It’s no secret that Microsoft had a rough start to this generation. The weird DRM policies and an always online system made Xbox One a hard sell back then. Microsoft later on did a complete 180 on those policies however the blunders of E3 2013 still haunt them. That event alone is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why Microsoft is still trailing behind the PS4 this generation. The Xbox One has been outsold by the PS4 on numerous occasions this generation and given the amazing success they had with Xbox 360, it was unimaginable that this gen will be so hard on Microsoft.
So why is the brand struggling? Pawel Lekki, Chief Operating Officer, EXOR Studios believes that Microsoft initially underestimated the impact of games on the console’s sales. Furthermore, he believes that Microsoft didn’t pushed enough for strong third party development support (the indie development scene was lacking on the Xbox One back then, you can read about it here). “I think they clearly underestimated gaming as the main driving force for console sales,” he said to GamingBolt in an interview. “They simply didn’t put enough effort into providing good 1st party games and great third party development support,” he further added.
However, Lekki believes that the company has now shifted their focus to games so good things can be expect from them in the future. “It looks like they’ve completely refocused on games so I’m expecting good things from the Xbox team in the future,” he added. With the company launching a new iterative console this year, Microsoft are planning to release a great games line-up which will be revealed at E3.
We also asked him about the curious case of Nintendo and how they aren’t going after the PS4 or Xbox One with the Switch and whether they plan to make any games for it.
“We obviously prefer playing with strong hardware, but if players want to play our games on the Switch then we’ll bring them there. We aren’t working on a Switch version of X-Morph: Defense, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out,” he stated.
Thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below and check out X-Morph: Defense’s announcement trailer below. The game is due for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.
