It feels like everyday there is some kind of new rumor or or opinion or just a bunch of bickering online when it comes to Xbox. A lot of it is nonsense, but some of it is merited. One of the biggest issues in my opinion,and what causes a lot of the nonsense to begin with is mixed messaging, and in these interesting times with the company that will need to change.
In the last year alone Xbox has gone from being focused on exclusives to shifting said focus to being a bit more multi-platform when they announced and shipped 4 games on rival PlayStation platforms including one of their biggest games, Sea Of Thieves. This has inevitably opened the door and conversation to be about what else may or may not become multi-platform.
Ultimately this has left fans very split. Many are very angry as they think exclusives are sacred and needed. Without them you might as well pack up the hardware and become another third party publisher. Other’s think it’s currently not a big deal but could be if more and more games head to PlayStation. Lastly their is a group who just enjoys Xbox and as long as their is an Xbox that is where they will play regardless of what happens.
For what is with I personally will say I am in that last camp. My library is with Xbox, my friends are on Xbox and I simply enjoy gaming on Xbox. That doesn’t mean I blindly agree with everything Xbox does or think they are doing everything the right way. But 1 thing I think everyone can agree on is what this piece is about, the messaging going forward needs to be clearer than its ever been.
Corporate speak generally is very vague and open to a lot of interpretation. They will report on things that really don’t mean much (gamers have killed a billion zombies in State Of Decay!) that sound good and impressive. They will leave the door open in case a plan doesn’t go well and they can easily pivot(the dreaded case by case line). They don’t want to pin themselves into a corner, which makes a lot of sense. It also doesn’t help that what Phil Spencer says sounds different from what Satya Nadella says.
Yet what Xbox needs to do is kind of paint themselves into that corner and be open and precise. Fans may or may not accept the direction they choose, but it’s important they give the fans a clear direction. No more sugar coating or speaking in code. If you are deciding to make all your games exclusive for a year and then porting them elsewhere say so. If you are only porting multiplayer games going forward,say so. If you are deciding nothing else will be ported say so and stick to it. It’s better than the alternative.
We already see what the alternative is now. Hellblade 2 is coming out later this month and all you see online is comments like “when’s it coming to PlayStation” or “I’ll just wait for it to come to PlayStation”. The Xbox showcase is next month and I fully expect to see some amazing games shown, and I can guarantee part of the narrative coming out of that show will be about what games will be ported and that’s truly a shame because it takes away focus from what matters, the games.
It’s time now more than ever for Xbox to take the wheel of their own narrative. Take it away from the influencers, podcasts and console warriors. Let everyone know whats going on. Be clear, be concise and let the focus get back to the games and let the chips fall where they may.
