Tension Builds As Xbox Prepares For Major 'Business Update Event' This Week

Just don’t leave us with more questions than answers.

Most rumours won’t be addressed. It will be a non event.
They will say they will still make consoles but a lot of games will go multi platform.
And then the rumours will start again.

With the way the industry is evolving, the level of clarity fans are demanding is probably not something they can offer. It's an incredibly difficult situation.

I'm hoping it's a few big hitters going multi plat and that's all.

I don't want to see Xbox going anywhere, and I'm pretty certain that won't happen.

@Blinx That is an issue but by the same token, with social media, they can offer clarity much sooner. Whilst we can’t expect every rumour to be answered all the time, to allow something like we have seen with the Xbox rumours get so out of hand has been poor really.
A lot of damage has been done through lack of communication and that is going to be tough to recover , even for someone as huge as MS.

The best part about all of this has been watching the fanboys having a meltdown on Twitter.

For me personally, it's more of a curiosity than anything else. I play Xbox games on PC these days anyway through Steam and don't see that changing anytime soon

@Titntin I think if it’s just a few games here and there, no damage is done. MLB The Show is multi platform already and that has caused Sony no harm.
If it’s things like Starfield , that strikes me as odd.

It won't be ms who will let us know, there will be someone attending this conference who will do that , before phil has a chance to make a tweet.

@carlos82 A large proportion play through PC.

@Titntin if its just games , who cares , I'd love gears to be on ps, breathe new life into one of xbox best games

For me I just want XGS to remain exclusive. That’s the main thing. ABK should be multiplatform (outside of any crossover IP projects with other Xbox IP).

With Zenimax, I think they should keep them (mostly) exclusive but I don’t think they will. Though the idea was to bolster their single-player exclusive line-up. So not sure why they would change all that so quickly but God knows what they are doing.

All of this would make people relieved at it only being Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves. When before all the rumours, those 2 going over seemed like a really bad thing.

Also whilst some of the Xbox fanboys on social media have gotten a bit too dramatic; I do think it’s important to let Xbox know what we do and do not want. I think a lot of people in the media have been scared to ask Xbox to keep exclusive games, because they don’t want to be the ones saying “no Playstation should not have access to these games”. But it’s not about stopping people from playing - it’s about keeping the Xbox ecosystem going.

Perhaps this week has been about Xbox taking in all the feedback. Or maybe Phil is saying to Satya “look lets give it a week to see how the internet reacts. I guarantee they won’t like it”….. or whatever.

It will show us the way things are heading. I’m not sure there will be much clarity tbh and more likely more confusion.

Prediction

They will officially announce Hi Fi Rush port for ps5 and switch if it's not already announced at the nintendo show.

They will reiterate that it will be a case by case basis but emphasize that they will be exploring multi platform, timed exclusivity with more titles going forward. There will still be console exclusive games.

Announces that deal with Disney included timed exclusivity for Indiana jones.

Mentions commitment to hardware and xbox brand. Doesn't announce any new device but gives an idea of what they might be planning. We will walk away with the assumption that there will be multiple devices (home console, switch-like portable, streaming dongle, etc.). Might announce surface teams involvement.

They thank xbox fans for being passionate and reiterate that the core fans of the brand are the most important audience to them.

No matter the outcome of this, I think it’s exposed how little confidence Xbox fans have in Microsoft to do things right for the Xbox brand. It’s took years of neglect and constant let downs to get to here and it feels like a combination of many things leading to fans losing their minds.

I only want Redfall on PlayStation. Then we will be able to see the chaos from everywhere

Repeat of games will be on a case by case basis

I think it’s really unfortunate that this speculation has been allowed to reach the point it has. After the developer direct it really felt like things were turning around for Xbox, to then a few weeks later to been “This is the death of Xbox” it’s just wild.

@STX I laughed out loud at this, that would be great😂

@Titntin
I don't believe a 3 trillion dollar company will cut one of it's biggest brands anytime soon.

@MrN0vmbr it really dose feel like a million years ago there was all this positively around the next 12 months of Xbox, now its debate if there will even be an xbox in 12 months lol

I think it will be just a few games, I can't see Microsoft shifting games like Forza, Halo, Gears over. I can see star field making the shift, people do need to remember, it's business.. games cost millions to make and I can't imagine game pass is making enough money to cover those costs for some larger hitters, so making those multiplatform will allow a higher increase in income. (In turn. Providing more funds for other games) it could be a blessing in disguise. We already know playstation is selling consoles 2/1 against the Xbox and the switch has a ridiculous consumer base. That's potentially some large revenue to be had.

@abe_hikura absolutely! I’ve been guilty of buying into that narrative but the more I think about it the more I realise 2023 into 24 first party wise xbox is in the strongest position it’s been in since the 360 era ended, we’ve got or are getting some massive first party games and I can’t see them throwing in the towel now.

This will be a gradual change, first Hi fi rush and sea of thieves then indiana jones following a year, forza an year from release, etc... etc... They won't announce their true plans as they dindn't with xbox one era (the all digital era) that is now coming in full swing finally for MSFT I can't buy physical games where I live anymore, at least Don Mattrick kept the exclusives and we still got good games, nowadays? Redfall and Forza s#cked so much they are diverging Xbox direction, what a mess.

Some Sony fanboys are going to be mad Xbox is not closing.

I really don't understand gamers some times. I think after a certain period of time, most games should go multiplatform. Why are you annoyed that someone else is playing a game that you yourself probably don't even play any longer. And the money they will spend on that game that is no longer on your playlist goes right back to Microsoft to pay for the games you DO want to play now. People claim that third party support will drop for xbox.... because xbox console sales might go down. Microsoft is poised to become the largest game publisher in the world soon. Every ecosystem will be sending cash to microsoft. Playstation and Nintendo. People have quickly forgotten that the issue was it was costing microsoft a fortune to pay for third party deals. "It costs microsoft way more than it costs sony to lock down content due to the difference in install base." That was true.

It becomes much less true when you use your competitors money to do it instead of your own. Gotta pay a fortune to insure a game comes to your platform? No problem. Just bill it to your competitors.

I don't have much tension for this event. I have the opposite.

I can imagine it will be like a board room meeting with some subliminal waffle that is primarily aimed towards share holder's but with a small dose of information sprinkled in for their customers to calm them all down on social media, everything will still go to plan but in a different direction under the radar, that will slowly fulfill their new endeavours in the all new digital future.

I could of sworn I read this was happening "monday" aka today.

You know this is getting out of hand when my non gamer wife said to me yesterday, "did you know xbox announced they're no longer making consoles?" It's all getting a little too wild out there with rumors. I can only imagine where she read that.

That pictures gross, lol.

@Shushibda Release Gears and State Of Decay on PS5 and I'm golden.

@taternuggets That's exactly their plan, to have the largest amount of first-party publishers feeding their ecosystem and have other platforms and digital stores paying some of the bills. The publishers were expensive to acquire, but look at the money that those publishers make and you'll see that it doesn't take many years to get the money back. Most importantly, it serves as a long-term sustainable business strategy.

Trying to outbid Sony for Zenimax and ABK timed exclusives didn't make any sense. They haven't tried that with Square Enix either, the only big publisher willing to skip Xbox in exchange for Sony's dollars that is left, but even Square Enix are approaching Xbox again of their own free will. Add to all this that PC games trounced console games in 2023 and that PC runs Windows and Direct X just like Xbox and this is the best scenario that Xbox has ever lived, third-party support included, in a multiplatform digital world where the number of consoles of each brand is just part of the equation.

Microsoft are (SURPRISE SURPRIIIIIIIISE) handling this terribly. I have the feeling they are going to vomit out some sort of vague statement that doesn't even address the main issues, after making everyone wait a week lol

The MS PR team are abysmal.

Microsoft is handling this so poorly..
Currently, I'm listening to Old Gods of Asgard and imagining Alan Wake writing scenario for Xbox business update event. That is how bad it is!

I bet it’s not going to be anything anyway, did people actually think Gears of war, halo, forza going to ps5, microsoft no longer making consoles was actually going to be a thing? 😂 starfield has barely been out and Indiana jones not even released and people think there going to be announced for ps5 this week? 😂

I don't know why people are so crazy about this. Microsoft will still make consoles and Microsoft will still make games after this week and on into the future.

Microsoft already releases all their games multi-platform on both Windows and XB. If had to go with one platform and exclusives was the sole driver I would switch to PC since both MS and Sony are putting many of their exclusives on PC too already.

@BaldBelper78 That will just make the situation worse.

@Cikajovazmaj The media is saying this another example of Xbox bad message, when the situation is pretty complicated. For whatever reason, they are making what will be an unpopular opinion. They care trying to figure out how to express it. Who will do it. In the meantime, vague news of it leaked.

The specifics may not be set in stone. This may be forcing them to make rigid distinctions. For example; "all Xbox Studios games are exclusive, all Bethesda are timed-exclusive, all ABK games are multi-plat." MS may desire something more granular, which would result in uncertain exclusivity.

@GeminiReign No thanks, I had one and got rid of it as I could not stand the endless rows of forced ads in my face on the dashboard. On a premium paid for device with premiums for subscription, I won't be surprised if they introduce more ads on their platform.

And FYI I DID ditch my digital library at the same time. But as it's all playable on PC if I get one then that is a solution. Oh and I stream my Game Pass games too as you can do that.

@ZuneTattooGuy its only valued at 3 trillion. That doesnt mean they have 3 trillion to spend. Negative press can impact share prices over time so, regardless of loyalty, putting games on all boxes will likely increase the share price as sales increase. In effect, giving their biggest brands to others will likely have them valued higher than they are now, which would please shareholders. I kinda think this is ultimately what led to where we are as we all know shareholders like money.

To be clear though, im of the opinion that only games from the likes of zenimax and ABK will go multiplatform as they are likely the ones that took the biggest hit to sales numbers by moving to exclusives. Starfield was meant to pull in users and GP subscribers. It didnt and likely sold less due to the largest portion of the market being cut out. Especially if compared to previous profit margins for Bethesda games. From a business perspective, it makes sense to sell them to the whole market. The original xbox exclusives (halo, forza, etc..) will very likely stay the way they are.

Its all just speculation though at this point until phil or whoever eventually tells us what they are planning.

The update will have no bearing on me owning an Xbox.

@abe_hikura the statement said “next week” but of course humans couldn’t understand that and decided it meant Monday specifically.

@K1LLEGAL Yeah that was my thought, someone wrote "Monday" for their article and I assumed there was some preset investor/ financial thing going on and that's why they said Monday. But it seems to be a day they pulled out of their rears.

@Darylb88 For me either. However, it will likely have a negative effect on how I feel about Xbox as a device, brand/company, and ecosystem.

The people in the last thread I participated in, claiming that Xbox didn't need to respond to the rumors faster (or at all), make me embarrassed to be a fan of Xbox. Here's Paris Lilly, an Xbox fan to the point that he's worked himself into hosting a slew of Xbox events and games showcases:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxqp_35GSfPmvqJeIFQ4tK9-u4mf6cm6oS

This man stands on stage working for Xbox, hosting Xbox games showcases, and even he can say this publicly. It's ok guys, stop holding the line, it's time to rest.

@Widey85 thanks! Glad they dated it.

@Widey85 Thanks for posting! Just saw it on Twitter too.

Podcast should be an interesting format. It kind of suggests a laid back discussion. It will be interesting to see what the pace is like. A business update event already sounded kind of boring not sure many fans will be glued to the screen over a long form podcast.

@XboxistheBestBox The issue I have is one if them is said to be Starfield, and the problem with that is the endless tweets and times Xbox and Spencer stated time and again it WOULD be an XBOX ONLY exclusive. So if Starfield does indeed end up being a game coming to PS5, what does that say about the trust you can have in the Xbox brand?

People trying to pretend they're doing a broadcast to repeat information from 3 years ago are hilarious.

I highly doubt they'll go third party but something big is clearly going to happen on Thursday. If it was just repeated information then a tweet from Spencer would have said so.

@ZuneTattooGuy surely nobody really believes this would happen?

@XboxistheBestBox How am I attaching the brand. Also I never said I don't play Xbox games. In fact I stated the opposite. Do you just see any criticism as trolling? I assume going by your username you do?

Considering Microsoft's history of abandoning projects into which it heavily invested (Windows Mobile, VR, etc.), I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft decided to ditch Xbox platform and develop only software on Playstation

Microsoft wanna grow gamepass subs they ain’t gonna do that by going multiplat, worse case scenario is xbox games go to other systems a year or so after xbox or you can stream xbox content on other consoles.

Major gamepass sellers ain’t never gonna go on other consoles though, that would be a complete turnaround to their stated long term business goals.