Microsoft is making a fresh push into PC gaming with Windows 10, and it comes at an interesting time for the company’s Xbox ambitions. Following the troubled launch of Windows 8, Microsoft proceeded to torpedo Xbox’s reputation by making its new console less powerful than the PlayStation 4, more expensive due to a mandatory Kinect bundle of dubious value, and more focused on entertainment features to the detriment of gaming.
“It was a tough time for the team, a tough time for what we were trying to do with Xbox,” says Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer in an interview with The Verge. “Because a lot of the original ideas around Xbox One didn’t meet the expectations that Xbox fans have of what we should do with our product.” But after taking over from Don Mattrick, Spencer’s gamer-focused approach has started to pay off after hard decisions like unbundling Kinect; Microsoft’s E3 keynote last month was universally well received.
So it’s on this tentative surge of momentum that Microsoft is putting the Xbox brand at the heart of Windows 10, with an expansive new Xbox app and a long list of gaming features. “We’re taking the Xbox team and really thinking about it as the gaming team in Microsoft,” says Spencer. “Where Xbox is our gaming brand and it’s less solely about the console itself and more about the gaming ecosystem all up — whether you’re playing on a PC, whether you’re playing on your phone, whether you’re playing on your console."
Microsoft & Xbox have shut down Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks to lay off more workers, insinuating that they're not in the game anymore.
They're headless for a long time because closing tango isn't exactly a good move
Ever since that cringe Kinect reveal they've never been the same. They used to make some amazing games and do great deals with third parties Early on in the 360 era they had games like Chromehounds and Shadowrun, both well ahead of their time. Now instead of nurturing their studios, they'd rather gaslight gamers and throw billions on pre existing studios. Not sure how Spencer is still in a job, I wouldn't trust him to organise a piss-up in a brewery.
We've said all along Spencer needs to go. I wish xbox went back to xbox only with new gears fable forza halo releases lots of third party releases
Those early rainbow 6 Vegas days and phantasy star universe are gone forever
MS has its head in the game but the game they are playing is something different from what console gamers expect from a platform. MS’s end game has always been to use the xbox as a trojan horse.
“Acquisitions always come with cuts”
343 trillion points shield activated
343 trillion percent damage negate activated
All damage reduced to 1 for 343 trillion turns.
MICROSOFT DEFENSE FORCE IS A GO
Especially for Microsoft, when Booty pretty much said they didn't know how to handle that many studios.
Why even make the acquisition then.
Didn’t they make the swipe for Bethesda when Sony wanted like 6 months exclusiveness for Starfield
It’s like…chill, you got Rise of the Tomb Raider for a year.
Do they always come with senseless cuts becasue that's exactly what cutting Tango was, senseless.
Everyone's acting now that game companies care about games and Xbox is committing the Ultimate betrayal, they are all like this and you have just been quiet about it for far too long
I wonder if Microsoft do pull out of the console market that it might open the door for valve to relaunch the Steambox. Competition is good for the industry but Microsoft don't even seem to be trying anymore.
Steam / Valve are one of the few truly pro-consumer bright spots in gaming right now. Thankfully.
From all the money Valve make from Steam they reinvest almost 0 into creating new AAA titles for the PC platform, Absolutely no giving nothing back in that regard. Wake up.
“Your game has won some pretty significant awards and is a show piece for where we want to go in the future.”
1 hour later.
“We’re gonna have to let you go. You can’t cover our 100 billion dollar acquisition. Oh and take your awards too 👍🏾”
Fallout 76 players have dropped the big one on Phil Spencer in response to Xbox's closures of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks this week.
He said he treated the Xbox executive like the RPG's final boss
Somewhat fitting, Considering buying Bethesda was a complete selfish purchasing decision by himself just because he is a big Fallout fan he wanted to own the toy. Well quite frankly Microsoft should look at that and say you put your personal tastes in front of the business and it has backfired.
Todd Howard out hustled Phil. Howard is definitely in the top 3 all time hustlers in video game history.
Phil's game character properly looks like a villain too.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...
“Where Xbox is our gaming brand and it’s less solely about the console itself and more about the gaming ecosystem all up — whether you’re playing on a PC, whether you’re playing on your phone, whether you’re playing on your console."
Again, this is the very reason you are having trouble Microsoft!
Less about the Xbox?
I mean if its about the ECO system, you already have such in the Market, its called the PC!, again trying to turn the console market into just another branch of the Window's OS monopoly Tree is why you are having this problem! Its the Console Market, we already have such a market Microsoft, you should know..you have pretty much a freaking Monopoly on it..if its less about the Xbox and more about the Eco system, why Make the Xbox at all, why not make a Version of Windows that is mainly a game OS like you did with Windows CE, call it Xbox OS and sell it to be loaded on any PC!
That's what does not make any real reason to be in the Game Console market other than just to kill its ability to offer another OS that's widely used to make games for a platform , other than Windows!