Xboxhad a very quiet year in 2022,too quiet according to Phil Spencer. Not great when you have consoles less than three years old to sell with relatively few in-house games to choose from released since their arrival as it is. Xbox not only has its player base to answer to when it comes to this sort of thing, but alsoMicrosoft, and apparently the corporation isn’t happy with the lack of first-party activity from its gaming arm.
That’s according to Jeff Grubb who spoke about Microsoft’s annoyance that Xbox isn’t creating and launching exclusives at a high enough rate onGame Mess. “I can tell you, they are not,” Grubb replied when asked if he thinks Microsoft is happy with Xbox right now. “They’re upset… You know, they didn’t release a first-party game last year, and if that doesn’t affect you if you always have something to play again, that’s awesome, but a lot of people do regret getting their Xbox.”
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Xbox has already moved past a barren 2022, launchingHi-Fi Rushearlier this year. An Xbox exclusive that came out of nowhere and made quite a splash. However, Grubb addedthe critically acclaimed game that took the internet by storm for a while underperformed. “It just straight up didn’t make the money it needed to make. I mean, it got good reviews, the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that?”
Grubb offers up a few potential explanations as to why Hi-Fi Rush didn’t achieve the numbers Xbox expected, but the most likely scenario is it launched onGame Pass. Naturally, the game would have sold very few copies since anyone who has Game Pass didn’t need to buy it. As for what can pick up the slack, Xbox hasRedfalllaunching next month, and thenStarfieldcoming in September. Microsoft likely isn’t convinced either of those marquee exclusives will turn things around, though.
Redfall, in particular, has had a very rough few months. The revealplayers will need a constant internet connection, even when playing single-player, went down like a lead balloon, as didArkane’s commitment to the gamelaunching with Denuvo DRM. Redfall’s arrival will also be sandwiched between the launches ofStar Wars Jedi: SurvivorandTears of the Kingdom. A brave spot to pick although, in Xbox’s defense, there isn’t really a week this summer that won’t pit one big game against another.
Redfall is one thing, but Starfield is the big one Microsoft will really have its eye on. An incredibly ambitious space RPG fromBethesda. A studio withSkyrimandFallouton its resume so yeah, the pressure’s on. Starfield will also have stiff competition as it seems likely Bethesda’s next big game willlaunch in the same month as Spider-Man 2.
