There is nothing wrong with the console market. It’s still being forecasted to grow.
There’s always been something wrong with the Xbox brand. At least since the 360.
Microsoft didn’t invest in good enough reasons to buy the One and Series – and that’s exclusively speaking about exclusive games and well received 2nd and 3rd party deals.
They’ve been sitting on huge amounts of money and didn’t have a clue what to do with it – with the exception of a racing franchise and two multiplayer IPs, which they even started to not treat properly anymore.
In fact, I actually accuse them of wanting to put in the least amount of creative and personal efforts (money) to build up the brand. You can clearly see that looking at the One generation. All these ‘geniuses’ sitting there, and yet they didn’t have a clue. They didn’t even try.
And when they’ve finally began to come up with original, even minor IPs like HiFi Rush from scratch, they’ve choosen to cut them off fast.
Go and ask Nintendo or Playstation what building IPs is like in their first years or even decades, wether it’s franchises such as Metroid Prime, Uncharted, Sack Boy, Astro, etc. It’s hard work and being patient.
Personally, I share no sympathy with the Xbox brand.
I like the box itself, I like the competition with it and I really wished/still wish it was treated better.
But I have no sympathy with the people in charge.
Before Zenimax and ABK, especially the latter, Xbox brand was a non-profit and hardly growing brand. Just look at the last four quarter reports or the latest fiscal year report. Imagine the FTC didn’t greenlight the acquisition of ABK.
Imagining that, imagining the ABK deal would had failed and looking at their recent reports, substracted by ABK numbers, this is actually the most accurate translation of how the actions and strategy of the people in charge at Xbox would have ended.
And today Spencer again is giving me an ‘explaination’ of why things happen the way they happen?
I call it bullshit. He already knew even before the Series generation had started that this will be their path.
I stick with a brand no matter the sales if I see motivation. I don’t feel bad if I’d had to wait years for new IPs. I can even handle delays.
But always disliked it when somebody is fooling me or selling me for stupid.
