Microsoft and Sony have just ushered in the era of next-gen console gaming, with the newly released Xbox Series X/S consoles and PS5 respectively. There’s a lot for fans of either console side to look forward to, but it seems that Xbox has particularly garnered a lot more fandom lately. After lacking a blockbuster first-party library last generation, Microsoft seems fixated on turning the tides with this generation with the likes of Obsidian Entertainment’sAvowed(among many others).
In addition to acquiring more and more studios, the giant is continually pushing its Game Pass service as a essential part of being an Xbox customer.Avowedmay hint more about Microsoft’s game plan regarding the future of Xbox, which seems to be a patient one for now. While there’s a great chance that Microsoft will deliver on its promises, such an approach has its risks.
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Microsoft’s History With First-Party Offerings
It’s not the first time that Microsoft has acquired a bunch of game studios in hopes of creating a stellar first-party library. The giant had previously acquired big-name studios such as Rare, which inarguably hada streak of heavy-hitters on the N64. Rare’s offerings on Microsoft’s platforms such asPerfect Dark ZeroandBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Boltswere decent games but failed to reach the heights of their predecessors.
This might not mean that Microsoft’s acquisitions or involvement with its acquired studios might be the problem, but is something that curious fans would already know. In addition to this, heavily delayed first-party titles such asCrackdown 3haven’t received the best of critical reception while others such asScaleboundwere outright canceled. Therein lies the risk that Microsoft has to overcome, but if these risks pay off, it’ll be a big generation for Xbox.
Xbox Game Pass Seems To Be The Saving Grace
While Microsoft may have a long-running history with underwhelming acquisitions and third-party deals that is attempting to correct, its evergrowingXbox Game Pass service seems to be its saving gracefor now. Announced in 2017, the service has seen an exponential increase in its value proposition, which was already great to begin with. In addition to releasing every first-party title on the service at launch, Microsoft is continuously looking out for third-party exclusivity deals and launch availability of select AAA releases such asOutridersandMLB The Show 21.
Xbox Game Pass is available on a multitude of different platforms, but Microsoft seems to be positioning its Xbox to be the premier platform for the service. Combining that witha cheaper Xbox Series S seems to be doing wondersfor the giant for now, but Xbox might need to deliver in the exclusives department quickly nevertheless.
Sony’s risk-averse strategy has caused distress among many fans, but there’s little to no doubt that games such as the fan-namedGod of War: RagnarokandHorizon: Forbidden Westis enough to warrant a console purchase for most fans. While Xbox does have a bunch of planned exclusives, it really needs to deliver an equal number of heavy hitters soon before the majority of the gaming demographic jumps onto the next generation of consoles.
Avowedis currently in development.
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