170°

Why Scalebound, Crackdown 3 and Quantum Break aren't coming to PC

Microsoft showed Crackdown 3, Scalebound and Quantum Break at the Xbox conference this week. If Microsoft are planning to make Windows 10 part of the Xbox ecosystem, why not bring those games to PC? so PC world put the question to the head of Microsoft's Xbox division, Phil Spencer.

StrayaKNT3169d ago

They obviously won't but I hope atleast crackdown does and we get to do cross play and use mods that would be INSANE.

Highly doubt they will come to pc, maybe down the line when they stop selling and xbox owners have finished them and moved on Microsoft might want to put them on pc? Doubt it though.

bicfitness3169d ago

"It’s not to say those games could never come to Windows..." Why not take 5s to read the article? It's a non-emphatic statement filled with vagaries and guesswork. They won't come AT LAUNCH. Sounds as if what happens thereafter is still in question, and MS (just like Capcom/ SE/ Namco) isn't dumb enough to cannibalize sales on their console versions until they're out in the wild for while.

To be fair, the flamebait title doesn't help matters.

RiseofScorpio3169d ago

Or he doesn't want to burn bridges and say "never coming to PC haha".

freshslicepizza3169d ago

what about recore, is that coming to the pc?

we all know the real reasons why games like quantum break are for now exclusive to the xbox is because microsoft is caught in the middle of trying to promote windows while at the same time trying to promote the xbox one.

they also likely don't want games like halo 5 to have online with both pc and xbox gamers since the pc has an edge in competitive play. the mouse is just more accurate. all they need to do is separate the online and not have cross play multiplayer. they could still have halo 5 on the pc. at least halo 6 should for all intense purposes be also on the pc.

many here seem to think allowing xbox games on the pc will cannibalize the console market. that's not true. you still have a very sizeable market that is interested in a closed box for relatively cheap investment. nintendo is the only company who still thinks you can only play their games on their hardware. this is why they continue to make hardware that is unique.

Genuine-User3169d ago (Edited 3169d ago )

Quantum Break will most probably make its way to PC in a year or two. Remedy titles have appeard on PC since Max Payne.

RiseofScorpio3168d ago (Edited 3168d ago )

@Genuine

Microsoft doesn't own Alan Wake and Remedy had to ask MS to put it on PC 2 years after 360. Whereas this time Microsoft owns QB and it makes no sense (no multiplayer/crossplay) for it to be on PC unless Remedy campaigns for it to be which I doubt since they let MS own the IP.

Genuine-User3168d ago

@Waluigi_isunderrated

I guess you have a point. Time will tell.

4Sh0w3168d ago (Edited 3168d ago )

Yeah I just explained this situation multiple times in 1 thread to someone who wanted debate why microsoft will support pc with all its high profile games. As I explained it would make terribble business sense to make all their exclusives that they have a huge financial investment in available on pc. Dont get me wrong pc support is good and there are profits to be made on pc but they need to proritize X1 1st because if you are talking all or most all of their biggest exclusives day and date with X1 version then X1 sales will take a significant hit. I think bringing some of their big games 1-2 yrs later would be fine as those really interested in said game isnt going to wait years for each X1 exclusive to finally come to pc.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3168d ago
BallsEye3169d ago

mods for crackdown? not possible as stuff is done on server side. Server side version and client version need to be exactly same.

Perjoss3169d ago

Only the multiplayer sie of things work this way, single player is just a normal game.

Dark_king3169d ago

while true they do you could always rent servers to host the game with mods.I mean that is what MS's azure is really for company's to rent.

dcbronco3168d ago

I wouldn't say it can't be done. If the pieces used to build the mod carry the same physics based makeup there is no reason it couldn't be done. So if you add a Warthog from Halo like in Forge, the real physics are already a part of that particular item. They could then add a viability test using the cloud to see if structures are viable.

You build a castle that doesn't have the thickness in the foundation to hold the weight of the structure and it collapses in the test. You get an analysis of what went wrong. Actually think of this for the implications for the next Minecraft.

BallsEye3168d ago

@Perjoss

Not if SP is using cloud for destruction. I don't think crackdown has offline mode. It would make no sense.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3168d ago
Aenea3168d ago

But, but, but, PCs aren't designed to support Da Cloudz! :p

NinjaNick3163d ago (Edited 3163d ago )

The X1 is a gaming pc. It runs Win 10. It supports the cloud. So can any PC with that OS, if MS allows it.

Rookie_Monster3169d ago

Oh well. AT least KI and Halo Wars are coming. There are certain games that belongs on consoles and some works well with crossplay beteeen platform like fighters abd RTS and a Game like Fable legendss. I never expected anyone of these new Gamescom xb1 IPS to be on PC.

FlexLuger3169d ago

I agree. while some XB1 titles will come to PC, in the broader windows cross play scope of things, I dont see key xbox titles going anywhere. Forza and halo will stay put. as will scalebound, crackdown and recore. Ill bet money on that.

But a game set in the halo universe..odst 2 perhaps? for sure? they have already announced halo wars for PC. I see new IP that exploit cross play being key, here. or old IP getting a cross play spin off, like fable legends and halowars. It makes total sense without diminishing the appeal of the xbox.

JsonHenry3169d ago

Can't say I'm personally interested in any of those titles but I know there will be a lot of people upset.

Most likely they wouldn't bring Crackdown to PC because then they'd have to admit all those physics are not really powered by the cloud as much as they say when a single mid-range PC could do the job.

Sonyslave33169d ago

You do know their cloud work on PC -___-

JsonHenry3169d ago

Yes, but its not needed for such a low end game when one Nvidia card with Physx can do the job. lol

NinjaNick3163d ago (Edited 3163d ago )

They said it took 14 servers to calculate the destruction in that one Crackdown multiplayer vid and that even a high-end dev PC couldn't run it alone. So how is a single gpu going to?? Unless you're saying they lied..

Or do you just have no concept of the amount of calculations required for something of this caliber? And why isn't there a pc game with such destruction then, if you can run it with a consumer gpu?

Dynasty20213169d ago (Edited 3169d ago )

Most PC users don't want the vast majority of console exclusives anyway.

If we did, we'd have petitions. We did it with the Dark Souls series, and the games are best played there now - looks and runs better, and we're not reliant on PSN/Live to be working.

We didn't scream for Phantom Pain to come to PC, yet Kojima saw Steam for how incredible it is, and how strong the PC gaming community is, and decided yes, lets bring Metal Gear properly to the PC. If Ground Zeroes is anything to go by, Phantom Pain will look and run FAR better on PC as proven by Konami's screenshot comparisons. Ground Zeroes was one of the best ports ever made for PC. It runs flawlessly.

The inconvenient truth for console owners bragging about their exclusives not being on PC, is that PC players don't want them, because we prefer quality games.

Proven by how poorly a lot of first-on-consoles games sell.

If Uncharted suddenly came to PC, you'd get a few 10s of thousands of sales, maybe 100,000.

Aenea3168d ago

"Most PC users don't want the vast majority of console exclusives anyway."

Bloodborne?

starchild3168d ago

Can't say I agree with you guys. I do the majority of my gaming on PC and I say 'the more games the better'. We're not all going to like the same things, but having more options is always a good thing.

Personally, I've enjoyed every Remedy game and I'll be disappointed if Quantum Break doesn't eventually make its way to PC.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3163d ago
corroios3169d ago

QB will come to the PC, but the other two i wont put my hands on the fire.

BlackPanther3169d ago

Why are you so sure QB comes to PC? Because Alan Wake came to PC, that isn't a definitive that QB goes as well.

RiseofScorpio3169d ago (Edited 3169d ago )

Microsoft doesn't own Alan Wake and Remedy had to ask MS to put it on PC 2 years after 360. Whereas this time Microsoft owns QB and it makes no sense for it to be on PC unless Remedy campaigns for it to be.

corroios3169d ago

because Phil Spencer already talk about the relationship with PC, it changed.

Fro_xoxo3169d ago

It doesn't matter where else they go. .
so long as they doesn't appear on a rival platform which the PC isn't.

ScorpiusX3169d ago

Or sold thru Steam all is good .

christocolus3169d ago

@fro

Exactly. It is obvious we will never see these games on any rival platform and in his interview with eurogamer Phil said they had more titles planned for 2016 so im guessing maybe we'll get sequels to crimson skies and mech assault announcements at E3 next year and both games will feature crossplay with windows gamers.

Show all comments (52)
340°

2024 Is A Chance At Redemption For Xbox & Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer

Xbox has been lagging behind PlayStation in terms of 1st party content, but 2024 offers the platform and Phil Spencer a chance at redemption.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
isarai10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Nah, that time has passed for many, and with their words on future plans, i really don't see it ever happening.

shinoff218310d ago

It's a wrap. Now is the time they are slowly going to move on as to not to kill the base as is. Titles will slowly drip onto ps and Nintendo consoles, etc. Those 4 already had to of been in development for awhile already cause two of them released really soon after the announcement

VenomUK10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

There is no ‘last chance redemption’ for Phil Spencer - he’s going straight to hell for tanking the Xbox console platform.

_SilverHawk_10d ago

"2024 Is A Chance At Redemption For Xbox & Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer"

I thought that was supposed to be a decade ago

Ironmike9d ago

U do rel7se ps5 is at thr moment only getting g those titles that were mentioned nothing else as of yet

Obscure_Observer10d ago

"Nah, that time has passed for many, and with their words on future plans, i really don't see it ever happening."

Xbox has PLENTY of first party games this year while Playstation has none!

There´s more first party games from Xbox Games Studios on PS5 this year than Playstation Studios own games.

Those are the *facts* and if those facts is not something to Sony be ashamed of, they can´t feel shame at all.

VersusDMC10d ago

Granblue Fantasy versus, FF7REBIRTH, Helldivers 2, Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade will have launched on PS5 and not on Xbox by the time Hellblade 2 launches.

This only first party games count is cope.

And as a bonus meme...Microsoft will have published 3 first party games on PS5 (Hifi rush, Grounded and sea of thieves) before their first for the year on Xbox(hellblade 2). Glad they have their priorities straight...

lodossrage10d ago

It's funny when people like to say xbox has more games coming to playstation this year than sony does.

YET, they leave out the context that Microsoft literally bought the biggest (Activision) third party publisher and Bethesday (another big one). So congrats on having to buy giants in order to compete?

On topic, wasn't Starfield the "last chance" for redemption?

Am I to assume that if the games they have coming this year don't get positive, feedback then 2025 will be the year of redemption?

Obscure_Observer10d ago

@VersusDMC

"Granblue Fantasy versus, FF7REBIRTH, Helldivers 2, Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade will have launched on PS5 and not on Xbox by the time Hellblade 2 launches."

None of the games you mentioned are first party. None. There´re more Xbox first party games on PS5 this year then Playstation´s own first party games, undeniable fact!

The real bonus meme is Sea of Thieves a game which PS fanboys used to sh!t on

"And as a bonus meme...Microsoft will have published 3 first party games on PS5 (Hifi rush, Grounded and sea of thieves) before their first for the year on Xbox(hellblade 2). Glad they have their priorities straight..."

Imo, the real meme is Sea of Thieves, a 6 year Xbox first party game which diehard fanboys used to mock and sh!t on, making to the top of the most pre-ordered game at PS Store in a year where Playstation has zero first party games.

https://twitter.com/BenjiSa...

Markusb3310d ago

and all will end up on playstation, and nintendo, if xbox was doing amazing they would not need ps or nintendo, if gp was amazing they wouldnt need pc. PS has multiple first party games in development that we dont know about. Look at how halo was treated, look at redfall, and look at starfield. Its fine to be loyal and prefer one platoform but to be wilfully ignorant about it just ridiculas.

badz14910d ago

LOL se we are moving from "exclusives" to "console exclusives" to now only "1st party exclusives" matters just after MS has bought 2 publishers for $77B??

Moving goalpost to always favor MS i. Your argument is getting tiring! Exclusives are exclusives! 1st or 3rd party, they are still exclusives. You do remember the PS2 literally killed the Dreamcast, Gamecube and the first xbox due to mostly 3rd party exclusives, right?

InUrFoxHole10d ago

Observe is actually correct. Sony paid to play. But we don't mention when they do it. When they do it we're totally cool with it. N4G 4lyfe!

Skuletor10d ago

Are they still counted as first party though?

fr0sty10d ago

“This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn’t something we see in the Gen Z research. Because nothing else is like that for them.

Some of them will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same. I can still get to TikTok on both of them, at least for now." - Phil Spencer

Read it and weep... all Xbox games are coming to as many platforms as they can put them on, and this is the first step towards them getting out of hardware entirely, just like Sega did.

Xbox has been Dreamcast out of the industry. You can deny it all you like, but it's happening.

northpaws10d ago

@Obscure_Observer

You certainly have more faith in Xbox than Phil Spencer does, I will give you that.

rpvenom10d ago

It's actually quite impressive watching you defend xbox. I respect the loyalty

wiz719110d ago

@VersusDMC here yall Sony fans go moving the goalpost again lol now this only first party things is a cope when yall was the one who started that crap in the first place. When Sony had all the first party games and Xbox was relying on third party , yall was shouting they had no first party games. Now the tables turn and suddenly it’s a cope. lol

wiz719110d ago

@lodossrage and so it’s also funny that the majority of Xbox first party games this year aren’t coming from any of those big studios lol except for Indy .. the biggest one this year is coming from a studio that Sony left and almost let that studio die after releasing two big exclusives on their console first. Now MS swoop in and saved them , then here they are with the best looking game this generation. Now that’s ironic , but you mention buying studios like Sony biggest studios weren’t BOUGHT my brother.

Yall need to be more worried about Sony closing studio after studio , the PSVR 2 dying , Sony losing billions , and the fact that yall biggest game this year as in Stellar Blade was once being developed as a multi platform game until Sony paid for them to be a second party studio. lol but you want to mention things being bought , your delusional

Crows9010d ago

Shame in the competitor buying up tons of dev teams in order to make that a reality? Yeah...there's no shame in that on the PlayStation side....

andy8510d ago

So now you're shifting the goal posts so only first party exclusives count. Amazing 😂

Profchaos10d ago

There's probably tons of games exclusive to Xbox that won't be on PS because of their early access clause.

However list the games that count helldivers 2 I'd argue has done more for gaming this year than any other title will.
It could be their only game and it would still be a great year because it was that unexpectedly good even haters of love service games are playing it

TheTony31610d ago

Still at it? Doesn't matter at this point. The games will eventually launch on PS5.

mkis0079d ago (Edited 9d ago )

I see you ignored his" only first party games count" line as if preordained. Is it on xbox? No...then it is ammunition. Meanwhile sony gets to passively soak up 30% of all ms game studios sales.

1Victor9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

@obscured: “There´s more first party games from Xbox Games Studios on PS5 this year than Playstation Studios own games.

Those are the *facts* and if those facts is not something to Sony be ashamed of, they can´t feel shame at all.”
That says more about Xbox than PlayStation that they have to release games on rival consoles to stay afloat, Microsoft and YOU SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THAT FACT.

Edit After thought: it took Microsoft 6 years to finally fix their sea of bugs just in time to release it on PlayStation 🤷🏿

S2Killinit9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

On topic:
MS’s last chance was Starfield…
How many last chances are there?

@Osbscure
You’re moving the goal posts into places that have no basis in reality anymore.

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 9d ago
darthv7210d ago

Life is too short to hold onto grudges. Grudges against a console, game or company is just petty.

isarai10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Has nothing to do with a grudge. Ive been waiting 12yrs for them to get back to their greatness, im done waiting and have moved onto just watching that ship sink as i play on literally every other platform

darthv7210d ago

^^... I still play on it, as well as the other platforms. Which is why I am not someone who dwells on the negativity like others do. there is always something for me to enjoy in this hobby.

isarai10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

@darth

Again, not dwelling on negativity, they legit haven't made anything i want to play since like gears 3 and halo reach. I did play Crackdown 3 and gears 5 cause i had hope given i was a huge fan of the older games, but that was a dud on both cases.

You're thinking it's way deeper than it is 🤣 make something worth playing and ill play it, i was hoping starfield would be that but again, dud.

darthv7210d ago

^^...I never said YOU were doing that... but its obvious others (here) do. Its all they seem to do is dwell on negativity, especially if its XB related. all im saying is there is more to enjoy than there is to complain about. And this is exactly why I play all the platforms instead of just one. You say you do the same... so just enjoy it.

neomahi10d ago

It's fanbots making their last stand in an attempt to save the Xbox, what more can one expect that the most optimism they've ever had. Xbox can't get a lock in Japan, still, and Europe is about to abandon it as well. What're you gonna do? And what happens IF Japanese generates interest? They'll see Europe losing interest and decide it's not worth it either. And it's not just Xbox, Microsoft as a whole is losing their footing. They've backed on subscriptions with everything they have to offer and it's tanking. Xbox needs to port to PlayStation and Nintendo while they can stay relevant and try to stay relevant, the longer they delay, we could see a complete Microsoft nose dive

S2Killinit9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

And you think MS fans are just dandy? Besides, is it a grudge if MS continues to give reasons for people to despise them?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 9d ago
Markusb3310d ago

when you cant make enough from your own platform and pc and you have to go to ps and nintendo you know its a slow transition to 3rd party publishing, and that is fine. Xb never had the thurst or ambition after the 360

JackBNimble10d ago

The second they decided to put exclusives on the ps5 they blew any chance of redemption

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 9d ago
-Foxtrot10d ago

Even if they managed to get a win this year it dosent overthrow 10 years of mostly disappointments from Phil’s leadership.

RaidenBlack10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Then this way, no company can redeem themselves. The very concept of redemption arc becomes impossible if the past is refused to be forgiven, even if the company manages to better themselves.
Then the now popular redemption arc of No Mans Sky or Phantom Liberty wouldn't exist in the gaming community if the same logic is also applied there.
Not defending anyone here but I want gaming to improve, companies to better themselves and most importantly competition to exist so that we get offered the best products to enjoy.
(I know in typical N4G fashion, this comment will be downvoted to oblivion, but I want good games offered from every studios irrespective of publishers.)

staticall10d ago

@RaidenBlack
IMO, what @-Foxtrot means, one years doesn't mean much. It's a start, yes, but they need more, much more.

Look at your own example, No Mans Sky - they didn't just release one patch and everyone started praising them, no. They've been doing this consistently. If Microsoft will start releasing good games consistently, that'll be great, no ifs and/or buts! But hyping them up in advance (no worthy releases yet is what i mean) - dunno, i might be wrong, but i don't think it's healthy or helps anyone.

rippermcrip10d ago

Your analogies are terrible. A company releasing a single game that failed to meet expectations.

Isn't the same as Phil Spencer making mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake, telling lie after lie after lie after lie for 10+ years.

isarai10d ago

Your whole comparison makes no sense. It literally took years for both of those to "redeem" themselves in the container of a single game. MS has been lacking for 12yrs starting with the halo/gears/forza criticism begining in the latter half of the 360. So even by YOUR logic, he's right, it's gonna take a lot more than one game to be redeemed ESPECIALLY after fumbling what many were already holding as their chance at redemption with starfield

Chevalier10d ago

It's not Playstation or Nintendos fault that Xbox poses no competition. They've had more support and more money behind them than Playstation and Nintendo combined!

You say you aren't defending Xbox, but, you kind of are. Xbox has been completely mediocre for decades. The last time Xbox was competitive was the 360 era. My 360 collection absolutely demolishes my Xbox One collection and so far Series X hasn't had much reason for me to jump to a purchase.

Can you honestly say Xbox is 'competitive'?! I would say not even close.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 10d ago
Silly Mammo10d ago

With the gaming media, Xbox is always just one game away from redemption and success. It's willful ignorance that they think there's a 'magic bullet' that will somehow erase all the moves by Phil & the gang of the last 2 console generations.

"Well there's always next year!" Should be the official Xbox slogan

Chocoburger9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

100% this Mammo!

They've been screwing up for over a decade! Even if they release a game that's of the highest quality, that's nothing in the grand scheme things.

It also doesn't un-do Kinect (with lies based advertising).

Or Kinect 2 (forcing people to spend $100 extra for something they didn't even want!).

Or releasing two consoles with nothing noteworthy twice in a row (One X, Series S|X).

Or releasing unpolished games such as Re:Core, Sea of Thieves, Halo: MCC, Halo Infinite, Redfall, and Starfield.

Let's not forget canceling games as well such as Scalebound,Project Spark, and the Phantom Dust remake.

Finally let's remember the broken promises of vaporware games, languishing in development Hell, such as Perfect Dark, Fable, Everwild, what else am I forgetting?

Redemption is far far FAR AWAY for Microsoft. It'll take a full decade of only making smart pro-consumer decisions and releasing plenty of amazing games in order to make up for it all.

2024? It ain't gonna do squat on its own.

Rols10d ago

It was the same old story in 2020, 2021,2022 and 2023. XBox has never delivered this gen.

Brazz10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Xbox360, the last time they delivered the goods, over 10 years Ago.

Skuletor10d ago

This headline just reminds me of the "wait 'til E3" comments we'd hear every year, before it was cancelled.

LG_Fox_Brazil10d ago

I wonder if the 2025's version of this article is already written, probably I would say

lodossrage10d ago

That's the same point I was trying to convey when I replied to Obscure

Hofstaderman10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

#wait till e3 2024

Aloymetal10d ago

''2024 Is A Chance At Redemption For Xbox & Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer''
We've been hearing and reading the same crap since the xbone launch, these shills/journos need to come up with something new. Good thing is most gamers know this is all BS, they all read ''"Step right up folks and hold out your money or sub to our service. You don't know what you are going to get, but like always, take our word for it" Signed Lord Phil.

Show all comments (88)
580°

Phil Spencer blames capitalism for games industry woes.

Spencer said publicly traded companies have to show constant growth or else nobody will give them money. "I don't get [the] luxury of not having to run a profitable growing business"

LG_Fox_Brazil15d ago

I don't know Phil... You've being running, and some will say ruining, the Xbox brand for 10 years now, you know?

Profchaos15d ago

I'd say he'sade the best out of a tremendous cluster fk of a situation he was thrown into after Don tanked the Xbox brand from Kinect to the launch of the X1.

The only reason Xbox isn't in the Ms graveyard right now is because of Phil.

So I don't agree with everything he's done but I can see why these drastic pivots and moves have been made

VenomUK15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

You don’t hear Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa blame capitalism for the phenomenal success of the Switch.

You don’t hear now-departed PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan blame capitalism for the roaring success of the PS5.

Cockney14d ago

He was head of games back in don mattricks day so he should be held accountable for his involvement, the back half of the 360 gen and start of xbone lack of games was all him

Rynxie14d ago

The reason Xbox is not in the Ms graveyard is because of the money they are throwing around to keep the brand alive. Don was just a yes man, the stupidity of the Xbox one was MS doing.

romulus2314d ago

We are well past Don Mattrick at this point, people need to stop using that tired excsue. The issues with xbox for nearly the last ten years have been solely on Phil.

Plague-Doctor2714d ago

The PS3 tanked Sony and they recovered during the same generation. The Wii U tanked Nintendo and they delivered a record setting console only a few years later. At the launch of X1 it was keeping pace with the PS4 and in the US was occasionally beating it.

jwillj2k414d ago (Edited 14d ago )

All he had to do was say “the way forward is to make great games.”, drop the mic and make it happen by any means necessary. If you listen to the interview he gave after redfall came out, you’ll hear him say he thought the game was good to go and the internal team rated the game 85 out of 100. 85!! This shows how out of touch he is. He’s literally an empty vessel just collecting his check, running the division off of data-driven analytics, he doesn’t care about xbox and now pulls a Trump, blaming the clouds for his failures.

Cacabunga14d ago

Says the biggest capitalist company.. this moron should stop talking

sinspirit14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

No.. Phil was in charge of European studios and Kinect implementation since 2008. Those European studios he was in charge of were then full time Kinect developers as he was now in charge of all XBox game studios in 2010. This is why game quality has sucked ever since he was in charge and directly why the legendary Lionhead and the actual Rare devs are not there anymore. Phil is actually more to blame than anyone for the bad game quality and the Kinect push. And especially for the terrible XBox One launch.

He was the spearhead implemented employee for Kinect and Microsoft's new vision. The others were the talking heads appointed by XBox. And, honestly watching some of those old interviews it seemed like those XBox employees were possibly maliciously complient by telling exactly what Microsoft's new agenda was with Kinect and always online without dressing it up.

And directly on topic. No, Phil. Capitalism is voting with your wallet. XBox doing bad financially is in fact because of bad products, disappointments, failed deadlines, and especially lying, misleading, and broken promises for products. If you just released really good games and tried to innovate then you'd had a lot of sales.. oh and GamePass is losing out on a ton of sales which can not be recovered from a few microtransaction purchases, monthly sub costs, or even whales. The math is simple when you could have sold a $70 game 5 million times but instead maybe sold 1 million tops and now have to recoup a quarter billion of revenue from lost sales potential of the one title alone. But now you also don't want to release a lot of first party titles because of the direct loss in sales revenue from day 1 GamePass, and you don't want them to release really good games that take a little more time and money to make because you want them to be cost effective for GamePass release. So you intentionally plan to release a lot of AAA shortcomings at this point because the AAA badge is needed but you can't do it too well or GamePass will never actually profit. Even though they had said GamePass is profitable, it is absolutely not by much and never will be. And, they said that Zune was profitable a long time ago but they combined it with an entire category of products when Zune itself was bleeding money. They lose far too many direct sales that even the most generous math can not see how they could be making much money if any at all to make up for this business practice. This is what happens when marketing and trend chasing fool a business into pursuing the wrong thing to stay relevant when the clear answer all along was that they always did good when they just supported developers making genuinely full and good games.

Babadook714d ago (Edited 14d ago )

I kind of agree with you, but Phil is partly to blame.

I blame Peter Moore (for leaving). Everything went to pot soon after.

PapaBop14d ago

How many years ago was this now? I'll give him some credit for what he inherited but lets be honest, he hasn't exactly done anything praise worthy and has done a terrible job managing the studios Microsoft owns.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 14d ago
Eonjay15d ago

I thought he said it was Gen Z. I can't keep up.

Hofstaderman15d ago

Its Gen Z who are extremely capitilist. Lol, Phil is a clown of note.

14d ago
fr0sty14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

He's kinda right, shareholders expect constant growth, which is unsustainable, but it is what they expect nonetheless. That's why, even though the games industry is healthy as it has ever been, because it isn't growing, everyone in the industry is panicking. Even though we're still selling just as many consoles as ever, they expect each generation to just keep on growing and growing, and when that doesn't happen, they start to freak out.

This is true of any industry, and it's why anytime a company goes public, their products usually end up going to shit. The shareholders expect more and more and more growth, cuz they want that stock price to keep climbing, and so eventually corners start getting cut, wages start getting cut, employees start getting cut, they start cutting away everywhere they can to try to squeeze a little bit more money out of the product, until they ruin it, and then they move on to the next product.

buffig14d ago

Yeah, but everyone knows how capitalism works. This part didn't need explaining. The problem is that they bought massive plublishers for a gazillion dollars, to the detriment of the industry and now he's acting like he has no choice but to fire thousands of people because he just found out about nasty capitalism

TheEnigma31314d ago

Why I'm glad companies like Valve stayed private.

SyntheticForm14d ago

He'd never blame himself, so he's trying to score points with the kids by blaming capitalism. One of the biggest capitalists is blaming capitalism for his and Xbox's failure.

fr0sty13d ago

I agree with you, which is why I said he's "kinda" right... he's right in the fact that capitalism is behind a lot of investors freaking out that the games industry, while still healthy, is not continually growing unsustainably, but he's also being hypocritical in the same breath after buying half the industry and then laying off thousands of them, and using his own business practices as an excuse to cover for his failures.

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mandf15d ago

It won't be until halo and gears are on playstation that xbox fans see phil for who he is. A snake fighting only for himself. The video game industry means nothing to him just his paycheck to those who believe phil is passionate and loves video games you are part of the problem. You never hold ms accountable.

Minute Man 72115d ago

Halo and Gears only when Microsoft drops outta the console market

-Foxtrot15d ago

They don't need to drop out of the market for that to happen

They will always have some kind of console going forward but Halo and Gears could only be a few years away at this rate.

Next gen might look completely different

Tacoboto15d ago

I'd actually hope for Halo to come to PS and Nintendo at this point.

The community rejected a mictotransaction option so MCC is no longer maintained - no new revenue streams and Microsoft listened. Infinite is on Content Updates now instead of Seasons - dwindling playerbase and less excitement. If MS wants the franchise to thrive, that's free money and the same could essentially be said for Gears bringing them abroad.

FinalFantasyFanatic15d ago

@Tacoboto,
To be fair, Halo Infinite had a rocky start to begin with, I think they improved for a while, but fell behind again.

shinoff218314d ago

The writings on the all in huge fking letters. Just read it.

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phoenixwing15d ago

I don't blame Phil for that in the slightest. If you were offered to be an executive of a company 9 out of 10 ppl would take the job for the salary and give little crap about how they feel about any given product they sell. He's not wrong that capitalism drives greedy companies but you have to take the good with the bad.

staticall15d ago

@phoenixwing
But the person is doing a bad job and the company (including customers) are suffering because of that, how can you not blame him? The reason for high paying is the decisions you make and the responsibility you take for your actions steering the company in the right direction (if company is doing bad, it's your fault; if company is doing good, it's because of your decisions).

It reminds me of that South Park Bill Owens parody ("Follow that egg" episode), a governor who wants all the money and recognition/respect, but doesn't want to take any responsibility, how backwards is that?!

Petebloodyonion14d ago

@Staticall
Agree but what are your metrics for doing a bad job?
Is Microsoft's share value tanking due to its decision?
Is brand awareness worse than in 2016?

As someone who works in investment, this is how I see it and why Spencer's still around.
1) Grow the Xbox brand awareness by including PC and Gamepass making it a stronger brand by name versus 2015.
2) Showed a plan to evolve profitability by having multiple sources of recurrent income with Gamepass, PC gaming, streaming, and now other platforms
3) made new market integration possible via PC and cloud.
4) Can make hard decisions for the good of the company like cutting jobs.

staticall14d ago

@Petebloodyonion
I would say, we shouldn't look at Microsoft themselves, they have a ton of revenue streams - Windows sales, hardware sales, Office sales, Azure, government contracts, certification programs, etc. We need to look at Xbox - hardware sales are in decline (Xbox 360 > Xbox One > Xbox Series S + X combined). GamePass subscribers aren't growing enough and, according to the Microsoft docs, are at plateau. Games sales are abysmal (both physical and digital, thanks to "Day one on GamePass"). Xbox exclusives doesn't exist anymore (every game is coming to PC). And it didn't start yesterday, this was happening for a long-long time.

In my eyes, brand recognition doesn't mean much, if it doesn't translate to console sales, because Phil took away every reason to buy Xbox console for a regular customer (i used to own Xbox 360 and saw 0 reasons to own Xbox One or Xbox Series).

I would also argue that he didn't make any hard decisions, at least when it comes to games: Crackdown 3, Redfall, Halo Infinite - he was saying that those games are looking fine only to be laughed at on presentation/release. But i would consider that a low blow, because he did cut some jobs. But not from top management (who are responsible for the decisions).

In my eyes, as a console owner/gamer, doing good job as a platform holder = supporting your console with high quality exclusive games (like Nintendo and Sony are doing). I'm fine with releasing the games afterwards on PC, but not right away (otherwise, what's the point of a console?!). Extra services are fine (like PS+ or GamePass, or cloud stuff), but they wouldn't be a reason to buy a console for me. Phil is overfocusing on extra services, not on games. And it doesn't work out and haven't worked out for what, 10 years already? Sorry, i feel like i'm rambling at this point.

Nooderus14d ago

He's a Microsoft executive. Duh

S2Killinit14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Agree except I think the real snake is MS itself. They are a terrible company. This clown is just the hired man for the job.

phoenixwing14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Thats basically what I'm trying to say and if you really want to get down to it. It's the board of directors for the company who makes this stuff happen.

jznrpg14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

@Phoenixeing it’s his job as the head of the division to tell those people I think you are wrong and for success we need to this - that’s literally his job. MS motto is a big problem and Phil going a long with it is also his fault. He’s the one guy who can say something.

Abear2114d ago

Agreed they are the problem.

M$ doesn’t care about the quality of the game, they care about the profitability of the game.

When you work for a Co. like M$ you know this. It’s all about money—not the “art” or what’s healthy in the industry for devs and/or the consumers.

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M3talDiamond15d ago

First its Gen Z now its capitalism but we can all agree that it definitely isn't Phil

JackBNimble14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

If it wasn't for capitalism there would be no xbox or Microsoft for that matter. But as the head of xbox division it is his responsibility no matter good or bad .... that's what it means to be the boss. If that's to much for him, then he needs to resign.

-Foxtrot15d ago

Kind of funny because when it comes to capitalism Microsoft is one of those great big American companies that just screams it.

They spent billions on Minecraft, Zenimax and Activision yet couldn't afford to save all those jobs they cut. With the money they make within a year they could have, someway.

PhillyDonJawn15d ago ShowReplies(3)
FinalFantasyFanatic15d ago

They've been swallowing up a lot of AI companies too and spending big on that area.

S2Killinit14d ago

If MS gets into AI they will cause the end of humanity the way they are causing the end of console gaming.

FinalFantasyFanatic13d ago

@S2Killinit,

It's between Microsoft and Google, the chances are one of those two will take the AI crown considering the amount of cash they're throwing at that sector. I suppose Microsoft might be the worst out of the two, but Google hasn't been exactly great compared to the old days when they threw around their old adage of "do no evil".

Silly Mammo14d ago

MS is making millions of dollars annually with the Xbox brand. Unfortunately, they're spending billions on acquisitions too

8bitAssassin14d ago

Game Pass games are not free.

Christopher14d ago

He also blames his bank account balance on capitalism.

PhillyDonJawn14d ago

I don't think it work like that. MS is the parent company. The branch has its own budget to maintain.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 13d ago
thorstein15d ago

Making millions, taking million dollar salaries and bonuses but it's the dev in the chair that's preventing profit?

Yeah okay, Phil.

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320°

Phil Spencer, long cast as Xbox's saviour, may be remembered as the man who killed it

Nathan Brown: "Phil Spencer spoke to the press at GDC last week, offering some context/spin on Microsoft’s recent manoeuvres, while dropping a few now-customary hints about the Xbox division’s future plans. I take one issue with this: I am no longer sure Xbox has much of a future to speak of. Moreover: I think Phil Spencer, for so long cast as Xbox’s saviour, may ultimately be remembered as the man who killed it."

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
17d ago
gold_drake17d ago

his decisions over the years were definitely questionable at best.

but MS let him be the head of xbox for this long, so they either dont have anyone else for the job or .. we'll i dont rly know any other reason haha.

-Foxtrot17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Basically when we had that awful Xbox One reveal in 2013 and Don Mattrick was thrown under the bus as the companies scape goat Phil was pretty much the only one they had who wasn't a typical looking "corporate suit".

Despite the fact him being the head of Microsoft Game Studios and gladly going along with the lack of games nearing the end of the Xbox 360 life where it was basically Kinect, Sports, TV along with the same 3-4 IPs like Halo or Gears he was the best person they had for the job.

They didn't have anyone else basically and from that day onward he was seen as good guy Phil turning the studio around when all he was doing was reversing the silly decisions made and going along with whatever the higher ups or the board wanted for Xbox. Didn't make a difference in the end because everything they "reversed" with the awful Xbox One reveal ended up being implemented in small different ways surgically in recent years with Gamepass.

The guy apparently is such a huge gamer yet played Crackdown 3 and Redfall, thought they were good and released them anyway in those states.

PapaBop17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Not a typical looking corporate suit? The guy straight up looks like a used car salesman lol. To be fair, after Mattrick, I think anyone with half a brain could succeed him and look semi decent, whenever I think of his name, I immediately remember that "this is how to share your games" video from Sony.

S2Killinit17d ago

when I look at him, its cringe. The guy dresses casually to fool people. But he is as corporate as it gets.

fr0sty16d ago

His cocky smirk I've always found to be incredibly annoying...

MrDead16d ago

I would say his "why bother making games when others are already" decision is what has lead them here. MS does this, but they just buy companies that they want to do a thing then asset strip it and dump it, you can't do that in gaming.

Tody_ZA16d ago

He's the head of Xbox because Microsoft isn't a gaming company and they haven't done anything for gaming in more than a decade. They're a parent company looking to buy more kids to raise as investments. They will profit off ownership, off their games releasing on other platforms, because they can't create anything themselves. Slowly they'll make Xbox as a console completely irrelevant under the mantra of play anywhere. That's why Phil is still there. He shares their corporate vision of making bucks and doing nothing for the gaming industry.

SubtilizZer17d ago

“If they don’t have a story these days they’ll make one”
Drake.

RhinoGamer8817d ago

Phil's top skill is keeping his job, growing his net worth to over $25million, all while underperforming...

SeTTriP17d ago

Gotta respect it, he went from a gaming studio head to making 70billion dollar deals...he is the main character I gotta admit.he looks fun to hang around too.

MrDead16d ago

...why do I feel like I need a shower after reading that? One of the grossest thing I've heard, S tier blowing bubbles grovelling.

jznrpg16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

I don’t respect moves that make gaming worse long term

XBManiac16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

(Phil 'wait for next year' Spencer)
Microsoft made the 71,933 millions deal because it was already started and, with Microsoft, it is not possible to go back and stop it. Does anybody think that deal would be an option in 2023 or 2024, with the nowadays sitiation of the industry? And in 2022? No, nobody would pay that money for Activision-blizzard-king... because it would not be recovered in more than 20 years of really hard and good work. Everybody are selling for less, not buying for more (Embracer, Tencent...). But bad decisions in a company like Microsoft are impossible to fix. It is like a very big Ministery, where if something starts, it can't be stopped. It happened before and Microsoft will do the same again, as they have enough money to burn... well... I hope, because if Microsoft dies... it will be the end of our known world. What could substitute it?

_Decadent_Descent16d ago

I mean, that does take a certain skill. lol

FinalFantasyFanatic16d ago

I guess he has skill as a salesman, look how long he managed to get people to wait on Xbox.

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