YOU PC BRO?!
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From the beginning, some of the things I would have done include...
- Ensured meritocratic hiring practices were upheld at Xbox and its subsidiaries - strong emphasis on quality and hiring the best
- Greenlit a more balanced selection of games i.e. different genres and different target audiences - such as more kids games. Fringe games would have AA budgets and smaller more focused teams. Incentivise players to play Xbox with a healthy balance of games across many genres
- Forced development studios to work on multiple games simultaneously i.e. one large project and one small or mid sized. I would encourage studios to reach into Xbox back catalogue of IP for the small/mid-sized projects
- Created the concept of the 'core' IP and turned these games into franchises that can be moved from team to team - working on these games would be a reward for developers that produced consistent quality
- Mandated internal development studios to use a small number of game engines and ditched the rest (goodbye creation engine). These would be developed by a new team of game engine developers that would work closely with Microsoft R&D teams - the goal would be to integrate advanced technologies and to make these technologies accessible and easy to integrate into projects. Games developed with in-house engines should look and play the best on Xbox and enable unique experiences via cutting edge technologies i.e. advanced AI integration. This will incentivise players to play Xbox and should allow unique experiences through new technologies that can't yet be had anywhere else
- Mandated all developers to learn these officially supported engines - this is so that studios can 'help' support other studios if development milestones aren't met on key projects - too many engines means fewer developers with the skillset to help when necessary; this would be corrected
- Create a fun competitive culture between in-house studios. Create tools to measure 'success', metrics for integrated technology and value. Measure development time/development cost/avg. review score/copies sold across titles as a single number and pit studios against each other in a healthy way. Reward studios that rise to the top with more freedom and opportunity to work on 'core' IP. Maximum transparency with studios - no favourites or two-faced underhanded nonsense. In-house development studios compete with one another on an even playing field. This helps enshrine identity and naturally pushes teams to do better.
- Games with Gold would have been replaced with GamePass. Some Xbox exclusives would be safeguarded and would never appear on PC (incentivise people to actually buy the console). Some games would be day 1 across PC and Xbox. Some games would be Xbox timed exclusives and appear on PC later i.e. 3, 6 or 12 months - this is beneficial as it will help developers produce better PC ports.
- GamePass would only get the biggest games 3 or 6 months after release - this provides games a window to 'sell' and enables hardcore fans early access to create hype
- Creation of a shared Xbox universe - similar to what Nintendo have done with their exclusives. Large studio would be created to achieve this - targeting similar demographics to Nintendo. Characters and games designed to be the new face of Xbox - i.e. Banjo and Conker would be part of this universe. This would allow crossover franchise games and most importantly help give the Xbox brand some much needed identity
- New strong and consumer focused messaging on digital games - earnest attempt to emulate ownership in a manner comparable to physical i.e. the ability to trade and sell copies of digital games. Online store app created to achieve this
- Force 3rd party developers to adopt new Xbox digital ownership standards
- One software licence that transfers seamlessly between Xbox and PC. Attempt to convince other platform holders to join also - games could then be transferred between platforms. Gamers wouldn't have to leave their libraries behind of they decided to pick up a new device
- New hardware - current generation is lost and can't be salvaged
- Take on the Switch/Steamdeck with a portable Xbox (existing rumours mention that such a product is currently in the works)
- Portable Xbox would be the new 'Series S' equivalent - can be purchased seperately or with a dock as a package. Dock would contain a powerful external GPU and is the equivalent to a 'Series X'.
- New physical media - usb-c micro drive or small card similar to switch. Format would only hold game software licence, not data allowing physical media to live on
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