With the Xbox One X available in most countries, many have criticised Xbox for the lack of exclusive titles accompanying the launch but a recent interview with Xbox head Phil Spencer has revealed plans to resolve the ongoing issue.
For years (maybe a decade or so), Microsoft has remained in the shadows of Sony in an epic clash of the console wars. Both studios have come under scrutiny for closing down studios and cancelling game productions, it’s a neverending entanglement that divided many as to which console is the better, more powerful of the two.
According to an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer revealed plans to guarantee that the software company will produce more Xbox exclusive titles in the near future. By shifting the focus on more in-house titles being produced, it will thus minimise the criticism from the media and backlash from gamers.
“We need to grow, and I look forward to doing that,” Spencer said. “Our ability to go create content has to be one of our strengths. We haven’t always invested at the same level. We’ve gone through ups and downs in the investment.”
Early this month, we reported on Microsoft Q1 report that while hardware sales are on the decline, an imminent rise in software and services, largely due to the success of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service and Microsoft hopes that with the launch of the Xbox One X, those figures will turn around for the company’s second-quarter report.
But while that’s all said and done, Xbox’s biggest cause of concern is that they have a handful of franchises to rely on for commercial success, namely Forza, Halo and Gears of War. And Microsoft had to close down two studios this year and not to mention, the high-profile cancellation of Scalebound that dealt a massive blow to both PlatinumGames and Microsoft.
But, there is a sense of hope in that what Xbox has accomplished over the years, has edged out Sony in terms of technology and products offered. The backward compatibility feature remains the biggest innovations Xbox has produced, a feature which a Sony exec stated that it’s a requested feature that’s underutilised.
The company’s shift in success is looking toward other opportunities for expansion including the Xbox Live usage, game streaming like its Mixer app and the esports arena. To some, Xbox is playing to its strengths like online features, software and services as recently Microsoft is looking to launch its own game streaming service within the next three years due to the improvements in Microsoft’s Azure cloud service.
The future is, after all, looking bright for Microsoft…
