Xbox boss Phil Spencer continued to talk in circles when pushed on the subject as part of an appearance on an official livestream earlier this week. “I think as an industry right now, there’s a lot of pressure,” he said, perhaps in an attempt to make Microsoft’s issues seem universal. “[The industry has] been growing for a long time and now people are looking for new ways to grow. I think for us, as players and as fans, we just have to anticipate there’s going to be more change in how some of the ‘traditional’ ways games were built and distributed. That’s going to change for all of us.”
The outspoken executive did appear to admit that his division is facing pressure from the upper-echelons of Microsoft’s hierarchy. “It’s definitely true inside of Microsoft that the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery that we have to give back to the company,” he admitted. “We get a level of support from the company that’s just amazing in what we’re able to go and do.” Obviously the approximately $80 billion that Spencer and crew have spent on acquisitions couldn’t have happened without its parent company’s unprecedentedly deep pockets.
But the build-up to Gamescom was dominated by one subject we’re largely still none the wiser about: what’s next from Xbox for PS5, beyond Indiana Jones? The show was preceded by a bunch of speculation, spanning Forza Horizon 5 through Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 . All seemed reasonable, and now with the announcement of more multiformat releases, it’s clear anything is on the table. But when do we find out exactly what ? At what point does Xbox rip-off the Band Aid and align our expectations?
It’s been several months since the organisation’s much publicised business update, and frankly we’re none the wiser about the platform holder’s plans. We understand the firm is threading a delicate needle, trying to balance the demands of its enthusiast fans with a business model that’s clearly changing every day. But it’s just frustrating for everyone. Is Marvel’s Blade in development for PS5? What about the next Perfect Dark game? Fable ? Life will go on either way, but at some point we’re going to need to know.
In our opinion, the speculation surrounding every single Xbox title is having a negative impact on the brand’s image, and that won’t be resolved until the organisation actually sets out its stall. During the abovementioned business update, the firm attempted to make it seem like only four titles will go multiformat. Since then, we’ve seen both DOOM: The Dark Ages and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle announced for PS5. There’s clearly more on the way, but we don’t know what or when. Until the company provides some kind of clarification, the speculation is only going to continue.
Would you like a roadmap from Xbox about which releases it’s bringing to PS5, or are you content with the cloak and daggers approach? Were you expecting more information at Gamescom this week? Let us know in the comments section below.
Do you want Xbox to share a roadmap of its multiformat releases? (1,345 votes)
Yes, just let me know which games I can buy and where 54 %Meh, I don't care, I'll just wait for more information 36 %No, I'm not particularly interested in Xbox games 9 %
