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Forums - Microsoft Discussion - [Soft-locked DO NOT POST] Is MS focusing too much on quantity over quality with their 1st party games?

smroadkill15 said:
Leynos said:

I realize this may come across as an atheist speaking in a cathedral. Halo and Gears don't have the pull they did in the 360 era.  Halo series sales have been slipping. MS would not even report on Gears 5 sales and aside from being a bigger open area it still plays like a cover shooter. Something that feels dated now.  Those series only seem to mainly appeal to existing fans now and not bringing in new fans. One of the reasons more Forza, Gears, Halo became a meme this gen. They will convince Xbox fans to buy Series X but I don't see Halo convincing others get an Xbox over PS5. That's not Hellblade either as the first only sold 1 million across several platforms combined. I just see a list of games that convince Xbox fans to buy an Xbox and will have some stuff to tide them over. SO far I don't see anything that says buy Xbox, not PS5.

I'm looking at the lineup of games for this year, and I hardly see MS relying on the same formula as before. The new studios haven't even shown the majority of the games they are working on for next gen, or if they have, it's only a tidbit like Hellblade 2 and Everwild. Halo Infinite will push consoles, don't worry about that. Maybe YOU don't see anything to push you to buy an Xbox, but I've already seen the number of excitement for the next Xbox much higher than last generation. 

Think of it like fifa or madden or 2k or racism Sims or what ever else. Theese games dont entice gamers who are nit interested in thouse types of games. The same players will buy it year after year but it's gona be near impossible for them to convice someone who is not into thouse types of games to buy into them no matter the improbements, innovation or what ever. Halo which is a long standing franchise fits into that category. They can get better and fans will love it but thouse who are not fans will keep ignoring it. Its not just MS just in case, applys to zelda, mario, uncharted, civilization, assasins creed and what ever game is just a iteration of the last. Games could be like god of war that that broke its own mold but that's rare and I don't think MS will go that way as they have very few big name ip's and they wont risk loosing the fans.



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I haven't seen MS spam new releases of games since acquiring the new studios. In fact, their output has been rather dry still since the purchases. Of course, that is to be expected since most of these studios were already developing games that were announced under other publishers and are multiplatform such as The Outer Worlds from Obsidian, Psychonauts 2 from Double Fine, and Wasteland 3 from Inxile. So it's going to be a while before we start seeing "quality" games from these studios. 343 hasn't released a new Halo game since 2015 so going on 5 years. We probably won't see a new mainline Gears game for a couple of years.



goopy20 said:
AngryLittleAlchemist said:

That's going by what this site constantly goes by, not my personal standards. I'm actually decently excited for FF7R, but I don't think my arguments are any more disingenuous than most arguments about Microsoft's output (of course, they have been way worse than Sony consistently, but I'm saying that in the recent term both companies haven't done the best, and that in both cases the future prospects have yet to be seen). Of course, Metacritic was never and has never been an actual symbol of quality, but let's be consistent now. And the counter-argument would be, Ori and all the recent Forza Horizons are just as quality, if not moreso, then those titles, again going by Metacritic. 

However, considering the OP is basically talking about the difference between AAA vs AA/A games, I guess it doesn't even matter. I think it's a little silly to act like Microsoft's first party releases for this year set a precedent for what the future is going to be when, again, most of their studio acquistions have yet to release games yet, and even when they do smaller games are developed faster than bigger games, so it's more coincidence that the smaller titles will release first. Again though, it's totally fair to say MS has way more to prove, than Sony, but I don't think the OP is giving a very good example. Days Gone is literally, 3 measly points, about Bleeding Edge.  

Days Gone was one of the few AAA Sony exclusives that didn't get critical acclaim, but you can't argue the quality of Sony's exclusives this gen. What I'm trying to say is that both companies have roughly the same number of studios but their focus is completely different. Just look at this year. It's basically TLOU2, Ghost of Tsushima, Dreams, FF7, Nioh 2, Death Stranding etc. vs a bunch of filler titles for GP and Halo. Some of those AA games will probably turn out great and get good reviews. But how many people, who bought a Xbox to play Halo or Gears, would honestly get super excited and buy a game like Ori? Sure, it's a quality game, but it barely sold 1.5m copies. 

Now, if people can play Ori for free through GP, I'm sure many will give it a go, just like I did. My point, however, is that MS doesn't seem to be focusing on games that core gamers would pay full price for and instead are going for quantity to fill up GP. I mean Gears Tactics looks pretty cool, but would you buy it for full retail price?

And there it is. You remind me of myself 10 years ago except on the other side. Numerous people in this thread pointed out how premature your post is and that Xbox studios has a healthy mix of A-AAA games in development.

“Xbox just has a bunch of filler that aren’t system sellers where as Sony only produces big budget AAA games”.

Bravo, you made a thread to prove Sony still top dog in games. But the way I see it...you made this thread because part of you is threatened MS has their shit together. Having the same studios as Sony is somehow registered as a insult to Sony’s superiority so you have to drive home that Xbox makes “filler” as you said yourself. 

Fact is Xbox is making more games, more genre diversity and is also ramping up AAA production. Xbox wants to move beyond Halo Gears and Forza, get with the times. And you are listing 3rd party games....thought this was a 1st party discussion? Lol subtle. 

And don’t list Dreams when we all know it’s not selling... at all.

Last edited by sales2099 - on 07 April 2020

Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles. 

 

Leynos said:
sales2099 said:

It’s almost flattering when people think every Xbox gamer has GP and even if we are subscribers that we don’t buy anymore games outright. 

The 1 AAA game per year sounds about right for the Xbox One, but next gen looks much brighter. This year will have Halo Infinite and Forza 8, with all the A-AA throughout the year :)

I realize this may come across as an atheist speaking in a cathedral. Halo and Gears don't have the pull they did in the 360 era.  Halo series sales have been slipping. MS would not even report on Gears 5 sales and aside from being a bigger open area it still plays like a cover shooter. Something that feels dated now.  Those series only seem to mainly appeal to existing fans now and not bringing in new fans. One of the reasons more Forza, Gears, Halo became a meme this gen. They will convince Xbox fans to buy Series X but I don't see Halo convincing others get an Xbox over PS5. That's not Hellblade either as the first only sold 1 million across several platforms combined. I just see a list of games that convince Xbox fans to buy an Xbox and will have some stuff to tide them over. SO far I don't see anything that says buy Xbox, not PS5.. 

Dont know what to tell ya, MS studios have by far more genre diversity in the pipeline then Sony, which primarily makes 3rd party action adventure story driven games.

I imagine Xbox wants to bring in gamers who didn’t consider Xbox in the past. That’s what Ori 2 is for. Flight simulator, Gears Tactics, Hellblade 2, WRPGs from Obsidian and Playground. Not just Halo Gears (shooter) and Forza anymore. I welcome the demographic expanding and having a cumulative effect. 

And I personally believe market share and 1st party sales go hand in hand. Case in point most PS4 exclusives sell very well but most PS3 exclusives sold horribly....like laughably bad compared to 360 ones. ODST outsold Uncharted 2...Killzone 2 lifetime sold as much as Halo 3 opening month. You get my point. 



Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles. 

 

eva01beserk said:
smroadkill15 said:

I'm looking at the lineup of games for this year, and I hardly see MS relying on the same formula as before. The new studios haven't even shown the majority of the games they are working on for next gen, or if they have, it's only a tidbit like Hellblade 2 and Everwild. Halo Infinite will push consoles, don't worry about that. Maybe YOU don't see anything to push you to buy an Xbox, but I've already seen the number of excitement for the next Xbox much higher than last generation. 

Think of it like fifa or madden or 2k or racism Sims or what ever else. Theese games dont entice gamers who are nit interested in thouse types of games. The same players will buy it year after year but it's gona be near impossible for them to convice someone who is not into thouse types of games to buy into them no matter the improbements, innovation or what ever. Halo which is a long standing franchise fits into that category. They can get better and fans will love it but thouse who are not fans will keep ignoring it. Its not just MS just in case, applys to zelda, mario, uncharted, civilization, assasins creed and what ever game is just a iteration of the last. Games could be like god of war that that broke its own mold but that's rare and I don't think MS will go that way as they have very few big name ip's and they wont risk loosing the fans.

Think you missing the point. MS seeking out fresh gamers. And with their superior genre diversity, charming titles like Ori for example, which would traditionally belong on something like Switch.

Plus, a low barrier to entry, they will do just that. The madden and FIFA Xbox fans like myself will still get their fix. 

Last edited by sales2099 - on 07 April 2020

Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles. 

 

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JRPGfan said:
goopy20 said:

I totally get MS's reasoning behind GP, at least from a business sense, but do you guys think MS studios should all be doing multiple smaller projects to keep GP content fresh, or would you like to see them focus more on larger scale AAA titles?

Obviously we don't know exactly what they're all working on but take Ninja Theory for example. They're making Hellblade 2 but they also just released Bleeding Edge and are doing Project Mara as well. Obsidian's new game Grounded also looks like a small scale project and the Initiative apparently also has multiple "small" projects they're working on. It just feels like there's a very strong indie vibe to all the games we're seeing from MS's 1st party studios, even though I'm sure a lot of them will turn out to be great. Hell, Gears tactics looks more interesting than Gears 4 or 5 and I loved Ori. However, those are not typically the kind of games I would buy a next gen console for.

The good:
Ori and the blind forest - 88
Ori and the will of the wisps - 90
Gears 4 - 84
Gears 5 - 84
Halo: The Master Chief Collection - 85
Halo 5: Guardians - 84
Forza Horizon 3 - 91 (+ Hot Wheels - 87)
Forza Horizon 4 - 92
Forza Motorsport 6 - 87
Forza Motorsport 7 - 86
Quatum Break - 77
Killer Instinct - 73
Sunset Overdrive - 81

The bad (and or ugly):
Bleeding edge - 68  (has 13 viewers on twitch right now. Intrest seems really low)
Crackdown 3 - 60 (has 1 viewer on twitch.tv)
Recore - 63
State of decay 2 - 66
Sea of theives - 69
Super Lucky's Tale - 64
Zoo Tycoon: ultimate Animal collection - 70
Rush: A disney/pixar adventure - 68
Disneyland Adventures - 67
Phantom Dust - 73
Voodoo Vince: Remastered - 69
Halo Wars 2 - 79
Dead Riseing 4 - 72
Project Spark - 73

Microsoft does just as many good, as they do these smaller terrible games.
If its Forza/Gears/Halo, its likely a good game. Those guys that make "Ori" seem to make enjoyable platformers too.

Alot of these multiplayer focused games that review poorly, are just left to die a week or two after release.
State of decay 2, seems to have "stuck" around better (than crackdown 3 or Bleeding edge).

I think its a bad strategy to focus so much on these multiplayer focused games, theres too many of them, most are poor quality.
Big AAA games from multiplats, do things so much better that these games are basically just fighting a loseing battle from the start.
Its almost unavoidable, that they just end up left for dead.

How is Killer Instinct with a 73 in the good vut Halo Wars 2, Phantom Dust, Dead Rising 4, and project spark in the bad/luck when 5hey scored higher or about the same?



derpysquirtle64 said:
LudicrousSpeed said:

Bleeding Edge just came out and we know more content is coming. Crackdown 3 got multiple updates and is not a "MP focused" game. Having multiplayer doesn't make a game "multiplayer focused". State of Decay is even less multiplayer focused and it has gotten tons of post launch support.

You just listed a ton of first party Xbox content and only three to four were multiplayer focused games. Some of the other titles have strong MP elements but also have strong SP. And a vast majority of the ones with strong MP elements got good reviews, and got great support post launch. So I have no idea what you're talking about here. I mean, you claim they release too many MP focused titles, most are bad quality, and a lot are forgotten with no support and "left to die a week or two after release", so let's go down your own list.

So going by your own list there doesn't seem to be any over-emphasis on multiplayer titles and the titles with strong MP focus mostly got real good reviews and support.

I think you seem to misinterpret what is usually considered a "multiplayer focused" game when this stuff is brought up. I guess that usually people here use this term to describe the games that are not "the games that can't be played solo" which seems like your definition of the term but to describe games that have multiplayer component have an impact on overall game design. And unfortunately more often in a negative way. Like, you say that Halo 5 and Gears are not multiplayer focused games because they have SP and MP but they are. The worst thing about Halo 5 was the forced co op thing which is the result of multiplayer component of the game having an impact on game design. This game was designed around co op mechanic so it didn't scale well to play solo. Because just filling stupid AI bots instead of real people is not doing the stuff right in this case. 343 need to learn from Gearbox as Borderlands series handle this stuff a lot better and all Borderlands games play really well in both solo and co op modes. I've just provided Halo 5 as an example, so you can think about the rest of the list for yourself.

I never had any issues with the AI in Guardians. And thanks for another good example, Borderlands. Can be experienced fully and enjoyably solo. Same with almost every game on that list he provided.

There no mistake in how MP focused is being defined here, he’s just incorrect.



goopy20 said:

I totally get MS's reasoning behind GP, at least from a business sense, but do you guys think MS studios should all be doing multiple smaller projects to keep GP content fresh, or would you like to see them focus more on larger scale AAA titles?

Obviously we don't know exactly what they're all working on but take Ninja Theory for example. They're making Hellblade 2 but they also just released Bleeding Edge and are doing Project Mara as well. Obsidian's new game Grounded also looks like a small scale project and the Initiative apparently also has multiple "small" projects they're working on. It just feels like there's a very strong indie vibe to all the games we're seeing from MS's 1st party studios, even though I'm sure a lot of them will turn out to be great. Hell, Gears tactics looks more interesting than Gears 4 or 5 and I loved Ori. However, those are not typically the kind of games I would buy a next gen console for.

Here is an article about Wasteland 3 where the developers talk a little bit about the development process:

https://www.gamesradar.com/wasteland-3-gamescom-2019-preview/

"Fargo is keen to note that it isn't just the money that has made the difference here – although it certainly helps – it's something more invaluable than raw cash flow alone: InXile has been given time. "It's always the elephant in the room with game development, time. When you speak to the best developers in the industry – whether it is Rockstar or Blizzard – the biggest factor is always time. It's the same across the group, it's always time, time, time," Fargo tells me, explaining that for studios the size of InXile any amount of added time can make a world of difference. "We think a certain way about development and we are run very tightly as a result. We're not looking for three to six extra years, but three to six months. For a group like us, that can be night and day. Six months can make all the difference; six months could be a '10 on Metacritic' change for us.""

Now you tell me if that sounds to you like an emphasis in quantity over quality.



If there's anything worth getting on Xbox, at least I'll be able to play it on my PC. Nothing announced yet screams "must buy an Xbox"..
Especially next gen, personally, between my PC and possible PS5 purchase, there's really no reason to move over, regardless of quality.

Last edited by BillyBong - on 07 April 2020

Man.. I hate it when your girl has to leave my place to come back to you..

BillyBong said:

If there's anything worth getting on Xbox, at least I'll be able to play it on my PC. Nothing announced yet screams "must buy an Xbox"..
Especially next gen, personally, between my PC and possible PS5 purchase, there's really no reason to move over, regardless of quality.

You sound like someone who isn’t in the market anyway for a Xbox console. But instead of “must buy Xbox” its “must play Xbox” which technically could mean buying Steam versions or PC Game Pass.
Its people like yourself that make it clear why MS is doing what they are doing. You have a PC and have a preference for Sony...yet MS found a way to get to you (if the games are worth it). 



Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles.