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[dugdug]

Has anybody explicitly asked him about that possibility?

Not sure, but, I imagine the answer is obvious. They might be the Halo and Gears studios now, but, nothing is ever set in stone. Halo and Gears are already showing signs of fading popularity.

I'm sure they have backup plans for when those franchises are put to rest.

 

[krang]

I don't think so. To me it seems like a no-brainer. Not sure why MS has not done that, yet.

Even sharing what appears to be a very robust and scalable Halo 5 engine with another team seems like a nice shortcut.

 

[outunderthestars]

Phil is such a great guy, and seem the most genuine gaming executive. He deserves more support from MS to build their first party catalog.

100% agreed!

 

[spectator]

Ok, Phil, we get that your focus has been on hardware, and you seem to be doing an admirable job with it, but... maybe it shouldn't have been. Maybe that hardware priority, to the neglect of software, is exactly the problem.

 

[Kayant]

Has anybody explicitly asked him about that possibility?

Coalition said they chose Gears because it's something that is stable and has some success to it's brand I doubt we will see them trying anything else anytime soon. Maybe after a few Gears games they will try something.

 

[EvB]

Has anybody explicitly asked him about that possibility?

Why would they, it's literally stupid question.

"Hey Marvel studios, when are you gonna make a movie that's not a marvel film?"

 

[Christocolus]

Watched this yesterday. Liked it. Interesting interview.

 

[Yearsoflurking]

Ok, Phil, we get that your focus has been on hardware, and you seem to be doing an admirable job with it, but... maybe it shouldn't have been. Maybe that hardware priority, to the neglect of software, is exactly the problem.

... they had software in rhe beginning no one cared or bought the games. i think they should have focused in all 3 not sure it wss possible but should have been a focus. i think they have perfected their non gaming software and hardware so I'm happy about that

 

[Fallout-with-swords]

We all knew this year was going to be light on the first party games but I'm really hoping they come through strong in 2018.

I think a lot of people thought there would be at least one new first party game for the X launch.

And apparently we did it's the port of Lucky's Tale

 

[Nightengale]

Even sharing what appears to be a very robust and scalable Halo 5 engine with another team seems like a nice shortcut.

None of us are technologically savvy enough to know that for a fact.

Did any of us think Frostbite would be a technical nightmare of an engine based off the wizardry DICE could pull from it until the Kotaku article on Bioware came up?

 

[Theorry]

Love how these threads are way more civilised when it doesnt have a clickbait title haha.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

In regards to 1st Party Exclusives he said they did sign some things recently and they could of put a trailer out there during the conference but he knew those games wouldn't come out in 2-3 years.

Hold on, the unannounced games they're currently working on won't come out for 2 to 3 years? So they've got nothing new to add for release in 2017 or 2018 other than another expected Forza Horizon and likely a Halo?

Wow, this is not good...

 

[Outrun]

I kinda feel like these deals to make games should've started when he took over ages ago, but obviously things don't just happen overnight like that.

I guess the concern is that by the time these 1st party games come out, PS5 will be out and flaunting all kinds of fancy shit. Maybe the X1X is 'future-proofed' enough to still hold its own at the time, but who knows.

That is a factor. However, it is important for MS to also build an IP portfolio of excellent quality.

They scored a hit with Ori, but not Recore or QB. I am thinking that Scalebound was going to be another misfire.

They simply need more pillars to go with Halo, FM, FH, and Gears.

 

[oldergamer]

Hold on, the unannounced games they're currently working on won't come out for 2 to 3 years? So they've got nothing new to add for release in 2017 or 2018 other than another expected Forza Horizon and likely a Halo?

Wow, this is not good...

Not sure why you are inferring the worst possible scenario. They likely have other unannounced titles in development signed that won't be shown until they are closer to release.

 

[sense]

empty promises - part 2

Next year they will reveal gears and halo and maybe a recore type exclusive game and maybe a timed exclusive shadow of tomb raider or splinter cell and then a bunch of console "launch" exclusives.

 

[Outrun]

Hold on, the unannounced games they're currently working on won't come out for 2 to 3 years? So they've got nothing new to add for release in 2017 or 2018 other than another expected Forza Horizon and likely a Halo?

Wow, this is not good...

That depends if you like Halo and or Horizon or not!

Ori in early 2018 also.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

Hold on, the unannounced games they're currently working on won't come out for 2 to 3 years? So they've got nothing new to add for release in 2017 or 2018 other than another expected Forza Horizon and likely a Halo?

Wow, this is not good...

Well, Halo, Forza Horizon, Ori, Sea of Thieves and State of Decay is actually a pretty decent 2018 line-up in my opinion.

But honestly you could be right. Outside of some potential smaller games we can probably guess the entire Xbox line-up until the beginning of 2019 for better or worse.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

That's all I wanted to hear, I don't need to see way-too-early CGI trailers, just tell me that you're actually working on things.

 

[chubigans]

Hold on, the unannounced games they're currently working on won't come out for 2 to 3 years? So they've got nothing new to add for release in 2017 or 2018 other than another expected Forza Horizon and likely a Halo?

Wow, this is not good...

We don't know the scope of the games either...could be as big as Halo or as small as Ori/Recore. Considering he's been touting the "22 exclusives" he announced at the conference at E3, I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[watdaeff4]

Not to be overly critical, but.......I'm pretty sure he said the same thing two years ago.

I understand it takes some time to develop, but at some point the results are going to have to show up.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

Not sure why you are inferring the worst possible scenario. They likely have other unannounced titles in development signed that won't be shown until they are closer to release.

Are you talking 3rd party or 2nd party (i.e. Sunset Overdrive) deals? Sure, those could be in the works for 2018, but as far as 1st party, they've apparently got nothing new for 2 to 3 years outside of the expected, standard Forza and Halo entries.

That depends if you like Halo and or Horizon or not!

Ori in early 2018 also.

Ori, Sea of Thieves, and State of Decay in 2018, but those are the known knowns. I'm talking about the known unknowns, and there apparently aren't any.

And I like Halo and Forza Horizon, but Microsoft really needs to branch out more with new IPs.

 

[D'ultimate]

Parsing through Phil's words over several interviews I feel like he's somewhat scared of the risk involved in regards to investing in 1st party games. He knows they are needed but there's a reluctance there to jump in. I suppose because the risk is so great in his words.

That said I do think that they have accepted the fact that this generation is lost in terms of beating Sony in console sales so they're setting their own path. Through this interview he's laid out what the goals are/were and it seems they are succeeding in that aspect. The final straw would be to get the 1st party games and/or more third party exclusives.

Setting the precedent in terms of having one console in order to play all generations of that platform games is one which I think a lot of gamers are excited about and will appreciate in the future. It could pay off big if the competition doesn't follow suit.

 

[Toni]

The camera work is bugging me. Why are they so focused on Patrick?

Cuz he's cuter.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Hold on, the unannounced games they're currently working on won't come out for 2 to 3 years? So they've got nothing new to add for release in 2017 or 2018 other than another expected Forza Horizon and likely a Halo?

Wow, this is not good...

Sorry to dip into lists, but 2018 will be Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps along with likely Halo 6 and Forza Horizon 4. That's a decent first party year, IMO. E3 2018, will also likely have announcements for whatever games he recently signed as well as gameplay for Halo 6, Ori 2 and FH4, plus whatever indie and third party stuff they can fill the conference with, so 2018 won't feel as empty as this year. I think 2017 is gonna end up being the really bad year in hindsight.

 

[Widge]

I feel like we've been saying this every year since 2014.

Since 2009 even. Strip out the Kinect and X1 launch bump and it has been a strict rotation of the core IP. Launch new hardware, buy our hardware software fanfare, and now buy all your third party with us please.

 

[DangerMouse]

Did he really suggest that what we know about (plus utterly predictable franchises) is everything we'll see from first party for the next 2-3 years? If so, he's describing competition for the PS5 launch, not anything remotely relevant to winning market share while Microsoft has a clear performance advantage.

This.

Are you talking 3rd party or 2nd party (i.e. Sunset Overdrive) deals? Sure, those could be in the works for 2018, but as far as 1st party, they've apparently got nothing new for 2 to 3 years outside of the expected, standard Forza and Halo entries.

This.
Signed some things, so probably still just buying his way and mostly not making stuff (and anything like that started now would be years away, like next gen).
And somehow that's supposed to be impressive that they might have something in another 2-3 years...

Not to mention despite how many times for years Phil has claimed the opposite since 2013, and even before that while being the head of first party for years prior to that...

 

[almostjuliuscaesar]

In regards to 1st Party Exclusives he said they did sign some things recently and they could of put a trailer out there during the conference but he knew those games wouldn't come out in 2-3 years.

so since ReCore & Ion (cancelled) [feel free to add anymore new 1st party new IPs i missed] in 2015, they haven't developed anything 1st party that's close enough to even give a reveal? that's encouraging.

 

[MisterR]

I guess both Sony and Microsoft learned their lessons of not announcing anything that is still very far from launching and has a potential to fail....

Which was a terrible lesson to learn since this has been the least hyped E3 in years.

 

[greenegt]

Even sharing what appears to be a very robust and scalable Halo 5 engine with another team seems like a nice shortcut.

I agree. There's some nice tech built up at 343 and Coalition. If they had new teams, they could share it for new IP.

 

[eliochip]

scooooooops

 

[MisterR]

Part of the problem is that MS does not have a slate of studios comparable to Sony's WWS, so they work with independents for a lot of their exclusives. Part of Microsoft's first party investment should be new studios or expanding 343 and Coalition so that they can work on new IP as well as Halo and Gears.

The smartest thing they could do would be to put Halo and Gears on ice for a few years. Bring them back for the next Xbox, make them feel special and fresh again and put those teams on new IPs.

 

[Rymuth]

I kinda feel like these deals to make games should've started when he took over ages ago, but obviously things don't just happen overnight like that.

It took him this long just to go to Japan and try to talk to developers. He's definitely been resting on his laurels for the entire gen.

 

[Complicated]

It's nice that both Sony and Microsoft have scaled back on announcing things that are way out just to "win" E3. Though I guess Sony could still do just that at shows later this year.

 

[MisterR]

It's nice that both Sony and Microsoft have scaled back on announcing things that are way out just to "win" E3. Though I guess Sony could still do just that at shows later this year.

Disagree, if you're not going to show me exciting things down the road then you might as well just put some trailers on youtube for upcoming, already released games. For me, it's nice to have things to look forward to. I'm guessing this is why most people felt like this E3 was boring outside of a few Nintendo announcements.

 

[AyraSutoraifu]

This.

This.
And somehow that's supposed to be impressive that they might have something in another 2-3 years...

Not to mention despite how many times for years Phil has claimed the opposite since 2013, and even before that while being the head of first party for years prior to that...

Yeah, not getting why people walk away with Phil.

 

[greenegt]

The smartest thing they could do would be to put Halo and Gears on ice for a few years. Bring them back for the next Xbox, make them feel special and fresh again and put those teams on new IPs.

I agree. Unfortunately, MS is reluctant to do that. They want those guaranteed multi-million sellers. Now, if MS builds up their portfolio sufficiently, they won't have to rely on those two franchises so heavily.

 

[Zedox]

Well, Halo, Forza Horizon, Ori, Sea of Thieves and State of Decay is actually a pretty decent 2018 line-up in my opinion.

But honestly you could be right. Outside of some potential smaller games we can probably guess the entire Xbox line-up until the beginning of 2019 for better or worse.

Early 2018
Sea of Thieves
State of Decay 2

Mid 2018
Ori and the Will of Wisps

Late 2018
Forza Horizon 4
Halo 6

If they just add 1 more mid 2018 game, to me, that's fine for first party (i'm probably only gonna buy SoT, Ori, and Halo anyways). Cuz 2019 would at most be Gears 5, and Forza 8. 2019 is also 2 years away and so having those games announced next year seems that 2019 we will get at least 1 new IP from them, but they definitely need more than that.
--------------------------

I think what's important for Microsoft is getting 3rd party games to look best on their system (to sell to hardcore gamers for the X). That's why that power argument that he's making was being said. Build a great dev platform to make sure their games look best on their system, build a great ecosystem around Xbox Live with features you won't get anywhere else, then focus on 1st party games.

People forget that Sony was doing the same thing at the beginning of the generation (besides PSN). They made the best hardware for 3rd parties, coasted with the MS PR fuck up, showed games early to say to gamers that they have them but really didn't release the good ones till much later.

We also have to realize that 4th year into a generation is when you have development teams coasting as they know how to work with the game systems (besides these mid-gen upgrades). To be honest, there literally way too many good games out for me to even play. I still don't even have my PS4Pro, which I will, but when I get it, there's an incredible amount of games for me to play and beat, but then there's so many good 3rd party games as well, I already have a Switch and a Xbox and my library of Xbox games just from GwG...just too many. I still have to beat Zelda (taking my time), and I'm gonna get Mario, MvC:I and Crackdown this fall. It's really a good time to be a gamer but it's also a horrible time cuz there are so many games out here that I just need more time than anything. </rant>

 

[HellofaMouse]

So next year they will have halo + gears + horizon and some indies, and in 2019 they will show what those new deals are i guess.

If they do this right, i think microsoft have the potential to generate more excitement for their software than sony because we already know what most of their line up is gonna be for the next 2 years. (People will get excited for tlou2 no matter what but you know what i mean)

 

[MosquitoSmasher]

Hell if it's still 2-3 years away then yes i can only agree with that. Look at Scalebound, Fable Legends and actually Crackdown 3 as well. Announced waaaaay too early. If you look back at it now that CG Scalebound trailer didn't really do anything for them and us. They could have wait. Then again they would have had a rather boring show, so it's a bit tricky.

But if he says that the things he signed on are 2-3 years away i'm already preparing for a pretty standard, still decent E3 2018.

At times i just wonder why Sony managed to get so many studios and so many exclusives and MS is so struggling with it. Bad decisions on their part for sure and of course the fact that the gaming division is the most profitable for Sony, so it only makes sense to double down on that. When all is said and done i just hope these new things he's talking about are actually promising things, things that take full advantage of XBO/XOX and especially hopefully these aren't false promises. Would love to see MS becoming a really good company for exclusives in the future.

 

[Gwyn]

Phil just release new ninja gaiden and fable 4 late 2018 + huge patch to fix MCC all games 4k + halo reach and i will forgive you

thx

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Getting tired of the deja vu with the man

We know Halo and Gears are coming but I worry this is what is being misinterpreted when the question of first party gets asked and when those two games eventually get revealed next year it will be seen as "see, we have big first part games" when I think some fans want to something big that isn't a Halo or Gears. Their response to that will probably be Forza Horizon 4. Aaron Greenberg already said Forza 7 is their Xbox One X killer app.

(Not saying leave those franchises in the dust indefinitely before anyone starts)

 

[JimiNutz]

Hardware is there but if I've got to wait 2-3 years for some exciting AAA exclusives then I think I'll pass... Or at least wait until the price of the hardware has reduced.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

Expanding 343 and Coalition so they're capable of more than one project at a time seems like a great solution to their first party predicament. Imagine 343 on Perfect Dark and Coalition reviving Shangheist?!

But that's easier said than done. Hiring that many people of that ability takes time and resources and then you have to make sure the office facilities can accommodate. Also that many extra staff means operating cost of those studios increases dramatically which upper management might not like. Even if you get that far, managing multiple projects is tough as evidenced by devs like Naughty Dog.

 

[Complicated]

Disagree, if you're not going to show me exciting things down the road then you might as well just put some trailers on youtube for upcoming, already released games. For me, it's nice to have things to look forward to. I'm guessing this is why most people felt like this E3 was boring outside of a few Nintendo announcements.

I would love for everyone to do what Nintendo is doing. Stage shows are inherently awful and too long.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

Sorry to dip into lists, but 2018 will be Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps along with likely Halo 6 and Forza Horizon 4. That's a decent first party year, IMO. E3 2018, will also likely have announcements for whatever games he recently signed as well as gameplay for Halo 6, Ori 2 and FH4, plus whatever indie and third party stuff they can fill the conference with, so 2018 won't feel as empty as this year. I think 2017 is gonna end up being the really bad year in hindsight.

Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are already announced, so they can't be unannounced games that will release in 2018.

I think the major problem I have isn't that the lineup for 2018 is bad, it's just that some of these titles have been in development and known for a long time (Sea of Thieves & State of Decay 2), or they're just further installments in the long-running franchises (Halo and Forza).

Look at it this way. If what Phil says is true, then E3 2017 and E3 2018 will have revealed exactly one new exclusive 1st Party game releasing in 2018: Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Granted, Sony may be in the same position after showing nothing new at E3 2017 as well, but they've also had a string of great new games and new IPs for the past few years that Microsoft hasn't. It just feels a little too underwhelming for Microsoft.

 

[Madness]

I would hope they give 343 perfect dark, and let them make a really nice futuristic themed game.

I swear you people need to get it through tour heads 343 Industries was created solely to make Halo. Nothing else. It is why Black Tusk was renamed Coalition and their logo changed to a Gear cog because they will only make Gears. 343 handles more than just Halo games but books, toys, novels, the media. They can't handle another series if they wanted to. It is why they get other companies to help with map packs and games like Halo Wars 2 or the Anniversary games.

Microsoft is perfectly capable of building another studio for Perfect Dark or even getting a third party studio to do it. There is no reason they couldn't hire out Respawn to make it etc. They just need to shell out the money and not cancel projects ie. Scalebound.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Great interview!

 

[george_us]

Ok, Phil, we get that your focus has been on hardware, and you seem to be doing an admirable job with it, but... maybe it shouldn't have been. Maybe that hardware priority, to the neglect of software, is exactly the problem.

This is exactly why I don't think MS really gets it. Price and software have always been the problem. Had the Xbox One been $299 they'd be, at worst, tied right now. Sony learned this lesson quickly with the PS3 and allowed them to salvage an absolute disaster. Meanwhile, MS is still going to continue to get their faces caved in for the foreseeable future because they refuse to acknowledge that games are all anyone cares about at the end of the day.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

This is exactly why I don't think MS really gets it. Price and software have always been the problem. Had the Xbox One been $299 they'd be, at worst, tied right now. Sony learned this lesson quickly with the PS3 and allowed them to salvage an absolute disaster. Meanwhile, MS is still going to continue to get their faces caved in for the foreseeable future because they refuse to acknowledge that games are all anyone cares about at the end of the day.

The budget has to go somewhere. It looks he decided to rebuild Xbox like they started. Build awesome hardware and great development tools to get the developers interested and the games will come. That seems to be working for ID@Xbox at least. I just hope he sticks to his word and we get some real first party investment soon.

 

[Tristax]

I kinda feel like these deals to make games should've started when he took over ages ago, but obviously things don't just happen overnight like that.

I guess the concern is that by the time these 1st party games come out, PS5 will be out and flaunting all kinds of fancy shit. Maybe the X1X is 'future-proofed' enough to still hold its own at the time, but who knows.

Ages ago? You mean 3 years ago?