• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

If Microsoft offered only Halo/GOW/Forza as exclusives, would Xbox still be viable?

ironcreed

Banned
If Scorpio really is the most powerful console, then I'll buy it for multiplats only.

ywb.gif
 

Fox Mulder

Member
I only bought the xb1 because I'm deep in the Xbox ecosystem and love forza.

I grew tired of gears on the 360 and halo sucks now.
 
From personal experience Xbox seems to be for more casual core gamers who buy the latest CoD and Fifa only each year so I don't think exclusives matter one bit. A lot of it is down to where their friends play, what controller they prefer and the experience they have with the online servers.

Personally I feel like Halo just isn't very good anymore and the Gears formula is getting very long in the tooth. Forza is the best racing game on any platform but I can just play that on my PC from now on.

Only problem halo has is 343.

Bungie left them with gold and they shipped silver.
 

Megatron

Member
and the next halo will be on pc, too

You mean halo wars? Sure that will be. I don't believe a mainline successor to 5 has been announced yet, so we can't say for sure that a halo 6 would be on pc. Chances look good now, but nothing is official as far as I know.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Xbox lost its viability when it lost its exclusives to PC. So for those that demand the console experience are the three franchises enough? Gears is starting to lose its luster and Halo seems to disappoint more often with its campaign. That leaves Forza, which I don't get how anyone needs more then one per generation.
 

Floody

Member
For awhile, but nothing stays popular forever and those franchise are getting stale for a lot of people. I know I won't be touching the Xbox Two (or whatever they call it) unless they show they have more to offer.
 

Kaji AF16

Member
As a general brand strategy, I believe it wouldn´t be viable in the long term. The "Holy Trinity" of Microsoft Studios has lost strength mainly because of an excessive milking and because of a comparatively minor installed base than in the Xbox 360 generation.

I do consider they tried to diversify their exclusive portfolios; unfortunately, only a few of these new IPs have been well received both commercially and critically (Ori?). Now they don´t seem to have lots of cards to show, and Scalebound´s cancellation has soured many among those who were still "loyal".

That said, and speaking for myself, I wouldn´t abandon Xbox as long as most of my RL gaming friends and Forza are part of its ecosystem.
 

LordRaptor

Member
Xbox lost its viability when it lost its exclusives to PC. So for those that demand the console experience are the three franchises enough? Gears is starting to lose its luster and Halo seems to disappoint more often with its campaign. That leaves Forza, which I don't get how anyone needs more then one per generation.

Personally I believe the Xbox division treating PC Windows gaming as a competitor not a complimentary platform has always been a mistake, but to me the first sign that the Xbox division were perhaps being held accountable to a level they previously have not been was the release of Rare Replay, because that's a one off 'firesale' of multiple treasured IPs for a quick return on investment.
 
Maybe when Gears and Halo were at their best, maybe they could have got away with it but I think MS need to offer more now, especially when you look at what Sony are offering PS4 owners, with a ton of 1st Party and 3rd Party console exclusives.

Looking at the latest Wiki games lists for each console:

The Xbox One has 1017 games: Exclusive = 34, Console exclusive = 119, Multi-platform = 847.

The PS4 has 1294 games: Exclusive = 113, Console exclusive = 379, Timed Exclusives = 37, Multi-platform = 690

That's a pretty big difference in exclusive content. It would be great if MS start to offer more verity and a few more exclusives for Xbox owners, they certainly have the money to do more.
 
I feel like IPs like Halo live off of the 13 year old Halo 2 fans.

This demographic is in their late 20s and 30s and growing older. I dont see new kids and young gamers playing Halo. They play the cool games like Overwatch.

Halo has receded tremendously as far as being the leader in FPS market goes, and it's just not capable of refreshing itself against the market today. People that like Halo likely live off the nostalgia of older games, or are diehard fans, but most of the new consumers are not going to touch Halo when games like Overwatch dominate the scene.

So no, I dont think Halo can do it, and if Halo cant do it, neither can Forza or Gears. Also, a ton of these fans are exhausted and want Xbox to have more variety, just look at the subreddit where they are really upset about Scalebound and wanting more content.

Halo 3 sold Xbox 360s. Halo doesn't have that power today, I dont think
 

Theorry

Member
Personally I believe the Xbox division treating PC Windows gaming as a competitor not a complimentary platform has always been a mistake, but to me the first sign that the Xbox division were perhaps being held accountable to a level they previously have not been was the release of Rare Replay, because that's a one off 'firesale' of multiple treasured IPs for a quick return on investment.

Play Anywhere is pretty complimentary . With Games for Windows there was sort of a rival thing going on. Thats now gone.
 

borges

Banned
This topic of this thread is comparable to the infamous "PS has no games" . The scenario you are presenting is not real, never happened and will never be.
 

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Not for me.

Those are 3 games I have barely played. And I have never played a Forza game.

And if you could get them on PC? Hell no.

I mean it would still be viable for folks that want to play on Xbox.

Granted I do get consoles for exclusives. Its the reason why even tho I am not the biggest Nintendo fan these days I seem to always get their consoles.
 
You mean halo wars? Sure that will be. I don't believe a mainline successor to 5 has been announced yet, so we can't say for sure that a halo 6 would be on pc. Chances look good now, but nothing is official as far as I know.

well you can't say anything for sure. the world could implode tomorrow
but the next mainline halo being on pc, too is as certain as possible even without an official announcement
 
Its already viable with those being practically the only real AAA exclusives on the XB1 (and to be honest the 360 too, to an extent, especially in its latter years). You dont have to be #1 to be viable. Wii U had Nintendos first party history behind it to an extent and it still sold for shit due to no 3rd party support (and horrible branding).

3rd party support determines success or failure of a console these days. First party games will neither make nor break Xbox. Anyone who thinks otherwise at this point is delusional or a fanboy/console warrior.
 

Kayant

Member
... Yes? Kind of.

I mean, I don't expect those games to be system sellers in the prime of their heights at the 360 era ( except Forza that's stable )

But if it's still going to have 99% of western third-party support I think the brand is strong enough to be viable.


Also, does that means we'll get to see broader stuff like a Halo RPG, or a Gears Visual Novel?
.

Majority already buy it mostly for third-parties so I don't see it hurting much.
 

Calm Killer

In all media, only true fans who consume every book, film, game, or pog collection deserve to know what's going on.
I will buy whatever Halo is on, so for me Halo = Yes.

But to answer your question, no.
 

LordRaptor

Member
How would it not if those games would not have been on PC otherwise?

Again, there are numerous topics specifically about this, but if the Xbox division wasn't treating Windows PC gaming as a competitor, those games would be released through regular retail channels just like all other MS developed software is, and would have already built an audience for those titles instead of dropping the 6th / 8th / whatever iteration of a franchise and expecting people to care about that.
 

Crayon

Member
They should make MasterChef a dad in Halo 6. With like a little cheif kid. And they can have poignent moments together.

Halo: Combat Goes On

Halo: Combat Gets Old

Halo: Combat Hair Loss

Second thought let's just do Forza Wars
 

Prithee Be Careful

Industry Professional
Don't they kind of coast by with those already? Exclusives don't matter as much as they used to, and as long as they foster their Xbox Live ecosystem and keep strong third party support, they'll be fine.

Honestly, the 'exclusives don't really matter' rhetoric needs to stop. Exclusives define a console and are often the best chance to showcase it's potential above others. Third parties will always dominate sales charts but first parties build your brand.

Sony knows these things don't bring in the kind of cash that FIFA and COD do - the difference is staggering - but they still invest millions developing and publishing titles every year.

Just ask yourself what the Switch would be without Nintendo's software chops - an underpowered tablet with bolt on thumbtacks and a video out.
 

Cleve

Member
Viable? Sure, there'll be a market for it. I'd never buy it, but I'm that weirdo that bought an xbone for dead rising 3 and sunset overdrive.
 

N.Domixis

Banned
Yeah sure it can work, however if they fuck up a launch or Sony does something unexpected they are in deep trouble. Can't rely completely on third parties.
 

jelly

Member
Halo would have new life if they actually branched out with it and make different games. Halo Wars was a step in the right direction, Spartan Strike/Assault, not so much but basically my point is instead of Halo 1 - 6, ODST, Reach, they could have released something fresh in that Universe if they weren't willing to risk a new IP. The Halo name should make it easier to risk new ideas as well.
 
They should make MasterChef a dad in Halo 6. With like a little cheif kid. And they can have poignent moments together.

Halo: Combat Goes On

Halo: Combat Gets Old

Halo: Combat Hair Loss

Second thought let's just do Forza Wars
I don't know if this is a play on "Halo is dad" but I love it.
 
I dont see the treating the pc as a competitor link really.

I think he's saying that if they were full on PC, they wouldn't be setting up shop against steam and other stores and would have adopted a more liberal distribution like they do with their other software products.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
I don't know, Nintendo are the only console manufacturer running their gaming division as their sole means of making money not as a trojan horse for other purposes and trying to bleed the competition out by outspending them, with the end result they are perceived to be over priced and under powered.

I don't think that's really true. Compared to ye olden days when consoles were sold at a loss everyone seems far less interested in pure market share loss-leading these days. Microsoft could absolutely bleed Sony dry if they really wanted to, but I don't think even if the whole company was gaming-focused that would in any way be desirable for them (besides, it'd be shockingly expensive for either of them to try.)
 

Norse

Member
I think MS's universal windows system for future apps and games development is what will drive the xbox. Hopefully this will bring more stuff to the console and future xbones down the road that may have been PC only in the past. Add in play anywhere and I think that's an attractive package. Even if the game is available for PlayStation, people will buy the PC/xbone version due to the added value of it working on both systems. So, Xbox exclusives may soon be a thing of the past.
 

JaggedSac

Member
They should make MasterChef a dad in Halo 6. With like a little cheif kid. And they can have poignent moments together.

Halo: Combat Goes On

Halo: Combat Gets Old

Halo: Combat Hair Loss

Second thought let's just do Forza Wars

Are u Ben Carson?
 

jelly

Member
I think MS's universal windows system for future apps and games development is what will drive the xbox. Hopefully this will bring more stuff to the console and future xbones down the road that may have been PC only in the past. Add in play anywhere and I think that's an attractive package. Even if the game is available for PlayStation, people will buy the PC/xbone version due to the added value of it working on both systems. So, Xbox exclusives may soon be a thing of the past.

Can't wait for mobile games. /s

I'm not sure the Play Anywhere is that big a deal to anyone, it's a nice perk and an expensive one for PC players. You've either got an Xbox or powerful PC, rarely both for gaming. GAF says otherwise probably but we aren't the masses. It doesn't sway me at all because I just have a laptop and consoles.
 
No and Sony either if they only offered Killzone (couldn't think of any other exclusive FPS shooter)/Uncharted/Grand Turismo

And if it that was the case with both I would definitely go for Microsoft.

Good news is that this will not happen. Since Phil Spencer took full control his decision making has been great and I'm pretty sure he knows what needs to be done to push the sales of the Scorpio to the top.
 
Forums focus on console wars, but third parties are the industry leaders.

Exclusives hold importance, so Microsoft/Sony will continue to publish them.

In all honesty I see Sony focusing less on AAA exclusives this generation. Hasnt stopped them from selling more. Third parties are big
 

ElFly

Member
Forza actually tempts me to get a Xbox. it's just I don't play that much nowadays

honestly it is ridiculous how Sony just lets several years go by without a proper Gran Turismo, when I would have devoured a GT6 upport to PS4 with better framerate and draw distance, a game I already bought jesus christ Sony
 
Forza actually tempts me to get a Xbox. it's just I don't play that much nowadays

honestly it is ridiculous how Sony just lets several years go by without a proper Gran Turismo, when I would have devoured a GT6 upport to PS4 with better framerate and draw distance, a game I already bought jesus christ Sony

In all honesty I would say Forza is better than Gran Turismo and has been for a long time. Considering they pump it out every two years, while PD takes forever it seems to make a new game I would think that Gran Turismo would be better, but Forza I just simply find more fun. (Both Motorsports and Horizon)

I feel like it has been over a decade since there has been a great Gran Turismo, while there is a great Forza pretty much every year.
 

The gnasher did not properly work at launch along with the matchmaking and the economy was so broken they had to completely overhaul it.

By the time issues were fixed the other menagerie of MP shooters came out leaving mostly nothing but the most dedicated players left on Gears 4, couple that with it selling the lowest of the entire franchise (even less than Judgement).
 
Personally I still consider my Xbox the Halo and Gears machine, just like how Nintendo consoles are for Nintendo games. So for me it would still be viable. As a whole probably not.
 

SOR5

Member
I would normally joke but im so offended at this being a possibility (again) that i'm telling you

No. It. Wont.
 
I'm sure people have already pointed out that third-party multiplats matter more to the wider market than first-party or second-party exclusives, but it's worth reminding people of this because sometimes, I think that the type of folks who go out of their way to post on message boards are more likely to buy multiple consoles or play heavily on PC and thus are more focused on first-party exclusives and less focused on third-party multiplatform games than the typical one-console household would be.
 
First off, this feels like what the Xbox platform is now, and I'm sure other posts have said the same.

Second, EA Access/Vault is an incredible value so it almost feels like those games are MS games.

Finally, while I have the Halos and a GOW, I'm not a fan of that stuff. Forza is fun but it is only so much. I think Microsoft is losing its grip on being a good console provider. It's been happening for a long time as well. The recent developments are not a surprise and I've been disappointed in the MS brand since the last months of the 360.

I just get the feeling like 'the suits' are making decisions that gamers wouldn't make. It started with the intro of the Xbox One and while they backed off that miserable introduction, they still seem unmarried to the idea of providing gamers great experiences. I don't know what the hell is real in what they say anymore and I can't trust them as a company.

I got an Xbox One S to play Forza Horizon 3 and to play UHD discs. Not impressed by UHD to be honest. FH3 is pretty incredible. BC is fun, and that's what I'm playing. The rest, I just feel MS doesn't give a crap anymore.
 
In all honesty I would say Forza is better than Gran Turismo and has been for a long time. Considering they pump it out every two years, while PD takes forever it seems to make a new game I would think that Gran Turismo would be better, but Forza I just simply find more fun. (Both Motorsports and Horizon)

I feel like it has been over a decade since there has been a great Gran Turismo, while there is a great Forza pretty much every year.
Last GT that knocked my socks off was Gran Turismo 3. It's getting killed by a better Forza experience. I think Forza has had better physics for years now.
 
Top Bottom