Will 2023 be the year Microsoft's first party finally breaks the dreaded curse?

JeraltofRiviera said:
I legit cant imagine the amount of stress on the people involved with Starfield. Most probably just wanted to make a cool open world sci-fi space rpg.

Now they have this immense amount of pressure on them to not simply develop a good game but to singlehandedly potentially save Xbox from having another dull year. It cant simply be another decent rpg from Bethesda, its gonna have to be genre defining and revolutionary. But this is what happens when you don't regularly produce good 1st party games.
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They would have way more pressure if they were still independant. The fact it's exclusive doesn't have much weight in comparison.
 
Hopefully they become more consistent and release some quality hits. Looking forward to many of their upcoming games but some of the closest ones I'm anticipating most are Starfield and Forza. I'm fully expecting Starfield to scratch that same itch that Fallout 4 did and then some. Can't wait to see what they manage to do with that game, plus I can fly a spaceship and shot stuff and explore different worlds?! Hell yeah! I'm also hoping that Forza will be my jam because while GT was good it didn't click with me the way I'd hoped, I dropped it after a few dozen hours.

MS really needs to start writing them checks though because some notable Japanese titles are skipping Xbox again and that blows for fans. May not be MS's first party curse but in my opinion this is far more dire. Online, people squeal about first party output as some indicator of success but I don't spend as much time with them as third and second party games. And this coming year is already starting off with a bang in MH Rise, Wanted, Wild Hearts, Ishin, One Piece Odyssey, Persona 3/4, Hogwarts, Blood Bowl, Atomic Heart, Wo Long, Jedi Survivor, Resident Evil 4, Dead Island 2 and much more under the radar releases.
 
For the sake of people who bought a Series X, I really hope so. This is just sad at this point. I feel like their total no-show at TGA really pissed a lot of people off.

Yet, I do not think Starfield is coming out in 2023.
 
With all the first party studios they bought its almost impossible not to hit a homerun here.

The studios plus zenimax pretty much guarantee it and I'm not even including Activision.

If it doesn't happen then I will agree that it's a curse.
 
They really should be able to hit it out of the park next year.

They already have StarField and RedFall, both of which were initially planed for this year, and that's plus whatever they already had in the pipeline for 2023.
 
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anthony2690 said:
Assuming they hit targets it should be first half very heavy.

We have no idea what they have planned for the second half currently.
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I don't see every game releasing in the first half of 2023. Age of Empires 2 DE is January, Ghostwire Tokyo will be late March/early April, Redfall seems to be set for early May. Microsoft does have day one Game Pass games for Jan/Feb/Mar which are Monster Hunter Rise, Atomic Heart and Wo Long. While Sony tries to fill their first party gaps with timed console exclusives, I believe that Microsoft will fill their gaps starting in 2023 by having a big third party multi-platform game in Game Pass day one. I think Minecraft Legends will be summer, Forza Motorsport in September and Starfield in November. But we'll see. The rumored February showcase will settle some stuff until E3.

Hobbygaming said:
I understand what they promised but it kinda makes it sound like there will be less time for the creative process
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I don't believe this will happen at all. They'll fill out quarters with third party exclusives that they're publishing or smaller first party games like Age of Empires. I'm not worried about this at all.
 
Bruh, they need to have more than a good 2023. One year doesn't absolve them of a decade+ of shite.

I need to see 4-5 years of consistency.

Starfield looks good, but I hated Fallout 4, thought Skyrim was ok and loved Oblivion. We'll see.
 
Represent. said:
No. Its one game.

What would they be releasing next year if they didn't spend 8 Billion on Bethesda? Pathetic.
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I imagine they would position Hellblade and Forza Motorsport as their tent pole releases with smaller games sprinkled in. Idk, I'm looking forward to both of those games so I wouldn't agree that it would be "pathetic".
 
GigaBowser said:
I like a couple MS first party franchises. Forza and Flight Simulator are great but okay, I'll be honest, I admit it, it's been a long, long time since Microsoft's first party was thrilling me and I think I speak for many of us. I'm sorry my friends.

Bethesda is a good purchase for them because quite frankly Bethesda franchises are better than their own in this bears opinion, and 2023 will be the year we finally see the fruits of their labour.

Will this be the year MS is finally back on the map in the first party gaming space, or will it be too little and possibly too late?
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Nah, 2023 is 100% the year!!!!

Starfield and Spiderman 2 are going to be duking it out for GOTY.

Fallout and Elder Scrolls get lots of nods for GOTY and this new IP is doing so much. I might just be 1 game, but that is a megaton IP in the making right there.
 
Enough with the persecution complex and war bait. Continue and you will end up like your friends.
It doesnt matter if they release 1 game or 10, the anti Xbox Boys will tell you why they don't count.

Don't worry. It's like clockwork around here.
 
Kagey K said:
It doesnt matter if they release 1 game or 10, the anti Xbox Boys will tell you why they don't count.

Don't worry. It's like clockwork around here.
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This is such a tiresome stance. I'm no anti Xbox Boy and 2022 was bad enough that PS5 became my main console. People will stop being negative once MS start relesing some great AAA games. Until then, well, MS honestly deserve it.
If there is still a negativity oozing around Microsoft's releases here if Starfield turns out to be a 90+ metacritic game then mods will surely end some accounts because then it's clear it's just console war.
 
Kerotan said:
Even a broken clock is right twice a Day.
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If you have two broken watches does that make you right four times a day?
k07X5At.jpg
 
Fredrik said:
This is such a tiresome stance. I'm no anti Xbox Boy and 2022 was bad enough that PS5 became my main console. People will stop being negative once MS start relesing some great AAA games. Until then, well, MS honestly deserve it.
If there is still a negativity oozing around Microsoft's releases here if Starfield turns out to be a 90+ metacritic game then mods will surely end some accounts because then it's clear it's just console war.
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There a dozen of AAA 3rd party game which release on both consoles, but for some reason you guys talk like only Sony and MS are publishing games.
 
Fredrik said:
This is such a tiresome stance. I'm no anti Xbox Boy and 2022 was bad enough that PS5 became my main console. People will stop being negative once MS start relesing some great AAA games. Until then, well, MS honestly deserve it.
If there is still a negativity oozing around Microsoft's releases here if Starfield turns out to be a 90+ metacritic game then mods will surely end some accounts because then it's clear it's just console war.
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Yeah it'll be MS bought success and if they hadn't bought Bethesda they'd have nothing

Bookmark this post. Because you are going to see alot of it

Realistically right now for first party releases on 2023 we are talking Redfall, Forza and Starfield vs Horizon DLC and Spider-Man 2.

Yet ppl are acting like 2023 is done and MS "lost"
 
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geary said:
There a dozen of AAA 3rd party game which release on both consoles, but for some reason you guys talk like only Sony and MS are publishing games.
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Yes, dozens of AAA 3rd party games release on both consoles, but looking at 2022 MS published less AAA first party games which means there were simply less high quality AAA games on Xbox.

Kagey K said:
Yeah it'll be MS bought success and if they hadn't bought Bethesda they'd have nothing

Bookmark this post. Because you are going to see alot of it
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Nah I don't think that will happen. And it would be dumb when the biggest game for Sony 1st party in 2023 is Spider-Man 2 from bought Insomniac.
Just chill and enjoy the new year, I think it'll be awesome. MS just needs to have some trailer event to remind people of what's coming, hopefully they'll add some new games too, they've only announced games releasing before the middle of the year.
 
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Day 1 of the year of our lord, 2023:

Microsoft have still not delivered. We still hold out hope that the tides might turn despite this early setback. Godspeed.
 
Fredrik said:
This is such a tiresome stance. I'm no anti Xbox Boy and 2022 was bad enough that PS5 became my main console. People will stop being negative once MS start relesing some great AAA games. Until then, well, MS honestly deserve it.
If there is still a negativity oozing around Microsoft's releases here if Starfield turns out to be a 90+ metacritic game then mods will surely end some accounts because then it's clear it's just console war.
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If 90+ metacritic games are the mark of success MS have developed/published 3 of them with 10 games in total and Sony have developed/published 1 (2 if you count Demons Souls but that's a bit tenuous) with 9 in total.

Yet we still have posts like this thinking MS aren't releasing great games, xbox has nothing to play and Sony are besting them.
 
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zzill3 said:
If 90+ metacritic games are the mark of success MS have developed/published 3 of them with 10 games in total and Sony have developed/published 1 (2 if you count Demons Souls but that's a bit tenuous) with 9 in total.

Yet we still have posts like this thinking MS aren't releasing great games, xbox has nothing to play and Sony are besting them.
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Generational list wars is fun and all but the problem for MS is the inconsistency for big releases. Launch to mid 2021 was lackluster. Second half of 2021 was great. 2022 was lackluster. Now the rumours say Redfall comes late May so first half of 2023 could be bad. They need to spread out the releases better.
 
Fredrik said:
Generational list wars is fun and all but the problem for MS is the inconsistency for big releases. Launch to mid 2021 was lackluster. Second half of 2021 was great. 2022 was lackluster. Now the rumours say Redfall comes late May so first half of 2023 could be bad. They need to spread out the releases better.
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Do you think timing of releases is more important than the number of releases? I would disagree there, great games can be played at any time regardless of when they were released. If we're using a 90+ metacritic score to mean great, then xbox has more of those games than playstation. Even if you go down to 80+ it's the same result.

The idea that the console with fewer great games became your main console because the one with more great games didn't have them well spaced is crazy to me.
 
2023 will be the best year for MS first party games in a long long time. Potentially they could have the best first party line-up of the year, depending on what else they announce and what else Nintendo and Sony have to offer.
 
zzill3 said:
Do you think timing of releases is more important than the number of releases?
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Timing is extremely important, yeah. Releasing 25 big games all in year 7 of a generation would be a terrible strategy. Releasing 3 or even just 2 big games each year would be much better.

zzill3 said:
The idea that the console with fewer great games became your main console because the one with more great games didn't have them well spaced is crazy to me.
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I don't see what's crazy about going where the great games currently are. I have all consoles, I obviously play on the one with the most games that interest me. 🤷‍♂️
 
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Fredrik said:
Timing is extremely important, yeah. Releasing 25 big games all in year 7 of a generation would be a terrible strategy. Releasing 3 or even just 2 big games each year would be much better.

I don't see what's crazy about going where the great games currently are. I have all consoles, I obviously play on the one with the most games that interest me. 🤷‍♂️
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No issue with you playing games on the console you're interested in, obviously, my last comment probably came across like that which it shouldn't have, and it's also a bit of a tangent so I shouldn't have said that really, sorry.


Timing is important, but not more so than the number of great games I would think. MS aren't releasing 25 big games 7 years after launch, they've released 3 90+ games since the start of the generation, that's 1 per year now, so I'm not sure the timing or quantity points hold up really.

Your claim I first quoted that people will stop being negative about MS when MS start releasing AAA games is clearly wrong, though, given the number of AAA releases (90+) from Sony and MS this generation and how well received Sony have been and how poorly MS have been received in comparison.

There's more 90+ and 80+ games on xbox than playstation as in the links I put above, but the negativity and idea that xbox has no games still persists, as does the idea that Playstation has loads more games to play, when that's clearly wrong.
People just hate xbox, nothing is gonna change that.
 
Punished Miku said:
Nope.

If Starfield is good it won't count for MS 1st party. If it sucks it will count for MS 1st party.

Redfall will be fun but have minimal impact outside existing Xbox owners.

Forza will be good but sim racers are more niche than arcade racers. It also won't count because Forza, Gears, Halo meme.

Ghostwire won't count since its been on PS. If Tango comes out with a smaller AA game it will be low budget trash for poor people.

Indies won't count because its Oscar bait for losers.

Hellblade won't count since Xbox players hate all cinematic games and don't have PS.

The sad truth is Xbox has no games. The curse remains in effect until Phil commits sudoku.
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I know this was intended as sarcasm but it's actually pretty accurate
 
The longer people wait, the higher expectation they'll have for an amazing game. All that on top of just getting the game out. It's going to be rough no matter what. Hoping they can pull it off though.
 
It should be a good year for them but it all comes down to the quality of the games they release.

Beyond the games we know are slated for a 2023 release, I think they need another AAA to really change the conversation. Something that excites people. If it's just Hellblade then yawn.
 
Microsoft won publisher of the year in 2021. I think in 2023 Xbox will do great as they have Forza, Star Field, Redfall, and age of empires (xbox release) from their first party. Not including the third party timed exclusives like Ark 2 and Stalker 2. I think Hell blade and Avowed is going to release in 2024.

One great thing about xbox exclusives is they have longevity because of the multiplayer and updates it constantly gets.
 
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zzill3 said:
If 90+ metacritic games are the mark of success MS have developed/published 3 of them with 10 games in total and Sony have developed/published 1 (2 if you count Demons Souls but that's a bit tenuous) with 9 in total.

Yet we still have posts like this thinking MS aren't releasing great games, xbox has nothing to play and Sony are besting them.
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Are those Xbox games also available on other consoles?
 
zzill3 said:
No issue with you playing games on the console you're interested in, obviously, my last comment probably came across like that which it shouldn't have, and it's also a bit of a tangent so I shouldn't have said that really, sorry.


Timing is important, but not more so than the number of great games I would think. MS aren't releasing 25 big games 7 years after launch, they've released 3 90+ games since the start of the generation, that's 1 per year now, so I'm not sure the timing or quantity points hold up really.

Your claim I first quoted that people will stop being negative about MS when MS start releasing AAA games is clearly wrong, though, given the number of AAA releases (90+) from Sony and MS this generation and how well received Sony have been and how poorly MS have been received in comparison.

There's more 90+ and 80+ games on xbox than playstation as in the links I put above, but the negativity and idea that xbox has no games still persists, as does the idea that Playstation has loads more games to play, when that's clearly wrong.
People just hate xbox, nothing is gonna change that.
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I think you're too focused on their output since launch. The lists do nothing for me personally when I've already played all the big games. It's been over a year since their last big new release and that's really the whole problem.

Imagine if Sony hadn't released Horizon, GT7, GOWR and only had Sifu and Stray and the last big release was Ratchet. You don't think the tone would be about the same then?

But I understand that it's difficult to fix. If the games aren't ready then they aren't ready. It's not the first time though, the launch was weird as well when Halo got delayed. They need to work on how to have a backup plan for that.

What they could've done is releasing the Hot Wheels expansion for FH5 as a stand alone release. It don't feel like regular FH5 anyway since you have boosts and walls in the track and different cars and a track editor etc. Could've spent a couple months fleshing it out a bit more, new characters and narrative and more main quests and Hot Wheels cars, september release, day 1 on Gamepass.
 
Hope so, competition always breeds innovation. However...

I believe there's an inherit problem in Xbox management, a corporate issue. They had 20 years to create a pipeline that works, see what Nintendo and Sony are doing to have a consistent output, and they still failed. So like most of what America does, they threw a lot of money at the problem.
 
zzill3 said:
Some are, but of the 90+ games 3 are console exclusive to xbox, 2 of which are either developed and/or published by Microsoft.
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If a game is also on PS5 then it really can't be used as an argument that Xbox has the better games
 
Hobbygaming said:
If a game is also on PS5 then it really can't be used as an argument that Xbox has the better games
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They're not all on PS5 though, that's the point.
If they were all on PS5, then PS5 would have everything xbox does + Sony's first party and other exclusive games, Playstation would have more than xbox.

However, xbox has more than playstation, both at 90+ and 80+ level. The only way xbox can have more 90+ and 80+ games than playstation on metacritic is if Microsofts first party and third party exclusives better what Sony get for Playstation, given multiplatform games are on both consoles.

Here's the links again in case you missed them - Xbox and Playstation

And yet people insist that xbox has nothing and Sony are amazing. It's not about the quality or quantity of games, people just hate xbox.
 
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