If you have been around and have eyes you have seen Xbox destroy their brand and make terrible decisions over a long period of time. Whether its the Xbox One Tv crap, the handling of Halo/Gears/Rare/other IP, team management, lack of great games, giving up on exclusives and the console war, game pass value erosion or the destruction of trust by lying constantly to their user base they have almost completely destroyed their brand. The only reason the are still around is because at one point, for a very short time, when video games were becoming popular, Xbox was winning. The 360 era solidified the brand as a titan but long gone are those days..
At this point I would say it is highly unlikely that they will ever become a meaningful force in the gaming space again. It would take and incredible amount of luck and good decision making for them to turn the ship around. Oddly enough it is still "possible" although unlikely at this moment because they have had some "luck" recently. Sony has been messing up hard for awhile now. People will point to this gen (since it's the main culprit) but the downhill trend started on the PS4. Their identity and slowing of big console exclusives began there. The PSV era has been filled with empty gaps, games are for no one that have idealism at its forefront or are trying to replace their audiences, live service nonsense, and just a complete lack of positive direction.
If Xbox had a time to make this magical come back it would be now. The question is what would they need to do. I think I have a pretty solid idea on how they could...
The rebirth of Xbox. Some beginning Tenants.
1. Exclusives are at least a 5 year lock (if not 7) for 1st party exclusives (this means no PC release at launch) and 3rd party at least 3. Even consider not porting everything over to PC in the future.
There needs to be games you get no where else or it is a very long time if your gonna try to wait it out. 5 years may even be too low with how long generations are but I do think they are one of the biggest reasons a player can justify purchasing a console over just investing in a different ecosystem. It's the reason as a non Xbox owner they could get me for sure, if they had great games.
2. There needs to be a minimum of 5, must have 9.5-10 1st party exclusive games per generation.
Exclusives don't matter if they arent at least good but they really matter when their great. I can't think of the last "great" game xbox has had as an exclusive. Killer Instinct for Xbox One might be the best fighting game ever made but it's super niche. Nothing has hit like their Halo 3, Bioshock, or Mass Effect review scores. They need something big. Sony is carried by God of War, Astro, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. In this current gen they havent hit even 3 over the 9.5 mark as of yet. Xbox needs 5 to prove they are where you should be. Some people might say this might not matter to Normies but this untrue. They often will buy a console for 1 game they care about or want to play. If you make at least 5 incredible exclusives then odds are one of them would be appealing enough to maybe justify a purchase.
3. There still should be alot of good (and even some great) exclusives too, especially from 3rd parties. Make good cheaper double AA games too.
Just because great ones are the main needle pushers doesn't mean you can quit on smaller titles. It's important to allow fans of niche but beloved IP to enjoy that they are under your Brand and not resent you for owning them. Pushing out tiltles that are shorter, less graphically intensive, cheaper to make or rely on Third Parties creating them are a valuable tool in building the Xbox portfolio. Speaking of third parities, there definitely needs to be managers who know what to eyeball in quality video games that look to make some third party exclusives a reality. Remember Bioshock and Mass Effect were incredibly influential in establishing brand power once upon a time.
4. Management must be upgraded, involved and strict.
The managers need to be pulled in/bought from high rating title video games and given good jobs to be leads involved in big projects. No hands off, devs need to be handled even if the management should keep their ears open for good ideas. No more focusing on side projects, weird ideas or idealistic movements. The only thing that matters is making incredible games from the IP that people love to earn back trust. Try to put people into IP they would rather work on but make the IP options limited to the rebirth strategy. Game Devs might be annoyed at having to stick to known IP but hey it's better than having your company dissolved.
5. What is Old is now New. A competitive arrogant attitude, no more friendliness. No agendas, no DEI, no idealism, only the best of best. Xbox is better.
Xbox used to have an edge. They were fighters and had to be coming into an already established market. There was an attitude, a broiness if you would, that made them stand out amongst the others whether your a fan of it or not. Eventually as the years passed they listed to all the modern trends and management that eroded their identity making them another soulless brand. Xbox live was seen as "toxic" or "mean" (probably true). Oddly enough that energy is what they need. Sony is pretty lame right now they are giving off an energy that most people don't like but what other options are there. Xbox needs to provide an energy that knows who its core demographic is, Men from ages 8 to 40. That's its core demo and that's what video games core demo is honestly, there are a ton of studies that back this up. Even though a lot of studies say women make up almost 50% of gamers, bring out the microscope, you can see that like 90% is mobile "time waster" games. It's not that serious for most women unlike it is for alot of guys. Does that mean you shouldn't try to expand to reach those audiences and satisfy them, of course not, everyone should have games they should be able to play and enjoy but what it does mean is you focus 90% on "the core demo". You do not do what Sony is doing and you have been doing. Stop biting the hand that feeds and you may just be rewarded.
6. Treat your IP with the respect they deserve. They are your sacred cows. You must wash the Golden Geese of their stains.
Halo was your mario, what you have done with it is disgusting. You threw away your Mario. Having a mascot for your console helps solidify your brand and heart of people get excited about when thinking of you. The only memories of Halo now are stupid Craig memes, Pink Game Pass armor, oddly less attractive and uncharacteristic Cortana, a bad tv show, a misguided remake and a fortnight skin that sends young players to check out this mid content (sigh..). So yeah don't destroy your mario. From this point forward the goal is to make these loved IP have character and meaning going forward with Nintendo seen as a standard to follow in some ways. Halo has been damaged so much it will never be mario again but with some elbow grease it could reach Metroid, DK or even Zelda status in time. The new "mario" push will lean into modern gamer's with Steve, but we'll get into that later. The point is Xbox must look at their beloved IP and push them (Banjo, Crash, Spyro, Conker, Fable, Perfect Dark, KI, Gears, Viva, Starcraft, Fallout, etc..) It's alot.
7. Kill Game Pass. Give something in return to make the sting of being burned hurt less.
Its been a bad idea since day 1. It erodes the value of your products since everything is perceived as being free. Then there is the overwhelming choice that makes players often only play what they know or not play anything. It's a bad idea (and it's bad for the industry..) However pulling the cord to people who have been invested is gonna sting. Trust is already at an all time low to help bandage the wound you need to give players who have invested time into gamepass a set of free games to choose from to keep forever. The amount of games they get depend on how many months/years they have paid to game pass. This will feel similar to the Nintendo early adopters 3ds apology and Sony hack apology from yesteryears. It may not seem like it but the gesture will go along way.
8. Return to Tread setting not Trend following
AAA Companies have gotten more complacent and talentless than ever with their progression of game design and systems. There should be a commitment from these new managers to push new trends while understanding ones that need to remain in place. The idea that you just follow what ever is popular right now is a loser strategy. You need to intelligently innovate. Remember what Halo did on your console. Prove you can do it again, remember, Xbox is better.
9. No more lying. Communicate and Commit. Pivot's will not be sudden if they are coming, it will be communicated far in advance, no negative surprises.
Trust has to return. I wouldnt trust Xbox with anything right now. The future needs to be clear in people's head and accurate. No more sneaky, dirty and quick solutions. Long term honest planning is the core foundation now. This brand will not be turned around in 1-3 years. It will take consistency to convince people to reinvest into their ecosystem.
10. Establish why Xbox Live needs to cost money. Because Xbox does need it to cost money:
Heavy discounts on games/streaming services, access to great streaming features, incredible connectivity, incredible social perks, awesome dashboard themes, whatever. Justify why people should feel good about paying for Xbox Live when PC gets that shit for free. Get the people excited about it instead of pissed off.
Some significant specific early games for the "rebirth" era.
The new mario, "Minecraft 2":
Im pretty sure it's still the most popular game of all time (might have been taken by now not sure..). Yes it makes a ton of money on other platforms but it's time to build a brand and Xbox has no "mario". I can't think of a better one than Steve (even though I geniunely dont give a shit about minecraft). Young people love him, a lot of older people love minecraft too. The original released in 2009 so this one needs to feel like it justifies a sequel and implants into the mind of consumers that it can have sequels to be anticipated. It should focus on bringing more character, story and rpg mechanics into minecraft while leaning into what makes it special.
Obsidian now is completely responsible for Fallout going forward, this will be what they work on from now on starting with Fallout New Vegas 2. The only exception for now are KOTOR remakes leading into KOTOR 3 if deals can be secured:
They have had a lot of free reign to do what they want for years. It hasn't worked and that time is now over. They give the people what they want and they want a Fallout game about every 4-5 years. Next up is New Vegas 2. The only time dev will split from this is if that KOTOR deal comes into being.
Build an avengers team for Halo's looking for key designers from all your FPS game studios and from outside, (Doom, COD, ex 343, ex Bungie from older Halo era, Splitgate, etc..) and do an incredible remake of Halo 3:
Halo 3 is arguable the greatest Halo game ever made. Doing a completely faithful remake with incredible online support and understanding why the older multiplayer lobbies worked so well would really make fans happy. It would be a way to put Halo's best foot forward to attract new fans as well. The graphics would be togglable and there would be a newer story ala "Bowser's Fury" attached as well for the Arbiter to allow them to express new ideas. This would be a the beginning of a new future for halo. The goal eventually would be to re attempt at telling the second trilogy remaking Halo 4 (taking what worked in the campaign and reworking the multiplayer that sent the series into the bad direction things when in) then completely pivoting into a better new story from what 4 set up with Halo 5 and Halo 6. Gameplay wise the goal would be to naturally evolve Halo in a way that keeps its core identity while leaning into what it special and stand out from its competition (rivalling COD or fortinight numbers isnt the goal, the goal is to make a "great" game.)
Combine Id Software, Machine Game and Arcane together. Alternate Doom, Wolfenstien, Dishonored and Perfect Dark releases every year (in order). Focus on one at a time:
This team combination feels like a natural fit. Having these teams work together on 1 title can help churn out these titles yearly and provide strengths from each studio to bleed into each others titles. Perfect Dark is beloved enough to make a comback and with this fps/stealth/action combination it should be a quality product (It would come after. Quake may be an option for a year but not for some time. The IP love and strength must be established.
Bethesda has deadlines mandated. Elder Scrolls 6 will be out in the next year. Elder Scrolls will now be all they work on. Elder Scrolls 7 will have maximum year development time of 8 years. There will be a smaller Elder Scroll title that is out 4 years after Elder Scrolls 6 that reuses alot of assets to make the wait for 7 not as long:
No more playing around. Make what works, this is your role. No more rereleases only. Too much bloated development time. Figure it out in 8 years for ES7 and for ES6 the buck is stopping. If you want to experiment a little do it with the smaller title in between 6 and 7.
Rare focuses only Sea of Thieves support with minor exceptions. Rare Ip rebirth through other developers (key people from rare or ex rare employees pulled for consulting). Banjo and Conker (Toys for Bob/Double Fine), Killer Instinct (Iron Galaxy), Viva Pinata (Rare/Mojang , and Jet Force Gemini (The Coalition/Overwatch Team):
Old rare isnt trustworthy enough to handle older IP as dev's, Sea of Theives seems to be working for them so they should stick to it, only key member could be consulted to help guide the others using thier IP. Banjo would be a big move (it's currently the most asked for IP), this would be partially Toys for Bob's and Double Fine's main next big project. Half of Toys for Bob along with the totality of Double fine would be focused to create "Banjo Redooie" a faithful remake of BK and BT similar to the reignited trilogy. This is to get them ready and familiar so they can do justice for the eventual "Banjo Threeie". If this is successful they would do something very similar with "Conker's Bad Fur Day" and their franchise. The idea would be to get a Banjo, Conker and Psychonauts game rotation in effect. Killer Instinct would be done in a similar way to KI 2013 with Iron Galaxy at the helm, they would try to evoke a model that mimics the SF6 and VF story mode for cheap price $40 single player experience while the multiplayer is free to play (the game would not be console exclusive due to it being a niche genre that needs bodies). Xbox users would get smaller exclusives for playing on Xbox though like costumes. Viva Pinata would be made with a small portion of Rare who worked on the originals in tandem with some members of Mojang. The goal would be to make Viva Pinata an Animal Crossing/OG Viva Pinata hybrid game. This game would not be exclusive to build a fan base but its follow up would be. Jet Force Gemini would be half of what The Coalition is working on besides Gears 6 they along with a small set of team members from the Overwatch team would be set up to try and make Jet Force Gemini the next killer 3rd person shooter IP. It would try to incorporate alot of hero shooter mechanics while also trying to be a compelling adventure game. The amount of hero's would be smaller like the original to keep the game more controlled.
A core team of Blizzard will be dedicated to Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo Titles. They will rotate in that order. They will be exclusive:
It will be risky to make these big beloved PC titles exclusives but it will be a good test to see if the strategy will work on this demographic to force them to buy the Box. To see some of these dormant IP finally recieving love may be enough, if this doesnt work after 5 years they can release them on PC eventually. This is one where you evaluate based on the gamble. The important thing is that these IP churn out titles consistently.
Crash and Spyro are present and booming. Spyro 4 (if succesful) leads to a new Crash/Spyro game being worked on by half of the Toys for Bob dev's and the other half being old Vicarious Visions devs. Beenox will be actively working on a Crash/Spyro Team Racing follow up that is communicating with the devs on this new game being developed since a large part of the content will be based on it:
Crash and Spyro are big IP and its time to keep them established in quality. If Spyro 4 is successful then the Crash/Spyro team game is in full production swing. Toys for bob working with Vicarious Visions will act as a handing of the torch to them taking over the reigns of future Crash mainline titles while Toys for Bob focuses on Spyro, Banjo and Crash. A follow up to the successful CTR remake is a must but it will need to have new content for it to work which Spyro 4 and this new game will provide. It would come out half a year after the Crash/Spyro game releases.
Keep what working working. COD, WOW, Overwatch, Sea of Thieves and Forza:
Pretty simple. Whatever is working keep it the same for the most part.
Get big third party exclusives and relationships. From Software exclusive, Capcom exclusive, Sega exclusives/Relationship. Use Ninja Theory devs focus on emotion/story telling in combination with an Action game developer such as Platinum or Capcom. Make Lost Odyssey 2 a thing with a strong japanese third party dev:
From software exclusive is a must. Many will buy the console outright if you can obtain this. Capcom would be great too, their stories are weak so it could be a great opportunity use Ninja Theory's strengths. A single player Overwatch action game has high potential as a concept for the right players involved. Try to establish a consistent exclusive relationship with Sega like the old days for AA games. Xbox's may not sell in Japan but people still love japanese developed games. A Lost Odyssey sequel developed by a Japanese studio could really flesh out this area as well.
Ok so that's pretty much all for now. I'm sure I missed a ton and none of this will happen but this is how I truly think Xbox could turn things around given they were willing.
Bonus for making it here, haven't bought an Xbox since the XBone.
At this point I would say it is highly unlikely that they will ever become a meaningful force in the gaming space again. It would take and incredible amount of luck and good decision making for them to turn the ship around. Oddly enough it is still "possible" although unlikely at this moment because they have had some "luck" recently. Sony has been messing up hard for awhile now. People will point to this gen (since it's the main culprit) but the downhill trend started on the PS4. Their identity and slowing of big console exclusives began there. The PSV era has been filled with empty gaps, games are for no one that have idealism at its forefront or are trying to replace their audiences, live service nonsense, and just a complete lack of positive direction.
If Xbox had a time to make this magical come back it would be now. The question is what would they need to do. I think I have a pretty solid idea on how they could...
The rebirth of Xbox. Some beginning Tenants.
1. Exclusives are at least a 5 year lock (if not 7) for 1st party exclusives (this means no PC release at launch) and 3rd party at least 3. Even consider not porting everything over to PC in the future.
There needs to be games you get no where else or it is a very long time if your gonna try to wait it out. 5 years may even be too low with how long generations are but I do think they are one of the biggest reasons a player can justify purchasing a console over just investing in a different ecosystem. It's the reason as a non Xbox owner they could get me for sure, if they had great games.
2. There needs to be a minimum of 5, must have 9.5-10 1st party exclusive games per generation.
Exclusives don't matter if they arent at least good but they really matter when their great. I can't think of the last "great" game xbox has had as an exclusive. Killer Instinct for Xbox One might be the best fighting game ever made but it's super niche. Nothing has hit like their Halo 3, Bioshock, or Mass Effect review scores. They need something big. Sony is carried by God of War, Astro, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. In this current gen they havent hit even 3 over the 9.5 mark as of yet. Xbox needs 5 to prove they are where you should be. Some people might say this might not matter to Normies but this untrue. They often will buy a console for 1 game they care about or want to play. If you make at least 5 incredible exclusives then odds are one of them would be appealing enough to maybe justify a purchase.
3. There still should be alot of good (and even some great) exclusives too, especially from 3rd parties. Make good cheaper double AA games too.
Just because great ones are the main needle pushers doesn't mean you can quit on smaller titles. It's important to allow fans of niche but beloved IP to enjoy that they are under your Brand and not resent you for owning them. Pushing out tiltles that are shorter, less graphically intensive, cheaper to make or rely on Third Parties creating them are a valuable tool in building the Xbox portfolio. Speaking of third parities, there definitely needs to be managers who know what to eyeball in quality video games that look to make some third party exclusives a reality. Remember Bioshock and Mass Effect were incredibly influential in establishing brand power once upon a time.
4. Management must be upgraded, involved and strict.
The managers need to be pulled in/bought from high rating title video games and given good jobs to be leads involved in big projects. No hands off, devs need to be handled even if the management should keep their ears open for good ideas. No more focusing on side projects, weird ideas or idealistic movements. The only thing that matters is making incredible games from the IP that people love to earn back trust. Try to put people into IP they would rather work on but make the IP options limited to the rebirth strategy. Game Devs might be annoyed at having to stick to known IP but hey it's better than having your company dissolved.
5. What is Old is now New. A competitive arrogant attitude, no more friendliness. No agendas, no DEI, no idealism, only the best of best. Xbox is better.
Xbox used to have an edge. They were fighters and had to be coming into an already established market. There was an attitude, a broiness if you would, that made them stand out amongst the others whether your a fan of it or not. Eventually as the years passed they listed to all the modern trends and management that eroded their identity making them another soulless brand. Xbox live was seen as "toxic" or "mean" (probably true). Oddly enough that energy is what they need. Sony is pretty lame right now they are giving off an energy that most people don't like but what other options are there. Xbox needs to provide an energy that knows who its core demographic is, Men from ages 8 to 40. That's its core demo and that's what video games core demo is honestly, there are a ton of studies that back this up. Even though a lot of studies say women make up almost 50% of gamers, bring out the microscope, you can see that like 90% is mobile "time waster" games. It's not that serious for most women unlike it is for alot of guys. Does that mean you shouldn't try to expand to reach those audiences and satisfy them, of course not, everyone should have games they should be able to play and enjoy but what it does mean is you focus 90% on "the core demo". You do not do what Sony is doing and you have been doing. Stop biting the hand that feeds and you may just be rewarded.
6. Treat your IP with the respect they deserve. They are your sacred cows. You must wash the Golden Geese of their stains.
Halo was your mario, what you have done with it is disgusting. You threw away your Mario. Having a mascot for your console helps solidify your brand and heart of people get excited about when thinking of you. The only memories of Halo now are stupid Craig memes, Pink Game Pass armor, oddly less attractive and uncharacteristic Cortana, a bad tv show, a misguided remake and a fortnight skin that sends young players to check out this mid content (sigh..). So yeah don't destroy your mario. From this point forward the goal is to make these loved IP have character and meaning going forward with Nintendo seen as a standard to follow in some ways. Halo has been damaged so much it will never be mario again but with some elbow grease it could reach Metroid, DK or even Zelda status in time. The new "mario" push will lean into modern gamer's with Steve, but we'll get into that later. The point is Xbox must look at their beloved IP and push them (Banjo, Crash, Spyro, Conker, Fable, Perfect Dark, KI, Gears, Viva, Starcraft, Fallout, etc..) It's alot.
7. Kill Game Pass. Give something in return to make the sting of being burned hurt less.
Its been a bad idea since day 1. It erodes the value of your products since everything is perceived as being free. Then there is the overwhelming choice that makes players often only play what they know or not play anything. It's a bad idea (and it's bad for the industry..) However pulling the cord to people who have been invested is gonna sting. Trust is already at an all time low to help bandage the wound you need to give players who have invested time into gamepass a set of free games to choose from to keep forever. The amount of games they get depend on how many months/years they have paid to game pass. This will feel similar to the Nintendo early adopters 3ds apology and Sony hack apology from yesteryears. It may not seem like it but the gesture will go along way.
8. Return to Tread setting not Trend following
AAA Companies have gotten more complacent and talentless than ever with their progression of game design and systems. There should be a commitment from these new managers to push new trends while understanding ones that need to remain in place. The idea that you just follow what ever is popular right now is a loser strategy. You need to intelligently innovate. Remember what Halo did on your console. Prove you can do it again, remember, Xbox is better.
9. No more lying. Communicate and Commit. Pivot's will not be sudden if they are coming, it will be communicated far in advance, no negative surprises.
Trust has to return. I wouldnt trust Xbox with anything right now. The future needs to be clear in people's head and accurate. No more sneaky, dirty and quick solutions. Long term honest planning is the core foundation now. This brand will not be turned around in 1-3 years. It will take consistency to convince people to reinvest into their ecosystem.
10. Establish why Xbox Live needs to cost money. Because Xbox does need it to cost money:
Heavy discounts on games/streaming services, access to great streaming features, incredible connectivity, incredible social perks, awesome dashboard themes, whatever. Justify why people should feel good about paying for Xbox Live when PC gets that shit for free. Get the people excited about it instead of pissed off.
Some significant specific early games for the "rebirth" era.
The new mario, "Minecraft 2":
Im pretty sure it's still the most popular game of all time (might have been taken by now not sure..). Yes it makes a ton of money on other platforms but it's time to build a brand and Xbox has no "mario". I can't think of a better one than Steve (even though I geniunely dont give a shit about minecraft). Young people love him, a lot of older people love minecraft too. The original released in 2009 so this one needs to feel like it justifies a sequel and implants into the mind of consumers that it can have sequels to be anticipated. It should focus on bringing more character, story and rpg mechanics into minecraft while leaning into what makes it special.
Obsidian now is completely responsible for Fallout going forward, this will be what they work on from now on starting with Fallout New Vegas 2. The only exception for now are KOTOR remakes leading into KOTOR 3 if deals can be secured:
They have had a lot of free reign to do what they want for years. It hasn't worked and that time is now over. They give the people what they want and they want a Fallout game about every 4-5 years. Next up is New Vegas 2. The only time dev will split from this is if that KOTOR deal comes into being.
Build an avengers team for Halo's looking for key designers from all your FPS game studios and from outside, (Doom, COD, ex 343, ex Bungie from older Halo era, Splitgate, etc..) and do an incredible remake of Halo 3:
Halo 3 is arguable the greatest Halo game ever made. Doing a completely faithful remake with incredible online support and understanding why the older multiplayer lobbies worked so well would really make fans happy. It would be a way to put Halo's best foot forward to attract new fans as well. The graphics would be togglable and there would be a newer story ala "Bowser's Fury" attached as well for the Arbiter to allow them to express new ideas. This would be a the beginning of a new future for halo. The goal eventually would be to re attempt at telling the second trilogy remaking Halo 4 (taking what worked in the campaign and reworking the multiplayer that sent the series into the bad direction things when in) then completely pivoting into a better new story from what 4 set up with Halo 5 and Halo 6. Gameplay wise the goal would be to naturally evolve Halo in a way that keeps its core identity while leaning into what it special and stand out from its competition (rivalling COD or fortinight numbers isnt the goal, the goal is to make a "great" game.)
Combine Id Software, Machine Game and Arcane together. Alternate Doom, Wolfenstien, Dishonored and Perfect Dark releases every year (in order). Focus on one at a time:
This team combination feels like a natural fit. Having these teams work together on 1 title can help churn out these titles yearly and provide strengths from each studio to bleed into each others titles. Perfect Dark is beloved enough to make a comback and with this fps/stealth/action combination it should be a quality product (It would come after. Quake may be an option for a year but not for some time. The IP love and strength must be established.
Bethesda has deadlines mandated. Elder Scrolls 6 will be out in the next year. Elder Scrolls will now be all they work on. Elder Scrolls 7 will have maximum year development time of 8 years. There will be a smaller Elder Scroll title that is out 4 years after Elder Scrolls 6 that reuses alot of assets to make the wait for 7 not as long:
No more playing around. Make what works, this is your role. No more rereleases only. Too much bloated development time. Figure it out in 8 years for ES7 and for ES6 the buck is stopping. If you want to experiment a little do it with the smaller title in between 6 and 7.
Rare focuses only Sea of Thieves support with minor exceptions. Rare Ip rebirth through other developers (key people from rare or ex rare employees pulled for consulting). Banjo and Conker (Toys for Bob/Double Fine), Killer Instinct (Iron Galaxy), Viva Pinata (Rare/Mojang , and Jet Force Gemini (The Coalition/Overwatch Team):
Old rare isnt trustworthy enough to handle older IP as dev's, Sea of Theives seems to be working for them so they should stick to it, only key member could be consulted to help guide the others using thier IP. Banjo would be a big move (it's currently the most asked for IP), this would be partially Toys for Bob's and Double Fine's main next big project. Half of Toys for Bob along with the totality of Double fine would be focused to create "Banjo Redooie" a faithful remake of BK and BT similar to the reignited trilogy. This is to get them ready and familiar so they can do justice for the eventual "Banjo Threeie". If this is successful they would do something very similar with "Conker's Bad Fur Day" and their franchise. The idea would be to get a Banjo, Conker and Psychonauts game rotation in effect. Killer Instinct would be done in a similar way to KI 2013 with Iron Galaxy at the helm, they would try to evoke a model that mimics the SF6 and VF story mode for cheap price $40 single player experience while the multiplayer is free to play (the game would not be console exclusive due to it being a niche genre that needs bodies). Xbox users would get smaller exclusives for playing on Xbox though like costumes. Viva Pinata would be made with a small portion of Rare who worked on the originals in tandem with some members of Mojang. The goal would be to make Viva Pinata an Animal Crossing/OG Viva Pinata hybrid game. This game would not be exclusive to build a fan base but its follow up would be. Jet Force Gemini would be half of what The Coalition is working on besides Gears 6 they along with a small set of team members from the Overwatch team would be set up to try and make Jet Force Gemini the next killer 3rd person shooter IP. It would try to incorporate alot of hero shooter mechanics while also trying to be a compelling adventure game. The amount of hero's would be smaller like the original to keep the game more controlled.
A core team of Blizzard will be dedicated to Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo Titles. They will rotate in that order. They will be exclusive:
It will be risky to make these big beloved PC titles exclusives but it will be a good test to see if the strategy will work on this demographic to force them to buy the Box. To see some of these dormant IP finally recieving love may be enough, if this doesnt work after 5 years they can release them on PC eventually. This is one where you evaluate based on the gamble. The important thing is that these IP churn out titles consistently.
Crash and Spyro are present and booming. Spyro 4 (if succesful) leads to a new Crash/Spyro game being worked on by half of the Toys for Bob dev's and the other half being old Vicarious Visions devs. Beenox will be actively working on a Crash/Spyro Team Racing follow up that is communicating with the devs on this new game being developed since a large part of the content will be based on it:
Crash and Spyro are big IP and its time to keep them established in quality. If Spyro 4 is successful then the Crash/Spyro team game is in full production swing. Toys for bob working with Vicarious Visions will act as a handing of the torch to them taking over the reigns of future Crash mainline titles while Toys for Bob focuses on Spyro, Banjo and Crash. A follow up to the successful CTR remake is a must but it will need to have new content for it to work which Spyro 4 and this new game will provide. It would come out half a year after the Crash/Spyro game releases.
Keep what working working. COD, WOW, Overwatch, Sea of Thieves and Forza:
Pretty simple. Whatever is working keep it the same for the most part.
Get big third party exclusives and relationships. From Software exclusive, Capcom exclusive, Sega exclusives/Relationship. Use Ninja Theory devs focus on emotion/story telling in combination with an Action game developer such as Platinum or Capcom. Make Lost Odyssey 2 a thing with a strong japanese third party dev:
From software exclusive is a must. Many will buy the console outright if you can obtain this. Capcom would be great too, their stories are weak so it could be a great opportunity use Ninja Theory's strengths. A single player Overwatch action game has high potential as a concept for the right players involved. Try to establish a consistent exclusive relationship with Sega like the old days for AA games. Xbox's may not sell in Japan but people still love japanese developed games. A Lost Odyssey sequel developed by a Japanese studio could really flesh out this area as well.
Ok so that's pretty much all for now. I'm sure I missed a ton and none of this will happen but this is how I truly think Xbox could turn things around given they were willing.
Bonus for making it here, haven't bought an Xbox since the XBone.
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