total sales 75mil
So I'm having a hard time seeing this so called ''war''
Next gen will be a rinse n repeat.

[fr0sty]

Making billions selling games and services on multiple platforms, not on selling hardware.

[jukins]

Making billions and making billions in profit are two different things. I guess if you want to take microsoft as a whole they make profit but xbox doesn't. It generates revenue but just in 5 years they've spent 100 billion in acquisitions. Dont think they've even generated 100b in 5 years with xbox let alone profit.

[Reaper22_]

See what you don't realize is consoles sales are only a small part of the industry.Microsoft launching 360 early was n the right call for them. I think paid off big time. They sold millions of consoles and beat ps3 in the biggest market for pretty much the entire generation. They got what they wanted which was to establish xbox as a recognized bran. There is no way in hell they were going to beat an established brand like playstation in hardware. But look where we are now. They are selling games on all platforms and reaping the rewards financially. They are one of if not the biggest publishers the industry has. They've made some bad calls and some good ones as well. However, they are in a great place right now. ABK acquisition is done.Gamepass is doing well. Their published games are doing really good numbers. A next gen console and handheld gaming device is coming. Big releases like Fable, Perfect Dark, Gears and SOD are coming. Lots to look foward too.

[LightofDarkness]

MS have been toxic for every industry they’ve made a foothold in. The 360 was a miraculous success but they simply couldn’t help themselves in the end with Kinect etc. I was a fan in the 360 days, but they showed their true colors a long time ago. I hope devs move away from them in their droves, couldn’t happen to a better company.

[UltimateOwnage]

I notice you left out Wii vs. PS3 / 360, Switch vs. PS4 / XBO. Comparing to Nintendo, the war was always Microsoft in a distant 3rd. Nintendo’s family catered audience doesn’t make them any less a valid industry contender.

[anast]

When you put it like that, Iol, it's got to be embarrassing for Xbox.

[Profchaos]

I agree but disagree if you consider Sega mega drive vs SNES a console war then you have to consider the PS3 vs 360 one to

[OmegaSoldati]

There wont be next gen like we had until now. Atari is gone, Sega is gone and now Xbox will leave the console market. Remember the leaks? Best case scenario is that they will launch one last disc less console. They even have a deal with the new Asus handheld pc portable. You will see Sony abuse their customers, Microsoft tried to do that early with the Xbox One, Playstation is already doing it. I mean people pay to play online on consoles that sometimes are not even using Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo servers, they are just a bridge and charge for it and that just the surface of the problem, lets not talk about remasters, remakes, remasters, remakes and more remasters.

Also more users doesn't mean more profit, you need to calculate how much each player spent and the if the console was sold at a loss. Xbox players spends more money with games and services than Sony players, sure Sony is the big one and they deserve it, but profit margins are better in Nintendo for an example. You are flexing on Xbox fans now, but tomorrow you will see how this ends. Its not a war, look at Microsoft value they would buy Sony if FTC allowed. The future id not looking good for now.

[S2Killinit]

They have not make 82 Billion, even in revenue, in all 4 generations of being in the game industry combined. Let alone profits.

[DodoDojo]

Bull, they were going out way before they bought Activision.

[Lightning77]

@Jukins huh? No there earning call early 2024 showed with out ABK they were operating in the Red or flatlined. Cod rakes in allot of money albeit small growth in GP.

I think you're just makin up stuff. Which I don't like.

[Pyrofire95]

seriously, they were doing friendly fire since they started making bad calls on the Xbox One then having to roll them back.

[Lightning77]

Naw that would of operated in the Red with out ABK. It was either buy ABK and go multiplat or not buy ABK and have Satya shut down xbox for good.

Satya threatened to shut down Xbox in 2021 so that resorted to buying ABK a year later.

[jukins]

They're still on the red with activison. They lost 300-500m per qtr since abk acquisition. They screwed themselves with cod on gamepass. That lost them alot of money for temporary boost in gamepass subs.

I dont think there was ever a threatened shutdown. They spent to much. They bought multiplat developers and publishers worst case they can be a 3rd party dev. Saves so much money not having to do hardware and let oems license xbox.

[Pyrofire95]

It was taking damage ever since they started talking about Xbox One, then spent the entire generation not making 1st party games. They almost only had Forza, Halo, and Gears. Not buying Activision wouldn't have put them in any better a situation except for the pounds of money they now need to make sure they make on the investment.

[jznrpg]

It was dying before that. Gamepass and acquisitions were desperation moves. They should have built studios of their own in the beginning slowly building more over the last 2 decades and focus on creativity instead of thinking they could buy their way to the top. They could have thrived along PS and Nintendo. Their focus was taking over and not being an equal. They failed miserably.

[MrDead]

MS are completely creatively bankrupt. They couldn't create success with Xbox so they brought others success instead.

It's still unreal that they thought banning games from their biggest console market and gamers would work. I'm just glad that Xbox users don't buy games which meant multiplatform publishers remain multiplatform... for now. The industry is still at huge risk from MS's industrial consolidation, three major publishers no longer competing is such a massive negative to the industry, devs and gamers. More and more owned by fewer and fewer isn't good for anyone but the greedy piggies at the top.

[Reaper22_]

You dont know what the he'll you're talking about. Post where they said they were going to ban games from any console. In fact they've always stated the opposite. They must be successful because here they are talked about on the regular.

[MrDead]

Chill out little one. Here you go:

"One that stands out the most is a February 2022 email exchange between Pete Hines, Todd Howard and other Bethesda execs questioning why Microsoft was going so hard on the idea of Call of Duty remaining multiplatform while Bethesda’s big games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls were being left Xbox exclusive.

“I’m confused,” Hines writes. “Is the below [a Microsoft statement about Call of Duty staying multiplatform] not the opposite of what we were just asked (told) to do with our own titles? What’s the difference?”

“Did anyone at Xbox think about giving us a heads-up on this? Todd’s going to DICE in a couple weeks, you don’t think a journo might find him and press him on why the below is ok for COD or any Activision Blizzard games but not TES6 or Starfield? Or at any/every future interview he does?”

While it is not shocking that Microsoft wants some of its acquired studios to produce Xbox exclusive games, the argument is not an especially good one, given that Elder Scrolls, for instance, has tens of millions of players throughout the series’ lifespan, many of whom have played on PlayStation, even if the upcoming game is not multiplayer. And if even Bethesda doesn’t understand Microsoft’s rationale here and is upset about it (as after all, as a developer you want as many people experiencing your game as possible), then why should the legal system agree with Microsoft’s reasoning?

This email joins a separate quote in a 2019 email about how Microsoft could “spend Sony out of business”

https://www.forbes.com/site...

[PanicMechanic]

Yea Xbox is so successful because people talk about it here “more often”. Interesting metric. Reminds me of “total bullets fired” “number of players”. The hive mind thinks just like their favourite trillion dollar corporation. To anyone with a brain, yes, we can see Xbox is a failed brand and its demise is inevitable.

Microsoft gaming will continue and Ms will remain a third party publisher

[babadivad]

The fall started at the end of the 360 era. When they were selling Kinnects and tons of shovelware.

The lost the plot then. In the OG and First half of the 360 era, Xbox was truly innovative.

People think the lack of imagination started at the X1 era, but it was actually the tail end of X360.

Heavy Rain was supposed to be and Xbox exclusive. They turned it down because of the subject matter. They had lost the plot by then. No one noticed because of how successful the 360 was.

They were just coasting on the early success of the system.

[neutralgamer1992]

Bingo

This is where the fall started. Just look at the last 24-36 months of Xbox 360 and PS3. Software support wise it wasn't even close. Many at that time said Xbox is getting ready for next generation and gave them a pass for poor exclusices releases. We all know now that was the beginning of the downfall.

I really don't understand how you get to have MS resources yet can't compete with either playstation or Nintendo. Sad thing is now is the time we need great competition yet now is the time playstation can do whatever and get away with it. Losing the Xbox one generation was just bad because now those with all their friends and game libraries on playstation are less likely to switch to Xbox.

Their best hope is to release their next Xbox 1 year ahead of Playstation, make it much more powerful, have some great exclusives are launch. Remake some old games to be ready at launch. Could you imagine fallout 3 and new Vegas remake at launch of next Xbox only available on that one platform. But we all know Xbox has gone 3rd party and they care about selling software since that's their bread and butter

MS as a company knows how to sell software and now they will be the biggest gaming publisher. They are already seeing huge benefits of selling software on playstation when those games are generating hundreds of millions

[Profchaos]

It's true I switched to 360 after the PS1/2 mainly because it was so much cheaper but when the first party titles dropped off around that midgen point and Kinect came around I picked up a PS3 and never looked back

[Lightning77]

Satya said it himself in 2023 he would do away with exclusives. He's doing exactly that. Phil wanted to keep stuff exclusive with Bethesda and flirted the idea of COD only being on Xbox and PC. but he obviously lost that battle so you're not totally off base.

In terms of being creative. Nobody cares who's more creative than the other as long as the games are there and are good. Nobody complained with OG Xbox and especially 360 days when most of those games were third party. If the games are there who cares how it's made or who bought what. If the games are there that's literally all that matters instead pointless internet talking points or imaginary trophy and "pride" of how the games get distributed.

[MrDead]

Thank you for not buying games so multiplatform remained multiplatform.

"I'm just glad that Xbox users don't buy games which meant multiplatform publishers remain multiplatform"

"One that stands out the most is a February 2022 email exchange between Pete Hines, Todd Howard and other Bethesda execs questioning why Microsoft was going so hard on the idea of Call of Duty remaining multiplatform while Bethesda’s big games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls were being left Xbox exclusive.

“I’m confused,” Hines writes. “Is the below [a Microsoft statement about Call of Duty staying multiplatform] not the opposite of what we were just asked (told) to do with our own titles? What’s the difference?”

“Did anyone at Xbox think about giving us a heads-up on this? Todd’s going to DICE in a couple weeks, you don’t think a journo might find him and press him on why the below is ok for COD or any Activision Blizzard games but not TES6 or Starfield? Or at any/every future interview he does?”

While it is not shocking that Microsoft wants some of its acquired studios to produce Xbox exclusive games, the argument is not an especially good one, given that Elder Scrolls, for instance, has tens of millions of players throughout the series’ lifespan, many of whom have played on PlayStation, even if the upcoming game is not multiplayer. And if even Bethesda doesn’t understand Microsoft’s rationale here and is upset about it (as after all, as a developer you want as many people experiencing your game as possible), then why should the legal system agree with Microsoft’s reasoning?

This email joins a separate quote in a 2019 email about how Microsoft could “spend Sony out of business”

https://www.forbes.com/site...

[anast]

spot on

[GhostScholar]

Like Sony bought insomniacs success?

[MrDead]

... did you just compare a studio to buying up $80 billion worth of publishers and massive industry consolidation?

I think you need to get a refund on that scholarship.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Even devs are just as confused as the audience imo

[PapaBop]

What's so confusing? It's all a part of the master plan by good guy Phil... if you can't create success nor buy success, you just move the goalposts and redefine what success is.. simples!

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Lol 😆 🤣 😂 he's a genius 🤣

[Sonyslave3]

I bet five he talk to some small time indie devs, who was probably saying this none of the big devs cares.

[Reaper22_]

If it even happen at all. As you can sell he used the "reportedly " in that claim. But you have to expect stuff like that. Especially here. All I know is Microsoft is putting out some good games. So they have to have something to counter that.while Sony puts out a overpriced upgraded console that can't even do a quick resume feature. Go figure🤷.

[Hypertension140]

@Reaper22_

How do you feel paying $60+ for a controller that still uses batteries, lacking basic features, and still uses tech from the 90s? Or the inferior SSD that is more expensive?

[Profchaos]

We see lots of Devs just flat out ignoring it like Capcom

[MaximusPrime_]

Stating the obvious.
After recent Forza Horizon 5 and Gear of Wars announcements, MS clearly can't figure how to run video gaming business.

[MaximusPrime_]

Sorry to misled those who disagreed with my comment. Forza Horizon 5 has indeed been released on PS5. Just Gears of War game has been announced. Sorry for the confusion.

[babadivad]

So am I.

[Petebloodyonion]

How's this News?
I'm sorry, but anybody can say I have been talking to ppl behind the scenes and they told me...
Who?
Can't say, but trust me.

[Knightofelemia]

I think Microsoft is losing money on the Xbox side since they went spend happy on companies. You only have certain titles that can only make so much money back. Microsoft is dead last in Xbox sales, they just jacked up the price on Xboxes, there are some places in the world where the Xbox has not been in stock for a while. I see no benefit in buying an Xbox let alone considering a next gen Xbox. I think Microsoft milking games that were once an exclusive to Xbox on other platforms to generate more money. Like what Sony does when porting a Playstation title to PC. Breathes new life in that game and generate extra sales. The Gears of War for Playstation surprised me can't wait to campaign co-op it with a friend. But I agree if games are going multiplatform then what's the point of putting a game on XBox and lose the extra revenue. I honestly think Microsoft should just go the Sega route and just stick to software. If the next gen Xbox were announced today I honestly don't think I would preorder one let alone buy one.

[Lightning77]

They're reluctant to make games for Xbox because their games are going everywhere? So they want less money because Devs want to develop for a single platform and make less money? This dude always has been a clown when it comes to this stuff. How the hell so some of these ppl get their jobs and positions in their games industry? Nobody, and I mean nobody can be that dumb.

[Eonjay]

*...and the overall takeaway regarding Xbox was that Game Pass resulted in a behavioral shift that led to very few sales on the platform."

Devs are saying that GP has made game sales on Xbox scarce at best. There is a cost related to development and porting and the return on investment needs to be such that it is worthwhile to invest in developing on that console. I feel like this is pretty easy to understand.

[Lightning77]

That still makes no sense. Most of the top sells last month on PS were Xbox games. The multiplat move helps the studio make money. Don't be surprised if Doom tops PS sales this month.

[Eonjay]

It's like you completely ignored what I said. You aren't even responding to me. This article isn't about Xbox devs.

[Lightning77]

He even "clarified" which is basically him backtracking.

Sure there some devs might be displeased but a large amount clearly aren't. That's money after all.

https://x.com/Chris_Dring/s...

[gold_drake]

i mean.

xbox is kind of a mess. it has been for a long time now.

[z2g]

not sure how its baffling. sounds more like just more shitting on MS. The fact of the matter is hardware usually loses money and eventually breaks even. the real money to be made is in software and services. Games are software. The more places your software is available, the more opportunity there are for sales.

The exclusives model doesn't really pay off like it did before. Sure you get bragging rights about a game being released on your preferred platform over the other, but those reasons are becoming more and more superficial. Exclusives by their very nature and as the name implies are less available to more people. A successful exclusive will 19 out of 20 times still sell less than a successful Multiplatform game. Thats just reality. Xbox doesn't move the hardware that PS does so getting popular successful games on that platform generates more revenue where it might have plateaued on the single platform.

I refuse to believe that ppl are this dumb. This is a very "console wars" mindset, and not the mindset of business - which is to turn profits. True system seller games are few and far between these days - with the exception of Nintendo, and thats because Nintendo has pretty much spent their entire gaming platform career pushing the same handful of IPs that they rinse and repeat and brand and spin out at every opportunity - but they are also not in the same market demographics as the ps5 or xbox - where games like GTA, COD or whatever (arbitrary examples here) are the actual big sellers.

If you actually look at real sales figures you'll see that. The most recent God Of War was a pretty huge success with glowing reviews and sales of 23 million. Not bad. COD Black Ops 6 though, a Multiplatform game sold 500 million. When you get through the fanboys, bias and BS, the business itself isn't that hard to understand. MS just put Forza Horizon on PS5 - to them that just means millions of more sales. considering the game brings in more ROI than the console hardware, again... not hard to understand.

[P_Bomb]

“ COD Black Ops 6 though, a Multiplatform game sold 500 million.”

Whoa there. COD as a WHOLE has done 500 million. NOT COD Black Ops 6 by itself. Comparing that entire franchise to one single GOW game isn’t right.

[hiawa23]

I agree. To me the exclusive, single platform model is so arcaic and dated that it really doesn't work for many which is why Sony and MS opened up their games to PC and now MS to everyone which to me is a great move as the most gamers hands you can get your games in is not only good for all gamers but good for the industry.

[Reaper22_]

@MrDead

Lol..what you posted doesn't prove nothing. Nothing says they were banning games. Phil Spencer never said anything about keeping games off of other platforms. Even if they did want to do that. It's their right and their property. I can play the Ps5 games i want on PC. There is nothing you or anyone else can do about. Keep this same energy when sony starts putting more ps5 games on more platforms.

[MrDead]

Who to listen to, you or Pete Hines, Todd Howard and Bethesda execs?... it's a tough one

Here I'll post it for you again.

One that stands out the most is a February 2022 email exchange between Pete Hines, Todd Howard and other Bethesda execs questioning why Microsoft was going so hard on the idea of Call of Duty remaining multiplatform while Bethesda’s big games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls were being left Xbox exclusive.

“I’m confused,” Hines writes. “Is the below [a Microsoft statement about Call of Duty staying multiplatform] not the opposite of what we were just asked (told) to do with our own titles? What’s the difference?”

“Did anyone at Xbox think about giving us a heads-up on this? Todd’s going to DICE in a couple weeks, you don’t think a journo might find him and press him on why the below is ok for COD or any Activision Blizzard games but not TES6 or Starfield? Or at any/every future interview he does?”

https://www.forbes.com/site...

[hiawa23]

I suspect Microsoft will be fine no matter what they do with Xbox as a brand. I thought the whole point of going multi-plat was because the Xbox base was just not big enough or Xbox only gamers did not buy enough games, and consoles. I also thought if the point is to sell software and that is where the money is then MS going multi-plat to me is the best idea. They have supported the Xbox for atleast 24 years and if they feel they still are not where they should be then this new direction to me seems like the best option. Rip off the bandaid, and move forward.

[RhinoGamer88]

It does not matter. Phil and his boys are not held to any standard of performance other than Game Pass revenue/growth. If they are fired, they will have massive parachutes for mediocre results.

[anast]

The S. No talented people in management. No creativity in management.

[PRIMORDUS]

At this point it would be best if Xbox went third party and just make software like Sega, and forget about a next gen. console.

[P_Bomb]

Gotta let the peeps with Xbox digital libraries continue having a place to play. Plus the Game Pass install base of however many million.

[Profchaos]

They should be but the real test is if people are actually buying the games on Xbox if sales fall off a cliff that's the answer

[GrmpyolGamer]

Really? So all the companies that developed games for Xbox over the years are now reluctant because they are starting to go more multiplat? Trash fanboy article

[GhostScholar]

The funny thing about this is right now Xbox is making better first party games than Sony. Sony hasn’t done anything really other than astrobot (which is excellent by the way). Also I agree Xbox hardware isn’t selling but that’s not the strategy. Game pass is the strategy. For a couple hundred bucks a year, I’m playing thousand of dollars worth of games. You can say “Xbox players don’t buy games” but when Sony starts putting their games (and they will) on ps plus day one the same people will sit there looking stupid and act like they aren’t the biggest hypocrites in gaming. I’m getting what I want through game pass and couldn’t care less what the grifters and trolls think or lie about lol

[dveio]

"Xbox is making better first party games“

If not as much in online communities & news invested gamers like us are seeking through the shelves for a game:

Tell me the names of the so called "Xbox 1st party games" he/she instantly connects with "Oh yeah, that's Xbox" the same as they would know Astro Bot or Ghost of Tsushima, God of War or The Last of Us stands for Playstation 1st party games.

Please don't tell me you personally do recognize Call of Duty, Diablo or Doom as true Xbox 1st party games or that they'd cause any of that special excitment for a system like Mario or Zelda do for a Nintendo console. Or God of War for Playstation.

I ofc know that, especially since the buyouts of Zenimax and ABK, hardcore fans in the Xbox community have been putting a load of effort into the sentiment of selling Call of Duty, Doom and such as "Woah, Xbox Game Studios are killing it!"

But most of us (=who are invested) know that Microsoft didn't create ANY of these games originally.

But instead use their reputation and prior successes.

And, quite frankly, bought them only to feed GP with content. (Imagine what it'd had cost them to put CoD into GP day-one if ABK had not been bought. Or Starfield.)

A simple mind game for 1, maybe 2 seconds only:

Imagine their own software lineup for the Series generation if the takeovers of Zenimax and ActivisionBlizzardKing would have gotten denied/would have failed.

Then, ONLY then you can tell what Microsoft had truly been trying to kill, and that's Xbox itself.

[Pyrofire95]

Games are expensive and there's not enough players on Xbox to make their money back.

[GotGame818]

Uh, Microsoft games have been PC too for a very long time! There are more PC gamers than console players by MILLIONS! In fact over a BILLION! Look it up! Why do you think Sony is going PC too?

[GotGame818]

I didn't realize there were so many experts on N4G! It's hilarious! Meanwhile, just look at the top 5 selling PS5 games! Been playing them all on GP for awhile. Buying them now at a huge discount, and backing them up.

[Ninver]

MS has been a plague from the 360 era to date. So many anti consumer practices. I'm surprised they lasted this long.

[InUrFoxHole]

N4g needed that xbox bad article. Lemme guess... it's dying... gamepass bad... consoles not selling.... and.... going multiplat is the final swan song? This is n4g logic
Selling most consoles but no exclusives=success.

[PanicMechanic]

Ps5 has more exclusives than series x. WTF Are you going on about? What makes you think you can get away with lying through your teeth? What game won game of the year last year, as a start?

[InUrFoxHole]

You can thank xbox for games. Enjoy last year's GOTY I'm sure Sony will remaster it 15x and you'll bend that knee.

[joab777]

Great for Microsoft, terrible for the Developer. Clair Obscura beat the odds because it’s a generational game, as MS decided to release Oblivion at the same time as well.
Luckily they’ve been very successful, but I’d argue they would have sold 5m copies if not for Oblivion and GP.
I do think they will continue to sell.

[Rainbowcookie]

Maybe it's only temporary to raise awareness of the brand and recoup costs of bought companies. It would be hard to do if other consoles outsell you. Then next gen you kept investors happy and you gained a few more fans.

[senorfartcushion]

They make more money from games than consoles, and they're porting everything they have to PC and other platforms.

Isn't this like being baffled by PlayStation moving to PC?

[BlaqMagiq1]

Glad to see MS putting more and more of their games on PS. Never buying their platform was clearly the right choice and I'm reaping the rewards for it.