So then why say she’ll focus on core Xbox gamers and bringing Xbox back (she specifically said console)?
Like Brad Sam’s said that means exclusives (not games contractually inked to be multiplatform like COD). But if that can’t be done because they’re too far deep into the well, then she’s just talking the talk because there’s nothing else she can do for console sales.
I really hope there’s a video introduction tomorrow.
The only exclusives we are gonna get are from brand-new IPs; old legacy IPs are a fat chance in hell. I bet they will try to replace stuff like Halo, Gears, Forza, and Fable with something like an AA or indie style of game made by a first-party studio(they will most likely try that instead of keeping AAA exclusives) at Xbox, and make it claim that it will replace a well-known IP as the new head of the Xbox brand.
But I fear that will only really take place once we get news on the next-gen console and the overall future of the Xbox brand in that same area.
Just food for thought.
But exclusives are still gonna play a role here, I mean, it still makes sense, and Xbox is not that desperate for PlayStation money. Their focus, at least for now, is reach. Once that particular phase has reached its peak, so to speak, is when we will see some return to form in exclusive games is what i think could happen. But it won’t be legacy titles, but most likley new ip that take shape.
Agreed, will they really do another push to try to sell as many consoles as possible with an affordable console and a ton of exclusives? I doubt that, how much money are they willing to lose to attempt that again? I doubt they’re even willing to think about that, that definitely felt like just talking the talk, they’d probably be better off trying to end all exclusives instead by making Xbox have access to Steam so Xbox users can access PlayStation games through there without needing a PlayStation.
Why not have access to both Steam and other PC storefronts, while also gaining exclusives on AA and Indie games from their first-party studios? I think that is safer than making AAA games exclusives, no?
No one’s going to buy a console for an AA exclusive though - if AAA games can’t do it, nothing can.
For example no one’s buying a PS5 for that new God of War thing
Speaking of that, the post of three dragons meme sure describe that new game. Granted, I didn’t play it, but many who did don’t have much good saying. But hey, at least DayOne name change can’t be conspiracy in order to bash PS secretly.
If they went rogue and made everything they own, meaning COD and everything else exclusive, that may do the trick but is that a good idea? probably not.
It’s mostly an idea, honestly. Mostly because AAA is too costly to be really exclusive, that is what I am currently seeing right now.so maybe making a game that looks like a AAA game but is actually a AA or even an indie game could be smart.
At least that is a suggestion to avoid spending thousands or millions on making expensive-as-hell games while managing some form of exclusive format or whatever.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen “Xbox is dead” titles on Youtube as I have today, I think this one definitely breaks the record, going multiplat, studio closures, layoffs and price increases didn’t gather nearly as much attention damn… The algorithm is throwing them all at me lol.
This is the first time Xbox leadership has changed in 12 years. That’s a long time. People only knew Phil for over a decade and expected Sarah to succeed like it’s some kinda dynasty and Sarah wouldn’t really represent much “change” because she’s been with Phil since early on enacting the same vision. It really does go to show that for a lot of people online Phil had become Xbox. Like it’s kinda insane that this is the reaction to him retiring after 38 years and people had a specific successor of whom they’d accept and anyone else taking up the job (someone actually new coming in to give Xbox the “change” people have been saying they needed) means Xbox is des-diddly-dead 
.
Yeah, as others said the role doesn’t seem to exist. Sarah’s note makes it sound like it only existed while they were transitioning following ABK’s closure. Now I guess what’s really the point? What exactly is a “President of Xbox” vs “Microsoft Gaming CEO”? Xbox is supposed to just be the gaming brand and all Microsoft Gaming CEO meant was a higher position that oversaw the entire gaming experience across Xbox, Zenimax, and ABK. With Matt Booty now promoted to fully handling the content and studios across everything including ABK then Sharma can really focus on the overall unified gaming business and user experience and making those important decisions. I don’t think they want to fragment Xbox as something separate, and especially if we’re going to the all-in-one hybrid PC route then Xbox will just naturally encompass everything as a gaming platform. Plus there’s already teams in place with leaders for VP of Next Gen and Cloud Gaming experience and platform ecosystem user experiences and what not.
I think there’s reasons to be concerned and I definitely am concerned, I think the most reasonable and realistic video I’ve seen from this is Brad Sams’s take and he will probably be right, don’t be shocked if you see certain things that became the norm under Phil change or be removed, for example Game Pass which is probably his biggest accomplishment but he also points out the possibility of the new CEO not pushing back when the people above want to do certain things like shutting a studio down, this is probably why they hired her instead of Sarah Bond or somewhere else from within the Xbox division, we will hopefully know soon enough.
Aside from multiplatform, literally all others are what’s happening to all others.
If Game pass leaves what is there to promote cloud with. I think Game pass leaving would be worse than 2013. Right now, this new change in leadership is receiving huge backlash, no one is praising it. I don’t think Asha can handle all this toxic feedback on the daily, she hasn’t even started yet. This is looking like such a bungle.
If the next Xbox is going to be the boutique piece of hardware i.e. on the more expensive side and is mainly just a PC I just don’t see where exclusives make sense.
It’s pretty clear that they’re going to continue the multiple platform approach and at most a 1 year exclusivity window but again if they did that it just comes back to my first point of why anyone would buy an expensive piece of hardware for an exclusive and they can also just buy it on Steam and the epic game store too so you wouldn’t have to buy Xbox hardware anyways.
Agreed If they get rid of day one games that would just be stupid and they’d have to massively lower the price.
At most I can see them say everything but call of duty
Agreed, this is why I think her best option is to just continue what Xbox was currently doing, put games on everything when possible, not necessarily at launch like FH6, actually try to get prices down a little, maybe make GPU 25$ a month instead of 30$, try to get Series S and Series X back to their original prices and significantly increase stock, with GTA6 coming the latter makes sense.
Oh yeah if they get rid of day one games it would be worth 15$ a month at best.
I guess that’d just be them getting rid of Ultimate entirely then. Something of note is that she did specifically mention exploring new business models in her memo as a way to “not just milk” their IP. We’ll see where that goes. On another note Satya Nadella greatly praised Xbox’s growth under Phil and Microsoft consistently hinges on Game Pass and “content and services” to offset declining hardware during earnings calls. I’d be surprised if they outright gut game pass when that’s been the only consistently positive news to investors.
That would be nice but with the profit expected by Satya and Amy that sounds like a tall order. If they are willing to allow her to do some of this that would just seem like favoritism when they clearly hamstrung Phil and Sara. One thing I would say is her job just got harder and she’d be almost looking for a miracle if the sentiments online is to be believed.
if they get rid of day one games the service will crater and I doubt anyone would sign up. I mean without Day one games it will be basically the same with Sony, Ubisoft and EA’s offerings which have all struggled. PlayStation couldn’t even reach a million subscribers and ended up merging it with their online service to increase monthly prices and I think EA was the closest at about 3 million subs. Also, without Game Pass what is there for Xbox to draw the crowd or compete.