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[jm89]

Starfield Feels like Xbox's Last Chance at Redemption - IGN

It’s no secret the gaming community is kind of angry at Xbox since Redfall released. It really felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back. For too long Xbox fans have been asked to wait just a little bit longer for the next amazing AAA game, but enough is enough. Redfall was supposed to be...

www.ign.com

It’s no secret the gaming community is kind of angry at Xbox since Redfall released. It really felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back. For too long Xbox fans have been asked to wait just a little bit longer for the next amazing AAA game, but enough is enough. Redfall was supposed to be that game, and look how that turned out. Now, with Redfall in the rearview mirror (aka the “Uninstalled” bin for most of us), it’s time to look forward to the next big release – Starfield.

If Starfield is a flop or suffers from any kind of major problem – or, y’know, is just not that fun – faith in Xbox’s ability to deliver is going to be further shaken and as a result I imagine heads will roll at Xbox.

Starfield doesn’t deserve this added pressure but it will be the first full-price game that has a chance to change minds about what Xbox is capable of. Initially, in 2021, it felt likeXbox had hit its stride with a great campaign for Halo Infinite, and Game of the Year-winning Forza Horizon 5. But it took almost another year for promised features such as campaign co-op and forge to to be added to Halo’s multiplayer, and that’s after Infinite’s release was delayed a year in the first place. It brought Xbox’s competence to the forefront, especially as Phil Spencer himself said “If we lose our way with Halo, we lose our way with Xbox.” So why did exactly that happen with Xbox’s biggest franchise?

Xbox fans are still longing for a meaty AAA experience exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. Thanks a lot, Redfall.

Forza Horizon 5 was a gem in the Xbox library, receiving industry-wide praise and finally putting Xbox on the right path when it came to bit content releases. It capped off 2021 perfectly, but when 2022 rolled around… nothing.

It kicked off with the abysmal Crossfire X, which despite having the highly-regarded Remedy name attached to it, was a shooter with braindead AI and combat mechanics ripped straight out of 1993. Worse, the multiplayer was borderline unplayable.

Elsewhere, Xbox had success with smaller releases like Tunic, Pentiment, and High on Life – and I suppose you could credit them with the PS5 releases of Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, which Xbox fans received a year later. But despite the universal praise for Hi-Fi Rush, a surprise hit in early 2023, Xbox fans are still longing for a meaty AAA experience exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. Thanks a lot, Redfall.

By contrast, look at what PlayStation has accomplished in the same time. Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, The Last of Us Part 1, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden West, and God of War Ragnarok, not to mention updates that enhance PS4 versions of its most popular games, inclduing Last of Us Part 2 and God of War. Then there’s the handful of other exclusives like Stray, Kena Bridge of Spirits, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, plus Director’s Cuts of smash hits Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding. In short, more than enough to tide fans over. Sure, Xbox has Xbox Game Pass, but where are the mega hits?

Forza Horizon 5 was a gem in the Xbox library, receiving industry-wide praise and finally putting Xbox on the right path when it came to bit content releases. It capped off 2021 perfectly, but when 2022 rolled around… nothing.

It kicked off with the abysmal Crossfire X, which despite having the highly-regarded Remedy name attached to it, was a shooter with braindead AI and combat mechanics ripped straight out of 1993. Worse, the multiplayer was borderline unplayable.

Elsewhere, Xbox had success with smaller releases like Tunic, Pentiment, and High on Life – and I suppose you could credit them with the PS5 releases of Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, which Xbox fans received a year later. But despite the universal praise for Hi-Fi Rush, a surprise hit in early 2023, Xbox fans are still longing for a meaty AAA experience exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. Thanks a lot, Redfall.

By contrast, look at what PlayStation has accomplished in the same time. Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, The Last of Us Part 1, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden West, and God of War Ragnarok, not to mention updates that enhance PS4 versions of its most popular games, inclduing Last of Us Part 2 and God of War. Then there’s the handful of other exclusives like Stray, Kena Bridge of Spirits, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, plus Director’s Cuts of smash hits Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding. In short, more than enough to tide fans over. Sure, Xbox has Xbox Game Pass, but where are the mega hits?

 

[TrueLegend]

Honestly this Redfall narrative is going out of hand. Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

 

[XXL]

Honestly this Redfall narrative is going out of hand. Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

On topic

Yes, Starfield has a TON of pressure on it to deliver after years of "wait until next year"

The time is now and that is super obvious.

 

[feynoob]

When will this drama end.

 

[Abriael_GN]

When will this drama end.

When websites that desperately need clicks will be all closed.

Notice that this article was written by IGN's "director of content strategy"

IE: it's strategically designed to get a raise out of people and has absolutely zero journalistic or informative value.

But of course, someone always has to post this trash like it's any relevant.

 

[BosmerCulter]

Starfield will never going to be a good game so Xbox is already dead.

New PS2-Era is coming babyyyyyyy !

 

[feynoob]

Also why is no one talking about their own studios? It's like Xbox is zenimax only now.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[MasterCornholio]

I believe Starfield has to be good period.

But if it flops I don't see it as the end of Xbox. Maybe it will end some people's career though but Xbox will remain.

 

[DenchDeckard]

it aint that big period....Starfield had a lot of pressure on it anyway.

Redfall was just shit!

 

[R6Rider]

Honestly this Redfall narrative is going out of hand. Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

Hmmm

As expected from Arkane, top quality and a GOTY contender, it was really never in doubt.

 

[semiconscious]

ign finally works up the nerve to start throwing stones, & now they can't seem to stop? bottom-feeders gonna bottom-feed...

 

[adamsapple]

btw, the article is written by GAF favorite Destin.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Honestly this Redfall narrative is going out of hand. Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

No one expected it to be a masterpiece. I don’t think many people expected it to be the absolute pile of shit it turned out to be. Xbox happily sold it for $70 too whilst building up hype for it.

A lot rests on Starfield being a great game at this point for Xbox. I imagine that there are a lot of staff at Bethesda stressing about this at the moment.

 

[Nautilus]

Honestly, he's not wrong. The damage done to Xbox at this point during this gen will have lasting effect, but it feels like if Starfield sucks for any number of reason, the brand itself will be damaged in a way that I don't know how they will shake it off, for this gen or for any other.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Todd Howard our lord and savior, only He can save Xbox

 

[adamsapple]

Todd Howard our lord and savior, only He can save Xbox

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Okay IGN

 

[diffusionx]

Honestly this Redfall narrative is going out of hand. Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

Irrelevant. It was a game release in Spencer's much-vaunted quarterly cadence they've been working on for years, it was a major release for Xbox.

Also, according to prominent NeoGAF posters it was guaranteed to be better than Forspoken.

 

[hemo memo]

Starfield will be big. A big perfect or a big disappointment is the question. But it is going to be big no doubt about that.

 

[XXL]

Starfield will be big. A big perfect or a big disappointment is the question. But it is going to be big no doubt about that.

Exactly

 

[Romulus]

What happened to the 360 era mindset that had alot of ps2/ps3 fans switching over? They put up a hell of a fight with great exclusives while battling hardware issues.

Now its just banners of "acquired studios" with no games to show for it. Well, nothing great anyway.

 

[Ansphn]

I don't have faith under Phil Spencer even for Starfield.

 

[Saber]

Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

Part of me agree, but at same time I do question if people will repeat that same line if Starfield end up being a massive dissapointment.

 

[Kacho]

Also why is no one talking about their own studios? It's like Xbox is zenimax only now.

Because Zenimax is carrying Xbox right now. Of the three big AAAs expected this year, two are from Zenimax. We all know Redfall was a flop, so everything is riding on Starfield now. Forza is the third, and while it’s a good title to have, it’s not that bread and butter experience people have been clamoring for.

We’re three years into the current generation. If their internal studios have something good to show then now is the time to do it. It’s been two years since FH5, their last great game. Halo Infinite… well yeah.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Nobody cares anymore, Phil Spencer has taken the hit and lifted the pressure.

Xbox doesn’t need redeeming, it is what it is.

 

[Topher]

btw, the article is written by GAF favorite Destin.

Xbox fan favorite as well......or used to be.

 

[balls of snow]

Thanks a lot, Redfall - Todd Howard (2023)

 

[Pelta88]

Hope.

 

[IntentionalPun]

It's a big Bethesda RPG.

It'll be popular as hell, selling 10+ million. Many will love it.

The old school RPG fans will buy it, play the shit out of it and complain about it not being enough of a role playing game.

It'll also get panned by a lot of people, have plenty of bug memes, etc.

The end.

There's no way it'll "save Xbox" because Bethesda RPG's are divisive. They live rent free in some people's heads who can't seem to help themselves but to talk shit lol

 

[XXL]

Xbox fan favorite as well......or used to be.

Exactly, when you have Xbox super fans writing shit like this you know you have a problem.

 

[mckmas8808]

No one expected it to be a masterpiece. I don’t think many people expected it to be the absolute pile of shit it turned out to be. Xbox happily sold it for $70 too whilst building up hype for it.

A lot rests on Starfield being a great game at this point for Xbox. I imagine that there are a lot of staff at Bethesda stressing about this at the moment.

Plus these thoughts are years in the making. Some people are just getting fed up.

 

[Simpkin92]

Xbox has already damaged their reputation with me. It wasn’t just the fact that redfall was horrible, its the many years of lies and failures to deliver. Im not sure what it will take to get me to be a big Xbox fan again. I fell in love with Xbox in 2007 and stayed behind their brand until this year. I’m looking at building a PC and get a PS5 after my house construction is finished. Until then I’m going to dive into the Switch’s deep library.

 

[feynoob]

Because Zenimax is carrying Xbox right now. Of the three big AAAs expected this year, two are from Zenimax. We all know Redfall was a flop, so everything is riding on Starfield now. Forza is the third, and while it’s a good title to have, it’s not that bread and butter experience people have been clamoring for.

We’re three years into the current generation. If their internal studios have something good to show then now is the time to do it. It’s been two years since FH5, their last great game. Halo Infinite… well yeah.

We have no idea if avowed or hellblade 2 is ready this year.
Their studios is still have big games (2024-2025 for state of decay 3, fable, and perfect dark).

It's up to MS/Xbox on which game is ready to go, or whether they want to bake it in order to avoid redfall situation.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I think MS will come through now with the June showcase and Starfield direct. I can't deny that I'm a little bit worried about Starfield, especially the state it will be in. Times have changed and it seems gamers are fed up with broken games at launch. Bethesda got away with it in previous outings, but I don't think they will be catching a break from the wrath that will ensue if Starfield isn't a polished experience. Especially this close after Redfall.

 

[Rush2112]

Curious how startfield will be?

Go watch Phil Spencer’s recent interview.

 

[mckmas8808]

It's a big Bethesda RPG.

It'll be popular as hell, selling 10+ million. Many will love it.

The old school RPG fans will buy it, play the shit out of it and complain about it not being enough of a role playing game.

It'll also get panned by a lot of people, have plenty of bug memes, etc.

The end.

There's no way it'll "save Xbox" because Bethesda RPG's are divisive. They live rent free in some people's heads who can't seem to help themselves but to talk shit lol

Will it sell 10 million units though? That's my BIGGEST question. To me the floor "SHOULD" be 10 million units. But at the moment I honestly believe GamePass is killing the sales numbers of any big Xbox game nowadays. I'm not sure if can even do 10 million.

And that's being kind. It should do closer to or around 20 million unit sales (if it's good).

 

[ANDS]

Uhm. No? Like that company has a serious crisis of identity AND leadership, but STARFIELD isn't their last stand. MS deciding that having a gaming division (i.e., a multimedia division) isn't worth it is when the game is over.

Honestly this Redfall narrative is going out of hand. Nobody expected Redfall to be a masterpiece.

I don't think so. Yes, trying to use REDFALL as the straw that broke the camels back when that game, even with the meme worthy gameplay videos, couldn't scratch two-nickels of engagement from fans leading up to its disastrous release is silly. It is a now pattern though from XBOX especially given their aggressiveness (CMA ruling notwithstanding) in the acquisitions department, with people asking "Why are you buying up all this stuff if you can't even produce product from what you have?"

Even if somehow STARFIELD flames out (and Jesus H. Christ, ignoring inevitable buggy fucking launch, how could it if Todd and Co. LITERALLY just make FO4 in space), it won't be the end of XBOX.

. . .it SHOULD be the end of Phil Spencer though.

 

[Thabass]

btw, the article is written by GAF favorite Destin.

True story, I had a friend who worked for IGN that worked with him. Let's just say he didn't like him much lol

 

[XXL]

I think MS will come through now with the June showcase and Starfield direct. I can't deny that I'm a little bit worried about Starfield, especially the state it will be in. Times have changed and it seems gamers are fed up with broken games at launch. Bethesda got away with it in previous outings, but I don't think they will be catching a break from the wrath that will ensue if Starfield isn't a polished experience. Especially this close after Redfall.

This right here.

This is not going to be received well if this runs at 20-25 fps like Skyrim did when it released or is full of bugs.

I'm just hoping for a solid 30 fps atleast, obviously hoping for 60 fps. But I'm trying to keep my expectations in check.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

IGN. LOL

 

[IntentionalPun]

Will it sell 10 million units though? That's my BIGGEST question. To me the floor "SHOULD" be 10 million units. But at the moment I honestly believe GamePass is killing the sales numbers of any big Xbox game nowadays. I'm not sure if can even do 10 million.

And that's being kind. It should do closer to or around 20 million unit sales (if it's good).

I mean sure.. I didn't really think about Gamepass.

But it'll be played by a ton of people, like actually played.. not just "I installed and launched it and then ditched it 5 minutes later" BS MS uses for metrics.

But it still has a chance to sell 10+ million over time.. PC users for instance are barely using GPU.

 

[Jigsaah]

I don't agree with this. A bad Starfield will be cataclysmic for Xbox, sure, but there are plenty of other games in development and expected to release soon that can redeem Xbox.

The obvious is Forza 8 which is pretty much sure to be great. Hellblade II is also shaping up to look very good. Avowed has no gameplay yet, but we'll see about this one so I don't really have an opinion. Same with Fable.

I'm still very interested in Project Mara and State of decay 3 as well. Not a Gears fan per se, but the games have always been of quality so for those who do like Gears, they will be sure not to disappoint.

As far as sales go, it's irrelevant when Gamepass is considered. The question is will these games mean an increase in subs for Gamepass. If so, great, if not....very....veryyyy bad.

IGN are a bunch of clowns and I don't value anybody's opinion from there. They've shown very biased opinions in the past that didn't make sense and it always feels like they have an agenda with their stories.

Just keep it straight and narrow...deliver the news and stop putting your personal preferences in the mix.

 

[ChiefDada]

Also why is no one talking about their own studios? It's like Xbox is zenimax only now.

Have they given us anything to talk about?

 

[feynoob]

Will it sell 10 million units though? That's my BIGGEST question. To me the floor "SHOULD" be 10 million units. But at the moment I honestly believe GamePass is killing the sales numbers of any big Xbox game nowadays. I'm not sure if can even do 10 million.

And that's being kind. It should do closer to or around 20 million unit sales (if it's good).

I don't think you should be worried about sales.

Selling 10m is good for developers pocket, but that will mean limited players.

Having people play the game is more valuable for Xbox at this point than sales (gamepass plus regular sales should cover those lost sales).

They want people to engage with Xbox console more.

 

[feynoob]

Have they given us anything to talk about?

We know their map production and what they are making. It's the release schedule that is messed up.
Hopefully this showcase can show us some stuff.

 

[German Hops]

The fact that IGN still exists amazes me.

 

[Phase]

It's a big Bethesda RPG.

It'll be popular as hell, selling 10+ million. Many will love it.

The old school RPG fans will buy it, play the shit out of it and complain about it not being enough of a role playing game.

It'll also get panned by a lot of people, have plenty of bug memes, etc.

The end.

I don't know. I used to think this way but I'm not so confident anymore in big studios delivering.

 

[JaksGhost]

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/gaming-bolt-why-starfield-will-make-or-break-xbox.1652293/

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/screenrant-starfield-could-be-the-xbox-exclusive-that-saves-the-series-x.1653227/

IGN isn't the first and definitely won't be the last until September.

 

[Elios83]

They definetly have a lot of pressure to deliver a game that is at least good and that is not a bugfest.
What happened with Redfall is just adding pressure in this sense and I wouldn't be surprised with an other delay to November, but they'll try to do whatever they can to avoid missing 2023.

If Starfield doesn't deliver it won't be the end of Xbox, it's just a single game and these articles are designed to get hits out of dramas.
But a disappointing Starfield would mean that Microsoft isn't making a good return out of their 7 billions investement. So far Arkane has made Redfall and Tango has made a poor port of their PS5 game while Shinji Mikami has left.
The balance is not exactly positive.