Xbox division head Phil Spencer has said that first-party content is a primary focus for Microsoft’s overall strategy for the next-gen.
During a panel at Game Lab Live, via coverage from Twinfinite, Spencer spoke about several topics, including Games Pass, Project xCloud, and the Xbox Series X.
Spencer started the panel by reaffirming his belief that putting the players first has led to smart decisions for next-gen consoles. He said it is really encouraging to see the support growing for Xbox’s first-party studios from within Microsoft.
He feels “really good” about the lineup, especially after checking out a bevy of announced and unannounced titles.
Spencer said, “We know it’s important. We know that it’s something that our fans want, but I will also say we’re going to create our first-party around the things that we feel we need to do in order to stand up for Xbox. Sometimes we get suggestions “where is your X game or where is your Y game” and people look at the other hardware platforms. I don’t think our goal is to replicate what other people have done. It doesn’t help the industry to have people that are doing exactly the same thing with their platforms, services, or content.”
A consistent criticism that has been levied against Xbox this generation is their lack of any truly spectacular first-party games. It’s also hard not to compare Xbox’s lineup against Playstation, where most of Sony’s first-party studios have released games to universal acclaim.
While Spencer did address this perceived lack, he was confident that Xbox’s upcoming lineup is diverse enough to appeal to a broad spectrum of gamers. Speaking on the next-gen tech, Spencer said one of the advantages that it will bring is the increased level of immersion it will provide. Things that used to break engagement like loading and framerate issues will be a thing of the past.
It wasn’t too long ago that Xbox announced a long list of new studio acquisitions. From Ninja Theory, Playground Games, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, inXile Entertainment, and Obsidian Entertainment. While we have yet to see the fruit of their labors, it was widely believed that they are working on next-gen projects, and it would seem that we will at least be getting a look at their work soon.
While it is a good sign that Spencer has confidence in the future of the brand’s first-party lineup, they have a lot of work to do if they want to catch up to the juggernauts over at Sony. Xbox will need some significant hitters from their first-party if they hope to stay in the game.
