I don’t think there has been a push for new IP. Every project we know about was decided pre Xbox acquisition.
Makes sense.
Yes, but all Zenimax games that are exclusive have been new IPs. Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall and Starfield are all new IPs even Indiana Jones, I find it strange that non of them are working on previous IPs and I would dare to say those known IPs might not show up until Xbox has satisfied the publisher appetite.
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Genuinely think Microsoft will analyse every game made by any studio they buy for whether to go exclusive or not. Japanese games are a tough one, they traditionally sell much better on switch or playstation in comparison to Xbox or PC and they won’t want to devalue their purchases in the short term. If they can establish a base for those games on Xbox/PC then in the future I wouldn’t be surprised if the calculations could change
I’m similar
Publisher: Focus or/and SEGA
Studios: Asobo, Crystal Dynamics, Eidos and IOI.
In the past I would add Remedy too but I’m not sure about them these days. Personally I thought Quantum Break was significantly better than Control.
I was surprised Ubisoft didn’t make any of these lists, just the sheer volume of games they release would be ideal for something like GamePass. I know they aren’t everybody’s cup of tea but I love their games (especially back 10-15 years ago).
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The whole multiplat/exlcusive thing isn’t black or white, there will be reasons why one publisher might be exclusive and one not
Most of Bethesda will be exclusive, maybe some will be multiplat like Zenimax’s new game if it’s another MMO because those single player games benefit xbox more as being exclusive than being multiplat
Meanwhile ABK’s output is very much dominated by GaaS, their biggest games are CoD, Overwatch and Diablo, 2 of which are already on PS and wont have sequels for a very long time, so these naturally will be expected to be multiplat
Then you might have something like Sega, where it’s more like a Bethesda where most games are single player so why wouldn’t they also be exclusive? Because those games benefit a lot from being on switch/ps, especially in Japan, making those exclusive runs the risk of just killing the franchises if it doesn’t convince everyone else to jump into the xbox/GP ecosystem
tl;dr case by case basis 
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When people talk about what MS will or won’t do with the exclusives issue, they often forget that everything will be coming to PC and Steam, which mitigates some of the potential risks of making a game exclusive to the Xbox console.
Also, while Phil talks about their focus is now on mobile, don’t believe for a second that they don’t want to put themselves in the strongest position possible in the console space. Consumer spend in their ecosystem is huge and there’s no way they simply abandon that to chase more game sales on Playstation if they don’t have to.
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Better acquire Square Enix to see the internet on fire.
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Agreed on that front . I think Pete most likely was thinking about bonuses and reach. I feel it’s better to work on less platforms due to easier to focus on one than many.
So they closed the thread about this on other era. I figured people would be upset about MS possibly getting a japanese publisher.
Anyways about the exclusive vs multiplatform argument. Sony has said games being on Game Pass and not on PS Plus would make them a de facto exclusive. I tend to agree. I think by mid next gen subscription services will be the primary method of playing videogames. People think having games being multiplatforn but subscription exclusive to Game Pass is a half measure but I disagree.
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This is why I don’t care if Xbox gets any exclusive or not… Just get me games on gamepass and that’s what I want
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I agree completely btw.
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To say more about Sega and exclusivity, another thing is that PS has plummeted in Japan. Not anywhere remotely close to Xbox levels but Switch is about 90% of the market there (Capcom said this). So you could certainly say that making games like Yakuza or Persona Xbox exclusives wouldn’t actually help the brand too much in the region.
Probably a regulatory ire drawing thing but maybe MS could cut PS only and leave Nintendo versions (or even add for Yakuza and Atlus games that skip it). And in that case I would wonder if a game like, SMT V for example, would still get trailers and gameplay demoes in Nintendo Directs (something that majorly helps games like these).
I’ve also posted about it many times but some of these IPs just simply need the audience on other platforms. I’m playing the Etrian Odyssey Collection that Atlus released this month and it’s Switch/PC only because, likely, Atlus/Sega believes the audience for it is too small on other platforms, which I don’t think they’re wrong on, so personally I would have hate to have seen this collection either underperform severely or even not get made because of an Xbox exclusivity mandate (but again, it seemed like multiplat was the plan for Sega)
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I get the strategic benefits. I’ve been saying for a long while now that I think Sega is a good pick considering their relationship and how they can use Sega as their HQ in the region to try to pull in new talent to help grow the company back to the glory days.
However when looking at it on a global scale, I still think four major publishers under one umbrella is too much. That only leaves Ubisoft, Capcom, SE, EA, Take-Two and Namco as the last remaining large publishers, not including the smaller ones. I’m just not a fan of that. I’m also not a fan of needing to filter through stupid tired conversations about what games will or won’t be exclusive for over a year while fanboys on both sides argue over games they may not have cared about previously like we’re now seeing with ABK and COD.
Personally, I’d have preferred they not go after ABK and tried to acquire Sega. As someone who only buys every other COD or so and doesn’t play any of their other games from Blizzard, the main reason I’m in favor of the ABK deal is because I hope it leads to a better work place environment for the staff. I don’t care about what’s exclusive or who gets a W or L. Going through all of that for yet another publisher just sounds so exhausting.
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I think the best solution is to create a partnership with Nintendo. Microsoft continues to release SEGA and Atlus games to Nintendo, and in exchange Nintendo allows Microsoft to port Bayonetta 2, 3, and Origins games to Xbox and PC. I think it would be a good deal for both parties.
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Nintendo would be very scared about Xbox merging with Sega. Sonic is Mario’s rival after all. All of us old Sega fans would be demanding Microsoft give Sega money to return to its glory days. I love just thinking about it 
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As they should be. Hell, every game should be unless it’s a massive game like COD. Everything else, exclusive to the Xbox eco-system.
My guess is that pre-orders for Outriders were low and Square Enix went to Microsoft looking for a Game Pass day one deal. But because the contract was already signed and didn’t include any revenue due to a potential Game Pass deal, People Can Fly gets screwed over.
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I think Tencent owns like almost 50% of them. It would be hard to buy them. Tencent would need to agree.
Sorry I should have been clear, I did not mean to list those as strategic benefits but rather as a justification for consolidation. As in, an example of when consolidation is a good thing because it benefits all parties including consumers.
I do agree generally in regards to consolidation because I think that after at a certain point the acquiring of publishers will now represent a horizontal, rather than vertical, merger. Once MGS grows, Xbox can be considered just as much of a game software company (akin to EA or Ubisoft) as it is as a games hardware company. So I definitely see why people would be against more publishers being acquired. I must don’t see MS at that point until after they acquire one more publisher.
Much like Capcom years ago I can tell that certain Japanese developers, like Square-Enix, are struggling (FF16’s shopping around truly underlines this) and a vertical integration rather than horizontal (which already happened when Enix and Square combined) may be the only way to prevent mass layoffs and a complete restructuring. So I see consolidation in the cards for a few of these companies out of necessity.
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I would think though that the main push for Sega will be for some of their older titles dubbed super games. Games like a new Shinobi, maybe a new Streets of Rage, Altered Beast, Golden Axe and Phantasy Star rpgs.