Ohen the year started, things were looking up slightly for Xbox. No, it hasn’t finalized its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, and hasn’t shown anything major or noteworthy at The Game Awards (let alone in the weeks prior). But there were rumors of a Direct-like storefront, which it officially confirmed as the very first Developer_Direct. Airing on January 25, the 40-minute event would feature titles like Forza Motorsport, Redfall, et Minecraft Legends.
More importantly, the official Xbox blog in Germany has indicated that we will have release dates for all of these titles. star field will not be present at the show, but will have a separate showcase at a later date. Considering the complete lack of big name exclusives for over a year, having quality titles to look forward to in the coming months seems nice, especially since Xbox is committed to launching these games before the 31st. June 2023.
While the Developer_Direct is still a bright spot for Xbox, it can’t hide the bleak and dismal shadow the company continues to cast with its gaming efforts. In recent news, Microsoft has laid off 10,000 employees due to ” macroeconomic conditions and changing client priorities. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that Bethesda Game Studios and 343 Industries were affected, while Kotaku added The Coalition to the list.
For those who follow the tech industry, such layoffs are probably unsurprising, as employees at Amazon and Meta have also faced the same thing. There have been recession warnings for months, following all.
However, these appear to be another stumbling block for the company which has struggled to find its footing in gaming for years. continues, the campaign team has suffered greatly. Creative director Joseph Staten, arguably the biggest driving force in pushing Infinite to the finish line following so many troubles, also left and joined Xbox’s publishing arm.
343 Industries has faced backlash since Infinite’s initial gameplay reveal. The worst came last year due to content and feature delays and the cancellation of features like split-screen co-op. Things seemed to be on the right track following the release of Forge, and the team was still committed to their 2023 roadmap.
Many problems at 343 weren’t necessarily the studio’s fault – much has been said regarding Microsoft’s policies regarding contractors. They might only be hired for 18 months, following which a mandatory six-month break is required. Instead of retaining said contractors as employees, they would be replaced with new ones, which would cause major problems for Infinite’s development and content plans.
Former senior multiplayer designer Patrick Wren criticized the “incompetent leadership at the top” for the state of 343. In recent tweets, he said, “Layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened, and Hello finally should be in better condition. The reason for both of these things is incompetent leadership at the top during Hello finally development causing massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best possible. He noted, “People I worked with every day were passionate regarding Halo and wanted to do something awesome for the fans. They helped push for a better Halo and was fired for it. The developers are still working hard on this dream.
The Bethesda Game Studios departures also come at a concerning time. Yes, star field is getting a showcase and would still launch in the first half of 2023. But let’s not forget past reports from employees who informed Schreier of the game’s problematic state when its original launch date was revealed. It reportedly garnered positive impressions from game testers, but time will tell.
When Xbox announced the acquisition of several studios like Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, Playground Games, and Undead Labs in June 2018, it was seen as a positive first step for the company’s lackluster first-party support. The addition of companies like inXile Entertainment and Double Fine, not to mention the creation of World’s Edge and The Initiative, was also viewed positively. Of course, it only continued to grow with the acquisition of ZeniMax Media and its studios, including Bethesda, Arkane and many more.
But despite a booming Game Pass, which saw significantly reduced subscriber growth last year, it still struggled with its first-party offerings. projects like State of Decay 3the next title from Compulsion Games, Fable, perfect black, La saga de Senua : Hellblade 2et always wild continue to languish without updates.
Reports of troubled development, whether always wild apparently having no clear vision or many deviations from the Initiative, also circulated. Allegations of sexism and a toxic work environment at State of Decay 3 Developer Undead Labs has been flagged, with Microsoft apparently not responding to employee concerns quickly enough.
Of course, there’s also its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard last year for $68.7 billion. What appeared to be a major power play quickly turned into controversy, with Xbox and PlayStation squabbling over future deals surrounding Call of Duty. Previously estimated to close by the middle of this year, the acquisition is the subject of an investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority and an antitrust action by the United States Federal Trade Commission.
Suffice it to say, if Microsoft goes to court, the shutdown might take even longer. But there’s something particularly odd regarding laying off tens of thousands of employees and struggling to deliver titles as he unsuccessfully pursues an acquisition for tens of billions of dollars.
Despite the scale of the disaster and the gloom, Xbox isn’t in the worst way. He had successes like Hello finally et Forza Horizon 5and the last year has seen the release of titles like As dusk falls. Game Pass continues to be hugely popular with tens of millions of players and serves as a platform for indie games to gain exposure. star field is still a highly anticipated title and might very well be one of the biggest releases of the year in terms of sales.
When it comes to Xbox’s game plans, however, it still feels like the company is trying to get off the ground. Much of the hype and promises come in the form of rhetoric without addressing the core fundamental issues underlying the lack of releases or the well-being of its employees. Meanwhile, Sony is gearing up to launch PlayStation VR2 in February with several exclusives, not to mention high-profile titles coming to PlayStation 5 later this year, like Spider-Man 2 from Marvel etc.
Perhaps we’ll see a significant shift at Xbox’s Developer_Direct with firmer commitments to its current releases. Perhaps there will be fewer “world premieres” and more announcements with actual gameplay and tangible release windows. Xbox has been catching up with its gaming offerings for a while now – if there’s ever a time it should show up, both for its fans and its employees, 2023 is it.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Fun Academy as an organization.