If they put you in Phil Spencer's chair, how would you save Xbox?

Call of duty/Fifa + remove core fee + trashing PS5 for ongoing fees + clamshell handheld/Xbox pc dashboard

Bundle the X with RGB keyboards and mice.

The problem is their ecosystem is a risk to spend in at the moment and is a worse PS5. Make it a starter PC, and hope the kids get interested again.
 
ChoosableOne said:
My solution would be to make all Call of Duty games immediately available for free on Game Pass, and release new versions on day one from now on, with some bonuses included. And I would make online play free(for non-subscribers). Microsoft would lose money, but Xbox would be saved:messenger_grinning:

I can't think of any other solution that would work in the near future. What's your solution?
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The most attractive part of COD is already F2P. All you'll do is make those who'd be happy to give them billions per year nothing instead. Do you want MS to never make the 70BN back?
 
Leave activision run as 3rd party with ps releases. Do not port 1st party titles to PS, make PC release 6 months later.

Set expected 1st party SP campaign lengths to 15 hours. Studios expected to release a game (or sequal / large so dlc) every 3 years max - design around these limitations.

1st party games to release at £40 before going on gamepass 6 months later. New purchases to come with free online play for 3 months.

Gamepass to get exclusive / day 1 "arcade" games like Outrun, Crazy Taxi. Start porting old arcade hits to gamepass with added online play.

No more aquisitions. Use spare cash to money hat exclusives.
 
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nowhat said:
I mean... in theory that could be possible. He's not a Sony employee but an outside consultant, he could consult MS as well. In practice though, it's not going to happen.
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I would assume that he's prohibited from working with competitors - I don't see it being possible for him to work for two companies simultaneously at least. Maybe a generation later.

However, if there's one thing that Microsoft don't need help with, it's the hardware. Series X is an excellent machine, the One X before it, too.
 
Negotiator101 said:
Xbox doesn't need saving 🤣 they have the full backing of Microsoft. As a matter of fact they're the safest of the big 3 in these unstable economic times.
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Its a publically traded company. Profits matter. Believe me their money comes from Azure and ther enterprise sources, not from gaming. If gaming loses money for a long enough period, they will get rid of it.
What they need to do is make quality exclusives that you cant play or stream anywhere else other than an Xbox. Thats how Sony and Nintendo are doing it, its not rocket science. If thats too much, they should just give up and go 3rd party.
 
Me being Phil;
  • In a new generation, I would release 2 consoles again. One for the mass and less fortunate, similar to the current S model but perhaps -if the responsiveness of switching between high powered console is possible- only a handheld. However, I would take a bigger leap towards a premium model, aiming for a price around €999, which would surpass the highest specifications of a gaming PC at launch. Gamers who opted for the Series X desire more bang at launch and, in my opinion, would be willing to pay a higher premium price for a significantly better experience. We pay for the same phone every 1 or 2 years almost triple the money. The difference between the S and X models is just too small for many to justify paying more. This approach would also reduce the importance of exclusivity for gamers who prioritize having the best or most visually appealing third-party versions of their sport franchises and shooters. The reason the original Xbox captured my attention was not just Halo (that was only when the reviews started rolling in), but also the raw power of the device. It felt like mighty Microsoft was finally bringing beautiful PC graphics to a console.
  • Invest more in R&D to create something that no other console offers, while still prioritizing traditional gaming. Sony did this quite well with features like the DualSense controller. It remains optional for those who found the extra immersion bothersome.
  • Shift to an entirely different approach. Remove all current trends from your marketing and create your unique vibe. Sony has perfected this over the years, with each generation having its own mysterious theme. In contrast, the Xbox brand has hopped from one concept to another this generation, moving from the inspiring "Power Your Dreams" to a social media buzz which gave it a Karen- vibe. They started great with things like the "Power On: The Story of Xbox" documentary which was exceptionally well-made. I would like to see more moves like that. Atm It feels like the testosterone has been drained out by following the snowflake trend, which is becoming tiresome for everyone.
  • A marketing campaign in Europe
  • Ensure that your dashboard is outstanding and improved right from launch. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case this gen, and as a result, I barely felt the excitement of something new. Setting aside the absence of a next-gen game, a new dashboard is just as crucial during launch these days. Personally, I find it bizarre that a company like Microsoft doesn't have a strong in-house UX design team. It is really hard to find your way. Without boasting, I believe I could put together a much better wireframe within a week than what I've been presented with for years.
  • Launch with a minimum of 5 next-gen titles that are exclusive and cannot be played anywhere else
  • Reflect on what made your start successful: Raw power, game-enhancing features (such as Ethernet, hard disk, and controller), and… Halo. Consider sending a message by assigning a proven team to Halo instead of relying on freelancers who are quickly replaced afterward. Look at how Nintendo has achieved long-lasting success by maintaining a consistent team (the same team that worked on the first Zelda worked on BotW for example). Yes it will costs you at first, but it will pay off in the future. Nintendo showed you the blue print.
  • Perhaps explore potential Halo spin-offs like Wars before. Some books from the Halo series could significantly enhance the lore. Why not create a third-person game where you grow from John as a child into a Spartan, as described in The Fall of Reach? Or why haven't we seen a Halo Lightgun shooter on a console? (Yes, I miss lightgun games.)
  • Achievements need an overhaul. While they were groundbreaking, their development has been limited. Apart from not working as smoothly as before (sometimes taking days to appear), there's more potential to explore. Transform them into a throne like page for every user. Make it a cool Facebook without your mom commenting on your photos. Consider establishing an overarching system that collaborates with competitors.
 
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Get rid of Gamepass, bring back games people like, focus on graphics and gameplay, quit telling people they don't need Xbox to enjoy games.

Basically just undo all of Phil. Nothing he's done is good.
 
Stop using contractors to make Xbox games.

Learn how the best studios make games and try to emulate their processes.

Have first party games that doesn't release on gamepass or pc day and date. Give people a reason to want to buy your console outside of people already invested.

Waaaaayyy better internal QA teams.

Have games release drop in a way where it's always something to look forward to.

Kill The cult of personality. Let the products speak for themselves.

If possible keep Xbox away from the rest of Microsoft.
 
To save Xbox, Microsoft need to do something different to Sony instead of trying to directly compete with them. Xbox needs to offer a different kind of console experience that appeals to the masses and still has strong third-party support.

This strategy has generally worked well for Nintendo who I feel no longer compete with either Xbox or PlayStation since they just do their own thing and bar the odd stumble (Wii U) have excelled at what they do despite low spec hardware.

GamePass is certainly not enough and the Xbox exclusives so far have been sparse and extremely underwhelming compared with what is on offer on PS5 (and I say this as someone who owns both a PS5 and Xbox Series X). I also don't think that releasing a handheld version of Xbox to compete directly against Nintendo is the way to go either as we already have Steam Deck, a system that has access to a vastly larger library of PC games than Xbox anyway, and the Switch for Nintendo exclusives.

Not sure what this console would be but if Nintendo can come up with innovative concepts that work on low cost hardware then I don't see why Microsoft couldn't either. However, Microsoft seem to think that having the most powerful system paves the way to success but it's not. You need to have powerful hardware at a good price *and* exclusive games. Sony have a loyal fan base because they deliver the hardware and the games. Microsoft can only seem to deliver the hardware but that is not much good if the console's only good games are those you can play on other systems anyway!

Xbox was an exciting brand back in the original Xbox and 360 days but it has lost all the momentum they built up with the release of the Xbox One and in the decade or so since. All the excitement surrounding the brand has evaporated. I cannot think of a less exciting system for games at the moment than the Xbox Series X personally. It has no brand identity and nothing to make it stand out from the competition in a compelling way.
 
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The only way to save xbox is to buy everyone with microsofts money cheat code and make good exclusive games for it (not pc). They are already trying to buy everything off but still release games everywhere so xbox is irrelevant
 
panda-zebra said:
According to Spencer xbox is three things: a publisher of games, a platform for publishers to sell their games and a hardware platform.

Which one are we saving, 'cause one of those isn't nearly as worth it as the others and would cost a heck of a lot more to implement for very little return.

There's nothing to dictate that all three pillars need to co-exist in future in order to maximise the potential of their gaming division. That's why there are hints that, going forwards, the way to "save" hardware is to effectively abandon it to brand licensing. Save on R&D, save on loss-leading razor/blades, save on manufacturing woes. Make hardware barely more complicated than licensing peripherals.

There's no saving the xbox of old you know and love because that's already long gone. Their focus is on growing the games industry by reaching more players in more places, not attempting to milk an ever-dwindling userbase.
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I was thinking they would completely abandon Xbox console at this point, but there's a new rumor circulating about a stronger/next-gen Xbox. So, it seems like they're a bit confused about this. While chasing the dream of expanding the gaming market and increasing their share, they risk losing their loyal Xbox fanbase and potential other console buyers.
 
ChoosableOne said:
My solution would be to make all Call of Duty games immediately available for free on Game Pass,
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it took them over 5 months to get one Activsion Blizzard game on Game Pass, all while letting a critical holiday window for console sales pass by. Xbox is legitimately inept.
 
I would stop letting developers make whatever games they want.

You want to make Bleeding Edge? Fuck off, nobody wants that.

Bethesda would have a dedicated Fallout team, a dedicated Elder Scrolls team. Flagship franchises skipping two complete console generations? Fuck off, that is unacceptable asset management.

I would create a quality control team that constantly monitors game development progress to ensure that games like Redfall don't get released and flagship franchises like Halo are released with exceptional quality.

Basically I would fix the Xbox has shitty games problem.
 
I swear this is like the third or fourth of these this month already. Never seen so much concern for the most valuable company in the world (if they are still that, idk).
 
Xbox is not in danger of dying. They make money, just not as much as they want.

I would understand what leaderships goals (probably has to do with engagement and capturing dollars from players) are and then develop a business plan to do that. In order to move consoles, I find tentpole games to build as franchises. Invest in Halo. Invest in Gears, work on new IP (3rd person Adventure/story). Find Call of Duty incentives for Xbox. Have Blizzard start Warcraft 4. Fire most of Blizzards leadership.
 
1. Kill PC versions of games
2. Native handheld instead of Series S
3. Reduce the price of Series in countries where it's underperforming, due the same for the next Xbox at launch
4. Cut the relaxed development policies
 
JimmyRustler said:
Would tell all the studios to actually start working.
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I swear, once these studios got acquired by Xbox, it seems in most cases key personnel left and/or the studio just ballooned and started taking it easy knowing they had the Microsoft deep pockets safety net and no longer had to survive on their own.
 
This one is simple.

First, focus on making the absolute best games my studios can make. For this, it doesn't matter if they are exclusive or multiplatform.

And the second, decide on whether to stick or twist.

That is, (stick) if the focus is on the brand and platform, then do that the right way, and that would mean no more day 1 gamepass, no more day 1 PC releases across the board, and no more putting my games on other platforms. Basically, make sure Xbox and an Xbox console is the only way to primarily experience Xbox software. That is the only way to grow the platform, if they are doing anything else, it will fail.

Or Twist; if the focus is to be on going third party, then do that the right way. That would mean making everything available on all platforms. And make everything available on gamepass (including COD). And that also means that make gamepass available on every platform too. Akin to something like EA play. So gamepass would be a service for only Xbox first-party stuff. And will have to probably drop in price to something like $5-$7/month. Doing this can make them actually have a GP subscriber base upwards of 70-100M people.

Another to do this though could also be to delay all gamepass releases for 3-6 months to allow the games actually enjoy sales a little before they show up on gamepass.

Whatever the case though, its to pick a path and stick to it. Xbox problem is and has always been that they are trying to be a jack of all trades.
 
I think my first focus would be on improving World of Warcraft. Developing a strategy that pulls players back in and perhaps a console port. Sitting on a dead cash cow. Try to revive it.
 
I'm not sure Xbox can be saved at this point due to Phil's complete incompetence.

(1) Focus entirely on studios making REAL Xbox exclusives (no pc)

(2) stop devaluing the industry and end day and date game pass minimum 1 year before a title hits "free"
 
Wastelander92 said:
1. Kill PC versions of games
2. Native handheld instead of Series S
3. Reduce the price of Series in countries where it's underperforming, due the same for the next Xbox at launch
4. Cut the relaxed development policies
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Are you trying to kill Xbox and the success of future XBS, Bethesda and ABK games? Because this sure sounds like a speed run into doing that lol.

The PC market for gaming is to big to ignore. Why would they go back on their gaming everywhere stance. Makes no sense.
 
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Pivot Xbox to use Windows and be a generic computing device. Push for the development of a UI layer on Windows for use with VR controllers, start selling a rotation of Xbox models spanning the spectrum of performance. Package VR-like motion controllers with high-end models.

PC releases now run on Xbox.

Develop first party games that sell on PC and target the Game Pass model.
 
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Some of the ideas in this thread make Spencer look like a genius.
 
I think they are too far gone now. The best course is to become a third party at this point. But if they really want to have a shot, I'll start by not launching their AAA games day and date on game pass and PC (they can give a big discount for GP members). Halt the support to the competition (except for the GaaS efforts). Focus on an affordable and powerful machine, it doesn't need to be the most powerful, strike a balance between performance and price. Drop all the political drama and wokeism, focus on the entertainment value, stay away of all that BS. I would invest more in smaller titles and the AA market, a good stream of fun titles throughout the year with 1 or 2 tent pole tittles that take full advantage of the tech in their console.
 
Cancel production of the Series S, use resources and talent at Activition to create a new HALO game with a campaign on par with some CoD level animation and technology.
 
Make incredible new AAA IP utilizing all the studios they now own. Stop putting day one releases on gamepass and killing incentive to buy them. Fire Matt Booty and replace him with someone capable of doing their job. Promote games and hardware showing Xbox as the compelling place to play all the great new games they are making. It's really not that hard if they would just do what works so well for Sony and others. They have the money and now over 40 studios to do it with.
 
Better games.

Fire all the lazy devs who mostly consist of blue haired freakos.

Make Gears of War collection and make a new Gears game that brings back the "toxic masculinity".

Scrap the series S and replace it with a handheld that can be docked like the switch.

Make online free but keep Gamepass as an option.

Do everything in my power to get Steam on my console.
 
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