Xbox’s head of first-party publishing discusses the console’s new games-focused direction

Microsoft’s has a large lineup of upcoming games on the such as Crackdown, Quantum Break, Scalebound and Recore. Shannon Loftis, head of first-party publishing at Microsoft Studios, is in charge of the development of all of these titles.

[raggy-rocket]

I wonder if they'd had this game-focused direction at the design stage of the Xbox One, things might have turned out better than they were intended to. I also wonder if they'd shown something like Crackdown potential at launch, whether people would have been more accepting of the original vision.

Oh well, all in the past. Good leader now, glad Xbox is back on track and imo more game focused than they've ever been in my experience (since early 360 days). I already know 10 games I want in 2016 and 9 are full Xbox exclusives.

Bring on Gears Ultimate, Halo 5, Fallout 4, Just cause 3 and Battlefront 3 this year already! It gets said every year but this year and next I truly believe is the best lineup for gaming in general for a VERY long time. The amount of great games coming is jaw-dropping.

[LifeInNZ]

I wonder if the X1 had been more powerful than the PS4 if they'd been able to stay their original course. However, as you say its all in the past but I wonder how it will effect the design for the Xbox Two....assuming their will be a successor.

Personally I cannot recall a time I was so excited about the plethora of upcoming releases on both platforms. In my younger years I would have considered myself in heaven! Now I have family and work commitments all the upcoming games do is serve as a reminder that I no longer have the time to play I once did :-( Well, that's the excuse I'm using when my kids kick my a$$ in nearly every game I play against them....grrrr.

[donthate]

Probably not, because MS determined they needed at least 8 GB RAM and the only surefire way to ensure that is within reasonable price as to go DDR3.

Sony made a bet on GDDR5 and expected to put in 4 GBs instead, but 8 GB GDDR5 modules was possible at a reasonable cost. This is consistent with how Sony designed the PS3, high bandwidth over quantity.

Whereas MS focused on high quantity of bandwidth and fix it with ES-RAM and intelligent design.

So basically by the time you figure out what is happening it is far too late to make changes.

[supaflypriest]

Amen to the family and work commitments...I just don't have the time that I once did to really play...

[StrayaKNT]

Yeah I'm excited too man! Xbox One lineup is absolutely crazy! On the cloud:

"I suspect it’s going to change the way people think about creating games."

"So yeah, I do think that this is the start of a new wave"

Power of the Cloud! I cant wait to see what Microsoft unleashes with this.

Next year will be crazy with Recore, Scalebound, Crackdown, Quantum Break and Horizon 3!

For me the Xbox One has the best games in a big way. Phil Spencer has done an amazing job!

[FlexLuger]

"I wonder if the X1 had been more powerful than the PS4 if they'd been able to stay their original course. However, as you say its all in the past but I wonder how it will effect the design for the Xbox Two....assuming their will be a successor. "

Oh...This generation will certainly have an effect on the shape of the next box. Resolution gate, third party games that dont perform on an xbox as well as or better than their rival( this is the first console cycle where they have had these disadvantages and Im sure it will be the last)and of course they wont be letting any expensive peripherals bog down dev budget on the console.

expect the next xbox to be the most powerful console of its generation. Along with MS current direction for xbox evolving...That thing is gonna be beast in terms of power, OS and features. Day one. And it will be the losses taken in this gen that will have MS coming back for blood when the slate is clean again, for a new console cycle.

For now though we have lots of games to look forward to. :)

[MrSec84]

Phil's been in charge of game development at Microsoft Studios since 2009, I'm sure he was able to have his say back then on what games go into development and even after 5/6 years Microsoft's output is still very poor.

I really don't know why people think that Phil has made huge changes to XBox One's library just because he's now in charge of Xbox.
He's been outright responsible for Xbox's game development since 2009, with his job being to manage all of the studios and anything gaming related since that time.

Phil's had the power to source new development talent, create studios and find new IPs, yet there's been practically nothing developed internally at MS for XBox for years.

I'm sure Phil even had his say about the technology that went into Xbox One, Kinect and the always online stuff, because that directly effected what games could be done on the system.
Memory is the biggie, going with eSRAM effected how much DIE space was available for the GPU and that outright effected the scale of the canvas that Xbox One is.

Phil isn't some saving grace that Xbox One fans make him out to be, hell Sunset Overdrive was the last exclusive on XB1, Forza 6 is the next one, yet there will have been 10 & a half months between exclusives releasing, there was over 6 months between exclusive releases before that.
Kinect Sports Rivals was the last 1st party exclusive, so Microsoft's 1st party output has been woeful at best, all with Phil Spencer making the decisions on what games come to Xbox platforms since 2009.

I can't believe that Phil couldn't have pushed for more exclusives to be developed for either Xbox One or 360 over all of his time as boss of Microsoft Studios, that was his job and he's done a very poor one so far.
I'm sure I'll get negged for this, but it has to be said.

[_-EDMIX-_]

They are no longer only focused on XONE exclusives as much as software on both PC and XONE. Also Phil can really only do as much as MS will allow, how do you know MS isn't the one that told him to hold off certain titles?

Though I agree with you to a degree, their focus now is not making only XONE titles and its likely been that way for a while as they are focusing on software for both PC and XONE.

If MS wants that, Phil can't just go against them and do this own thing, he still works for MS.

Some where along the way, MS like didn't want what was happening with Don and fans bashing the system and seeked to get someone like Phil to bring games on both platforms to get them money.

They are done trying focus only on a "plastic device" as Phil put it.

[donthate]

Let me see?

Because MS has been delivering on the exclusives, and Sony has turned into the old MS with no exclusives and mostly 3rd party deals?

The president of the division sets the "goal" or "vision", and as such Phil Spencer can voice his opinion, but it doesn't change what he has to do to align himself with those goals.

Now that Phil Spencer is in charge, he changed the vision to "Xbox is going to be the best place to game on" and he has delivered that in the span of 1-year. Amazing!

Now the motto is "Windows/Xbox will be the best place to game on" and that is coming along nicely too.

Very happy about the MS new focus, especially so early in the generation when there is a lot less games to pick from.

"Memory is the biggie, going with eSRAM effected how much DIE space was available for the GPU and that outright effected the scale of the canvas that Xbox One is."

Yet, we cannot tell or see it. That is a testament to MS engineering and design.

"Phil isn't some saving grace that Xbox One fans make him out to be, hell Sunset Overdrive was the last exclusive on XB1, Forza 6 is the next one, yet there will have been 10 & a half months between exclusives releasing, there was over 6 months between exclusive releases before that."

Yet in the next 18-months, Xbox One is the best place to game on with massive output. It isn't like the competition is doing anything better in the past 2-years. In fact, their output has been worse than MS!

"I can't believe that Phil couldn't have pushed for more exclusives to be developed for either Xbox One or 360 over all of his time as boss of Microsoft Studios, that was his job and he's done a very poor one so far."

I think the fact that you bring it up shows the fear MS has put into fanatics when they are essentially grasping at straws and attempting to spread FUD.

There is no longer anything to attack, but just outright spread lies and fear.

No worries, MS is gaining momentum fast!

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Donthate= "Because MS has been delivering on the exclusives, and Sony has turned into the old MS with no exclusives and mostly 3rd party deals?"

Sure bud.

PS4 had more exclusives right now then XONE, Sony owns more studios then MS and STILL has more to show.

I mean...you can clearly look up how much are on each system and right now PS4 has more, PS3 last gen had more and unless the same studios are not making any more games....they still have more lol.

Still waiting on Sucker Punch's new IP.

Quanitic Dreams new IP

Sony Bend's new IP

PD's GT entry

and other Sony studios.

Marked as troll. You could like XONE, not biggie, I understand, but lets not just make up objective points.

The reality is ....they factually had more last gen, they factually have more this gen. Thats not a subjective point, its very much a fact.

Add in all their Japanese based exclusives from Square, Namco, Sega, NIS, and other publishers and its a landslide.

Sony's MS last gen? When did they start only releasing titles in fall and only backing 4 ips all gen that they did last? Um...sure bud.

Marked as trolling.

[MrSec84]

@EDMIX: Even as far as games for windows goes the output from 1st party has been very little, it's Phil's responsibility to build studios, hire talent and coax new IPs and desirable games out of that staff, but the output has been very lacking in comparison to Sony or Nintendo.
That's Phil's responsibility since 2009, yet we're only going to start getting anything major at the end of this year, after some 18 months without anything from 1st party.

Phil's position is just like Shuhei's, until recently, they both have their say in what they need for games, be it budget or stuff to do with hardware for a new platform.

@donthate: Except the difference in what either platform can do is night and day, not only from a visual standpoint, but also in sheer scale of what's possible on each.

PS4 allows for huge open world games like Horizon, that have fully destructible environments and visuals that put the best linear games like Quantum Break to shame.
Infamous Second Son is a technically more demanding game than QB, within an open world sandbox.

The choices of RAM and added GPU tech allow PS4 to use entirely new rendering methods, as seen in Dreams, something that XB1 cannot do.

So actually yes you can tell the difference, when developers take advantage of the differences and that's happening in the exclusives.

Halo 5 should be a flagship game from not only a visual POV, but also in the tech department, yet 343 has trouble running it at a solid 60FPS at even 720p level resolutions (visually it looks barely any better than Halo 4), even though the physics are all scripted, non-dynamic events and there's no advanced AI in play to speak of.

Scalebound doesn't even come close to the level of freedom, physics or visuals of Horizon, hell the main character's face looks entirely flat, with no realistic features, yet the game slows to a crawl and the detail just isn't there.

No Phil has been in a position to effect Xbox since 2009, he is one of the people that the hardware architects would have spoken to about what was needed from XB1 at a crucial development point for the system.
He has games like Phantom Dust announced before they've even begun development, like Scalebound and Crackdown 3 or even Quantum Break all of which were announced well over a year ago, yet they're all only just now coming in 2016, except for PD which no one has a clue about.

No XB1 isn't the best place to play in the next 18 months, PS4's had more exclusives throughout it's lifespan.
In the next 18 months of PS4 the output puts XB1 to shame, which has been the case since day one.

Under Phil's control there's been very little change in game output, which he's been responsible for for well over 5 years, plenty of time to concept games and have them ready for release in the launch window and constantly throughout, but we get over 18 months without a release from 1st party or 10 months without an exclusive at all on XB1.

All I'm doing is speaking the truth, EDMIX saw that.
You're just defensive because you know I'm right!

[Pogmathoin]

Yet, donthate gives his opinions, which believe it or not, is allowed here, even if positive to MS, and Edmix keeps calling him out as trolling.... And that is allowed here it seems.... MS has made many mistakes, but they are walking in the right direction, and trolls like edmix, who likes to spend his days on Xbox articles, rather than play all those exclusives on PS4, are scared of seeing Xbox become more positive, become the dominant brand they were the last gen....

[_-EDMIX-_]

" I also wonder if they'd shown something like Crackdown potential at launch, whether people would have been more accepting of the original vision."

Nope.

It has nothing to do with what cloud can do, it has to do with why is it being forced.

The feature is internet based, thus...the game shall merely be an online focused game. Thats it.

Why would the system some how have to only be forced to be online for a game that is going that direction and only certain games?

Could they not merely have it JUST like online features today and on when you want it and off for others?

I'm sorry but I don't like folks who keep trying to make it sound as if MS's "vision" HAD to be FORCED.

They could have offered 2 skus, mind you of a system and a game.

Online only sku of a system or a install only version of the game.

Do we not have many skus now? Did 360 not launch with many skus? Do are games not come with many skus already? From languages, regions, special editions, GOTY versions etc.

Its not a matter of what cloud could do, its matter of why is it being forced to begin with?

If they want to make a series off online only titles...I don't really see the point in having an online only system when that is game focused, not system focused.

Having FFXIV on PS3 and PS4 right now don't require the system to be online all day for any reason, merely just to play the actual game. Sounds to me like they where making a decision for 3rd parties as if they had anything do with their software plans.

So have an online only system for a publisher with online only games, disregarding that its MS that is actually doing this and not all 3rd parties?

There is no excuse. They had it locked for a reason, they had check ins for a reason, they had 1 sku for a reason.

It was about taking away options, it was not about offering a choice, anything but.

I think they have something going for them with cloud stuff like Crackdown 3 has been showing, but it ironically proves that folks were correct to question XONE's um "vision" when it was first announced.

Like the cloud stuff you saw?

Kool huh?

Yet....it exist without those only online drm features huh? Sooooooo clearly they themselves are proving every day that their approach with XONE to give those cloud features was BS all along. It exist, it was shown working, not only online drm junk made it happen. You can clearly play Crackdown 3 on your XONE without having to have a certain XONE.

All this proves is that you didn't need what they claimed to make it work.

I don't have to have a drm only locked online PS4 to play PS Now, you don't need a online only DRM XONE to play Crackdown 3's cloud MP, you merely need to go online and that is the way it should have been from the very start.

I wasn't ok with it then, I'm still not ok with it now ,regardless of how amazing cloud is.

Again...is it not working with Crackdown 3? I saw huge buildings coming down and amazing visuals to boot, so why force the whole install base on this online only drm feature when you can do it right now without the force?

I like the feature, I don't like MS approach, what they did had nothing to do with cloud ,it had to do with seeking to control the market and cut out used games.

Lets not pretend it had to do with cloud. You have it now without their fancy bs so I don't see any reason to defend such junk.

[donthate]

"I think they have something going for them with cloud stuff like Crackdown 3 has been showing, but it ironically proves that folks were correct to question XONE's um "vision" when it was first announced.

Like the cloud stuff you saw?

Kool huh?

Yet....it exist without those only online drm features huh? Sooooooo clearly they themselves are proving every day that their approach with XONE to give those cloud features was BS all along. It exist, it was shown working, not only online drm junk made it happen. You can clearly play Crackdown 3 on your XONE without having to have a certain XONE."

I think you missed at least a few things here:

a) without the requirement of being always online, single player games can not take advantage of cloud compute. This directly affects Crackdown 3, and will affect other games. We have been held back here!

b) with the requirement of being always online, ensured the console was favored by consumers that are likely to be online a lot with a good connection. This means cloud compute games can expect a higher bandwidth and lower latency requirement making those games better.

Can you imagine if MS said with the original Xbox to have a modem, because a lot of people at the time were still not on DSL/high speed internet?

Xbox Live feature set and gaming experience would have grown at a lot slower pace maybe to the point of Xbox 360 experience this generation. We all know Sony was so far behind that they too basically the entire generation to try and catch up, and even to this day PSN cannot match Xbox Live.

Basically we are seeing with Crackdown only a fraction of what it could have been. Sadly we were held back in both digital games right (yes, MS plan is far friendlier for consumers than the status quo we have now) and cloud compute due to this!

Digital games do not have trade-in rights, lending rights or even gifting rights. You would have had that with MS original proposal!

This is hugely innovative, because no other digital game system does it right now or has this planned in!

Source here:
http://news.xbox.com/2013/0...

Note, that MS refers to "disc" games to avoid further confusion and subsequent panic. All games (on disc or not) were digital period.

People will deny this, because they either refused to see it, or lack the intelligence to understand it.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Donthate-

"without the requirement of being always online, single player games can not take advantage of cloud compute. This directly affects Crackdown 3, and will affect other games. We have been held back here"

Because MS doesn't own any servers right bud?

So force everyone to be online only to give you a feature?

How about you merely, let see...pay a monthly price to pay for said servers to make such ambitious game feasible that isn't the norm of gaming, if only their was such a model laid out for such a thing.

Something for upkeep and to pay for the servers to make such a game work for that 1 game and not the system in general.

Hummmm who knows. I guess its never been done before for any game. /s

" with the requirement of being always online, ensured the console was favored by consumers that are likely to be online a lot with a good connection. This means cloud compute games can expect a higher bandwidth and lower latency requirement making those games better"

Easy bud, then make a online only sku with those games being only on that system. Simple.

[Pogmathoin]

Always online was a good idea, we are there already, except Sony, who consistently fail with PSN outages...

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Wow, its amazing how far these gaming machines have went. "The consoles new game focused direction" These machines should always be about gaming. I get it they can do more thanks to last gen but its foundation was to entertain us a an interactive video form.

Its just funny to see "MS new gaming direction" Sure MS wanted they could rip the gaming guts out of it and turned it into some kind of Roku but I dunno its still a gaming platform there's no renewed focus if Xbox is still a gaming machine and still plays games and marketed as such.

[lemoncake]

Great to see Microsoft pushing out more games and also taking more risks with new AAA ips also.

[tinynuggins]

"Q: Are there any other developers you can talk about right now that are using the Xbox One’s cloud technology?

Loftis: Many people are exploring it. I’m aware of a couple of other developers that are anxiously waiting for us to finish our code so we can hand it off to them. So yeah, I do think that this is the start of a new wave."

This is what I'm most excited about. I want a destructible world with 100,000 zombies on screen. Come on capcom!

[LifeInNZ]

100,000 zombies on screen!?! Even with cloud compute your local GPU has to display the objects. Not sure either console leveraging cloud compute could achieve some numbers. Not unless each zombie consisted of only a handfull of polygons and repeating textures.

[Scottyxboxoneandps4]

Games focused direction? Who'd of thought it eh,for a GAMES console!!!

[Spotie]

So what was their focus before?

[freshslicepizza]

what was your interest in the xbox before and what is it now, that's really the only explanation needed. it was always about games but they spent too much time with kinect. that's changed. so now what? you never tell anyone what it is microsoft needs to do to get you excited for the system. are you a consumer or just a bystander who's not interested no matter what?

[Pogmathoin]

A GAMES console that does so much more!

[DragonDDark]

I just want games not TV stuff.

[meganick]

I'm quite impressed with how Microsoft has turned around the X1 since the botched reveal of the console and all the ridiculous drm and policies associated with it. I look forward to getting that sexy blue Forza model X1 on Sept. 15.

[SquidBuck]

I'm still sticking with my PS4. I'll get an xbox eventually, just have to make sure MS keeps it about games and not just for this holiday and the upcoming year. I honestly have no use for many of either consoles features, other than the ability to play games and watch movies.

[RustyShackleford]

Microsoft needs to let Phil, and only Phil, deal with the media. He's at least brought them one step forward after that horrendous reveal. This guy might have just brought them two steps back with saying now they're focusing on games.

[tigertron]

The Xbox brand was in a horrible position in 2013 as Microsoft completely alienated customers. Now things have changed for the better and the Xbox One really is a great console now.