Spencer Isn't Giving Up on Single Player Games, Wants To Find Models/Tools To Help Developers

Phil Spencer clarified his comments on single player games. He's not giving up on them, in fact, he wants to find models and tools to help developers with their business.

[Imp0ssibl3]

I don't know, I'm kind of losing faith in this guy. I hope he can prove me wrong at E3

[TheCommentator]

He lived up to his Scorpio promises and he says MS is focused on games now too. I also hope he can restore your faith with the E3 presentation.

Honestly though, wasn't Phil the head of talent aquisition for developers with Sony before coming to MS? If there's anything Phil should excel at, it should be games.

[Godmars290]

How has he lived up to promises about something yet to be released? It needs time to prove itself, and its had none.

[TheCommentator]

Godmars... Forza 6 is running PC Ultra+, on unfinalized dev kits, and it isn't even maxed out yet.

Phil promised a true 4K machine, and it is. Even 3rd parties are having no problems getting their games running in 4K on Scorpio. What Scorpio promises did Phil make that need more time to be proven?

[ninsigma]

@Commentator
I get what you mean, honestly, what they've revealed about the scorpio actually surprised me in a positive way. Really impressed with what they said, but I do agree with Godmars in the sense that I tend to go for a wait and see and verify when it actually comes out. Good stuff so far though on Scorpio front.

As for Spencer, he started at MS as an intern and made his way up. I think the role you're talking about was with MS because he was head of MS studios during 360 era.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

@thecommentator Forza 6 already runs at 1080p 60fps on a console that struggles with 1080p and on top of that its a racing game. Its not a demanding title. Why didn't they choose to show case a game like Forza Horizon 3, a more demanding racer running on unfinalized dev kits?

[TheCommentator]

Correction: It was Phil Harrison who worked for Sony.

[Goldby]

@thecommentator

it was the Forza 6 tech demo that ran at 4k 60fps with a 60% work load, not the full game. there is a difference.

Its impressive none the less, just make sure you are using correct information

[TheCommentator]

Lol at the correction disagrees... are you people really that daft? Phil Harrison was the Executive Vice President of SCEE before working for MS. Sorry I got the two of them confused, but it was several years ago for crying out loud. I looked it up when Ninsigma pointed out that I'd made the mistake, so the least you guys could do is educate yourselves too.

[Kingthrash360]

What "tools"? a way to implement micro transactions more in sp games...
Great! This will boost the experience!!

[morganfell]

"Godmars... Forza 6 is running PC Ultra+, on unfinalized dev kits, and it isn't even maxed out yet. "

Every piece of hardware announced wowed at first. Then once people started to go uncontrolled hands on expectations dropped.

You can't game a piece of hardware. You game...games. You can have the fastest ferrari in the world but with no track and no wheels it doesn't do any good sitting in the garage. You can bring your friends over and show it to them if it makes you feel good.

At the end of the day any console is only as good as the games you need that console in order to play.

[nX]

Isn't the Scorpios GPU equivalent to a RX480 with lower clock speed? If so I'd be careful with calling this a "true 4k machine", for most games you'll get 4k only at 30fps or medium settings.

[Mr Pumblechook]

Phil Spencer is the man who jumped after the goldrush of multiplayer only titles - HE greenlit Fable IV and Sea of Thieves. IF he is only realising the importance of single player games now then it demonstrates a lack of foresight and he is not able to understand gamers and their needs properly and he is slow to reacting to their needs.

At the moment there are very few Xbox exclusives announced for 2017. If Spencer gets on the E3 stage and there are not any near-ready exclusives then this will be problematic for Xbox. he However if reveals a host of new exclusives then it disproves this story. I'm looking forward to E3 and hoping for the best.

[Godmars290]

@TheCommentator:

Considering the example of Kinect, which had plenty of pre-release hype and demonstrations, I really don't get why MS fans give them so much leeway.

[Obscure_Observer]

@XabiDaChosenOne

"Forza 6 already runs at 1080p 60fps on a console that struggles with 1080p and on top of that its a racing game. Its not a demanding title."

Racing is not a demanding game, hu?

Since GT Sports is racing game lacking so many features present in Forza 6. I´m dying to see what you guys gonna come up with as escuse in case this GT can´t hit flawless 1080p/60fps on the base PS4.

[Obscure_Observer]

@Kingtrash360

Dry your eyes, man.

http://n4g.com/news/2050636...

[Obscure_Observer]

@morganfell

Haven´t you heard the news?

So far every game which supports Scorpio are true native 4K. That means the superior multiplats will be on the Scorpio despise all the naysayers claiming that the Scorpio will not be the leading platform.

Flash new: It is!

[morganfell]

@Obscure_Observer,

Haven't you head? MY PC right now will outrun Scorpio. If all you are considering is the way a game looks, and by your post that seems to be the case, the superior version will always be on PC as Scorpio has no exclusives and cannot match the PC in terms of quality. There are already games approaching the 8K mark -
why haven't you purchased a PC? The way the game looks, the ability to mod how it plays, the ability to add mods that alter the entire game, extend the game - that is the PC and it will always have the superior version when all you care about is looks. There really is no reason to buy a Scorpio and that is a bitter bitter fact with which you must deal.

Games matter. Exclusive games matter most. The original Xbox was more powerful than the PS2. How did that work out? The 360 had better looking multiplats early on last gen and launched ahead of the PS3. But from the day it launched, the PS3 outsold the 360 worldwide. Why?

Games matter. You play games, not hardware. Notice all that MS is talking about is hardware. That should be a red flag to everyone. Sony talks about games and hardware. See the difference? I love multiplatform titles too but if all I cared about were the best looking multiplat titles then I would only own a PC. But I care about the best playing games and I own platforms specifically for exclusivity. I have 2 X1s Master Chief bundles in my house because I can only play the MCC on the Xbox1. See how exclusives work? I own a few other Xbox titles as well and could play them on the X1 but instead game them on PC. See how that works?

I hate to break it to you but your celebration will be short lived. I am not a PC purist. MS has not stepped on PC purists toes in a big way. That is coming and they will have a field day ripping into Scorpio. Doesn't matter to me but from your remarks it matters to you.

But the bigger blow will come as the breadth of Sony exclusives leaves people like you wondering how the PS4 continues to outpace the competition. Simple really, its the games. Days Gone, God of War, Detroit, TLOU 2 and on and on and on.

[S2Killinit]

another Spencer said article...

[NewMonday]

about time gamers started to see through him, Spencer got old for me over a year ago.

[Silly gameAr]

Have to build up his legend so when E3 comes around he'll look like a hero to the xbox faithful.

[Aenea]

I thought this was more of a "what Spencer really meant..." article!

[Chexs1990]

I know, they're getting tiresome -_-
Everything Spencer related always sound DJ spin it :P

[XanderZane]

Tell that to "wccftech.com". They are the ones producing a lot of these articles. Complain to them about it.

[S2Killinit]

there is so much lip service on the xbox side that it insults your intelligence.

Mr. Spencer, please do it, don't TALK about it.

[Obscure_Observer]

@NewMonday

Like Cerny did to you with the PS4Pro? I remember how excited you where back on the NEO days, wish on Sony exclusives to run at 1080p with locked 60fps. How things turn up to you mate?

No so great i guess. Tough times.

[Angel911]

Spencer articles are always on top coz moment there is a news related to him ponies jump to bash him.. If you don't trust him then why give so much attention to his articles..Just let article die..

[S2Killinit]

I dont see myself as separate and not involved with xbox, it matters to me which direction Microsoft takes the gaming community. So its natural that it annoys me when all he does is PR. Are you not tired of all the talk instead of letting games speak for themselves like the old days?

[-Foxtrot]

All talk no action

Only thing he's delivered on is making the Xbox One more online focused with friendly PC compatibility...which seems like what they are going for in general

[Obscure_Observer]

@-Foxtrot

You forget the Scorpio. The one you claim to be next gen so you can say "no fair" when comparissions with the Pro start to pop up. ;)

Xbox One S is also Spencer´s child. VR/AR. Backwards Compatibility. Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft Refunds policy. Just to name a few.

Only a fool would take your opnion about this guy sirously you never give this guy credit for anything. You hate this guy so much for unknow reasons since the beggining. I never ever had witnessed so much hate for a person in all my gamming life!

Beyond sad and pathetic!

[UCForce]

@Obscure-Observer Don't be so ridiculous ! Microsoft don't understand how to make good SP games. Way too much rely on third party SP games. I guess MS don't care about SP anymore. @Foxtrot dislike Phil Spencer because Phil talk too much. Talk with your community is good thing, but there are time you need more than talking.

[GTgamer]

This Gen has atleast 3-4 years left games take a long time to create soooooo I wouldn't get my hopes up especially if he's starting now so far into this Gen.

[-Foxtrot]

He's been saying this since the start...you know when people thought he was the messiah

[GTgamer]

@-Foxtrot
So true

[Godmars290]

At this point/rate, if its not already true, console titles will only have two phases of development: those that are announced with it, and those that devs have just begun to understand the system. A third phase, devs comfortable with hardware, exploiting and being creative with it, will longer exist.

[XanderZane]

Scorpio will probably be around for at least 5+ years, even after the Scorpio 2 is released. There is still lots of time for great games to be developed. I'm pretty sure they were developing 1st party games before the Scorpio was even announced at last years E3.

[Omnislashver36]

Good point... Even if Scorpio is a beast they still have to produce games which takes time. By time they release anything PS5 will be here...

The decisive blow will be PS5 releasing with backwards compatibility and 4K support for PS4 games... Scorpio will have it's third party games but PS5 will have even MORE.

They've done screwed it up. The cancellation of Fable and Scalebound is very telling... They can be INTERESTED in games all they want. But releasing them? Especially single player? I'll believe it when I see it.

Scorpio's life support is third party games. It will be too little too late if and when MS releases a 1st party single player game.

In the meantime:
-In Final Fantasy VII Remake
-The Last of Us Part II
-Spiderman
-Shenmue III
-Death Stranding
-God of War IV
-Detroit

And those are just single player(main) 1st/2nd parties...

[rainslacker]

Remember before launch, at E3, when MS said they had 1/2 billion dollars in games for the X1.

I'm curious where those games are, and when they're coming out. It's about that time if they were in development before this gen started. As of right now, I'm not even sure CD3 will be finished for this year.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Well you have to understand he could only do as much as Microsoft let's him, i think a lot of us need to consider that his hands are tied and it's not one hundred percent up to him.

[gangsta_red]

Says who? You have inside knowledge of this?

[XabiDaChosenOne]

@gangsta_red Are you over the age of 16? Do you not understand how management works?!

[gangsta_red]

@xabi

Being the head of a whole division in charge of millions, traveling abroad and making decisions that effect staff in the thousands plus, is a lot different than being the manager at the local Stop n' Shop.

Now if you have a better understanding on how Phils business works and actually provide proof that Phil's hands are tied along with what he's actually not allowed to do with the xbox division then I could take these comments a little more seriously.

If not then I'll just consider it more behind the keyboard "CEO Simulator 2.0" big talk.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Gred- you think he can turn Xbox into a ice cream shop or?

MS hires him, not the other way around.

[gangsta_red]

Hires him to run the Xbox division with competence and with the expectation of providing a profit.

Or do you think Satya Nadella and the board of trustees start their morning wondering what single player games Phil is making for Xbox?

Now can you or Xabi actually tell us how Phil's hands are tied in relation to what? Since you two seem to be so well verse with how multi million dollar world wide corporations and their sub divisions work. Please enlighten us commom n4g folk.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Yes they hired him with limitations in specific stipulations, they did not hire him with full immunity to essentially do whatever he wants , that might be the stupidest thing I've ever heard somebody even suggest any big company would ever do.

Some know he cannot turn the Xbox division Into My Little Pony.

I'm sorry but you're just too poorly educated, I mean you lack even the most basic knowledge and logic regarding this situation.

I mean using your slow logic he would be able to turn the Xbox division into SeaWorld 😂😂😂

It's not only idiotic it's almost comical how desperate you are to make this sound as if he has that type of power.

No.

That's not how any of this works

He is likely only doing what he is allocated to do and what Microsoft is allowing him to do.

[gangsta_red]

@Emix

Simple question(s) mix 'ol buddy...

Exactly what is it that MS isn't allowing him to do? Do you have any examples of where Phil's hands (while in charge) were tied and where he couldn't make a decision on what he wanted for Xbox?

Instead of being a complete moron and deflecting the issue with the most absurd answers like "ice cream shops" or 'my little pony" how about in your infinite wisdom of business you answer the question.

I mean you seriously just wrote a whole lot of nothing that explained jack shit.

Give some examples of what Microsoft isn't allowing Phil to do? Where are his hands tied with the knowledge of direction that Phil has already stated where he wants to take Xbox?

Please, do it for me the uneducated, with my slow logic that thinks that Phil is actually trying to turn Xbox into a Foster Freeze.

Also when you answer can you use some more emoji's...nothing gets a mature point across like the over use of the same emoji a bunch of times.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Gred- didn't read, don't care.

You just don't know enough about the structure of business. Doesn't matter, it would be like wasting time trying to explain physics to a child. No company is going to be hiring somebody with full immunity to basically do whatever they feel like it, he could not turn the Xbox division into some sort of cotton candy factory

That is not how any of this works.... I mean it's sad enough any human being even needs to explain this to you. How old are you for real? 🤔

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...

Read
Learn child...

[rainslacker]

I think Phil has some influence on the direction of the XBox, as well as leeway to make daily operating decisions, and likely the ability to make operational changes where needed. I also believe he is given some control over how the money he is allocated is spent.

However, I also believe that he has to operate within guidelines set forth by MS, and that he is tasked with achieving certain kinds of goals that MS as a corporation hopes to achieve with the brand.

For and example....just to illustrate my point.

MS decrees that the Xbox brand has to be brought into the Windows ecosystem fold in a way that makes the platform more relevant to MS overall goal of making Windows into what they want it to become.

Phil, at this point puts together his plan to do so, which involves things like cross play, play anywhere, and likely working with the Windows 10 team to integrate the OS more into the game console itself.

For another example

MS may not have had any desire as a corporation to push out the Scorpio.....because honestly, what MS is doing is an extremely risky move with no real gain on the end results for what they may have dictated in bringing Xbox more into the Windows fold. In fact, Scorpio as a whole is completely unnecessary for this end....but I digress.

But, because Phil has some discretion, and certainly has influence, he put together a plan to bring Scorpio to market, and in doing so, made a system that he was able to convince the powers that be at MS to greenlight the huge R&D expenditure which would be required...because Phil certainly wouldn't have been given enough leeway to push out a mid-gen upgrade on his own.

Not saying any of the above scenarios are true, or that's how it all played out. I'm just merely using them as examples on the extent of what he can and can not do. They are certainly not all encompassing, nor can any of us actually know the full extent of what he is allowed to do and not do.

But I feel both you and gangsta seem to be taking the extreme side of the topic, as opposed to just meeting in the middle and saying, he has "power", but it's not unfettered access to control everything.

[trooper_]

Lol @ gangsta_red.

You need to learn Business101. He had people above him. He has to get approval for decisions being made.

[gangsta_red]

@mix

So basically as usual, you're just talking out your ass. You have no idea what are his limits and what aren't.

Especially related to the topic, which is why I asked. His hands are tied in relation to WHAT?

But as usual you have no clue yet pretend to know "the business" better than anyone here.

At least Rainslacker attempted to save you by at least giving some logical examples of ways MS might have set up goals that Phil must have when running the Xbox division.

Integrating Win 10 in a Xbox eco system sounds like a bigger picture MS may have given Phil to do. But MS requiring Phil to only make mp games or something similar in regards to this article, hardly.

Props to Rainslacker, even tho we have had some *discussions* in the past at least he can read and understand the point and crazy as it sounds....actually make one.

[Tussin187]

I just read the first interview. Now I see why he's trying to clear things up. I'm sorry but this is why Playstation is on top because of it's​ variety in games.

He actually tried to downplay the success of Horizon in a subtle way and that's fine because he's trying to push MS agenda.

In my eyes, Horizon was a complete success and I'm glad Sony actually has the balls to let their studios do something different.

What Phil is talking about is going to happen naturally as it already is. No need to force but let it happen on its own. I love single player games and I hope they don't go away anytime soon. I didn't mention Zelda.

Shouldn't​ have to clarify something if you said it right the first time. Glad you guys are focusing and investing more in first party.............again???

I could of swore that's what you guys have been saying this whole gen. I know in this day and age people's attention span is really short. But I do remember this same pledge at the beginning of this generation. Can't put my foot on it but something with the word billion in it.

Oh yeah, you were investing over a billion dollars in games. Remember that? Yes, we all do or at least some of us. The difference is Sony didn't have to tell us some numbers but showed us with games 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party.

That's the difference. I'm not saying you don't have any good games because you do. You have some excellent games. All I'm saying, less talking more showing.

E3 is going to be great and I hope to see you drop some bombs. I also read an article about a mixed reality headset that Acer is working on and it sounds great. E3 showing? It's like VR and halolens mixed together. Sounded pretty sweet.

I'm really excited for the Scorpio reveal but I'm more excited to see some new IPs from MS. Please don't disappoint.

[rainslacker]

What I found rather ironic about that comment about Horizon and BOTW not being as impactful anymore was that MS had to go to the competition to actually find some big games to actually cite, instead of bringing in some of the Xbox top tier games. I mean, why couldn't Spencer say that games like Halo or Gears or Quantum break, or whatever don't have the impact they used to? Why bring up two very popular and successful games on the competitors console?

The "pledge" you mention was that they had 1/2 billion invested in current game development. I've yet to see 1/2 billion in output from them since the announcement.

[Mystogan]

why are you losing faith? from this year on and beyond, It's 100% phil games.

Remember games take 2-3 years to develop.AAA new IP's maybe much longer.

And he's only been in charge for 3 years.

[tyasia0]

Only in charge 3 years... wow, you XBoners will settle for nothing and be happy about it. Xbox has been in business for 17 years, they should have had things in the works non-stop like Sony. It's not like Xbox started when Phil was put in charge.

Well good news everyone if he starts now in 2020 we'll have some games... yay...

[ninsigma]

He was head of Xbox games division during 360 so he should have been doing this since before this gen.

Edit: fixed auto.

[rainslacker]

Remember when I said it'd be years before we saw Cloud tech to actually bring out a game that shows its worth. 3-4 years as I recall. Remember when I said that after that first showcase, it'd take 2-3 more years at least for it to start showing up in other games....assuming it was successful? Remember when I said that cloud tech the way MS was talking about it was going to be completely irrelevant to this generation?

I remember.

I also remember how many Xbox fans acted like I was some hater, and that somehow cloud tech would be relevant this gen. I remember how they pinned so many hopes and dreams on 3X the power.

So, when you say it takes 2-3 years for games to get made, are you saying that at this point, by the time Phils efforts start to bear fruit, that this generation will be over, and that for the most part, MS phoned in this gen, and it took extreme measures to actually get some games? because honestly, if it took getting Phil in there for games to start coming in now, then MS had very little intention to provide games at the start of this gen. I also don't think we're going to see a huge influx of games at E3, and even if Phil has allocated money to game development since he took over, it's still going to take years before we start seeing those games.

At what point do people lose patiance? I don't care when Phil took over. People brought their console over the past three years. People want support. It's not on us to simply wait it out and give Phil time, when MS as a whole should have had the mindset of providing constant, and increasing output from the start. That is exactly what people are complaining about when they say MS has no games. They just look like they have/had no intention of ever doing so in a way that is anywhere close to the competition.

The fact that SoT and CD3 are being hyped to some top tier AAA epic masterpiece level by the MS fans with nothing else to even fall back on is just sad....and I imagine there are quite a few Xbox fans who if they really analyzed what they're getting, would actually feel like what they have to look forward to is utterly pathetic. Even if you're into the games themselves, they're mid-tier titles at best. These are the kind of supplemental games we get on PS, which are more footnotes of excitement to fill out the times between the AAA top tier games which go on to win GOTY awards, and receive raving critical acclaim.

MS job is to support it's customers. It's not our job to give MS the time to support us. It's not our job to support MS efforts to fix their screw ups and lack of incentive to actually provide games.

[trooper_]

Take 2-3 years? Things should have been shown/talked about from the get go.

[vegasgamerdawg]

Phill took over Xbox (Not MS) in 2014? Last I checked it takes years to build games. FanBOY's are time traveling now or just being impatient? Xbox was a mess when he took over. IMO...you wont see his vision until Scorpio is released. Reality sucks on N4G, we just whine and dine on our own ignorance.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Just find talented developers and let them make the games they want, pretty simple. I think sometimes publishers dictate too much and negatively influence the create process. I don't think it's a good strategy to shoehorn devs into making only mp focused games, or only Kinect games, or free 2 plays bc you have great data showing the massive profit potential.

A major game development process is a long and harrowing journey that typically takes three or more years and potentially hundreds of ppl. If it is not a legitimate passion project for the developer and if they are being told what to make and how to make it, results likely will not be great.

I honestly think Microsoft approaches the xbox division in too similar a manner as they do the rest of the company, using data and allowing profit potential and numbers to blind them. Video games are art, this is a different type of software and it involves far more than what numbers and measurements can show you. Creative ppl need room to create, and they need to be one thousand percent passionate about a project in order to get the best result. We all saw what happened to Rare and Lionhead when they were forced to take on bad project after bad project. Luckily Rare survived, but unfortunately Lionhead did not, i'd like to think Microsoft learned something from those experiences but time will tell. Just focus on finding talented developers and allowing them to make games they are passionate about, and worry less about filling quotas and pushing a specific model or genre. If quality games are continually pumped out profit will take care of itself.

[GamingIVfun]

I disagree, there are many single player experiences, huge AAA experiences to play, granted some have tacked on multiplayer but for most, they are buying and playing the games for it's single player content. there is a huge audience for single player games on console and gaming PC's. What makes it seem like like multiplayer service type games is the majority is people playing games on smart phones and tablets, where most of the games are free to play with pay to play options. I think the single player to multiplayer ratio is pretty much equal on consoles, with most liking both.

The thing is Microsoft have been trying for several years to move everything to a service oriented business, including gaming, to create a constant stream of cash. Are enthusiast gamers moving to mostly service type games, No. Are casual gamers moving to mostly service type games, Yes, because service type games fit that type of audience pretty well.

There is no shortage of big single player experiences and I don't see there being a shortage in the future, if they weren't making big profits there would not be so many available and so many being made.

[Jakens]

I'm a casual gamer "moving to mostly service type games" but also buy many sp on Xbox.

[rainslacker]

Phil's comment wasn't really about SP experience going away. He was talking purely from the standpoint of what was required to push a service base model. He said that SP AAA top tier experiences don't have the impact they used to have within this context, which IMO, is why he needs to clarify what he said now.

Anyhow, he is also at fault, because he extrapolated what it is he wanted to achieve with a "netflix of gaming" to be relevant to the entire gaming market. If he hadn't done that, or simply didn't even mention that AAA top tier titles all, then what he said wouldn't have been quite as controversial. I feel the misunderstanding that came from it is on him though, because of the way he framed his comment, because even if you understand the context of what he was saying in terms of a netflix style service, he obviously was also downplaying the importance of the tradtional market as if the netflix style service was more important to MS future than the traditional gaming market model.

I actually do agree with him, that for a netflix style service, the AAA top tier model is less profitable, and honestly, probably a loss in revenue, and won't have the long standing potential to keep players engaged. My problem with what he said though was that it seemed like that he was implying that MS was looking to go the netflix model as a primary way to deliver content. Because of this, it means their focus on the traditional market would wane in favor of the more profitable, and less risky, subscription model, which means their overall game output for AAA top tier titles would suffer....and right now, if it suffers anymore, they'll actually have to retroactively recall prior game releases because they'll be in the negative.

[Gman32]

Just because you didn't understand what he was trya say about single player games i think hes right about xbox game pass being a good way to try out newer smaller single player games

[Saijahn]

He turned around Xbox One almost singlehandedly. Sought the union of PC and Console, done..promised the most powerful console ever, so far so good. Now focused on what matters, games. His track record shows he's a man of his word.

[UCForce]

Then you have to prove it.

[Obscure_Observer]

@UCForce

He got nothing to prove to fanboys and haters. Wake Up!

[UCForce]

No, less talk, more action. Here the quote saying : "Silence is Golden". You are the one who need to wake up. Don't try to spin it ! Action is way more effective than talking. I remember how many years that Sony surprised us in every E3. Because Sony don't need to talk, they take action. So yeah, Phil need to take action rather than talking. And @Angel911 If you think I'm Xbox hater, think again, buddy. I don't mock or neither insult at my competitors. So both of you are need to see the bigger picture. I say it again Silence is Golden and Action is more effective than talking.

[Angel911]

No need to prove anything to Xbox hater like you

[SilverDemon]

saying one thing and doing it is another
look at the games xbox is focusing on. halo,forza,gears,sea of thieves,gigantic and crackdown3
all multiplayer focused
on the other hand we see SP games getting cancelled (scalebound,phantomdust remake) and singeplayer focused games studio like lion head turn to focus on multiplayer (fable legend)and got closed

[Bigpappy]

Recore, Dead rising, sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break at all single player games he supported. Scale bound was to have multi player.
False outrage. He is just being honest about where the bulk of the money is being made. Not saying that Single player is not needed.

[UCForce]

But those SP games which Phil didn't invest enough.

[DragonDDark]

Funny thing is, none of those are 1st party...

[ThatGuyDart]

Literally all of those are third party. Where is the first party SP support? Why close down Lionhead instead of starting from scratch and have them develop a proper Fable 4?

[PlayableGamez-]

DragonDDark
You are half right.
DR and Sunset aren't first party, ReCore and QB are MS games.

[DragonDDark]

Check again @playable

[SilverDemon]

recore is a 3rd party game that had a very small budget(which shows how much faith MS have for SP games)

dead rising is capcom game (DR1,2 and soon 4 are available on ps4)multiplats
SSOD is owned by insomniac so if a sequal is to be made it most likely will be multiplats(again. not MS title)

quantimbreak is what left of the "tv,tv,tv,tv" direction that xbox was taking(can be clearly seen by how much cutscenes in the game)

MS had only 1 SP IP which was fable, now they dont have ANY (RPGs is my favorite genre and its sad and stupid how Xbox STILL haven't gave us a single exclusive RPG this gen)

[gangsta_red]

Who cares if its first or third?

Seriously, its the most inane arguement.

[yomfweeee]

4 third party games, all which sucked except SO. Good argument.

[ziggurcat]

@playable: they're still not 1st party titles. 1st party titles are games that are made by studios that MS owns. MS doesn't own the studios behind QB or recore.

[GamingIVfun]

Recore needed much more work before they released it and it is still unfinished many months after it's release, Dead Rising 4, big disappointment, Quantum break pretty good but a technical let down. Sunset Overdrive, second worst Insomniac game made. Three of those are not first party developed games, they are only published by Microsoft and the other is a half baked game(Recore), which if given the proper support and development time could have been a really great game but as is it is just a game with promise that was miss managed and released to soon. Phill has been with Microsoft Xbox division since the Xbox 360 and even so should have had many games being worked on before he became the head of the Xbox Division. The xbox division is doing worse than when Don Matrix was head of it, much worse.

[Angel911]

@ThatGuyDart1

Exclusive is exclusive first or 3rd party doesn't mean any thing..

Nioh and Yakuza are 3rd party not Sony first party, that means both are not exclusive?

[gangsta_red]

Scalebound had 4 player co op, Phantom Dust also had a heavy mp component.

Gears, Halo and Forza all have sp gameplay or stories to play through.

Exactly what is wrong with sp games with added mp gameplay?

If anything MS should be applauded for providing both and getting the most out of a gamers 60 bux.

You have Sony, Nintendo and MS charging to use their network, the least each of these companies should do is provide games that justify paying to play online.

On another note I do find it hilarious how out of shape people get for mp only games at full price but have no problems with sp only games at full price.

[_-EDMIX-_]

...sure

[Kaneki-Ken]

PS4 Horizon have a long great single player story which is why there no problem paying at full price.

[SilverDemon]

1- scalebound had co-op but its wasnt a main part of the game.
2- those game do have singleplayer but are undeniably MP focused games and that were most of the budget went (with all those microtransaction)
3- xbox exclusive line up this year is lackluster to say the least but you call out sony for charging for psn?at least on ps4 you can play nioh(co-op and soon pvp) drawn to death(free w/ ps+) nier:automata(has online elements similer to nioh's). now tell me, what games did MS release this year to justfiy paying for xboxlive?(especially that pc gamers play of the SAME network for FREE).....and nintendo dont charge for online yet

4- out of shape? I call it "we want for our game to have value". I can go back and play my ps1/ps2 games you wont be able to go and play an old online only game. I mean, can you play a game like umberella corps(with no community) what will happen when EA shuts down battlefront's servers (can you play the game?) what about ffxi for ps2?

[gangsta_red]

@silverdemon

1. And you know this specifically how? It was a part of the game, 4 player co op with a dragon, how can it not be a focus?

2. Again, how do you know this? And what difference does it make? And microtransactions? Sorry, really dont understand the point you're trying to make especially when the design of the sp is just as good as the mp.

3. I called out all three, and the point being is that all three should be providing games with a mp component not just a sp, one and done. And the fact that some gamers here are actually complaining about no sp only games even tho games the op mentioned do have sp gameplay.

4. The thing about mp games is all about how big the community is. Even now the recent CoD 360 game for bc Black Ops(?) is still going, most mp only games that have had their servers shut down mainly due to an decrease in players online.

But you honestly dont think a person who spent 100+ hours didnt get enough "bang for his buck" for an online only game?

[guyman]

LMAO did you Just use scalebound to support your argument.. what a fail

[gangsta_red]

Its not enough to read, you also have to learn context.

[Shadyceaser]

Somebody said they need to justify there online services... (i cant be botherd going back through the comments) Man you have got to be kidding ... I have not bought a game since forza 6 ... No need too .. As they give them to me every month ... Between... PSN ,Xbox live and ea access's there is no need to unless you really want something particular.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Gred- smh, no one cares.

If YOU want online games, fine, go play Ubisoft games and go nuts.

Gaming has many genres.

Stop arguing about subjective preference.

MS failed this gen bud, get over it. I mean, they failed so bad your using a cancellation as an example.

[gangsta_red]

@emix

"- smh, no one cares"

You seem to care enough to keep coming back and replying to me. And not the usual 12 paragraphs of complete off topic nonsense which tells me you have no real answer that really matters to this topic.

"Stop arguing about subjective preference."

Lmao! Says this guy who is nothing but a subjective arguement.

"I mean, they failed so bad your using a cancellation as an example."

Does no one read the whole conversations?? Are you seriously this blind or sad, or a combo of both, blad?

Silverdemon is the one who said Scalebound and PD were sp games. He's the one who first brought it up as an examole of MS cancelling sp focused games. It's a shame that i even have explain this.

[modelgod]

I would agree, but we we're playing SP games since Atari and the best games ever made are SP. I love MS to death bUT I think they underestimated SP games aND I would bet my life that they thought that EVERY game should be MP, or have a MP component. Although Sony has a much bigger SP library, there are a few games from the original Xbox, and 360 that they can make sequels to. KOTOR have birth to the Mass Effect game play and a sequel is much needed. MS saving grace will be if developers fall in love with the power of the Scorpio, and want to do more wit MS. Honestly. .... I didn't even purchase gears 4, Halo 6, OR forza motorsport 6. I'm tired of MP games, I'm playing older games on my 360 right now. Ill throw in a few hours here n there to play Smite, Neverwinter, and the Rare collection, but other than that. ......just waiting on Sea of Thieves and I'll grab scream ride just because I love to play hard games.

[SilverDemon]

3rd party=the 3rd part devs want to make it and they approached xbox to publish it after making a build to convince MS to publish it
1st party=xbox division wants to make it from the get go

it shows what xbox want

just like how bayonetta2 doesnt reflect Nintendo's vision of the games they want to make because they didnt make it

[modelgod]

When dId Phantom Dust remake bet canceled? This is bullshit! !! WTF??

[SilverDemon]

When the studio that wad working on it went under so MS decided to give us a remastered version instead

[trooper_]

@Angel

Sony has more first party than third party games so yea, your argument still falls flat.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Prove it or you will be questioned even though I like the guy.

[BigWan78]

If people just paid attention for once.

Phil Spencer is creating a recurring revenue stream to help fund other things.

Halo 5: Multiplayer still going strong
Gears
Xbox Live Gold
Controllers

Believe it or not; all of these are generating revenue (and soon to be game pass) for Phil Spencer. So when Phil goes to Terry Myerson or even CEO Sataya Nadella, he can bring something to the table when asking for a possible $billion$ to do other things

[UCForce]

"Cough" Excuse me, those cancelled games are minus things ? No, those are very big deal.

[shiva1]

Exactly why are people paying for PSN? To play third party games is it?

[Goldby]

@shiva,

for a few reasons, to play online, to be able to share games via Share play, discounts on new games, free games every month, 10gb of online storage for saved files.

a whole bunch of reasons on top of the paying to play online

[Atomicjuicer]

Fuck CEOs. Gamers pay for games. CEOs care about milking corporations and closing down innovation.

[BigWan78]

@Atomicjuicer

CEO's say yay or nay to those budgets that get requested to make those games...

[Chevalier]

Xbox Live gold has been bringing in a constant stream of cash for quite awhile longer than PSN, so by your logic where is this money going goo? It certainly isn't games, thats for sure.

[BigWan78]

@Chevalier...

Live Gold goes towards server and features improvements...

[rainslacker]

He's expending a large sum of money to create a revenue stream to supplant the current revenue stream is seeing a decline because they aren't making games which are selling as well as they used to.

MS wants a constant revenue stream and want to change the way games are made and released in order to maximize profits at the expense of actually taking risks on the kinds of games that you say that he will somehow seek out money for from the CEO's

In the real world, while Phil creates this revenue stream, and if it sees success, and then Phil goes to Nadella and says, "hey, lets make this $100 million dollar game which may or may not return a profit", nadella looks at him and says, "why, we can make this less risky project for $20 million and push it out on our new subscription service to make it more attractive, retain the customers we have, and hopefully bring in new customers, and no matter what happens, we're more likely to make a profit".

That's how it works. See the mobile gaming market, and the astronomical rise of MT and DLC from pubishers since last gen. It's why mobile gaming sucks, because it's more about the revenue stream than about taking risks and providing the products that customers want.

[trooper_]

That still doesn't explain why there's a lack of variety/games.

[BigWan78]

i could have sworn that ryse, sunset:od, quantum break, and recore were different...
with more to come... but i guess those dont count..

and why are you off topic???

[Chevalier]

Yeah I find it hard to believe that they haven't profited from Xbox Live.

" creating a recurring revenue stream to help fund other things. "

And they have, yet still here we are talking about the lack of games. This has been an issue since the 360, so almost 8 years with the same problem. How much more time do you think they need to create franchises? Sony started way back on PS3 and has built towards that. There's little signs that Xbox is even trying to match Sony.

[KaiPow]

Don't give up on couch co-op either!

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Agreed

[tyasia0]

From those tweets he basically is saying exactly what people criticized him for. The fact that for Microsoft it's not about making quality games or games that the customer wants games are just a means to make profit, nothing else.

Instead of making high quality GOTY games like Zelda and Nioh, Horizon, Persona 5, ect. he repeatedly states things like this.

"Point is majority of play today is in service games, that's just a fact."

"Liking great examples doesn't mean genre is healthy."

So basically what he is saying is he wants to focus only on big online games with paywalls and micro-transactions because that's what makes the most money. Even though games like Horizon, Nioh, Zelda ect. have been profitable in their own right.

This is why Microsoft fails and will continue to fail in the future.

These are the comments people should remember when they consider buying a Scorpio, the fact there has been and will be little investment in games from Microsoft.

[AspiringProGenji]

I agree with this! One big reason I like Sony is because of the freedom and full support they provide to their developers. Even if some games fail to make profit or sell, they still greenlight a sequel. And keep supporting talent! Keeping over 10 studios and investing heavily is not easy, and yet they keep at it.

They are also in for the money like any company, but they seem to take the most risks with sofware. They may lose money, but they also gain in the long run

[MasterCornholio]

"Even if some games fail to make profit or sell, they still greenlight a sequel."

I was surprised as heck to see a confirmation of a sequel for Knack. That's one game nobody thought would make a return.

[Alexious]

Sony's first party strategy is just superior from a gamer's point of view.

[DragonDDark]

I think the problem with Phil is that he isn't willing to take risks when creating new games.
>genre doesn't sell? Let's not do it. (Basically)

Sony is willing to take risks. I don't think any other publisher would take a game like, for example, Dreams seriously other than Sony.

[PlayableGamez-]

@tyasia0
Once again, you are full crap. Stop putting words in Phils mouth. He never said that he is giving up on Single Player games.

[UCForce]

Oh really ? I think Phil said like that on twitter for real.

[AmUnRa]

No he did not? Than you must be blind, cous he sayd that a few days ago.🙄

[trooper_]

Oh yes he did.

[Chevalier]

You know all these Xbox fans make so many excuses for Spencer. Where is all this faith coming from? 4 years in and there is still few games and suddenly everyone expects a bunch of development and games to spring up out of thin air? Games take years of preparing and development. Considering we pretty much know what almost every studio MS owns is working on and their over reliance on 3rd party timed exclusives. At the same time there's little reason to believe looking at how good game sales are on PS4 for all these developers to ignore this juggernaut for Xbox exclusivity.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Overwatch, Destiny and Hearthstone are bigger than all those PS games combined.

[UCForce]

Sure, but that doesn't mean Single Player doesn't have big impact, does it ? Single Player does have impact, it maybe not huge like multiplayer. But SP games have been there for very long time before the multiplayer was a thing.

[DragonDDark]

Comparing multiplats with exclusives... nice...

[rainslacker]

What he's saying is that MS wants the profit, without the headaches of actually appealing tot he core market. Xbox is just a means to push this paradigm. It's the trojan horse that most people claiming "More options" fail to see.

MS is showing heavy signs that they want to move to a service model to the point of changing the kinds of games they make into the kinds of games that gamers around here more often than not complain about.

All companies are for profit. I think any reasonable person understands this. But as a company, the company has to decide how they're going to make a profit and bring in revenues. It's either take whatever brings the most revenue, and not worry about things which are less lucrative, or have the mindset of being a industry trend setter and making products which appeal to more people. It's not that MS shouldn't follow this venture, but MS has a bad habit of going to the extreme to try something new, while putting the old on the back burner and either dropping it altogether, or minimzing their efforts in those areas.

Spencer has non-directly said that the entire focus of the Xbox brand is to make it into a revenue stream which is made from something that most people around here generally don't like.

MS relevance as an industry leader who sets trends with their game releases is becoming less and less all the time. Even now, about the only relevance MS has to the kinds of games that we like around here is that they make a console that can play those games. They are often cited as a software company, but their entire relevance right now in the gaming market from a consumer perspective is in their hardware. Their software is practically non-existent, and Phil has pretty much said that the relevance of that software has shifted....by which he means, it has shifted in relevance for MS and it's overall goals of monetizing the gaming market.

MS is basically looking at making money the same way that it was done in the mobile markets. Smaller games, with less risk, that can keep players engaged for the long term. MS doesn't care where the money comes from, and to them, more is better, and any kind of thoughts of keeping the current market satiated is lessening every day.

There are times when I really shake my head at just how people don't look at the bigger picture or really see what's going on, all while they herald new paradigms which may not be something that they want, or may not be good for them. The console wars are a cold mistress, and there are times when one should disconnect themselves from console preference and decide if what's coming is something that they will want. But that takes a bit of cynicism, and realizing that these companies are not our friends.

[trooper_]

Well said. They better get their act together for the sake of their fans.

[jhoward585]

I guessing from all of Phil tweets the scorpio is going to lack varity.

[BlackIceJoe]

I can't believe I'm the only one who wants a new Shadowrun. I feel like that would be a game Xbox One users would like. Bethesda revived Fallout and I can see Obsidian working with Microsoft to bring out a great game. I can see it being a first person, open world game. Then because MS wants to make extra money they can sell DLC for extra story four or so months after the game comes out.

[TheCommentator]

Shadowrun on the genesis was freaking awesome! If MS could capture the essence of open-world apocalypse like Fallout and add the tech-noir aspects of Deus Ex, it would be a masterpiece.

Of course, excecuting that concept would be extremely challenging for any devs not already familiar with open-world RPG's, so having someone like Bethesda or Obsidian would almost be necessary at this point. Coincidentally, Bethesda has several unannounces AAA games in the works right now.

I could honestly see 343/Bethesda working together on it! Hey, a guy can dream...

[BlackIceJoe]

That would be great. It is sad how many great IPs MS is doing nothing with. I think Human Head is another team that could make a good Cyberpunk Shadowrun game too. Because they were working on Prey 2 before Zenimax pulled the plug from the game and from the little that was shown I can see them making a nice game in the Shadowrun universe.

[stokedAF]

He has done great things for the Xbox brand but it still feels like it's not enough to compete. I hope E3 comes with new innovative ideas. The "Netflix of gaming" sounds interesting and I think that's the direction they need to move in. I think more investing in game publishing would do them wonders as well.

[Prem8tuaProcrastin8a]

All he originally said was that big, story driven, single player games don't have the market impact they used to and that services like game pass could be an ideal way for those games to get another revenue stream. Then the internet idiots lost their minds.

[Atomicjuicer]

You're close. We're not idiots though because games as a service will be a disaster.

[PlayableGamez-]

What are you talking about they are already successful?

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Overwatch Destiny Hearthstone and a bunch of others beg to differ

[Kaneki-Ken]

Zelda and Horizon say otherwise.

[DragonDDark]

Edit: by mistake

[Prem8tuaProcrastin8a]

Horizon and zelda are great games, and have sold well, what Phil Spencer was saying was that with the rise of multiplayer games like overwatch etc, single player games make up less of the market than ever, and successful ones like hzd and botw are becoming rarer and rarer, and he wants to find different business models such as game pass to enable Devs to make single player games with less risk. For every hzd and botw there are games like the order or sunset overdrive, it's unsustainable, and any attempt to make development of those types of games more viable should be applauded.

[guyman]

But apparenrly horizon and Zelda "Don't have the same impact" as they would have in the past despite their resounding success? Facepalm alert! People WANT new ip's, New experiences and games they can slot into their console from the case and play... No strings attached.

[Alexious]

Console exclusives are absolutely crucial to get gamers to buy hardware.

[Snk91]

I love SP games and experiences. Among many things you can play at one's own leisure. So i actually believe in Phil Spencer, when he says he wants to see them stay around. What he said in his interview was truthful and valid. This isn't the same Microsoft we saw back in 2013 or is it the same console. Microsoft as well as Spencer has seemingly learned alot since then. Frankly they've taken a beating all generation long. So to me it's good to see them back up in this fight with a new console. Because if they wanted, they could simply just close up shop now in this gen and head on into the next. They have the money to do it. So that would be the last thing they needed to worry about. E3 will be very very interesting to say the least. All the pressure is solely on them. Regadless how any of this goes I'm on board to purchase Scorpio either way..

[Blu3_Berry]

As much as I think Phil Spencer is the right guy for Microsoft, its been alot of talk from him lately without showing anything. I get that he is more so the face of the Xbox Division than anything, but still. There hasn't been many great Exclusives from them lately. They need to come up with new IPs from studios they make themselves (not relying on 3rd party studios).

Off topic, it's interesting though because I remember back around the 2008-2011s multiplayer gaming was where it was at, and it still is extremely popular. But I feel like the last 2-3 years has gone back to focus mainly on single player (which I prefer honestly). It's just interesting how much has changed.

[Razzer]

Sounds to me like Xbox is going in the wrong direction. I really don't care about how they generate revenue. I want great games. MS doesn't sound like they want to do that. Service based games? Uh....ok. I'm sure that sounds great to upper management and stock holders.

Phil stop with the "I'm a gamer too" act now.

Edit: also, the reasoning behind the Scalebound cancellation is becoming much clearer, imo.

[Automatic79]

Bringing out single player games is key. He reads the feedback and he will definitely address any concerns. Whether it happens with this E3 or next is the real question.

To those that don't believe Xbox One has great SP games just look to these titles

Max and Cursed Brotherhood
DeadRising 3
RYSE
D4
Sunset Overdrive
State of Decay
Ori and the Blind Forest
Rare Replay
TombRaider Rise of the TombRaider
Quantum Break
Recore
DeadRising 4
Voodoo Vince

[tyasia0]

In all honesty that's a pretty sorry list. It's a sad state when to make a decent list you have to go back 4 years to launch titles. And a lot of those games are games from the 90's-00's, like Rare Replay and Voodoo Vince. And even though you went back 4 (20+) years to make that list PS4 has had more games than are on that list already this year.

[Automatic79]

@tyasia0

You are one of the few individuals who on a daily basis, makes the round on Xbox articles, even if Xbox had a bunch of SP games you would still find fault like you finding now. Just look at you and those who disagree when facts are in your face.

[Ristul]

Anyone can play Ori on a decent laptop. Is that really the best Xbox has going for it? An indie game that is also on PC.

[Snk91]

I don't see how folks can even argue with that list. Smh..

[DragonDDark]

TR isn't exclusive

[trooper_]

... That's it?

[Atomicjuicer]

Microsoft has no soul.

[ILostMyMind]

Scorpio produces Phil Spencer's promises in true 4K every day.

[snkiworld]

I thought Scorpio Produces Mineral water everyday thanks for correcting me.

[MasterCornholio]

No that's the Xbox One which was marketed as a water cooler.

:P

[jokerisalive]

No my friend that would be the Xbox One 'Aquarius' Edition....aka the upgraded DAY ONE Scorpio model with 2 tb hdd.

[ILostMyMind]

😂😂
Now i realized that my comment was ambiguous. Some will think that i have complimented Scorpio. But not.

[Bathyj]

Less talk, more action Phil. In other words let's see these games, not just hear how great you think they are after you cop some backlash. It takes years to make them. What are they?

And I honestly don't care what games make more money. Make a list of the 100 best games of all time and I'd bet 80% of them would be single player focused. Even the first Halo sold on the strength of its campaign. I rushed out and got an Xbox as soon as I played it.

[BIGBOSS08]

He needs to give up chatting shit all the time.

[snkiworld]

Thats M$ PR Nature

[snkiworld]

Finally talking about games ok

Lets see

[DeadSilence]

Too much talk.

[snkiworld]

holo 6 on the way

[Artemidorus]

Wants people to buy his deadbeat repeats more like. Also a hypocritical as he cancelled a promising game too.

[AmUnRa]

He did not cancelled it, he has not the "power" to do that.
The board of directors of Microsoft did it. You know he is a talking head, remember?

[Artemidorus]

He represents the company so again he who he represents cancelled it.

[DrumBeat]

Good to hear. Scorpio could have some amazing single player IPs that take full advantage of the console's power. If they have a single player focus alongside their MP focus, I'm all in.

[Snk91]

Looks like many out here would like just Nintendo/Sony in this industry. Excluding Microsoft.How boring and that would be. Never knew the hate for them was this strong. A lackluster underpowered hybrid console releases in Switch now everybody seems to have the beer muscles enough to start the shit talking against Microsoft. Folks need to back up and wait until Scorpio shows on the scene. Then and only then will the real war begin.

[rainslacker]

The power in Switch's appeal is in it's games. Or at least BOTW and the future titles which are likely to be stellar.

Nintendo's best selling point has always been games. The Wii was maybe an exception, but even it had some exceptional games to play.

Would a Nintendo/Sony only future be boring? Probably in the forums, because realistically, all that could be discussed is the games. The power differences are hard to argue about, and ultimately, I think both Sony and Nintendo fans are in agreement that good games don't require power. It's an interesting place when you have fanboys of Nintendo or Sony arguing over which game is better, as opposed to comparing which has more games which pick anything that may be available to try and make it seem like one system has more high profile games than it really does.

Anyhow, I personnally wouldn't like to see MS just bow out. I just want to see them do better for the community that we reside in. I'm fine with them exploring other options in other markets within gaming, but they are practically neglecting the hardcore market right now. It's to the point where they're almost going backwards, and right now, MS does not have a single high profile AAA top tier title announced. Not one. CD3 and SoT being the big talking points to try and say how great Xbox's line up is is utterly pathetic, because those are mid-tier titles at best. They don't hold a candle to Nintendo or Sony's output of top tier offerings or currently announced titles.

E3 may change things....but I'm not going to hold my breath. If they don't have more than 1-2 top tier titles at E3, then I can't imagine how anyone can defend their current offerings and still be taken seriously within this particular community.

[AmUnRa]

What real war?? The war is over boy, get real, the PS already won that war you are speaking about...wake up. Scorpio and the Xbox One will not outsell PS4 and the Pro. Only in your fanboy believes it will. Aint gonna happen, dream on.....
Sony won big time, and no Scorpio can change that.

[jokerisalive]

Yeah sure....Phil is a smooth talker and says alot of things but yet two big games were cancelled and STILL not a single new screenshot or info on Crackdown 3 yet. Talk is cheap and lets see what MS delivers other than hyping the Scorpio hardware.

[fatbastard11]

So basically they don't care about a HUGE chunk of their player base just because they MIGHT lose a few bucks.

[jokerisalive]

Yeah it seems like they are oblivious as to what gamers actually want nowadays and instead want to deliver 'service based gaming' 24/7 with NO new exlusives and NO decent SP campaigns.

[Ristul]

Guess they only care about gamers who are willing to pay for Xbox Live, why else would they ignore single-player games and focus on multiplayer. Microtransactions in all their big first party games are also a hint at that.

[trooper_]

Now I know why I never bought an XBox console.

1.No variety of games.
2. Microsoft doesn't take risks.
3. They're delusional.

[jhoward585]

I can clearly see why MS remade World of Tanks first for the scorpio. I'm gussing its for obvious reasons....It has multiplayer of course.

[Ristul]

Got to get that Xbox Live subscription money!

[andrewsquall]

Like how he helped Platinum with Scalebound? We are now almost 4 years into this generation so far. What the hell is he talking about???

[Max-Zorin]

All he did was cancel games, and close studios. And he stay kissing Sony's ass. He always praise them, and barely do anything for Xbox. It's funny how they can spend billions on Minecraft, but can't use that money, to invest in new studios, talent, and brand new games. I thought people that wear glasses, were the most stubborn humans. They didn't even use that money, to make Rare great again. Xbox was once great, now it's a bigger laughing stock, than every NFL team located in the Midwest. Maybe if Xbox was a Canadian product, it would be in better condition, because American companies are stupid.

[Razzer]

Who gives a shit about Canada? Any consoles coming out of there....ever?

[Einhander1971]

As long as industry as a whole isn't giving up on single player games then I'll be happy:)

[Chris_Wray]

Focusing on Single Player games should be a core for any developer. Frankly, I'm fed up of the multiplayer centric focus. I do understand it, but there are some games that should be MP focused and others that are SP, without shoehorning in the other.

[glenn1979]

When is E3?

[Snk91]

Starts June 11th. 2Pm pacific time..

[Ristul]

I wonder if it was MS who wanted Scalebound to have multiplayer, and that it was the reason for the troubling development. Guess we will never know.

[Ryuujinjakka]

He wants to find new models? Just ask Sony or Nintendo. They make good and successful SP games since at least 4 generations. You have to invest some money though. Give some freedom to the devs and have trust. Maybe it's too much to ask...

[rainslacker]

Funny thing is, Sony also has quite a few really good MP offerings. I'm not a MP gamer at all, but it's hard to ignore just how much praise a lot of their MP stuff gets. Heck, even things like UC, the biggest complaint is that it's not quite as good as UC2.

Not that Sony doesn't fumble it here and there, but MS seems to be of the belief it can only be one or the other, or that every offering has to have some way to keep players engaged for the long term. It's like MS is more concerned about maintaining subscription numbers regardless of quality, as opposed to just making quality games in a wide variety of genres which keep people engaged naturally. It's like MS is of the belief that people only buy one game a year...or less, and that if you don' thappen to capture them with your one offering a year, then you've lost them forever.

It's really rather sad. When you look at games like Horizon, it's ancillary monetization stuff(MP, DLC, MT) is non-existent or minimal. Horizon was easily a $100 million dollar production. In the first two weeks, it brought in 156 million in revenue(2.6 million in sales). By the end of the year, it's likely to bring in around $500 million. That's a pretty good return. Maybe not as good profit wise as a lower cost service based game, but lets put it in perspective. The average service based game....excluding the high and low ends of the scale...brings in about $3 per user. The average service base game like MS is talking about would need 100 million players to actually bring in $300 million. So, while it may only cost $20 million to make a service based game, thus nice profit and low risk, it takes a huge user base of active players to actually achieve that.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

It does bum me out, when a game like SINGULARITY, which was one my favorite single player FPS campaigns from from 7th gen., does not sell well.

[Tussin187]

I remember that game. I picked it up cheap and was surprised how good it was. I enjoyed it a lot.

[dilbig5]

K...???

[bolimekurac]

i find it funny how everyone starts threads and articles shitting on phil and making believe he said one thing when he said another just to start a shit storm, at least hes out there talking to the players, has anyone from sony spoken to anyone about gaming the way phil has in the last 3 years, uhmmm no

[tyasia0]

No. And thank goodness for that...

Instead of rolling out the hype machine with false promises and half truths Sony puts their money where their mouth is and just makes games and consoles and lets that speak for itself.

[Snk91]

All you haters, naysayers, and pundits are going to have to wait until e3 to see how great Scorpio will be. Stop hating on Microsoft, Phil Spencer and Scorpio. At least if anything try and reserve your judgement until after e3. Get a front row seat to see Microsoft put on a show..

[richyque]

Show us a bunch of multiplatform shit that you can get on every console and pc , no thanks.

[Snk91]

It'll be much more than that..

[TheTony316]

How many times do we have to wait for E3?

[Snk91]

What other choice do you have?

[tyasia0]

"What other choice do you have?"

Don't buy into the hype and stick with Sony Nintendo and PC?

[TheTony316]

Snk91 Get a PC or a PS4.

[Snk91]

I have the fantastic Pro already. Very fine complete well made console. Nothing bad to say about it. Sony did a great job there. But I want to add to it with Scorpio.

[AmUnRa]

O you mean wait till e3 like the last 3 years?? Come on boy take your head out of the sand. All you do is waiting for the next E3 and microsoft did deliver sh*t.
Keep waiting..... O by the way you Xboxfans think Phil Spencer is a God and the savior of Xbox. Wake up, phil just a talking head, saying what the board directors want him to say.

[Snk91]

You guys are going to sleep on Scorpio just as many of you did the Pro. That was a mistake and this one will be also..

[trooper_]

Wait till E3!

No games are shown.

Wait till next E3!

[Snk91]

You have no choice my friend..

[TheTony316]

I wonder what Xbox fanboys will come up with, if the Scorpio underperforms graphically or doesn't set the world on fire sales wise.

[Tankbusta40]

Phil Spencer is an idiot and needs to be fired

[SirBradders]

He wants to help devs have tools to make story driven games but doesn't want to produce them is what I got out of that.

[TheTony316]

Flip-flop Phil at it again.

[Markusb33]

Not sure that's what he said about zelda and horizon. I think he wants a steam box with a more service approach. Less physical and more digital.

[Silkside]

Always making promises, always telling their fans to wait for this wait for that.

[Silkside]

Word all word, Ms needs to deliver and just stop talking talking talking

[yomfweeee]

He tried to put down what makes Sony and Nintendo great and his fans actually called him out on it, so good in them. Then as always he has to try to change his story to make himself seem like the savior.

[ccgr]

So many dead multiplayer games out there, single player games are still very relevant

[Puertorock77]

Where I think Phil kind of messed up and tying his opinion about single player games to the industry. What he should of said was single player experiences no longer have the same impact "ON THE XBOX PLATFORM". By him saying the industry he now included the PS4 and the switch. PS4 and to be honest playstation in general have been successful with providing single player experience. I would wager Andre House and Yoshida do not agree with Phil Spencer's view.

If anything Sony tried that bigger push for MP over single player experiences last gen on the PS3 with a whole bunch of MP projects. Didn't turn out to well for them because at the end of the day everyone kept going back to COD and Battlefield.

Now if Phil was more specific with Xbox than that would give us a clearer picture but I can understand why he didn't do that. If he did that he would be admitting singe player games have failed from a financial stand point and he doesn't want to shine the games available for XB1 in a negative light.

Ultimately though, he's talking about XB1 single player experiences and how they don't sell well. he can't keep green lighting big single player production experiences when they don't sell to expectations.

[TheTony316]

Puertorock77
It's cool seeing you here. Your Youtube channel is really good.

[Puertorock77]

I appreciate it. Glad to see you're enjoying the content.

[yeahright2]

dime a dozen sales man technique, he was just down playing the areas where he's weakest. If he had Sony's portfolio of games I guarantee he wouldn't be saying that. Likewise, if Sony was the one with BC and gamespass cominghe'd be downplaying that instead.

[XXanderXX]

They shouldn't even contemplate such an idea , due to the fact not all of us like playing our games in groups . Some of us prefer to play and discover things you can't do with other people .

[Cobra951]

His main comment on SP is disheartening, even if it's accurate. Still, demand for SP games will never die. The more the big studios go after the MP cash cows, the better the opportunity for startups to do well in the SP market.

After all, look at CD Projekt Red.

[Tetsujin]

I read a lot of "Wait until E3" comments, yet once again it will end in disappointment. I hate to say it but Phil is starting to remind me of Don Mattrick, minus the 360 quote when Xbox One was about to release.

As far as single player games, there's a lot of games released on previous consoles Xbox could easily revisit, HD remaster, and/or make sequels. If Xbox put more emphasis on diversity in games instead of the same garbage every year, and slapping on multiplayer on games that don't need it, they wouldn't have a problem with deciding how to handle single player games.

[corroios]

He is very good in pr, but the reality ist totally diferent. Because of him microsoft lost bungie. Imagined if they were still working for them!!!! It was their best studio. Fable studio? Dead. There no big studios being made. Triple a games take years.

Wait for e3, yeah, it will be fun

[DivineAssault]

bwaahahaha ya ok.. He's been lying his a$$ off for years already.. Ill believe it when i see it

[phoenixwake]

Why does every new piece from Spencer seem like damage control nowadays? Maybe they should learn from Sony and their squad of 1st party devs, and just release awesome games year over year? Wasn't too long ago that the Xbox platform was the go-to place for ALL gaming, now it seems like their release lineup is kind of a joke. Sad.