Ahhhh good guy Sony ! Microsoft corporate devil
! Sony buys organically and with righteousness. Jesus this boils down to Sony has had their stable of studios longer. Microsoft literally had to start all over the only original studios they had were turn to and 343 coming out the 360 era everything else was bought recently. That’s where they messed up they relied heavily on 3rd parties and deals and it’s biting them. In a scenario where they had a stronger first party they could afford experimental dubs. But they have to continue on this is their first bad reviewed game this generation so let’s close the Xbox business lol.
Since almost the halfway point of Xbox 360's life, Xbox has largely failed to produce games that truly excite gamers across the board. Their highest quality franchise, Forza Horizon, caters to a specific crowd. Racing games usually do that. So despite the high quality of those games, they don't typically move the needle. It doesn't matter how well you score with critics if the game just doesn't excite a large swath of gamers. Ask Media Molecule how Dreams went for them.
Xbox mostly lacks those titles that stir positive conversation about the brand in a way that makes the gaming community think they must have it. Flight Simulator, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment... these may be great games for the critics. But they're not the kinds of games that would create midnight launch lines in the middle of Winter. The games whose franchises previously did, like Halo Infinite, have lost that pull, too.
This isn't a recent problem. It's arguable that this has been going on for about 13 years now. And in that time, every time Xbox looks like it's about to gain some momentum, it gets brickwalled by another disappointing release or another long period of very little. Xbox just doesn't have a Super Mario, Uncharted, Zelda, Last of Us, Smash Bros, God of War, Pokemon, or Spider-Man. Yes. You NEED that caliber of games when your competitors keep bringing them and you need them on a regular basis if you want to compete.
Regardless of what excuse for WHY Xbox has arrived at this point, it's still their fault. It is a company with hundreds of billions in cash and assets. 20+ years in the console space. Longer than that in the industry in general. They had ample time to grow their teams and capabilities the way Sony and Nintendo did. This isn't about one bad game. This is about a long history of Xbox failing to excite people for anything longer than a flash in the pan. You have to keep that fire burning.
The further away we get from a time Xbox was actually competitive, the less patience or care people have for the brand. To the point where people think they should just hang it up. Personally, I'm not there. I love watching these companies fight each other for my time and money. It takes a lot to pull me away from World of Warcraft. Something that Xbox hasn't managed to do in a long time.