More or less everyone was clear that in the current generation of consoles, which arrived in November 2020, Microsoft was playing more than being the first over Sony and his PS5 but now, that we are on our way to turning three, it seems that those in Redmond are getting fed up with the situation. And that could completely alter the current landscape of the video game industry.
The games, the cardinal sin
It seems incredible that Microsoft is one of the most valuable technology companies on the planet and that in video games it has not hit the key, at least since 2013, when it buried Xbox 360 to replace it with Xbox One. Since then, American policy has been erratic and at times incomprehensible, with a barely clear line on what was the strategy to follow.
If with Xbox One the problem was not only the games but also the hardware of the console itself, compared to PS4, on Xbox Series X we have the consolation that it is only the software that fails because on paper, technologically, PS5 is behind. But it has been precisely because of the catalog where Microsoft is losing the battle against Sony, despite the disbursements made by Phil Spencer offering cloud gaming and buying Bethesda and, above all, Activision-Blizzard.
With that latest purchase up in the air and the delays from Bethesda, it seems that Xbox Series X wanders the market on its own, with some xboxers convinced that one day we will get all the benefits it promises but without the certainty of knowing when it will happen. Starfield and an exclusive on a relevant IP from Activision could turn the tables, but will Microsoft go to such lengths to win?
Danger!, first internal critical voices
What does not seem to be in doubt is that something is moving within Microsoft. Recently, the journalist Jeff Grubb has published news that talks about the fact that in the company are starting to lose faith in their Xbox area and they think that, to change the results, they must rectify their trajectory. How?, since he affirms that «things could turn around very quickly, if Starfield is a success and [la compra de] Activision Blizzard Inc. shuts down. But I think there are so many reasons to think that it won’t and that these problems could continue. And until we see evidence to the contrary, I think it’s entirely fair to call Microsoft’s attention and say, ‘What are you doing?’
What’s more, despite the fact that he believes that Microsoft “is committed, especially with this agreement with Activision”, he has the feeling “that they are committed for the next five or ten years to do those things.” So much so “that some people inside the company might be a bit outside.” Maybe Phil Spencer’s days are numbered?
What there is no doubt about is that there’s a whir inside Microsoft, which has been breaking revenue records year after year thanks to its transformation towards the cloud environment that began almost a decade ago, and which could lead it to consider its future in video games. Are they happy with Xbox? The journalist’s response was more than graphic: «I can tell you that they are not. They’re upset.”
War drums are sounding, although in your case, do you think Xbox will be able to go back to PS5?
