I feel like I should put in a disclaimer here; I do not own a PlayStation 4. I'm not a fanboy. I've just never been in a position where I needed to get one. I had a PS3 as well as a 360. And currently I own an Xbox One and a Nintendo Switch. Equality in games is fantastic. And while competition breeds success, the real winners are the ones who don't seclude themselves to one tree in the forest.
Okay, explanation to deter suspicion of bias aside, let's talk about Microsoft's presence over the long weekend. Xbox kicked off their conference Sunday morning with the reveal of Halo: Infinite. This definitely set the tone of the briefing. We were in for a good time, with actual announcements. Xbox has needed to right their wrongs over the last 5 years. Their biggest issue? Games. They sent a message out when they announced the Xbox One in early 2013, which in the public's eyes, many still think is true. “Xbox isn't about games or gamers” I don't feel that was ever the case. But alas, the public believes what comes through the pipe. And that's a discussion for a whole other day.
Over the last three years with the promotion and insight of Phil Spencer, Xbox have done everything they can to change perception. They have striven to deliver on promises of being from the gamer and for the gamer. 50 games, 18 Exclusives, and 15 World Premieres. A well paced show where we got new looks at the likes of Metro: Exodus, Ori: And the Will of the Wisps, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This conference gave us deep dives on many of the games we already knew were coming, and are excited to get our hands on. And then we got first looks at titles like Forza Horizon 4 and Gears 5. We even got our first gameplay for Massive Entertainment’s The Division 2. If it wasn't clear, Xbox brought the games.
We also got something that I feel is more important to Xbox as a power in the video game industry. We were told of Microsoft’s First Party Studio situation, and it's newest additions to the roster. Xbox acquired five new studios to work on games for the brand which should help rebuild their exclusive game library. We learned they purchased Undead Labs, the creative team behind both State of Decay games. They purchased Ninja Theory, makers of 2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Then we have Playground Games, a studio that built its name on the open world racing genre with the Forza Horizon franchise. Although there was no official mention of their new project, it is rumored they are working on the next entry in the “Fable” series. We have Compulsion Games, the developers behind “We Happy Few”. This addition not only adds to the portfolio but also gives credibility to their debut title since it still has yet to be released. But the most integral studio announcement was The Initiative. A new studio based on Santa Monica, CA. This studio is said to be working on AAAA Titles, which is one more A than we usually consider. This studio should benefit location joining a market filled to the brim with others like, Sony Santa Monica, Treyarch, Insomniac, and Naughty Dog. Xbox finally acknowledged its main and most concerning issue. And they finally fixed the problem we all knew they had.
Xbox needed to deliver, they needed to let us know they were still apart of this business. They did more than just that with this briefing. They doubled down. Games like “Gears 5” and “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” Did a good job showing we would have games. But we needed structure. And the acquisition and creation of 5 additional studios was something bigger than we can realize, and we may not see the Fruits on that tree next year. But securing a future in the industry needs more than just a console and third party support. So here's to you Phil, I'm glad you're listening.
What am I excited for?
Ori: And the Will of the Wisps
Below
Forza Horizon 4
What did I want to see?
Confirmation on the Fable rumors
A sooner release date for Ori
Justification for another Crackdown 3 delay
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