Microsoft Microsoft Should Exit from the Console Business

[A Link In Time]

With the recent announcement of Scalebound being cancelled for Xbox One, I'm more than a bit frustrated and annoyed at the way Microsoft has handled this generation and think they should cede control of the console space to Sony and Nintendo.

This isn't the first game we've seen games canned for the Xbox One. The other heavy hitter was Fable Legends. Also, people may forget the lesser known Phanton Dust. Aside from these cancellations, there are games we've known about for years like Project Spark and Crackdown 3 that have had no recent updates about their development or trailers put out.

Let's also consider the games we have been offered by Microsoft this generation. Halo 5: Guardians and Gears of War 4 are the worst mainline installments of their respective series. Halo 5 has solid multiplayer but the campaign has some chapters of just walking around, Locke is underutilized, and the story ends on a massive cliffhanger. Gears of War 4 lacks the coherent narrative of the original trilogy. Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive received okay reviews as new franchises but failed to sell well. Rare Replay had some hype surrounding it, but it's mostly a glorified N64 remake collection. The one real bright line for Microsoft has been the critically acclaimed Forza Horizon 3.

Perhaps I'm overreacting, but Microsoft has much less first party support than Sony and Nintendo, and their only truly recognizable mascot is Master Chief whose franchise has been on the decline in sales and critical acclaim since 343 took over. Almost all third party games are reviewed on PS4 and their sales are substantially higher on that system. Microsoft even lost Call of Duty DLC first on Xbox this generation, a huge lynch pin in their successful strategy with the 360. The company has been focusing on advertising games on Windows 10 a lot more recently, which might be them hedging their bets on the console market already. At this point, I think Microsoft should make Halo 6 and then bow out gracefully, at least knowing they revolutionized FPS games on consoles and offered the best online services of the Big Three.

 

[Ventus]

I guess we could say that Scalebound has...bites the dust. Hell yeah, I just watched JoJo DiU that **** is straight fire.

But ALIT I HAVE TO BE HERE AND tell you that you are overreacting. Relax a bit. We don't know the following:
a) the full story of scalebound's cancelation
b) Microsoft and Japan's relationships
c) Kamiya's asshole attitude getting in the way as usual or not

So relax. This doesn't sound like Microsoft doing the bullying, but it also doesn't sound like Kamiya was getting in the way. We don't know the details. We have a script from Liam Robertson but aside from that, nothing official from either side of the boat. Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3q85SF8sj0

 

[A Link In Time]

I guess we could say that Scalebound has...bites the dust. Hell yeah, I just watched JoJo DiU that **** is straight fire.

But ALIT I HAVE TO BE HERE AND tell you that you are overreacting. Relax a bit. We don't know the following:
a) the full story of scalebound's cancelation
b) Microsoft and Japan's relationships
c) Kamiya's asshole attitude getting in the way as usual or not

So relax. This doesn't sound like Microsoft doing the bullying, but it also doesn't sound like Kamiya was getting in the way. We don't know the details. We have a script from Liam Robertson but aside from that, nothing official from either side of the boat. Here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3q85SF8sj0

I agree that we need to wait on more details, but if what the video you linked is true, then the way Microsoft is handling the situation is very unprofessional and only further tarnishes their image in the gaming scene. After such a protracted development period on Scalebound and trying to impose their own limits on the creative ideas of the developers, it's extremely rude of them to delete every reference to the game and forget it existed. This is completely opposite to the way Sony is hyping up Nier Automata or how Nintendo chipped in financially to make sure Bayonetta 2 was completed. Microsoft already has a poor relationship with Japanese developers, and this will only hirt them more. It's a shame that Platinum Games are treated this way when they are already struggling financially.

 

[Jamie]

Why they are involved at all is beyond me, financially speaking. Should put more work into their software and focus on what they are good at.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

I feel like Microsoft makes plenty of money with consoles so not making consoles would be detrimental

 

[the8thark]

With the recent announcement of Scalebound being cancelled for Xbox One, I'm more than a bit frustrated and annoyed at the way Microsoft has handled this generation and think they should cede control of the console space to Sony and Nintendo.

One could also say this about Nintendo after the WiiU, but Nintendo has the Switch. However MS is different.

Should MS do a SEGA and quit the console hardware business and bocus themselves on games/software only?
Ideally that would be nice as MS history is allb about sofware. Windows, Office, etc etc all good software packages that sold well. MS historically has either not entered the hardware business of when it has it's done poorly at it. The Xbox hardware is having another hiccup along it's path. One could say too many hiccups and best to quit the console hardware business all together. The difference between MS and SEGA is SEGA actually made games, MS does not. MS hires in others or buys other companies to make games for them. Bungie and Rare are two examples of this. Without the hardware, MS has no place in the console industry outside the companies it has bought to make games.

What does MS have that is theirs that is not hardware?
Xbox Live. That is quite good. But networking and cloud solutions is what MS is good at. If MS did quit the console hardware business I would advertise Xbox live to Nintendo. At the right price I think Nintendo could do with some cloud and networking expertise.

How is MS's woes with the Xbox similar or different to Sony and Nnirendo?
Sony is in a similar position to MS. Sony don't make any of their own games. They just get 2nd and 3rd parties to make the games for the Playstation. If the Playstation sales suddenly tanked we'd be saying the exact same thing about Sony. Both Sony and MS have their gaming divisions as part of their larger whole business. Both can subsidise the gaming divisions as loss leaders. But that would be a bad strategy in my opinion. Both need to gave their gaming divisions at least break even. Sony is doing this just. If MS can't do this, it should seriously thinnk about getting out. If the next Xbox after the XB1 is nothing special or different to the XB1, it'll tank. Sony has the brand recognition so it doesn't have to revolutionise anything with the PS5 (To this end Sony has not really revolutionised it's base console line since the PS1). It's not doom and gloom for MS though. They just need to think seriously about what their next XB is. (Not the scorpio, the next one). The next one needs to be something different to sell.

Nintendo is in a totally different position to MS. Nintendo does not have other parts of it's business. It's gaming and nothing else. Nintendo also make it's own games, whereas MS does not. If Nintendo left the hardware market it could still be a 2nd/3rd party developer. (I think that'd be the end of Nintendo as it needs to be a vertically integrated company with hardware and software being developed in tendem). MS doesn't make it's own games so without an Xbox it's effectively out of the console business totally.

Where is the actual evidence of this?
It's not with one game being cancelled. That's just one game. Nintendo and Sony have had games come on board and be cancelled all the time as well. Project Hammer was nasty for Nintendo. The evidence here is in the customer's perception. People are asking what should I get this game on? PS4 or Switch. The Xbox is not even in the equation anymore for many people. Secondly many 3rd party games are now being made for PS4 and Switch. The Xbox is not even getting a look in. That only leaves the Xbox exclusives which are looking really thin and not that good.

The best part of the whole Xbox experience is not the games, not the console hardware. It's Xbox Live. The developers know it. The customers know it. Everyone knows it. That on it's own is not enough to keep people buying Xbox hardware and games.

What would I do if I was MS?
I'd release the scorpio. I'd see how the market is for the next few years. If it's getting better for MS's gaming division I's do nothing and stay the course. If however it's getting worse for MS's gaminfg division, I'd seriously consider getting out and liscence out the Xbox Live tech to Nintendo and others. Allow it to be integrated into Sony's cloud and Nnitendo's Miiverse and eShop. So it's basically Miiverse/eShop powered by MS Live (as the Xbox brand would be dead). There's serious $$ in being ther backbone of Nintendo and Sony's online setup. As long as MS keep improving the tech so it never lags behind, is equally as good for Nintendo as for Sony and the royalty fees are not too high, I think that's a decent way to go for MS. I actally trust my data with MS. Unlike google which I do not trust at all.

 

[Spirit]

Ive not enjoyed any Xbox console and Xbox exclusives dont appeal to me so ive never had an interest in what they do.

I much prefer PS and Nintendo consoles. Things are much easier to get started on the ps4 too. I can play a game on my ps4 almost instantly when i put the disc in for the first time. Whereas on an Xbox one, i dont know what or why it does it but i have to wait quite some time for the game to install and start.

There also seems to be a lot more choice on PS4 than Xbone, ps4 has a lot of hardcopy indie titles in stores and a lot of localised rpgs and lesser known titles. Game bays in my local stores seem to always have a lot more titles stocked of ps4 yet xbone bays are usually quite bare with much fewer titles and the ones that are available (aside from Forza, Gears and Halo, mainly) are also on ps4 like CoD, Titanfall, Battlefield etc.

Microsoft competely fell out of favour with me when they messed Rare up to the extent that the talent left to form their own studios.


Id like for Microsoft to bow out, mostly because I'm curious to see what a Sony V Nintendo/ 2 console market would be like.

 

[Kylo Ken]

It's not like their console is failing, but they're going nowhere pretty fast. Odds are, they'll milk this thing for as long as they can while building a instal base on pc, then gtfo.

 

[Adventurer of Hyrule]

Not really, i think as much fun it is to make a villain out of a company, you need to be objective. Projects get canned, their money and honestly none of those projects you mentioned were big anticipated games. In fact even scalebound has been seen as trash, until now that its cancelled and suddenly sony fanboys who were never interested in the game use it as a martyr for the cause. Maybe you should focus on Deep Down that has been stealthily canned, or Rime which also went multiplatform due to internal disputes. Things happen, it doesnt make a company good or bad.

Now as an owner of all platforms, i love my xbox and i feel like MS has worked the hardest to please their fans out of the bunch. Dont even get me started on Nintendo, i dont think as a fan anyone can be happy with the **** they have given us... maybe they should leave the race? (rhetorical)

So how about we mature a little and see business as business, and leave the fanboy wars behind us.

 

[CrimsonCavalier]

As much as I loathe Microsoft and their garbage products, I wouldn't want them to leave the industry. The only reason is for the sake of competition. I'm not interested in their software or their hardware, will never purchase anything in the Xbox line ever again, and have zero interest in any of their exclusives. However, it's best for the industry if there are multiple competitors. Competition drives innovation and quality.

Arguably, the only good thing Microsoft has done for gaming is Xbox Live, which is by far the best online experience of any of the consoles that I've ever played. Seamless, streamlined, user-friendly, it checks all the boxes. Both Nintendo and Sony would benefit enormously from pretty much copying XBL (I don't know if the PSN is different on the PS4 or if it is better or worse, because I don't own one).

But that's the sort of thing having multiple players in the arena brings.

 

[Lozjam]

No. I don't think that M$ should leave the console market.

Not at all. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like Microsoft. Almost everything Microsoft does this generation, Sony does better. Sony has better games, the better system, better ports, and a better brand. Microsoft also ruined one of the best development studios that the world has ever seen.

But they still need to be there.

Currently, Nintendo pretty much has its own market at this point. With the Switch, they will obviously draw from its handheld base, Nintendo fans, and overall fans of Japanese games. 3DS, Vita, Wii U, and the Japanese is the Switch's market.

Without M$, Sony would have a monopoly of the current console market. Which isn't good one bit. This will result in higher prices, ****ty business practices, and an overall decline in quality of PlayStation Consoles.

 

[Dio]

With the recent announcement of Scalebound being cancelled for Xbox One, I'm more than a bit frustrated and annoyed at the way Microsoft has handled this generation and think they should cede control of the console space to Sony and Nintendo.

This isn't the first game we've seen games canned for the Xbox One. The other heavy hitter was Fable Legends. Also, people may forget the lesser known Phanton Dust. Aside from these cancellations, there are games we've known about for years like Project Spark and Crackdown 3 that have had no recent updates about their development or trailers put out.

Let's also consider the games we have been offered by Microsoft this generation. Halo 5: Guardians and Gears of War 4 are the worst mainline installments of their respective series. Halo 5 has solid multiplayer but the campaign has some chapters of just walking around, Locke is underutilized, and the story ends on a massive cliffhanger. Gears of War 4 lacks the coherent narrative of the original trilogy. Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive received okay reviews as new franchises but failed to sell well. Rare Replay had some hype surrounding it, but it's mostly a glorified N64 remake collection. The one real bright line for Microsoft has been the critically acclaimed Forza Horizon 3.

Perhaps I'm overreacting, but Microsoft has much less first party support than Sony and Nintendo, and their only truly recognizable mascot is Master Chief whose franchise has been on the decline in sales and critical acclaim since 343 took over. Almost all third party games are reviewed on PS4 and their sales are substantially higher on that system. Microsoft even lost Call of Duty DLC first on Xbox this generation, a huge lynch pin in their successful strategy with the 360. The company has been focusing on advertising games on Windows 10 a lot more recently, which might be them hedging their bets on the console market already. At this point, I think Microsoft should make Halo 6 and then bow out gracefully, at least knowing they revolutionized FPS games on consoles and offered the best online services of the Big Three.

We need to see how the Switch does before suggesting such a thing. Before the unveiling of the Switch I would have said it was Nintendo that needed to quit the home console market. However since the Switch is a hybrid it will likely get all the old DS customers and probably do reasonably well since Nintendo handhelds seem to do well.

But why should Microsoft quit? Microsoft aren't doing too bad right now. Yes they have cancelled a few games but it's not the end of the brand. They give a great online service and the X1 is a good multimedia player on top of a games machine. It is actually Nintendo who have been killing their home console brand since the GC. Even though the sales of the Wii were good. It was seen as a casual console for families and the elderly, thus ruining the brand in the eyes of mainstream gamers. These people bought 360 and PS3 whilst the fickle casual market bought into the Wii. Those casuals are now mobile gamers or their cataracts are so bad they won't need to upgrade to HD to keep fit. They will never be back again, and were a one time milk. That teat has now run dry for Nintendo (As shown by them releasing another Wii only in HD for it to fail miserably) and it is time for them to find a new udder to milk. Namely that of the mainstream gamers.

When the Switch releases we will truly see the damage that Nintendo has done to their brand with a series of poor home consoles behind them. Whether trust in them can be restored is something only the future will tell.