Their presentation was all about the future, specifically about the nextbox. This generation was destroyed before it even launched by an inept management group. I think the real point of the acquisitions and the presentation was to instill some hope back into the brand, which I think they succeeded!

They are going the right way, although I'd prefer they would created new studios rather than buy existing ones, that's a net loss for multiplat interest. Anyway, I'm still waiting for Microsoft to do something with all of their great RTS properties, Age of Empires IV is nowhere to be seen. And please, no W10 exclusivity.

Honestly all we can really do is wait and see how the next first party games like Gears 5 and Halo Infinite come out and what the new studios are working on. It might be years before we see what they are working on, they might even just be on the next Xbox if anything.

I think Microsoft knows that this isn't going to be an immediate fix since games take time to develop, but it's a great move for the future since they're showing that they were being serious about expanding first party like they said. It certainly means that things should be a lot better next generation for them, where as the Xbox One generation was really weak in a lot of years due to their first party problems. 

I honestly do not understand the point of this thread, at all. It just seems like a way to smear shit into an open wound, without any reason or concern. Phil Spencer made a mention of their commitment to the future, and you make a thread saying that post-E3 their exclusive lineup is still a problem? Yeah, no shit. Phil didn't mean two weeks into the future.

However I think what you're getting at is that the studios acquired by Microsoft are not up to the task of making a quality exclusive on the same level as Sony or Nintendo. But, again, your reasoning is past works. That can only give us a rough estimation. Part of the reason for these studios to be acquired is to allow for more funding and supervision. BEND Studio made an incredibly forgettable Uncharted game and now, looking to the future, are working on one of Sony's most anticipated games. Naughty Dog began with a game that pretty much only saw success because it came out during an awkward transitional phase for platformers, and because it had good marketing. Sony helped Japan Studio immensely by putting the trust in them, even when development hell was probably leaking money. The point is not only do most studios tend to have humble beginnings, but a good team of exclusive studios require the trust of their employer. Just bringing up Metacritic scores, isn't really adding anything to the conversation.

They essentially doubled their number of first party studios. It doesn't make all the problems go away but it's a major first step.

You forgot Media Molecule which hd LBP1 before being bought. I guess that shows how good Sony's internal processes are that so many studios have improved over the time Sony has owned them. And the same for the studios that sony has created. 

I guess now MS has to show they can do the same. I think the creative freedom clause is a good step. 

Of course it is solved. Xbox will be the leading platform again starting next gen. The way it should be.

Are you talking about the acquired studios? If so, Playground Games will continue to work on Forza Horizon and Undead Labs, State of Decay - already existing Microsoft franchises. Compulsion Games' isn't exactly a studio we should expect great things from, looking at their track record. Ninja Theory is the only studio I see doing something decend. 

Which studios am I missing - Mojang? They didn't release anything on current-gen. :) 

Metacritic is an aggregator, showing us the general consensus among critics. The quality of each individual game is subjective. What I'm arguing is the general consensus. :)

I'm not assuming anything, whether or not they decided to go multiplatform is irrelevant, the fact is that Microsoft won't be getting an exclusive game from them.  

Sure acquiring 4 new studios is a step in the right direction, but two out of the four were already making Microsoft exclusive titles, Forza Horizon and State of Decay respectively, so them being acquired won't amount to more exclusives. Compulsion Games' track record is far from interesting, and I'm not expecting great things from them. With that being said, I applaud Microsoft for acquiring Ninja Theory, that studio is so talented and unique.

I never really played Battletoads, my friend. :)