Content Conversation Part 2 - Xbox Continues to Struggle, I Continue to Talk

I posted my last blog on the cusp of the Xbox One X official reveal. I did my best nerd ramble about the biggest problem Microsoft seems to be facing with a real lack of content in the face of this powerful new machine. If you want to keep up with me, you can read that original post here:

https://www.destructoid.com/--440885.phtml#post

Now, we’ve had quite a few months pass since that post. E3 came and went. Microsoft went all in at Gamescom with their large presence, but didn't have much to say in regards to new or original experiences coming to the Xbox One. During all of Microsoft’s media events, some games were discussed, but part of their presentations revolved around showcasing games that were already released that would be enhanced with the Xbox One X. Great, content is content, but Xbox fans were probably hoping for more new experiences coming like Sea of Thieves rather than known enhancements to games they've already played in the last 365 days...

When looking at the last year of gaming, as an Xbox fan, you've got to feel like it’s been the worst year in the company’s history. The first year of the Xbox One was rough, but there was the newness and hope for the future. This last year has seen low output of Microsoft published or exclusive games, so Xbox fans were left with multi-platform games to occupy their entertainment. Recently, Forza 7 was released. Always a well received racing game from Turn 10. They know what they are doing with realistic racing games, and that’s what people expect from them. Way back at the start of 2017, Halo Wars 2 was released to the dozen of fans asking for a sequel to the original. The crown jewel of this year for Xbox One fans has been Cuphead, for sure. A beautiful, challenging and original game that had been in development for a long time and a breath of fresh air.

When looking at the announced games coming later this year (and early 2018), Microsofts list is again alarmingly short. We’ve got the known Super Lucky’s Tale, that nobody asked for, and no one is excited about as the only original title available for the launch of the all-powerful Xbox One X. That, and it’s a sequel to a mediocre Oculus Rift title that no one played… Content! Then we’ve got the dual delayed Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves. One is a franchise that could have easily stayed forgotten, and one is an actual original title that has promise and who’s previews have legitimately excited people. Then we’ve got a follow up to State of Decay that has some people excited. The first had some flaws, but I love that Microsoft is giving a chance to a franchise before shooting it in the head after only one release (though it could end up like Crackdown 2, but that still lives on, so I don’t know who’s making the decisions in Redmond). PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the other exciting release that is only a limited console exclusive, as it’s already a huge hit on PC and already being discussed for PS4.

How has Microsoft gone through all of 2017 knowing they need to build excitement around updated hardware, but having little to no announcements of what to be excited for in 2018? They are aware people want games to play, right? If they are assuming fans will continue to coast on multi-platform releases, do we need to be reminded that Sony has far outsold Xbox and multiplayer games have significantly larger player bases on PS4? Players who own multiple platforms are playing these multiplayer games on PS4.

So then who will take advantage of the One X, and who will benefit from it? 4k adoption isn’t where it needs to be right now to really move a significant number of units to be the success they need. So the primary target is someone who isn’t a multiplayer gamer, who owns a 4k TV, and who doesn’t really want to play many games, as Microsoft doesn’t have much coming… Tough challenge, but it is one I feel Microsoft should be well aware of, and they should be openly discussing what they are doing to correct this problem.

If we compare Microsoft’s lineup with Sony’s, are they close? This year Sony has also not had as many first party titles avaliable compared to recent years, but they still managed to put out Horizon: Zero Dawn, Nioh, MLB The Show 2017, NieR: Automata and Gravity Rush 2… Those were all before Summer, mind you. Then they launched Knack 2, Uncharted Lost Legacy, Everybody’s Golf and just recently Gran Turismo Sport. So in a pure quantity standpoint, Sony managed three times the amount of titles this year versus Microsoft. Though, that isn’t the complete list, as Persona 5, Yakuza, Crash remasters, Farpoint (and a number of VR titles) and other exclusive third party releases filled the calendar year with nearly 20 titles only on PS4. What blows my mind even more is that we are only discussing retail releases. If we looked at digital and indie games, things balloon even further… This is on top of multi-platform releases with exclusive content and early access to content like Destiny 2, Resident Evil 7, Tekken 7, the upcoming Call of Duty WWII etc.

So then after E3 and Gamescom, Microsoft has around 3 titles we know of that are unreleased. Crackdown 3, State of Decay 2 and Sea of Thieves. What does that list look like compared to Sony’s after these recent Paris Games Week announcements? Well, let’s see. Known upcoming games coming to PS4 start with The Inpatient. I know it’s a VR title, and I’ll avoid those mostly because there isn’t a comparable Xbox VR platform, but it’s in the realm of Until Dawn which was an original IP from Sony this generation. God of War is in early 2018. It’s a fresh take on existing franchise that looks fantastic. Shadow of the Colossus, also in early 2018, a remake no one asked for but wildly accepted and anticipated. Detroit: Become Human, original title, looks polished and another winner from the same studio who did Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls on PS3. Amazing Spider-Man in 2018. Insomniac developing a AAA superhero title? Yes, please. Days Gone. Original title, potential to be a new franchise. Massive zombie hordes and biker gang action. Wild looks… wild. Being a hunter and controlling animals to solve open world action and combat scenarios seems fun.

Those are all expected in the FIRST HALF of 2018. There are still the known games like Death Stranding (Kojima Productions, sure gold), Dreams (MediaMolecule’s next creative platform), Final Fantasy VII Remake (it’ll be out one day), Left Alive (Front Mission meets Yoji Shinkawa? I hope you like robots) and the AAA sequel to the PS3 original Last of Us II plus the just announced, original Ghost of Tsushima from Sucker Punch. 

That’s a healthy mix of know properties and original games, and that only what’s been announced. There is still one more media event scheduled this year for Sony. The PlayStation Experience is in Anaheim again and has been home to some new announcements, so we can expect this list to grow even further.

I admit my bias. I am a Sony fan. I feel I am looking at this somewhat objectivly, though. If you feel differently, I'd love to hear your opinion, or what you're excited for as an Xbox fan. Right now I feel Xbox fans have to be havng a hard time with their console of choice, though. You’ve got this powerful new toy coming but nothing to be excited about in the near future, and a shallow library of games to revisit when compared to Sony's. It’s a wonderful time for us PlayStation fans, though. Even though Sony's calendar was light in this last year compared to others, it was still decent. On top of this years releases, the known list of games for 2018 is one to be wildly excited about. How do you feel?

- -Darren Hupke @darrenhupke

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