The big problem with the E3 showing that Microsoft put up yesterday was the utter lack of compelling exclusive software that would induce people into springing $500 for an Xbox One X. The sad part, however, is that even the exclusive software Microsoft did show doesn’t seem to have made much of a mark at all.
According to an analysis by Brandwatch, who looked at social media chatter during the Xbox E3 presser, the games that got the most limelight are all games that can be played on other platforms in addition to Xbox. Assassin’s Creed Origins was, predictably enough, the most talked about game. Dragonball Fighter Z, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, Minecraft, and Metro: Exodus round out the top five. While Minecraft is a Microsoft property, it’s available on literally all gaming platforms- and indeed, the big announcement relating to it yesterday was full cross play and parity for the game across all platforms (excluding PlayStation), so not even something that benefits Xbox.
This is an indictment on the state of Microsoft’s current first party efforts. Unless Microsoft can up its investment in compelling first party games for the Xbox, its time as a console manufacturer will be fraught with problems.