The head of Microsoft’s gaming division Phil Spencer was a guest on the show today Kinda Funny Xcastresponding to studio reporters on very hot topics, including the recent and disappointing launch of Redfall and the equally recent (and disappointing) decision by the CMA, the British competition body, to block the acquisition of Activision Blizzard Kingup to talk about Starfield and to comment on upcoming Xbox releases.
So let’s see what we talked about, starting with the topic of the moment.
REDFALL
The new Arkane Austin title has just arrived in stores and on the Game Pass, and it certainly cannot be said that it has been a success, the many technical problems and the outdated design have sunk the game in the eyes of critics and the public, and many they wondered how such a launch was possible. Spencer was, in this regard, very sincere:
“There’s nothing harder for me than letting the Xbox community down. I’ve been a part of it for a long time. Seeing the community lose faith and be let down disappointed myself. I am angry with myself“.
The executive explained that he went through all the processes throughout the development lifecycle of Redfallin which Microsoft took a very detached approach to let the studio do its job on its own, until the revelation the impossibility of reaching 60 fps on Xbox at launch, a surprise that for him and his team came very close to the release date, so much so as to define it “a punch on the chin“.
Speaking of which, Phil did a mea culpa also on the communication issue: “In terms of lessons learned, I’ll even think back to the videos on IGN showing the game at 60fps on PC. Knowing that the game would run at 30fps at console launch, we should have been transparent about what we showed and that it was representative of what our customers would see on console.
This transparency needs to be improved. It makes me angry when we harm ourselves by circulating confusing or misleading communications about what the actual end product will be“.
Spencer explained that after this he will necessarily have to review the control processes of games in development, but he wanted to reiterate that he remains convinced that Xbox management should not micromanage the creativity of its studios: “One thing I won’t do is push against the creative aspirations of our teams. I know many people will say
Spencer cited as an example Tango Gameworksstudio born with The Evil Withinwho thanks to the freedom granted to him achieved the acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush.
And when asked if he thought to postpone Redfall further in order to improve itSpencer explained that, even with a delay, the heart of the game and the creative vision of the developers would remain unchanged, and it is this that was then submitted to the judgment of reviewers and players.
Spencer later explained that he was taken aback by the reviews of the game, because, from internal tests, such low marks were not expected: “We do review simulations for every game we release, and that’s double-digit less than we thought we’d get. We would never strive to release a game that we think might be reviewed in the low 60s, that’s not part of our goals. This game has fallen significantly below our internal metrics in terms of reviewsbut this does not depend on anyone else but us, and we must take responsibility for our commitment to the game“.
However, Spencer explained that the team of Arkane is working to incorporate feedback from the communitystarting from deliver the promised 60fps on Xbox Also thanks to the help of other Xbox studios like The Coalition and Rare intervened to assist the team, and explaining that this feature it’s on point with regards to the lead times.
CMA
When asked what he thought of the recent decision by the CMA to block the acquisition of Activision Blizzard KingSpencer explained that “The CMA’s decision was disappointing, I’ve been talking to that group for almost a year. They defined a cloud gaming market that, in my opinion, does not exist yetbut from their point of view we have an advantage in a market that is just forming and this acquisition could somehow prevent others from competing in that market“.
He did however confirm that the acquisition, while still in Xbox’s focus, is seen as only an “accelerator” to core strategy, and therefore not vital to future strategies. However, the plan is still to appeal the decision and work with regulators to push through the deal.
XBOX SHOWCASE, STARFIELD AND FUTURE GAMES
As for theXbox Showcase June 11thSpencer explained “we’re going to announce some stuff people haven’t seen yet, some new games“, confirming that there will also be updates on games that have been announced in the past and have not been heard of for a while.
About Starfieldwhich will be the protagonist of the Starfield Direct right after the Showcase, Spencer answered a question about the game’s frame-rate on Xbox, revealing that the performance of the game will finally be announced during the show and revealing that the Xbox team managed to support Todd Howard’s much better compared to what was done with Redfall.
The executive then wanted to reassure the fans about the arrival of future games, explaining that everyone the internal studios are now at such a stage in the development of their games that the releases are starting to line upallowing Xbox to have new First Party games every quarter, from Starfield onwards: “We have games coming every quarter that I believe will surprise and delight our customers. We have to put great games in the hands of our players“.
But Spencer also wanted to reiterate Xbox’s willingness to make games that are diverse and for different types of gamers, rather than trying to make a single game”who will rule them all“explaining that the diversity of what the teams are building will end up being a selling point for Xbox, but quality must be guaranteed, deadlines must be met and people must be shown what they will really see. They pride themselves on the diversity of their portfolio of titles, which will allow every player to find something to suit them.
Spencer he also stressed the importance of showcasing gameplay, as gamers want to see what they’re going to play before they buy it. He then stated that he is eager to show gamers what Microsoft Game Studios has in store.
XBOX AND THE CONSOLE MARKET
Spencer then concluded by talking about the Microsoft focus in the console market and how this is measured against the competition, explaining that it’s not in Xbox’s plans to win in the console market against Sony and Nintendobecause they have too great an advantage: “I know this will piss off a lot of people, but it’s just the truth of the matter. When you’re number three in the console market and the top two players are as strong as they are, and in some cases focus VERY hard on deals and other practices that make life difficult for Xbox, it’s not our fault“.
Spencer explained that Xbox is committed to bringing great games to their consolesbut he doesn’t think this will make a big difference in the console market: “There is no world where Starfield, even taking 11 out of 10, convinces people to sell their PS5; not gonna happen“.
For this reason, the company is looking to expand into other markets, cloud and mobile, where there are many more potential customers and where there is greater scope for expansion.
In short, a humble Phil Spencer but still determined to learn from the mistakes of his team to create the best possible experience for Xbox players. For our part, we can’t wait to find out what surprises it will hold for us in June!
MX Video – Xbox Series X | S