Elder Scrolls exclusivity on the Xbox is not a punishment, says Spencer -apkrig
Microsoft is preparing a special stream for today’s 7 pm, in which it will celebrate 20 years of the Xbox. Several things have already happened on that occasion, such as redesigning the console’s website to resemble previous generations’ interfaces, preparing for mysterious updates for some selected games from the Xbox 360 era, or indications that multiplayer may be launched today. Hello: Infinite. Another piece in the puzzle is the mammoth Xbox theme on GQ magazine, which quotes leading Xbox officials, including Phil Spencer, president of the entire division. He and his colleagues have covered a number of topics, including the future exclusivity of some of the expected titles, the history of the Game Pass or the position of Spencer as such in the entire Xbox structure, which he said will comfortably continue without his presence.
The introduction summarizes Spencer’s indisputable merits – under his leadership, the number of internal teams has grown from just five to the current 23. Microsoft in the Phil Spencer era acquired Minecraft, recently ZeniMax with the whole of Bethesda, and we must not forget to create a Game Pass. There would certainly be many more bright spots, but regardless of them, Spencer maintains a relatively sober approach and does not hesitate to criticize if necessary. According to Spencer, one of the things worthy of criticism and fire in his own ranks is Halo Infinite, which was supposed to be the flagship of the new Xbox, but in the end, players will not see it until a year late. “I don’t like the way we did it,” the Xbox president admits. “I don’t like that we showed the game, talked about launching it with the consoles, and then we moved it within a month,” he adds bitterly. However, he explains that Microsoft was not trying to deceive the player, but a demonstration of hope, which Spencer does not consider an appropriate strategy in connection with game development.
Microsoft continues to anticipate that TES VI will arrive in a form of exclusivity on PCs and Xboxes, without Spencer seeing it as a punishment for other platforms.
Nevertheless, things are moving forward, and it is the ones that are yet to come that Spencer has spoken extensively, again trying to explain what exactly leads Microsoft to make concrete decisions. This is a planned exclusivity for a number of popular Bethesda titles, which until recently were considered essentially cross-platform issues, and players are probably most nervous with the reference to The Elder Scrolls VI. Although the game is still out of sight, it will follow the phenomenal Skyrim, which will be quite complicated in itself. But Microsoft does continue to expect the game to arrive in a form of exclusivity on the PC and Xbox, without Spencer seeing it as a punishment for other platforms. “I am convinced that other platforms can [bez her od Bethesdy] continue to grow, “said Spencer.
But then he added that the main condition for the release of the game from Xbox Game Studios is delivery complete packagewhich also includes PC releases, shared saved positions, community, cloud and last but not least the Game Pass. “That’s something I take into account when thinking about Elder Scrolls VI. It’s something that is valid for all our series, “added the president of Xbox. Does this mean exclusive exclusivity? Or just time? These are questions that Spencer does not directly answer, but given the many variables, this is a fairly understandable approach.
Another thing that was mentioned was the already mentioned Game Pass. Sarah Bond, director of gaming ecosystems at Microsoft, said the service was originally intended as a digital rental company and had the working title of Arches. As the development progressed, however, the vision changed to a service reminiscent of Netflix, which, on the other hand, did not appeal well to publishers and developers with whom Microsoft wanted to work. Critical remarks were made that the games would lose their value in this way, but Microsoft was playing cards that the distribution of revenue from the vast majority of titles had changed in recent years. With the advent of live service elements and efforts to keep the core of the game into which the developers just adding new content, extended total revenue from the first few months after release to two years. In such a light, the Game Pass concept was more digestible and the game celebrates success. It had 18 million registered players in January this year, new numbers are eagerly awaited and will most likely be published tonight.
In connection with plans that may never work out, Spencer then talked about how he and his team approach the development of the Xbox. Everything is divided into three stages and a specific team with a clearly defined vision always deals with them. According to Spencer, he will no longer be personally involved in a number of things, because he has been in the gaming industry for 33 years and, according to him, less is waiting for him than he has ever experienced. Nevertheless, he believes that the foundation he helped lay will keep a friendly and secure environment alive for all who choose to join it, and he hopes that the Xbox platform will survive. We will hopefully find out more in today’s stream.
