Seven IPs That Can Save Xbox

Zach from WellPlayed writes about seven IPs that Xbox should turn to solve its exclusive problem

[brettbatley]

I’ll take a new Streets of Rage, Dino Crisis and Crysis from that list. TimeSplitters would be cool but can’t see it happening

[robtion]

I think a big new, must play, ip would help.

Original Xbox had halo.

Xbox360 had Gears.

X1 hasnt got one so far.

[combatcash]

Sequel to Alan wake, sequel to Ryse, sequel to sunset overdrive, find a way to release scalebound that game looked insane, release Fable 4. A new Up or two to mix things up and boom, you can revitalize the system. Naturally these games have to be of high quality

[SkippyPaccino]

The worst part is that they paid for both those exclusives... Wasn't even in house. Not even sure what Xbox has brought to the game besides new age online on console...

[MrSec84]

They need a bunch, at least one across every major genre that can provide differences to established multiplats and their competitors franchises.

Something with logical thought out systems, that make for a believable and solid experience, genre defining, made by teams people trust would be great.

They haven't earned their place in the market, they've been riding on the back of people they've bought with money, instead of supporting the industry and giving back to the gamers with what makes this hobby fun, good experiences that take people somewhere in their imagination.

Sony and Nintendo do that, as do multiple devs outside of those companies.

MS should remove Phil Spencer from leadership, hire someone who knows videogames and can actually do something with the resources available at Microsoft.

Someone with a backbone, who will fight to build Microsoft Studios into a truly respected game maker, not a spoilt child, riding around the industry with their Parent's hard earned money.

[Kavorklestein]

I personally Consider QB and Ryse and Halo 5 to be must play games.
And Ori and the Blind Forest.

Whether or not these some of these games are on PC or not is irrelevant, since you Listed OG Halo, which was on PC, and OG gears, which was on PC. (with added content no less)

As Far as "New" is Concerned. Yeah I think QB's ending was underwhelming, but other than that, it was a Fantastic game that deserves more love than Hate.
Regardless of what Critics say.

Critics Loved the Movie: "it Follows" and "Get out" and I despised every second of those Films.
A Critic's POV is only half the equation.
Sometimes you gotta just see for your self.

[DVAcme]

@Combatcash
Microsoft needs NEW IPS, rehqshing old ones ad nauseum is part of the problem! Also...
-Sequel to Alan Wake: There already was one, didn't make much of a blip.
-Sequel to Ryse: I don't see how a sequel to a mediocre game can help Microsoft any.
-Sequel to Sunset Overdrive: Microsoft didn't give SO the marketing it deserved and the game suffered as a result. I don't see Insomniac risking making another one unless MS paid them MASSIVE amounts of money. Also, Insomniac is making PS4 Spider-Man, and that's gonna be one of Sony's tentpole games this year, so Insomniac doesn't need to work for MS.
-Find a way to release Scalebound that game looked insane: MS CANCELED Scalebound, so that is dead on the water, and I seriously doubt Platinum is very eager to work on a MS exclusive anymore.
-Release Fable 4: I don't trust Peter Molyneux no make me a sandwich, let alone a new game. Face it, the Fable franchise became more mediocre with every game, and Western role playing games have advanced way beyond Fable's concept. Fable 4 would just seem like a crappy unimaginative clone of The Witcher 3 at this point.

Seriously, MS needs innovation, not dipping into the well again and again expecting players not to get bored of the same ol' same ol'.

[Sayai jin]

Robitin, bingo.

[oasdada]

None of these games have anything to do with the xbox brand. Making these kind of exclusive deals wont help MS but would be the case of TR exclusivity Again. XBOX Needs to make its oen identity with new ip and good sequels to games they have under their belt.. Not just throw cash at any random franchise and make it hostage to their console!

[mark_parch]

it's so simple. just do a banjo and kazooie remake along the lines of the recent crash games that would be a guaranteed success. do whatever it takes to make a kotor 3 or kotor remake another guaranteed success

[Str8Chaos74]

Would love a new Crysis game on any platform. The first game was awesome.

[Heelix]

Save Xbox from what?

A platform that just reported growth . .
. . that just made MS billions in its last financial report?

oh you mean you'd like to see more exclusives games. .
Fix your headline then?

I'd like to see an increased volume of varied and diverse content coming to the box. They don't necessarily have to from First Party only. A few collaborations here and there.

Smart investments in both SP and MP content.

[quenomamen]

No yea the Xbox is doing great! No MS got into this business to sell half of what the competitors sell, yes they prefer it that way actually. Denile is strong like bull.

[Heelix]

Okay
So we are trying to save Xbox from the competition?

If they released as many AAA games as their rival and still didn't sell as many consoles
Would they still need saving?

Xbox is its own benchmark - they've done 80 mill in the past and had even more AAA games than XO

They just need to match or outdo themselves again

Also the current gen is a wrap.

[Gaming_1st]

@Heelix

Your avatar is very fitting. In the hardware business you need to see growth, in order to get returns on the money you're spending. The reason MS is starting to move over into these paid subscriptions is cause the return is very great. MS lost billions trying to compete in the console market and due to the fact that just recently starting to see a profit. If MS can not sell you a xbox, then no paid subscriptions. You bring up 80 million 360 sold, but how many was multiple's to the same person? I mean a 56% failure rate is a lot. So that coincides with only 40+ million xbox live "members" at the time of the 360. That's "members" and not subscribers. So if you made multiple accounts on console that counted as a "member".

So unfortunately as much as you try to downplay. Technically they need to see a growth and not in the red like they have been most of MS console life.

[trooper_]

Who cares how much money they made. What are they doing with it?!

Okay, I guess you can stuff hundred dollar bills in an XB1 and games will miraculously show up on the screen then.

How much does Microsoft pay you for nonsense talk?

[UltraNova]

Exactly. Why should any gamer care if a Company makes money in a way it doesn't do service to us? Is all that money beeing reinvested in new IPs? No, in MS's case they imvest that money on more services which are solely created to extract even more money from us with minal effort and resources on their part.

Thats what MS is doing at the moment.

[Jinger]

Actually that $100 bill would pay for almost a year of GamePass so they gave you 150 games for a year. Or you could buy a game or two from the marketplace. I'd like them to bundle it with a $100

[Gaming_1st]

@Jinger

You're the exact person MS wants owning a Xbox....

[optimus]

Wait until e3 and you'll see what they did with it.

[Bobafret]

But when your closest competitor is outselling you over a 2:1 ratio, it's still a problem. If Sony were only ahead by 10-15 million units I might agree with you, but consumer perception is a big deal and has legs. Bad news travels fast and this kills brands.

[showtimefolks]

Xbox one won't get no where near Xbox 360 sales which were inflated due to RROD anyway. They are compared against playstation and Nintendo

Releasing more games will never ever hurt so stop the nonsense. Yall are so pathetic instead of asking for more yall are settling for far less and asking others to expect less

The only reason ms and Xbox team so quite is because they are more than 40 million behind the best console in gaming today

Again stop this nonsense demand more don't settle for less

[Bobafret]

"Xbox one won't get no where near Xbox 360 sales which were inflated due to RROD anyway"

Years later people still perpetuate this falsehood. The RROD boxes were replaced under the 3 year warranty and did not count towards sales.

[showtimefolks]

boba

maybe check your facts early on MS didn't' admit to having these issues it was until later when MS gave the 3 years warranty. There are many gamers who had to buy the xbox360 more than once. All this so they can say they got to the market first and had a early start

[Heelix]

I think some of you are slow or maybe you just see what you want to see. Did you miss this part:

"I'd like to see an increased volume of varied and diverse content coming to the box. They don't necessarily have to from First Party only. A few collaborations here and there.

Smart investments in both SP and MP content."

The part where we all agree they need to do more?

so what do they need saving from? They're the only ones who can improve their situation.

In trouble they definitely aren't which is why I mentioned their growth in the gaming division.

[Kryptix]

Their mission is to profit the most out of one single individual person over many.

You pump out services and microtransactions. Soon, you'll see it become multi tiered. They'll maybe even help you rent out DLCs in the future for a higher premium.

What do exclusives need to become successful? A large amount of consoles sold so they're opting in on stacking multiple layers of money with the lowest number ratio aka the least people.

They're hush hush with a dead end trail, but I got it figured out. This is why you'll never see the same amount of new first party IPs compared to the rest.

The Xbox you knew is done. Jump ship for any of the much better alternatives.

[Gaming_1st]

@Heelix

Diverse content is a blanket statement. Yay, more subscription based things....Yay for me. Xbox division has been in trouble since the beginning. They have lost billions upon billions over the course of the original xbox and xbox 360. Investors was wanting MS to sell the Xbox division and move on. MS is betting the house on selling everyone on subscription based services. Minimal cost for them and huge returns. But in order to do that, they need more people buying xbox's and subscribing to their services.

[trooper_]

Maybe you need to read closely yourself.

Real, diversifying games is what will save the XBox brand from dying. Multiplats and games like Sea of Thieves won't cut it.

That's what the article is referring to.

[DivineAssault]

MS can report growth is because of microtransactions and subscriptions.. The xbox division is losing consumer confidence BIG TIME.. You think they came up with game pass because they like us? Look at how well sea of theives sold btw.. Thats sad because of how thirsty their customers were for a new game only to get stabbed in the back with another one of their schemes. Keeping people paying into that game as they make more DLC to sell you.. Whats even more sad is when they see the sales data, theyre going to think customers want that kind of stuff.. A sequel or more games with that structure will follow..

[Inzo]

If I am not mistaken the growth they reported is year over year for the month of March, not annual growth and not profit. As far as I know the only company to have reported profit for their console is Sony.

[CaptainOmega]

I guess Xbox owners like mediocre content... how sad.

[spartan112g]

Shhh, you can’t say such things here. You’ll get attacked by the Sony fanboys swimming around in these waters.

[The Wood]

'I'd like to see an increased volume of varied and diverse content coming to the box. They don't necessarily have to from First Party only. A few collaborations here and there'

I can agree with that bit. They should be doing better for such a cash rich player. This is their 3rd gen. . . They're not rookies anymore.

[nucky64]

"billions", helix???

[RuleNumber5]

Let's be honest, their big guns will debut on the next Xbox.

[zackeroniii]

lol c'mon are you for real? do you really believe that? you guys barely got any new IP on the xbox 360 and if they were they were lackluster. same goes for xbox one. can't believe people will still have hope and will continue to show support for this paperweight console and this garbage corporation.

[combatcash]

@zackeroniii, mass effect, gears of war, Alan wake, lost oddissey, blue dragon and mass effect are a few I can think of, and they were all high quality. Not all of them sold well, but IMO they were great fucking games

[Kryptix]

Mass Effect also came out on PS3 and a majority of those IPs were left behind a very long time ago.

Xbox has so few "main line" franchises or IPs that have that power to bring a successful sequel while PlayStation is building and growing like recent God of War and soon Last of Us 2. Even expect that Spiderman game to have a trilogy.

That's why PS4 is selling like hot cakes consistently because gamers know they're getting hardware that is properly backed and not shallow.

[DigitalRaptor]

Microsoft tends to front-load their consoles at the start of a gen, it's just that they dwindle significantly as the years go by.

I don't know why you think they won't have a decent start.

[bluefox755]

What makes you think, especially after this gen, that they even have any "big guns"?

[StifflerK]

Nice list, I'm still surprised Timesplitters hasn't been brought back in some form (remake or sequel).

My 7 would be:

Old IPs:
1) PGR5
2) Conker's Bad Fur Day 2
3) Fable 4
4) Perfect Dark 3

New IPs
5) Killer Instinct Vs Mortal Kombat
6) A new action game by Itagaki-san ( the guy who made Ninja Gaiden)
7) A new cinematic AAA action adventure game.

Apart from Fable 4 - I doubt any of the others will happen , but still it'd be nice to see something like this happen at E3.

[Xack]

Yeah I did think of Perfect Dark and Battletoads. But as both are Rare games I didn't include them. Would love both though.

Conkers is a good call. I didn't even think of that one!

Yeah I'd kill for a new TimeSplitters

[CyberSentinel]

1. Fable 4
2. Blue Dragon 2
3. Alan Wake 2
4. Splinter Cell Reset series

[brettbatley]

Alan Wake 2 is a great call

[Universal 08]

Im with you on PGR5 100%, been waiting for that game since Microsoft bought the IP after Bizarre went bye bye.

[oasdada]

I dont understand one thing.. Need good exclusive level games that a step above mist third party games? Why not just get a Ps4?

[StifflerK]

I have a PS4 ( and Xbox, PC + Wii U)
MS does have a lot of decent IPs that could be great IPs - unfortunately most of them never get sequels.
I really want to see them invest more in their first party games and studios.

[gangsta_red]

This seems like more of a wish list of games this person would like to see be made regardless of what platform its on.

I love Streets of Rage...but being able to save Xbox? Same with Burnout or even Dino Crisis.

Sorry, but none of those nostalgic games will actually save a console.

Unless of course it's James Pond: Codename Robocod!

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

True words red.

[Wasabi]

@Gangsta

"Save Xbox" a brand that just reported 2.25 billion gaming revenue in the last quarter with 19% YoY growth, whilst the author of this article is fishing for 5 cent clicks with a provocative title.

I'm not sure that a lowest denominator website passing judgement on a multi billion dollar company that is showing incredible growth is appropriate.

https://www.resetera.com/th...

[gangsta_red]

I understand and I should have put "" or ** around save.

But even still the list of games this guy has wouldn't move the needle much for any console that was out.

[xRacer74x]

Burnout would be beastly. But not sure you want to invest in another racing exclusive when the XBOX already owns that genre and FPS. might be smarter to broaden genre for next exclusive.

[Bruh]

Save them from what? The One is outpacing the 360 for lifetime sales and the Xbox division is garnering more revenue than ever before. They're not doing as well as the Playstation brand, but doesn't mean their failing lol

[trooper_]

They're failing to convince people to buy one.

[Elda]

Absolutely right! I haven't bought one seeing throughout the past 4 years there's absolutely no reason to.

[MrSec84]

I love my OG XBox and 360, never expected them to fall so hard, I expected much more, but they failed to convince me to buy this gen.

Given what Sony and Nintendo have to offer I likely won't bother with an XBox unless they shut up and actually act.

Announce real games with gameplay, or show gameplay soon after announcements, for games that actually look fun.

This gen is done for them, it's been done since like E3 2014, everything from Phil Spencer has been smoke and mirrors, hopefully MS higher ups will intervene and out him, out someone like a Jack Tretton type in his place and actually get some work done.

Phil should keep his mouth shut until major conferences or gaming events in general and he can actually deliver some goods.
I mean E3 2016 they only really had games that were going to be killed off, BC and a CG render for the X to try to detail the PS4 Pro and NX after rumors backed them into a corner.

There's been nothing of note outside of Forza Horizon, thank god for them that they have Playground Games in their corner, hopefully the rumors of them making a new Fable are true and it's a solid single player focused open world game, with MP as an assisted (like Dark Souls message, shadow system), maybe a real MMO addition that you opt into could work, but don't make it MP first.

I really want XBox to do better, but the current people in charge have made mistake after mistake.
It's insane at this point.

[MrSec84]

Actually it's well behind at this point, pretty sure the 360 was at the low to mid 60 Millions by this time in the 7th gen, XB1 (using "The One" just sounds wrong given it's position in the market) has likely at most sold around 40 million, not bad, but a definite step behind 360 for the timeframe it's been around.

BTW revenue isn't profit, it doesn't tell you how much they've made after costs.
According to legit sources Xbox has never made a profit.

[Kavorklestein]

My cousin's uncle's sisters former roommate dated a friend of a Guy who worked for Microsoft....
#LEGIT SOURCES

[Fist4achin]

Not so sure about saving, but definitely a good start. I always loved being the kid on blades kicking @ss in streets of rage.

[DVAcme]

So the XB1 can be saved by franchises they don't own and that can be released multiplatform, and of which a couple of them are Japanese. Suuuuuure. All the Japanese games there will by default make it to the PS4 and probably the Switch too, and will undoubtedly sell better there both domestically and overseas. Not to mention that the chance of all of those franchises even coming out in the first place are slim to none. Streets of Rage remake? Sega already has a beat-em-up franchise doing gangbusters, the Yakuza series, and that one's Playstation exclusive. Dino Crisis 3? Not happening. Vanquish 2? If anything boosted the release of Vanquish 2 is the Steam release, so that guarantees there'll be a PC version, and PS4 is also a no-brainer.

Microsoft needs to stop sitting on their hands and INNOVATE. Make console-exclusive games that push the boundaries and give us new experiences. They need to let developers take their time to release games in a finished and excellent state, instead of pushing them out trying to make their money as quickly as possible while churning out a mediocre game (Yes, I am TOTALLY talking about Sea of Thieves). They need to stop parroting the NATIVE 4K BEST LOOKING GAMEZ EVUR thing and make games that are GOOD, regardless of what resolution they run in. The facts speak for themselves: PS4, objectively, is a less powerful system than the XB1X, yet it's CRUSHING it on retail, and so is the Switch which is even LESS powerful, but is innovating and releasing exclusive games that are industry-defining. Simply put, Microsoft is not lifting a finger to actually compete and letting Sony and Nintendo win by default, which would be bad in a generation in which they were coasting, but is much worse in a generation in which both Sony and Nintendo came loaded for bear.

[Hardiman]

I was thinking the same as it pertains to the third party titles. They would more than likely come to the PS4 as well and would sell more. Strange to say multi platform titles will save a console when they haven't up to this point!

[gamer7804]

I'd like a few things that are totally new and story driven.

[DivineAssault]

How can these games save them? Multiplat titles dont usually bring in new customers..

[TheOttomatic91]

They can only save Xbox if they drop GaaS

[PCgamer98]

Halo, forza, and gears couldn't do it, why would these games be any different?

[Kaii]

Crysis couldn't even save itself, leave it be

[PlatinumGX]

Lol at saving the X1 with multiplats.

[Naji4Me]

XBOX not in dangerous situation to be save
But they have to improve the line-up

[PhoenixUp]

Well if Halo 6 can’t propel Xbox One to new heights than nothing else will

[Elda]

Unique & original jaw dropping interesting compelling AAA exclusives. Not multi-plats.

[bluefox755]

They need better than a desired IP, they need a studio that can make it great. Something they don't seem to have.

[EyeAmTJ]

Brute Force & Mechassault please

[OffRoadKing]

We've been hearing this saving grace stuff since Titnfall and Ryse, the cloud, Quantum Break, all the way up to as recent as SoT and none of it ever pans out. Besides I have it on good authority the xbox doesn't need saving, its fan base inexplicably likes it just the way it is.

[Mulando]

lol Crysis and Dino Crisis?
Those games sold really poorly, they can't sell systems.

[ILostMyMind]

"should turn exclusive"... Seriously?

[MrSec84]

It's never a matter of one IP alone making a platform desirable to invest in.

Microsoft needs a diverse range of quality, real exclusives you can only play the XBox console of the moment, sold for a good price, with decent hardware at launch that will sustain the base requirements to run modern games reasonably to the masses.

Microsoft's only hope now is to just embrace becoming the gaming platform of windows and have XBox simply be the easy access, affordable solution to cater to those that only want a service based approach to gaming, with rolling Live and Gamepass into a place where you can access all of their games, regardless of whether it's on PC or their dedicated games hardware.

Their games aren't really selling very well, they don't talk about hardware and software numbers to show they're proud of their place in the market, so they can't be doing well.

Vague statements about X active users on Live or using Gamepass is not complete data to make more users gravitate to a popular platform.

If they won't embrace being about having a passion for great game creation, like Sony and Nintendo have then they may as well embrace their true, they should just focus on Windows gaming and be real about XBox being an afterthought.

[Saranya]

Trust me, Microsoft doesn't care new exclusive and Xbox anymore.

[meka2611]

Christ with the fanboys. The are more sony fans in xbox articles than xbox fans. It's so dumb to be so loyal to a brand. Here's an example, "You use tide instead of gain, what's wrong with you, gain is so much better in every way." See how dumb that sounds. Just let people enjoy what they like.

[CaptainOmega]

Having an exclusive Splinter Cell game would definitely spice things up a bit. It would aid in stopping the bleeding, but it won’t stop it completely.

[chaos-emeralds]

Minecraft 2 would do it.

[DVAcme]

REPLIED FOR TRUTH. What the hell is Microsoft doing with Mojang? They've been sitting on them doing jack squat!

[Tko1111]

Xbox doesn’t need saving especially since every one is talking about it and their profits are in the billions. Now if we’re talking about how can it get better that’s a different story. The only thing Xbox is missing is SP because they got the best racing game , best shooter, arcade game , RTS , a hell of a fighting game in KI and they are right now the king of multiplayer platform.

[VTKC]

Why would it need saving? Each console be it nintendo or sony has their own users enough to keep it going.

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

Xbox doesn't really need saving, they do need more exclusives but not really saving.

Though not sure any of those games could even "save" them anyways.

[Bobafret]

New IP, and lot's of it.

[MrSec84]

It wouldn't hurt to bring back some lesser used classics, like Banjo, Conker, Kameo, Viva Pinata, Perfect Dark and others.

I think in the past they've had Devs make these IPs and not given them some more tries to improve on their formula.
Maybe they should use the Ninja Theory approach of limiting budget, but trying out more indie style, development techniques to see if they can actually make something from existing ideas.

A couple of solid platformers, with fun gameplay, conkers more vulgar sense of humour, a stealth spy, Sci-Fi world.
A proper open world Fable.

Basically the what made the OG XBox and early 360 great and push those games with more modern technologies and they could be on to a winner.

They just need the spare development talent to work on them.
IMO they should recruit new people out of college/Uni or search for basement Devs with good ideas on how to make good games.
They should make a training program for new talented people and grow the industry.

Tbh I don't think it really matters whether it's new IPs or franchises that haven't been used for ages, they just need to do something, plus fresh ideas can be applied to great older IPs, they'll still feel pretty fresh if they've not had any new entries for ages or they've only had one or two games in the last 10 years.

[DVAcme]

If Microsoft were really smart, they'd take a look at all those studios that EA has murdered over the years and hire those guys to make new IPs for them. Imagine the people who worked on Dead Space, Kingdoms of Amalur, Crusader, Wing Commander and Syndicate making new games for Microsoft. I'd TOTALLY buy an XB1 for that.

[Tzuno]

They have no balls, only corporate bullshit.

[zerocarnage]

Xbox does it need saving what idiocy is this.

More like here are some games that would compliment the Xbox and be welcomed if made.

I have been caĺling for a new streets of rage for around 2 decades now, microsoft need to get sega to work on a new one and bring it up to date with movie scenes, lots of characters, content and of course a new bad ass techno soundtrack..

I don't think the person who wrote this knows that vanquish 2 is in the works by sega for Xbox one as an exclusive..

If I were Microsoft there are a couple more games like streets of rage I would get capcom to bring into the current or next gen and the two are final fight and captain commando, loved them on arcade but we need to see them done again.

[Cmv38]

So the solution based on the pictures is to use non first party games and make them exclusive? Wow

[ZombieKiller]

I dont think that any of these games can save MS at this point. They did this to themselves and now they're trying desperately to bandage up that spot where they shot themselves in the foot.

Besides, it would take a collective effort on all these games to not only become triple A games, but to ALL be AAA to even come anywhere close to Sony.

Even then could ANY of these compare to what I just experienced in God of War? How about Spiderman? Days Gone, Uncharted, TLOU etc etc. They need multiple AAA titles to even come close but at this point it's too little too late. Take your fanbase for what it is, and treat them like gold so they don't leave. Then start your prayers.

[KillZallthebeast]

New ones?

[ChronoJoe]

People overstate the impact of rebooting classic IPs. The lay consumer won't remember or appreciate those games, and there's no guarantee a new iteration would be any good. That, and rosy retrospection biases our impressions to how good these games were, to begin with.

[bolimekurac]

NieR: Automata is coming to xbox so that helps a little https://i.imgur.com/pXT1d8m...

[Bobafret]

I wish they could hunt down the talent from Visceral games and form a studio to bring back Dead Space.