Regardless, going into its not-E3 showcase, Xbox was on the back foot. Microsoft isn't alone in these struggles, but whereas Sony and Nintendo were able to spread things out to plug the gaps, Xbox wasn't so fortunate. When those games finished up, these teams were then faced with starting new projects in a pandemic world, with remote and hybrid working slowing down development and ideation.ĬOVID also made it far harder when it comes to retaining and on-boarding employees, which is what the likes of Playground Games, Rare and The Initiative were the middle of doing as they looked to scale up their new AAA teams. Many of its acquisitions were in the middle of developing multi-platform games, and in some cases were committed to PS5 exclusives. Put together and things look bleak, but individually, these were moments of disappointment, rather than crisis.Ī lot of Xbox's struggles, at least in terms of its release slate, have been a little unfortunate. A disappointing game launch, the CMA blocking the Activision Blizzard deal, and mixed financial results all coincided at the same time. They've not all been AAA blockbusters, but Xbox's teams have been – on the whole – delivering the goods. The game arrived just a few months after the superb Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment.

There's no denying Redfall was disappointing, but that's not a fair reflection of Xbox's output in recent times. And, frankly, the hyperbole surrounding Xbox's struggles in recent times felt overblown and premature. I don't believe he should apologise for anything. Ahead of Xbox's latest showcase, Phil Spencer took to the stage to speak with fans.ĭuring it, he apologised for being emotional on a podcast – referring to his appearance on Kinda Funny, where he reacted to the poor performance of Bethesda's Redfall, and expressed his frustration with the console business.

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