Microsoft At E3 2018

[Andy]

3 isn't enough to squash the criticism...unless all 3 come within a year. I mean how many new big IPs from MS this gen? 3, Quantum Break, SOT and Sunset Overdrive..two of which were launch games. That is pitiful.

Simple fact is that MS is stuck with this criticism for the remainder of this gen. All they can do now is try build up consumer confidence for next gen.

I think we're seeing things in roughly the same way. I'm talking about games that will come out in the next 2 years, rather than 1, but otherwise, I'm just talking about giving people confidence that great new exclusives are in the pipeline. I think that will go a long way. It won't stifle the criticism that the console lacks big new exclusives now (or for the next year), but it will give people confidence that big new games are coming.

 

[menace-uk-]

I think we're seeing things in roughly the same way. I'm talking about games that will come out in the next 2 years, rather than 1, but otherwise, I'm just talking about giving people confidence that great new exclusives are in the pipeline. I think that will go a long way. It won't stifle the criticism that the console lacks big new exclusives now (or for the next year), but it will give people confidence that big new games are coming.

Somewhat, yeah. I just don't see confidence rising until thry can do it continuesly over a long time, like they managed to do last gen for the most part.

 

[Andy]

Somewhat, yeah. I just don't see confidence rising until thry can do it continuesly over a long time, like they managed to do last gen for the most part.

Yes, there has to be follow-through and consistency over time. Definitely.

And of course, what they produce has to be good. It won't help to announce 3 new AAA exclusives, if they turn out to be only average or okay. That's been part of the problem. As OneBigMutha said, it's pretty clear that they're going to invest in new properties; the question now is whether they'll be able to execute.

 

[Dread Fox]

Bigger question is....will they sell?

 

[Andy]

Bigger question is....will they sell?

Well, in order to sell, they need to execute. First things first.

 

[karmakid]

Bigger question is....will they sell popcorn and waffles?

At fanfest, no the feed you an all you can eat breakfast....and I bet you your gamertag that yes fanfest will sell, sell out oc

 

[Nervusbreakdown]

3 isn't enough to squash the criticism...unless all 3 come within a year. I mean how many new big IPs from MS this gen? 3, Quantum Break, SOT and Sunset Overdrive..two of which were launch games. That is pitiful.

Simple fact is that MS is stuck with this criticism for the remainder of this gen. All they can do now is try build up consumer confidence for next gen.

I have said this before and they are cursed till this GEN is over...Even then I still think it will continue on because MOST (90%) of the media bias will keep going till the end.

If MS can put the same energy into the next system like they did for Project Scorpio they can pull off. MS still need to go to South Korea to get some developers to offset Japan or something. Those Japanese developers don't give a sh!t about Xbox regardless what they say.

MS should just go buy SEGA and stop playing the freaking nice guy.

 

[timmy-boy]

I really hope Microsoft can create a brand new I.P. It being near the end of gen is no excuse as Sony produced The Last Of Us near the very end of the gen and I honestly think that game gained a huge amount of goodwill for Sony going into the PS4. It showed the commitment and dedication to investing in top quality new I.P. If MS invested in a high quality new I.P I really do think it would help the transition to the next xbox.

 

[menace-uk-]

I really hope Microsoft can create a brand new I.P. It being near the end of gen is no excuse as Sony produced The Last Of Us near the very end of the gen and I honestly think that game gained a huge amount of goodwill for Sony going into the PS4. It showed the commitment and dedication to investing in top quality new I.P. If MS invested in a high quality new I.P I really do think it would help the transition to the next xbox.

That could have been Sea of Thieves, but Rare screwed that up with woefully lacking content.

 

[Kvally]

I really hope Microsoft can create a brand new I.P. It being near the end of gen is no excuse as Sony produced The Last Of Us near the very end of the gen and I honestly think that game gained a huge amount of goodwill for Sony going into the PS4. It showed the commitment and dedication to investing in top quality new I.P. If MS invested in a high quality new I.P I really do think it would help the transition to the next xbox.

We are only 4.5 years in. I would guess with Xbox One X we will hit 10 years easy. So not even half way through.

 

[Sasquatch Montana]

That could have been Sea of Thieves, but Rare screwed that up with woefully lacking content.

Sea of Thieves will be more successful then TloU. Its GAAS after all.

 

[timmy-boy]

Sea of Thieves will be more successful then TloU. Its GAAS after all.

No it won't. TLOU defined a console generation, enraptured critics and fans alike and is one of the only few hardcore games I know casual games have actually completed. My main point was that if they create an awesome new I.P it would end the Xbox One on a high and they would be to bring out a sequel next gen to get people hyped to buy your system.

 

[menace-uk-]

Sea of Thieves will be more successful then TloU. Its GAAS after all.

Nope.

 

[The Living Tribunal]

The thing is that during the PS3 era when the 360 was dominating the PS3 for the first couple of years Sony had to go into crisis mode.

I honestly think that it was a wakeup call and a call to arms for Sony first party. If you can remember the 360 was getting exclusive 3rd party games as well as time exclusive content. I believe that this forced a momentous change that would have a ripple effect that we are just now seeing the fruits of.

1. It caused Sony to invest and rely on it's own studios rather than 3rd party. This almost ideological passion and sheer dedication has manifest into a publisher (Sony) being able and willing to invest in it's own games to the point that their quality can't be matched by even 3rd party efforts.

2. The 360 dominance caused Microsoft to become complacent with their own stance as a publisher. It makes sense when you think about it because why invest the money and resources for AAA exclusives when your system is enjoying good 3rd party support to drive sales.

Obviously this line of thinking has resulted in the dire lack of exclusives we see now.
With that said I do believe that this is the gen where we see Microsoft (just like Sony did in the previous gen) realize that they need to rely on themselves and take risks with their first party offerings. I think Phil understands this.

This gen is practically over and to the victor go the spoils, but I do believe before the gen is out Microsoft will start relying and investing heavily into it's own studios to carry the system. There really is no other way for them to go. It is the Xbox's crisis mode and it will define the next generation of Xbox.

 

[menace-uk-]

The thing is that during the PS3 era when the 360 was dominating the PS3 for the first couple of years Sony had to go into crisis mode.

I honestly think that it was a wakeup call and a call to arms for Sony first party. If you can remember the 360 was getting exclusive 3rd party games as well as time exclusive content. I believe that this forced a momentous change that would have a ripple effect that we are just now seeing the fruits of.

1. It caused Sony to invest and rely on it's own studios rather than 3rd party. This almost ideological passion and sheer dedication has manifest into a publisher (Sony) being able and willing to invest in it's own games to the point that their quality can't be matched by even 3rd party efforts.

2. The 360 dominance caused Microsoft to become complacent with their own stance as a publisher. It makes sense when you think about it because why invest the money and resources for AAA exclusives when your system is enjoying good 3rd party support to drive sales.

Obviously this line of thinking has resulted in the dire lack of exclusives we see now.
With that said I do believe that this is the gen where we see Microsoft (just like Sony did in the previous gen) realize that they need to rely on themselves and take risks with their first party offerings. I think Phil understands this.

This gen is practically over and to the victor go the spoils, but I do believe before the gen is out Microsoft will start relying and investing heavily into it's own studios to carry the system. There really is no other way for them to go. It is the Xbox's crisis mode and it will define the next generation of Xbox.

Not sure I really agree with that. Sony have always invested heavily in their first party games. Their issue and only real wake up call was about using convoluted hardware. Hence the change to more mainstream tech.

Don't agree oh 360s dominance being the issue now either. They were told about the exclusive issue and they responded to it by saying they would do better, that was years before this gen even started.

MS has lost their way. I mean seriously, how could they not see that things like always online, mandatory Kinect, and a F2P Fable were not good ideas and wouldn't go down well? It was so obvious.

 

[yankeessuck]

Not sure I really agree with that. Sony have always invested heavily in their first party games. Their issue and only real wake up call was about using convoluted hardware. Hence the change to more mainstream tech.

Don't agree oh 360s dominance being the issue now either. They were told about the exclusive issue and they responded to it by saying they would do better, that was years before this gen even started.

MS has lost their way. I mean seriously, how could they not see that things like always online, mandatory Kinect, and a F2P Fable were not good ideas and wouldn't go down well? It was so obvious.

They never had the problem Microsoft is having of course but they invested more once they realized they couldn't rely on 3rd party exclusives like they did during the PS2 days. Their first party was fine then but its much better now.

 

[Andy]

I really hope Microsoft can create a brand new I.P. It being near the end of gen is no excuse as Sony produced The Last Of Us near the very end of the gen and I honestly think that game gained a huge amount of goodwill for Sony going into the PS4. It showed the commitment and dedication to investing in top quality new I.P. If MS invested in a high quality new I.P I really do think it would help the transition to the next xbox.

Yup, the impact of a single excellent game can be considerable, even late in the generation. It adds credibility, silences critics, gives people confidence in the brand.

There will be one difference. The latter half of last gen was a time when MS was in a long dry period, focused on Kinect and the tentpole franchises, without much else in the way of big new exclusives. So Sony's offerings stood out in contrast. I doubt the situation will be the same in reverse, because Sony will likely continue to have good exclusives coming out. There won't be that same contrast.
But still, it will help considerably.

 

[The Living Tribunal]

They never had the problem Microsoft is having of course but they invested more once they realized they couldn't rely on 3rd party exclusives like they did during the PS2 days. Their first party was fine then but its much better now.

Exactly. They have always had first party in droves, but my point was during the PS3 era there was an uptick in QUALITY.
Almost like they said 'if you want something done right let's do it ourselves.'
Nobody is arguing with the results.

 

[Rollins]

This gen is practically over and to the victor go the spoils, but I do believe before the gen is out Microsoft will start relying and investing heavily into it's own studios to carry the system. There really is no other way for them to go. It is the Xbox's crisis mode and it will define the next generation of Xbox.

Agreed. Plus I feel like this is the last thing MS has to ‘fix’ from the X1 release debacle.

IMO Phil has addressed every other major complaint from that time. Game development takes time, so I don’t think we’ll see anything huge for 1st parties in the immediate future, unless they just bought some IPs and are waiting until E3 to announce that..? I haven’t heard anything yet, just speculating.

I don’t think MS will ever lose the power war again, or at the very least there won’t be any major discrepancies with the diminishing returns for future tech.

I also wonder how big a deal the BC/FC stuff will be in the future. Free upgrades for games you already own...I love it but I’m not sure how it’s translates to sales. The big forums seem to love it though, and overall the perception is getting more positive for X.

I’d like to see the dashboard cleaned up a bit, but besides that no major complaints outside of exclusives.

The future will interesting.

 

[menace-uk-]

They never had the problem Microsoft is having of course but they invested more once they realized they couldn't rely on 3rd party exclusives like they did during the PS2 days. Their first party was fine then but its much better now.

It is better, but that is because they kept investing. The freedom they allow devs is also a big part of it.

I mean would MS let Gears(Uncharted) go so the devs can do something new? Nope. PGR didh't do well, that dev gets booted. Fable gets scraped, studio gets booted. Bungie were forced to leave because of it.

 

[Sasquatch Montana]

No it won't.

Sure it will. There hasn't really been a GAAS that tops out at 7M. We'll see Sea of Thieves on cellphones and tablets in a couple of years.

TLOU defined a console generation, enraptured critics and fans alike and is one of the only few hardcore games I know casual games have actually completed.

I don't think an Uncharted re-skin could have defined a generation. Wii Sports maybe. Unfortunately.

My main point was that if they create an awesome new I.P it would end the Xbox One on a high and they would be to bring out a sequel next gen to get people hyped to buy your system.

Thought they did that with Minecraft...and its still going.

 

[timmy-boy]

Yup, the impact of a single excellent game can be considerable, even late in the generation. It adds credibility, silences critics, gives people confidence in the brand.

There will be one difference. The latter half of last gen was a time when MS was in a long dry period, focused on Kinect and the tentpole franchises, without much else in the way of big new exclusives. So Sony's offerings stood out in contrast. I doubt the situation will be the same in reverse, because Sony will likely continue to have good exclusives coming out. There won't be that same contrast.
But still, it will help considerably.

That is true Sony will never curtail investment in first party or make excuses about kinect, even they are still investing in huge games whilst investing in VR. Basically Microsoft has to put up or accept they will never be as good as Sony or Nintendo at making games and even then I don't see them surpassing Sony's single players efforts as their studios fine tuned it down to an art. Still MS has a chance to find their niche but they will need time but time is not on their side right now.

 

[timmy-boy]

Sure it will. There hasn't really been a GAAS that tops out at 7M. We'll see Sea of Thieves on cellphones and tablets in a couple of years.



I don't think an Uncharted re-skin could have defined a generation. Wii Sports maybe. Unfortunately.



Thought they did that with Minecraft...and its still going.

Sea of thieves is virtually dead on twitch right now. They have a slim opportunity so they need to get content out asap. Critics and most fans disagree - TLOU defined the PS3 for many people. They bought Minecraft and did not invent it which is a big big difference.

 

[Andy]

I don't think an Uncharted re-skin could have defined a generation.

An Uncharted reskin. You really are FOS.

 

[Sasquatch Montana]

Sea of thieves is virtually dead on twitch right now.

Well thats the thing about GAAS...their success is ongo game? ing. How many streams did Minecraft get in 2011? It's almost like viewers are unrelated to revenue. Would you believe it probably debuted to less copies then Rainbow Six Vegas at launch.

They have a slim opportunity so they need to get content out asap.

Or 5-10 years? Who knows what the upper limit on a GAAS is. GTAV and Minecraft and PubG and Roblox are redefining it all the time.

Critics and most fans disagree - TLOU defined the PS3 for many people.

Not Call of Duty 4?

They bought Minecraft and did not invent it which is a big big difference.

Well these opportunities are available to everyone if you can afford them.

 

[Sasquatch Montana]

An Uncharted reskin. You really are FOS.

Bruce Straley has called it that.

 

[Andy]

Bruce Straley has called it that.

You want to provide that quote?

 

[Sasquatch Montana]

You want to provide that quote?

From there, moving on to The Last of Us and creating a new IP from scratch. Even though people could say, ‘Oh, it’s just Uncharted reskinned.’

 

[yankeessuck]

Sure it will. There hasn't really been a GAAS that tops out at 7M. We'll see Sea of Thieves on cellphones and tablets in a couple of years.


I don't think an Uncharted re-skin could have defined a generation. Wii Sports maybe. Unfortunately.


Thought they did that with Minecraft...and its still going.

 

[Edge BC]

This thread...is entertaining for the wrong reasons.