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Scalebound cancellation was a "difficult decision" says Phil Spencer

"Im confident in 17 lineup thats our focus”

Spencer responds to disappointed fans on twitter regarding the cancellation of Scalebound.

Gazondaily3078d ago

Don't see how it's "good for gamers" Lol. He may be confident in the 2017 lineup for Xbox but I sure am not. Here's hoping he knows something we don't...

-Foxtrot3078d ago

I love that he's sticking to this "4 the gamers" bullshit

Can he become any more transparent

Yet people will continue to defend him because now he'll get his blind followers to hype up E3 for them since he's making out he did it because there's more to show off now.

Gazondaily3078d ago

What he should do is tweet saying:

"Its over guys. Finished. Pack up your bags xbox gamers. We are done."

This is business and he has a job to instill confidence in consumers right.

"since he's making out he did it because there's more to show off now."

He did what? I dont see him making it out that he did 'it' because there's more to show.

He does state that it was a hard decision but tries to reinforce confidence in the 2017 lineup. We as fans may not be confident but it's his job to allay fears.

People need to stop seeing him as some evil mastermind.

-Foxtrot3078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

What do you mean you don't see that

"I'm confident in 17 lineup which is our focus"

Making out like there's more to come when really there won't be. Most of the titles at E3 will be for next year and Scorpio will be used to deflect their game problem

People need to stop seeing him as the god damn messiah.

gangsta_red3078d ago

@Fox

Pretty sure it's twitter speak since they have a limited number of characters.

Gazondaily3078d ago

"People need to stop seeing him as the god damn messiah."

And people need to stop seeing him as Bin Laden 2.0.

The guy is the head of Xbox and of course he is going to allay fears and try and build confidence for the Xbox 2017 lineup and do damage limitation.

Yes when we can critique him on his points but to say that this guy is a liar or transplant etc is so over the top.

He is doing what he has to. Whether Xbox delivers or not is a different question entirely.

Godmars2903078d ago

Should he have the games to back up that claim?

Also, who's taking bets for Crackdown 3? Two cents just started burning holes in my pocket...

Gazondaily3078d ago

@Godmars

I might take that bet. Not because I'm confident that Crackdown development is good but because you said there was no way the Pro would be out in 2016. 😆

What's the conversion rate of two cents to pennies? (After Brexit it's probably £700)

conanlifts3078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

As a multiplatform owner who has had a bias for xbox this gen i agree. This move is not really acceptable. For me itis not about canceling a game, but more cancelling games they have advertised so much. Fable and scalebound were both hyped by ms and both cancelled. Not sure who but someone should be sacked for this. It's a poor move and put the xbox in a weak position. If they don't announce and release unknown games with Scorpio then it's not going to sell very well at all.

81BX3078d ago

This game cancellation isnt everything xbox dude. Yes it blowz hard but it isnt the only game

I_am_Batman3078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

Not sure how trustworthy those guys are but if they are to be believed it looks like MS screwed up big time.

http://i.imgur.com/j6LFpLX....

Hopefully someone spills the beans on what went wrong.

spicelicka3078d ago

Not sure what you want him to do? Not even trying to defend him but you're making it sound like he personally cancelled the game just out of spite.

DeadManMMX3078d ago

Foxtrot the last 4 years we have had games announced at E3 and launched in the same year. Because E3 and Gamescom are the only place they announce games. So yes there will be more to 2017 if history is any kind of indication.

Automatic793078d ago

@Foxtrot

It may not be the way you see it. It may be an incredible E3 and although Scalebound has been cancelled( I was disappointed), you may be jumping on the negative bandwagon to soon. Let's see how the year plays out. They say they have games than we have to give them the opportunity to show off the games.

smashman983078d ago

How is this the case? Since Phil has taken over the xbox division he's brought out backwards compatability he's opened the doors for cross platform play. And He's generally always around for fans of Xbox. He knows fans have been hurting for some jp flavor on xbox. He knows scalebound cancellation is a tough call to make. And honestly if he had let scalebound release we'd all being having conversation about how xbox doesn't care about fans and they release buggy games that aren't ready. Its a classic no-win situation.

joab7773078d ago

It's getting worrisome a bit! They have Cuphead still! Seriously though. I was a bit worried about the PC gaming and how that would effect sales of software and the Scorpio! Now, though it is expensive, we are seeing services offered that stream ultra PC setting games. MS better get back to the drawing board and figure out what they wanna do!

bouzebbal3077d ago

Of course he has to say he is confident... imagine he says the opposite!!
Honestly, this cannot be good for xbox owners.. So many have been hyping this game.
Now they have a year where they have to release games AND a new hardware. No idea how they will make all this happen.
i say good luck.

candystop3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

Definitely not good for Xbox gamers but good if you could probably see it from Spencer's perspective. Ok so E3 is around the corner and the game hasn't progressed at all over the year. Then you hear the developer has claimed mental issues and you're stuck showing the same progess from last year. Platinum games has dropped the ball here. MS needs studios and games not developers looking for a pay day. I was in the Fable beta and that game sucked more and more with each update. MS needs to do something big here but I can see if my theory is right why Phil was like "wtf is up with these guys at platinum games."

IamTylerDurden13077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

Yeah, Major Nelson already started the e3 countdown. By hyping things to come "down the road" it tells me you don't have much going on here and now. It takes focus off the lack of games coming over the next few months.

Septic,

Well Phil is a bit of a liar, he pretended Inside was a legit exclusive 2 weeks before it released. He also listed Scalebound first on the list of big 2017 exclusives that he was excited about.

https://www.vg247.com/2016/...

IGiveHugs2NakedWomen3077d ago

@Foxtrot

Phil Spencer is a damage controlling, PR man. That's it.

sk8ofmnd3077d ago

But what does this say about other ms console exclusives we havent heard a peep from? Sea of thieves, halo wars 2, state of decay 2, forza... Im confident halo wars 2 and forza is still comming but what about everything else?

kayoss3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

Sure, great way to build confident in your fans and consumers by cancelling games. Microsoft talk the talk, but rarely do they walk the walk.

Angeljuice3077d ago

@Foxtrot

I agree, check out this tweet on the matter from an Xbox fan;

"Obviously the cancelation sucks but he's still doing a great job and said it's for the better"

You could murder their entire family, as long as Spencer says "it's for the better" they'd be cool with it.

Obviously it isn't all Xbox fans, but it is sad that some except whatever they're told without questioning. How can cancelling a Japanese flavoured action RPG (with dragons), possibly be for the better on a system that lacks any real diversity in it's lineup?

dadano3077d ago Show
Goldby3077d ago

@Septic

"Yes when we can critique him on his points but to say that this guy is a liar or transplant etc is so over the top."

but he has lied. many times about things, im not saying the others dont do that, but we are talking about xbox right now, and Phil spencer the head of xbox, and the guy who gives the final thumbs up or thumbs down is caught saying things that the business he is running downs follow.

he doesn't like Timed exclusive deals, and said that after the BS marketing for Rise of the Tomb Raider, and then oks a timed exclusive deal for Dead Rising 4.

Spoke about the cloud like the was the be all and end all for Xbox, so far its been used in Forza for Ai and Titan Fall1

spoke about how DX12 saving the world, when the DX11 version of QB runs way better than the Windows 10 store version.

XanderZane3077d ago

@I_am_Batman
From what I heard, there were a lot of milestones missed and because of that, payments weren't being sent out to Platium Games. The developers weren't happy about it. It seems like this wasn't the first time that milestones were missed. Game may not have been finished in 2017.

pinkcrocodile753077d ago

Jesus H Christ (H for Herbert)!!

It's a game, it's not the end of civilisation. Sh!t happens so let them deal with it.

No need to be a be!!end about it

UltraAtomic3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

Even though this game is cancelled. Spencer has done a good job with xbox. He's given them a good free with gold line up, good Xbox live experience, halo 5 was good, Forza I heard was good aswell. Truth is compared to where Xbox was at in the beginning. They have changed tone since launch because of this guy.

Listen I don't want to end this conversation into a fanboy war or anything like that but lets be honest here

PlayStation and Xbox are the same. The only difference is there games. And if people like Japanese video games and some really good looking games but gameplay kinda EEEEEEEEEEEEEE then ps4.

Xbox caters more to the shooter fans. If you like shooter games with online gameplay but weak story then pick Xbox. Other than that, same crap.

+ Show (23) more repliesLast reply 3077d ago
conanlifts3078d ago

Surely they have multiple unannounced games left for 2017. I think one of their messages said they had unannounced games for this year. If they do not then they are in serious trouble. Few people will buy scorpio for the games currently announced. Particularly if sony release their announced games without delaying them. While sony have a habit of delaying games MS are developing a habit of cancelling games they have spent so much time hyping up. This move is unusual when it was supposedly so close to release.

Christopher3078d ago

In 2017? Yes.
For 2017? Not likely.

Kenshin_BATT0USAI3077d ago

I mean it doesn't really matter, how important could a title announced this year and released this year be? Clearly not that important if it wasn't at last year's e3.

conanlifts3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

@kenshin @christopher you might be right. But i am not convinced they won't treat scorpio like a new console with a handful of new games releasing alongside it to boost sales. Of course i admit this is as much a hope as anything else.

Godmars2903078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

"And people need to stop seeing him as Bin Laden 2.0."

Who ever called him that? I for one only ever saw him as someone who had to clean up someone else's mess and was given no time to do it. Much less any in which to begin making any impact of his own.

Scalebound was announced along with the XB1, right along with Crackdown 3. Spencer being shoved into the driver's seat didn't save one of those titles and it certainly hasn't lowered concerns for the other as silence over it only lingers.

Gazondaily3078d ago

"Scalebound was announced along with the XB1"

No it wasn't. It was unveiled at E3 2014.

gamer78043078d ago

Agreed, first they promised a good fantasy coop gaming fable legends, then near release cancelled it, now another fantasy coop game near release cancelled. This makes it very hard to get excited about anything they announce at e3 for fear of anything funded by microsoft will be cancelled. I sure hope they have another amazing new fantasy coop game to show at e3, and one thats near release already if they are going to keep doing this.

darthv723078d ago

SB was not near release. It wasnt even progressing as quickly as their other games despite being allotted another year.

rainslacker3077d ago

Better yet a solid Fantasy game that is SP, so it doesn't have to rely on some co-op online nonsense which complicates and dilutes game play to shoehorn in a feature where most of the fan base for these kinds of games don't really care about in the first place.

RosweeSon3078d ago

He better know a lot we don't Halo Wars 2 great for the fans a new Forza, yawn. Halo 6 and gears 5? Crackdown 3 looks promising and Rare used to be fantastic although not sure on their new game. Xbox is looking dire E3 better be rammed with exclusive games for them otherwise it's back to PS4 and a New Switch for me 2017.

Godmars2903078d ago

"I might take that bet. Not because I'm confident that Crackdown development is good but because you said there was no way the Pro would be out in 2016. 😆"

Know I've repeatedly said that if the 360 and PS3 had released a year or two later than they did things might have been better in general, but the Pro? Not that its really worth mentioning.

And I said cents not pence. Or whatever English call money. A cent is a penny.

Angeljuice3077d ago

One cent is currently 0.785 pence, you're trying to con him out of 0.43 pence you scoundrel.

Godmars2903077d ago

@Angeljuice:
Meh, from what I know it cost more to make a penny than its worth, there's no real need to make anymore and they can even be done away with, but are still being made because of political reasons. So there's that.

oasdada3078d ago

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Overload3078d ago

This is why I only have a 360.

trooper_3078d ago

That's why I avoided the XBox brand.

XanderZane3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

Weird, gamers got over the PS3, PSP Go and MOVE foolishness just fine. Fool me twice? lol!! People have been fooled 3, 4 & 5 times. Don't really think that's the issue. If that were the case, gamers would never buy any game consoles and just stick with PC's.

@spectre_
Yes and gamers have avoided the PC, Nintendo, Sega & Sony brands as well and missed out on lots of great gaming in the past. *shrug* You aren't the first gamer to avoid brands. Don't see your point.

_-EDMIX-_3078d ago

I thought these guys had a ace lineup?

Something is deeply wrong if a single game missing ruins your entire year..

Do you now understand why I stated Microsoft has a house of cards in regards the first party?

gamer78043077d ago

the problem is, within the timeline of a year, 2 games that were pretty far along were cancelled, and one game (phantom dust) was basically cancelled, now relegated to just a remaster of the old game. This doesn't give much hope to any new IP announced at E3 funded by MS.

Angeljuice3077d ago

They seem to be putting all their efforts into Scorpio and skimping on game/developer support this year.

joab7773078d ago

It's his job to be confident but Sony's exclusives are murderer's row this year and next. Scorpio better come BIG! Without software it's gonna be rough b/c Sony will just price drop the shit out of their slim and Pro models!

trooper_3078d ago

He's making excuses.

Yes Phil, run the brand further into the ground!

Unbelievable...

Bigpappy3077d ago

Good for gamers if the game is a mess and the guy who's job it is to fix it is having mental issues.
Better to kill it than try to sell it knowing it's screwed up.
I am with Phil until I have a reason not to be. This ain't it.

Angeljuice3077d ago

It is Platinum Games you're talking about, they don't produce bad games. Apparently the breakdown was something to do with the terrible treatment they were getting from Microsoft.
I don't know the details but those in the know have confirmed as much.

rainslacker3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

MS was barely holding on IMO. Scalebound and CD3, and maybe HW was about the only thing they could talk up before E3. While I'm sure they can manage to show a new game or two, there isn't much left to reveal for their internal studios, so I can't see how they can manage to somehow come out strong during E3.

I'm extremely frustrated with my X1 purchase. QB was disappointing, Scalebound is now cancelled, although I was on the fence with it after the last E3, and the best game I've played on it was an indie game in Ori. It's been a complete waste for me, and for the one game that compelled me to dive in, I found out a month after I could have just played it on my PC.

MS is screwing up left and right this gen IMO. It's more than the DRM. It's the lack of games, variety, steady stream of releases, and lack of focus on what a gaming console should be. They think more power will solve their problems, I think they're in for a huge fall if they keep doing the same crap with Scorpio.

I understand games get cancelled, or even delayed, but if you look at a game Sony cancels, they at least have 3 other games to announce to distract from it. MS distracts with promises of mythical technology, and Gears, Forza, or Halo. It's a freaking joke over at MS, and the savior Phil is getting a free pass from some Xbox fans. It's time he puts up or shuts up. All his platitudes about how great Xbox and MS mean nothing without games, and right now, they need a lot of them. "Wait for E3" from Major Nelson ain't worth crap when all this gen, that wait has never been worth it.

Sorry for the vent, but this was the last game I was hesitantly hoping would salvage my justification for spending money on the console.

MasterCornholio3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

"While I'm sure they can manage to show a new game or two,"

Forza will be one of them. As for other first party studios I really don't see anything coming from the Coalition and Rare. Maybe they have a 3rd party exclusive? But with the way the PS4 is performing on the market they have been alot more difficult to secure for Microsoft.

Edit:

Also since VR seems to be a big feature with Scorpio maybe Microsoft will announce a ton of VR games for the system. However just from reading comments on N4G I know many people will not like that.

rainslacker3077d ago

Forza is pretty much a given. Maybe Halo, and the next Gears if they want to announce early. Possibly one game squirreled away for the Scorpio reveal....which will probably be the most enticing because they need it.

VR they might make a big deal about if PSVR hype remains high.....probably a wait and see for them on that. Probably will get a mention or two, but a ton of games is hard to imagine. They were downplaying VR pretty heavy until PSVR look set to take off, now they're all about how the Scorpio can do it.

I do have this sinking feeling they're going to make Scorpio look like the best way to play, and offer up features and games which will simply run signficantly better on Scorpio in an attempt to make the OGX1 look less attractive though. I simply don't have faith that MS will support the legacy mandate for the long haul, but I don't believe they are stupid enough to completely shun the current fan base, although I'm sure they'd like that.

OTOH, I also have this feeling that Scorpio isn't what people are going to expect. Not on the spec side, that's kind of hard to peddle back on, just on what the console will actually be. I'm thinking it's going to be more like a slimmed down PC with heavy restrictions, where the console stuff still matters(ease of use and high performance vs. costs/hardware), but I imagine it's going to have a new focus for consoles to be more like a regular Windows PC, where people can do more things like they'd see on a regular PC. MS, I believe, desperately wants that segment of the market back after losing them to smart phones and other devices.

Just a hunch though, and could be complete wrong. MS could still blow everyone away. That'd be great, except for the fact that they haven't really been doing that since 2 E3's ago, where their line up has been less than stellar IMO, and since last E3, they've relied more on scant new hardware hype to remain relevant against the onslaught of games coming from Sony, and soon the new hardware, and potential new games, from Nintendo.....who itself needs a strong pre-release hype buildng machine for Switch.

Angeljuice3077d ago

@MasterCornholio

Yep, VR on Scorpio will have a tough time of it (with all the "gimmick" and "pointless" comments from Xbox fans).

Of course I know it was nothing but bluster over one of the competitors USP's. I expect a lot will have a sudden "change of heart" when VR is on Scorpio.

alstruck3077d ago

I think he meant Scorpio's upcoming 2017 launch lineup, not the One's..

wheatley3077d ago

I don't think someone who has to deal with stockholders would be saying "ah crap, that's it guys we've not got much left"

He's gonna work to build up other games in their line up so it feels like Scalebound won't be missed. Whether or not he has games to fill the void.

DivoJones3077d ago

Well it's good for Microsoft, in that they won't be forcing a release on a product doomed to fail. And good for gamers that they won't need to lie about it being ready to release when it's clearly not coming together.
Doesn't really affect me personally as I had no interest in the game in the first place, but definitely weakens their first party lineup for the year which already seemed sparse.

hamzilla3077d ago

Maybe Phil finally notices the truth and that is Sony has a legit lineup of AAA exclusive titles that they just can not match. and unless M$ merges with Steam somehow on PC their PC gaming will be lackluster at best. and unless M$ can make a merger with Blizzard they wont be gaining much or anything even with Scorpio this fall when PS4 Pro is well into its first year and we see what they can do. plus PC gaming is again on the rise with HDR/4K G-Sync monitors on the prowl finally.

Ra3v3r3077d ago

@Sk8ofmnd Sea of Thieves is definitely still coming (at the moment) as we just had a small alpha (I was one of the thousand) and the closed forums are filled with new details.

As an MS fan though it does worry me slightly that all I have as far as exclusives are games without solid release dates (SoT, Crackdown 3 and Cuphead), where as there's plenty coming for PS4 soon to keep me occupied - Neir, Horizon, KH3, Farpoint, and I know it's technically not exclusive, but I'm getting RE7 on PS4 cos you're damn right I'm playing it in VR!

Godmars2903077d ago

Know what? Still waiting on who's been calling Spencer Bin Laden 2.0. My inability to recall date or no.

AbleAmazing3077d ago

It is good for gamers if the result would've been a terrible experience. But, I feel for the team. I've been through a high-profile project cancellation before. It was devastating and I almost left the industry. So, I hope Kamiya and Co. are doing ok.

XanderZane3077d ago

Well, he says there is a 17 game lineup. I'm wondering if that is for the whole 2017 or just 1/2 the year. How many of the 17 games are games we already know about? We really need 17 games that absolutely no one is aware about. I'm happy we'll still see Sea of Thieves, Cuphead, Forza Horizon 3, Crackdown 3, Halo Wars 2, State of Decay 2, Below and a few other known Win10/XBox exclusive games, but they need to add another 20 more unknown games on top of that for 2017 if they really want to compete with Sony. They need to get exclusive games from American developers, just like Sony is getting exclusives from Japanese developers. If Namco, Sega, Atlus, Temco, etc.. can make exclusives for Sony's PS4, then EA, Activision, Bethesda, Take-Two Interaction, etc can make PC/XBox exclusives for Microsoft as well. Microsoft just has to pony up and pay for them. Or outright buy one of these companies. Microsoft is too soft. They need to be more aggressive if they want gamers to take them seriously and continue to buy their systems.

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 3077d ago
darthv723078d ago

Unless the game was not progressing at the appropriate pace (think putting more effort into other projects and not enough into this one) then it might have had to be a decision that needed to be made. Although, if MS was in charge of the IP then why not just find another developer like they are supposed to be doing with phantom dust?

Nobody likes to see games get canceled (especially the consumers) but it happens and it happens to studios that nobody wants to see close down either (evolution and lionhead come to mind). I guess it is just a matter of money and time.

Do you keep letting a studio develop at a pace that is counterproductive with a tentative release schedule that they initially said would work or do you cut the losses? That kind of decision is never easy but it isn't always so obvious a choice either.

Sciurus_vulgaris3078d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

I think the cancellation, has to due with Platinum games stretching themselves too thin. Platinum has slightly less than 200 employees, yet from 2014 onward, the company made Bayonetta 2 (which reviewed well), and the mixed to poorly received Legend of Korra, Mutants in Manhattan, Star Fox Zero/ Guard, and Transformers Devastation. Additionally, Platinum games was working on two big RPGs Scalebound and Nier, while working on the smaller projects, which is insane.

Edit: I think the cancellation of Scalebound might also be tied to the game requiring a Windows 10 version at launch. Platinum games has no (or little) experience in PC development, to my knowledge at least.

conanlifts3078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

If it is related to the windows 10 version then that would be despicable.

Sciurus_vulgaris3078d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

@ sd11 It is pretty apparent that windows 10 version of the game are forced. Windows has never relied on games to sell.

maybelovehate3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

I doubt it, all games are made on PC and tested on PC. I think they just didn't have a good game. What we saw at E3 last year looked very unfinished. And that was after 3 years of development. Rumors are their top devs just left. My guess is that the Studio and Director of the game over promised and couldn't deliver.

Sciurus_vulgaris3077d ago

@ maybelovehate, you do have a good point, but development likely started on XB1 first. I think staff at Platinum were jumping back and forth between projects. The studio was/ is making too many games at once. I can image Hideki Kamiya, wanted more people on his project and had to compete for staff with the rest of the studio.

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never4get3078d ago

http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Predicted an EPIC FAIL for games that use Unreal Engine 4. Platinum Games' Scalebound use UNREAL ENGINE 4.
Platinum Games other game, Nier Automata have no such problem. Thus Money is not an Issue. SQUARE ENIX didn't even have the money to complete FFXV and they still contracted Platinum Games to make Nier Automata, while microsoft is many times richer. UNREAL ENGINE 4 is a plague destroying developers and games.

BG115793077d ago

If what you are saying is true, than Tekken 7 is cursed too.

Automatic793078d ago

@Darthv72

I believe since Scalebound first announced 2014 they gave Platinum games 4 years(including the year the game was shown), overall platinum got an extra year and MS realized they didn't get far enough. Probably lost millions to only see small progress.

Dixiedevil3078d ago

Doesnt look like it was Platinum. Reposting from I_am_Batman: http://i.imgur.com/j6LFpLX....

The_Sage3078d ago

Well... Sony never gave up on The Last Guardian, and that worked out pretty well.

Sciurus_vulgaris3078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

Last Guardian likely had a much smaller budget than Scalebound.

darthv723078d ago

Team ico only works for sony and wasnt really working on anything but tlg. Sony had no reason to cancel so just let them work till it was done.

Bronxs153078d ago

@darthv72
finally a rational comment!

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Gaming_Cousin3078d ago

"Difficult decision, we believe result is better 4 Xbox gamers, still disappointing. "

When you have money that can reach the core of the earth how the hell is it better for Xbox gamers? Have you only spoken to 3 gamers? Why not explain wtf is going on instead of making some bs up that its better for Xbox gamers. You cannot talk for Xbox gamers when you are part of a PR team.

WickedLester3078d ago (Edited 3078d ago )

I have to correct you in one aspect . While it's true that MS has tons of money, the Xbox division is merely one department in that company and like with any department, they have an operating budget that is determined at the beginning of each fiscal year they have to stay within. Plus they're not a cost center like HR or purchasing or accounts payable. They're expected to make the company money and if they can't, they'll fall by the wayside. They don't have the "keys to the vault" just because they're part of the MS conglomerate.

BlakHavoc3078d ago

Thank you!! So tired of that baseless argument

TheColbertinator3078d ago

@WickedLester

Excellent. Glad to see some business sense on N4G.

3077d ago
Deadpooled3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

And the xbox division is making losses, obviously when a company has shareholders who can see one division is making losses that division gets less money to invest for the next fiscal year.

MasterCornholio3077d ago (Edited 3077d ago )

Something that many people say over and over again yet the truth gets ignored.

It's like the people who claim that Microsoft can just buy PlayStation and dismantle it. Then you explain the legal issues behind that and they refuse to listen.

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Bronxs153078d ago

@Gaming_Cousin
oh boy.. the industry/ business world does not work like that. Do you expect Microsoft to come out and say all the money they have wasted and all the ways they are not pleased with platinum games? you expect Microsoft to throw a game studio under the bus? if they do that what other studio would like to work with them? it's business intelligence.

n4rc3077d ago

it seems like thats what people expect... and it aint going to happen lol

why else would you cancel a game youve been investing in for years? obviously it isnt meeting expectations and no sign that it will... but its unprofessional to say they couldnt cut it, even if thats the exact reason.

maybelovehate3077d ago

I think he is saying the game wasn't good, and it was better to focus attention on a good product.

3077d ago
StormLegend3078d ago ShowReplies(3)
DevilOgreFish3078d ago

they announced this for windows 10 around 3 months ago didn't they? with 4k screens too.......
I'm just wondering about their priorities now, and the importance of their new lineup of games.

chrono12053078d ago

It might be win 10 that pushed them too far. To announce a PC port this late would put to much stress on any studio that works mostly on consoles.

ZwVw3078d ago

Good likelihood that this is the case. Judging off Fable Legends, the talk of Crackdown 3 having trouble development and now Scalebound. The common denominator is that Win10 was announced/implemented way later in the game's development.

The entire XB1/Win10 crossplay integration system feels like an entire afterthought, which is causing development cycles more harm than good. Almost makes you fearful for State of Decay 2.

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70°

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 devs praise games like Space Marine 2 for "lowering the barrier"

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.

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videogamer.com
Jingsing1d 19h ago

How about an official level editor for Boltgun?

220°

Phil Spencer Teases 2026 As A "Really Special Year" For Xbox

2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Phil Spencer has teased it as a "really special year" for the games division.

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twistedvoxel.com
TheEroica2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

You got downvotes by pathetic gamers for feeling hopeful about good games coming out next year. Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy? It is pretty neat to see people's world view blow up in front of them as they realize Microsoft has put themselves in a driver's seat that Sony hasn't been able to touch all generation.... What's even more pathetic is the same people downvoting you are the same people wishlisting Microsoft games on their ps5s 😂

P_Bomb2d ago

“Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy?”

My dude your post history shits on EVERYTHING. You never have a good thing to say about anything lol! 🤣

PanicMechanic1d 23h ago (Edited 1d 23h ago )

“Getting ready for those GaaS reveals! Sony is a shadow of themselves this gen.”

You literally said this a couple of days ago. Start applying the clown make up, you hypocritical jester

derek2d ago

Yep we'll see, they have alot releasing next year.

RaidenBlack2d ago

NGL, next year might be one of the best years in gaming ... starting off with RE9 and GTA VI ...
and then all the good games that's been cooking
Pragmata, Sands of Time, Saros, Gears E-Day, 007 First Light, Blood of Dawnwalker,
Mortal Shell II, Onimusha, Marvel1943: Rise of Hydra
current-gen only Infinity Ward's CoD, Duskbloods
+ My guess: Wolverine, Exodus, Mudang, Crimson Desert, Clockwork etc ...
~ seems like it might get too stacked

1Victor2d ago

@rokos:”Hopefully “
I downvoted you not for been hopeful but because I have seen the same “NEXT YEAR WILL BE SPECIAL “ comment for the last 10+ and hasn’t seen anything special from Microsoft.
I hope next year will be the one that everyone been waiting for since the last 3 years of the Xbox 360, it have to be after over $80 billions spent on acquisitions.

Lightning772d ago

So the new excuse is they don't count because it's from the ABK now huh. I guess all those 3rd party games count even less because they don't own them. According to your always crappy logic.

InUrFoxHole1d 18h ago

Lol. You haven't seen anything special? Do you even game?

OtterX2d ago

Always with the "next year..."! 😂

neutralgamer19922d ago

I don't know they have delivered this year and even last year. And they have a lot more content in the pipeline right now than anyone else. We can't just keep hating on MS

Indiana Jones
South of midnight
Avowed
Flight simulator
Hell Blade 2
Minecraft update
Gears of war reloaded
Indian Jones:expansion
Gears E day
Clockwork revolution
Fable
Doom the dark ages
The outer worlds 2
Grounded 2
Call of duty

OtterX2d ago

How many of those titles were just buyouts of companies that were going about making their games anyways? *Throws cash - "Oh look what we made!"

dveio2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

This list, that's been posted again, and again, and again in every single topic like this, contains almost nothing, literally almost nothing from Microsoft's own creational thoughtprocess.

It's a bunch of former 3rd party IPs.

Now even slowly returning to Playstation in some cases like Indiana, Hellblade, probably Starfield soon too, after they were made exclusively to Xbox on purpose.

Due to Microsoft's lack for own IP material except Halo & Forza. Which, the lack of, was the sole reason for all of it to happen in the first place anyway. Please don't pretend it wasn't.

And just look at all the games that come from Obsidian alone.

You really think Obsidian wasn't already working on Avowed and South of Midnight even without Microsoft buying Zenimax?

Microsoft delivered nothing but cheques.

OtterX2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

@dveio THIS. Lol, this dude thinks Call of Duty wouldn't exist without Microsoft! smh 😂

neutralgamer19922d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Common narrative I see often — that Microsoft shouldn’t get credit for the games its studios release because they “just bought them.” But this viewpoint ignores key context and sets a double standard that other platform holders aren’t held to

No one is saying these games wouldn't exist at all without Microsoft. But let’s not pretend that having a trillion-dollar company backing a studio doesn’t make a massive difference. Obsidian never had AAA funding before the Xbox acquisition. Pillars of Eternity was crowdfunded, and their resources were always stretched thin. Now they’re working on Avowed, with proper support behind it.

Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was made by around 20 people, using borrowed equipment and doing mocap in a boardroom. It was a passion project held together by tape and willpower. Today, Hellblade II exists because they were given resources, time, and freedom — something many developers don’t get unless they’re owned by a company that believes in their vision.

ZeniMax (Bethesda’s parent company) was in real financial trouble before the Microsoft acquisition. Reports and insider accounts have pointed out how much they needed a cash infusion. And while some people want to write off Xbox’s ownership of Bethesda titles, they forget the alternative could have meant layoffs or even closures.

The same goes for Activision Blizzard. Would you really prefer the company to stay under Bobby Kotick, after all the documented workplace misconduct and toxic leadership issues? Say what you want about Microsoft, but their acquisition brought accountability and change to a company that desperately needed it.

At the same time, Xbox gets hated on for doing what every major company does. Sony bought Housemarque, Bluepoint, Insomniac — but no one says Spider-Man 2 “doesn’t count” because of that. Why does Xbox get treated differently for acquiring struggling or undervalued developers and giving them a chance to thrive?

And the idea that Xbox locks games away is outdated. They're pushing cross-platform releases, cloud gaming, Game Pass, and backward compatibility more than any other platform holder. They're not forcing all studios into live service. If anything, their upcoming lineup is less GAAS-heavy and more focused on narrative and creativity — Avowed, South of Midnight, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, Perfect Dark, Towerborne, and others show real variety.

Whether people like it or not, Xbox is now the biggest publisher in the industry and owns the most gaming IPs. But what matters more is how they treat their studios. Most of these teams were previously stuck making AA games with limited scope — now they’re getting the tools and support to aim higher.

So when people say “Microsoft didn’t make those games,” they’re missing the point. It’s not about who started the studio — it’s about who enabled them to do their best work. You don’t have to love Xbox to admit they’ve helped a lot of developers and are taking a player-first approach.

Instead of writing off everything they do, maybe try recognizing the good they’re doing for both devs and gamers. At the end of the day, we should want more studios to succeed — no matter who owns them

BeHunted2d ago

I'm surprised Clockwork Revolution (BioShock meets Dishonored) isn't getting more media attention. The game looks interesting and reminds me of the old RPG games.

anast2d ago

The only good game on that list is Flight sim. The rest are either average or will be average. It's not a good look for MS.

TheEroica2d ago

My god.... Look how many comments are upset about microsoft's successes... 😂 This may be my new favorite thread. Not one gamer saying thanks for all the goodness coming their way, just bitter anger and downvoting the very games they themselves will purchase throughout 2026.... Sony really worked you guys over this generation.... Condolences.

DivineHand1252d ago

@neutralgamer1992 You said what needed to be said.

I have heard for years from older gamers that fanboys are the biggest issue with any fanbase. They will defend or gloss over negative news as long as the correct logo is on the box and they bash the competing platform no matter how much good they are trying to bring.

Right now their advocacy for PlayStation is elevating that platform so high that Sony no longer believes they need to do anything to satisfy their loyal fanbase like they did in the PS4 days.

I just hope most of them will eventually start advocating for themselves and encourage others to do the same. No one should blindly support one platform because these companies do not care about anything other than profit.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Hunted

And first proper game done by the studio with proper AAA budget and saying it will be released when ready

Anast

I believe we went through this before that you are objectively wrong. Meta critic, user reviews, game sales. In Playstation top 10 best selling games were 5 from Microsoft studios

Otter

No this dude is saying so many other studios wouldn't be thriving without MS money and people would be getting abused physically and mentally with Bobby kotick and his side kicks

Also maybe look up how the original founder of Bethesda and zenimax was kicked out of his own company by his best friend lawyer. So that was always a shady place and had been struggling financially before MS paid a premium of almost 7 billion

Eroica

I use to be a die hard Playstation fan and now I only have a Pc. I see how these fans are so toxic. They just can't handle any positive news regarding Xbox. When the best selling games on playstation are Xbox titles. Look at Forza horizon being best seller and that's years old game by MS. I guess ms don't deserve credit for that success too since they are the only company in gaming making acquisitions

Forget the fact Sony paid 3.6 billion for bungie and MS 6.9 for zenimax. Which investment has turned out better

Destiny and marathon with a lot of controversy

While zenimax output is nothing short of amazing compared to what bungie has released

crazyCoconuts2d ago

Yeah it's tricky. "Xbox" has morphed to mean different things to different people.
Console, now Windows, GamePass, and the cross platform games. There's a mix of attitudes towards all those things individually, and maybe an overarching attitude towards MS. But can't argue that the game companies MS recently bought continue to flourish, and GamePass PC has been a great value over the last year.

InUrFoxHole1d 18h ago

@OtterX
You're the dude mad at your exes new guy. She's with someone else... get over it.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 1d 18h ago
Lightning772d ago (Edited 2d ago )

They've had good output so far. So waiting for those games shouldn't be a problem.

Who cares if they're buy outs of companies or whatever excuse you want to make. They're games that are being distributed to other console. Play the games and enjoy it instead of fanboying or complaining.

ocelot072d ago

They going to be a he best and biggest publisher on Xbox, Playstation and PC next year. They not really said anything about Switch 2 though spite claiming to be big supporters.

quenomamen2d ago

If you call making one last Xbox before going full Sega, as Great. Then yea.

TheEroica2d ago

Doesn't feel like you're paying attention to what's happening.

RhinoGamer882d ago

It will be, his net work will hit 50 million and he plans to buy a new mansion in Cape Cod. Thanks everyone! #failup

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80°

The Witcher 3 Immerse Gamepack — Product Introduction with Marcin Przybyłowicz

Join Marcin Przybyłowicz, Expert Composer at CD PROJEKT RED and the mind behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt OST, as he sets up Immerse Gamepack on PC and dives into Geralt's adventures like never before — with spatial audio powered by Embody.

4d ago