Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer’s interview with the Kinda Funny Xcast is fascinating to watch, and not just because he addresses the failure of Redfall. He spoke about being third to Sony and Nintendo in the console market, and how Starfield wouldn’t cause people to sell their PS5s, even if it was an “11/10” game.
However, he is positive about the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase in June. First, he confirmed (transcription via VGC) that the company failed to deliver on its 12-month plan that it hyped nearly a year ago. “No, we didn’t deliver. There’s no ‘necessarily’. We didn’t deliver.”
Avowed, Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3, Contraband, Fable and Everwild have also lacked updates despite being announced years ago. In response, Spencer said, “I’m not going to try to oversell the Showcase here, because if I was on the other side watching this it’s like, ‘hey, after Redfall, I’m going to put my hands on the controller and that’s what it’s going to take to prove it to me.’
“But that’s not what the Showcase is, so I’m very enthusiastic about the Showcase. We’re going to announce some things that people haven’t seen, some new games, [and] we’re going to give updates to some of the things that were on your list.”
Spencer is also excited about the future, and how Xbox releases a “big game out every quarter, at quality.” He said, “Things are lining up finally after some of the slowdown through COVID.” And while many may have heard that speech before, he admits, “I’m tired of talking about that, but I can now see that we’ve got games coming every quarter that I think will surprise and delight our customers.
“We still have to deliver on the creative, we still have to deliver on the technical, not every game we ship is for everybody, we know that. I’m not trying to build the one game to rule them all.
“We will have different creative takes, and we have a very diverse portfolio when you think about the stuff that Microsoft Game Studios builds, but I like that. I think for what we’re trying to do as Xbox, which isn’t to mimic any of the other platforms out there, [is to] create our brand and identify the diversity of what we build, [which] hopefully will end up being a strength.
“But we have to do it at quality, we have to do it on time, and we have to show people what they’re going to see. We have to show gameplay. And I think I’m kind of beyond that – we have to put great games in the hands of our players. There’s nothing else.”
At the very least, the company is committed to showcasing gameplay, which is a plus. One of the titles that will receive “tons of gameplay” is Starfield, Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi RPG. Following the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11th, the Starfield Direct will take place and provide more details, developer interviews and footage. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks.