Honest question for me is why? Why are the numbers so lopsided? Technically speaking the series x is a great piece of kit.
In some of the marquee games the Xbox has a slight advantage in image quality and frames.
COD and hogwarts are two of the biggest games which have sharper graphics and more stAble frame rates according to some reviews. They have the superior gamepass platform. Why is this thing tanking compared to ps5?
I have all consoles so I’m not a fanboy console warring, I’m just genuinely questions why it’s turning out this way?
Exclusives for sure make a difference but I can’t see a 90-10 split for that alone??
Maybe time for a 399 series x sale??
You can find Series X for less than 400e already, that does not help.
Many reasons can explain this collapse here.
Brand visibility
- On every stores where you can buy games, there are HUGE Playstation and Switch spaces, the Xbox ones are very tiny and just have a few games available. I know we are in the digital era, but still, that gives mainstream customers the impression that Xbox has nothing to offer.
- Digital marketing is weaker than AA publishers. I am exposed to every ads from small publishers to the big ones, flooded by Nintendo and PS marketing, I almost never see anything Xbox related.
Games:
Yes. To get traction you need huge and beloved IPs, especially at a time where sequels are so proeminent. Where are MS ips? They fucked up the biggest one with Halo and what should have been their star product became a meme before it even launched. The other ones are either dead, dormant or no one cares here as they are too US-friendly (Gears of War is (was) cool, but it also embodies every cliché we French have for Americans)
And also we do love japanese games here and after many years of japanese games not releasing on Xbox, people just made a logical conclusion (the remaster of Batten Kaitos on switch was the top selling game here in its week of release. Imagine the big names..)
Microsoft:
Xbox is a Microsoft product, and I can't say they have a great image here. Maybe Im exxagerating this point, but Ive been working in tech for 10 years and this really feels like it.
Console name:
Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S: we stopped that debate long ago but what a terrible naming. I have seen stores where they add à sticker on Series games boxe to say "onky works on Series X". Yes it was in the country side where no one gives a shit, but that says a LOT about the sheer stupidity of this naming decision.
I think these are the main ones. But most important is brand visibilty and recognition, I even had a colleague once telling me "I didnt know xbox was still a thing"
Not like french opinions matter anyway
7th biggest gaming market in the world, close to the size of German and UK market.