MS Misunderstanding Why Gamers Love Exclusive Titles?

Over the last few years, MS has been gradually buying up third party studios and developing quite the arsenal of internal studios, but I'm wondering if they've misunderstood why exclusives are important to console gamers.

It appears that MS is ready to boast the sheer number of exclusive titles they have in the works, ignoring or misinterpreting that gamers are drawn to games like God of War, Zelda, and, at one point, Halo, not because they're only on their console of choice, but *because* they're on their console of choice, developers craft them with a sense of care that's not always seen in multiplatform titles.

I think Obsidian is a good example of this. Obsidian has always been a decent developer, but they're hardly the type of studio that creates AAAA content, and in my opinion, that's what's been missing from my Xbox One this gen.

Having everything and the kitchen sink won't be worth a damn if MS can't produce AAAA content to complement the overwhelming number of studios they've been purchasing.

Annnnnnnnddd commence missing the entire point and arguing about things this post wasn't about.

@IMAHAPYHIPPO:

"Annnnnnnnddd commence missing the entire point and arguing about things this post wasn't about."

I like pizza. How'd I do?

lol j/k anyway, I do think they understand that very well and these devs will get massive help like they've not had before so I fully expect them to greatly improve upon what they've done in the past. We shall see.

Also, Halo, remains a killer IP...

Hale to the Chief baby!! hehe :P

Gamers just love great games. Whether they are exclusive or not shouldn't really make any difference. Would Spider-Man be any worse if it was on the PC or Xbox. Would RDR2 be better if it was restricted to one platform.

Nobody outside of the console wars really cares that a game is exclusive.

I think MS looks at the top selling games and wonders, why the hell bother with exclusives at all?

@SecretPolice said:

@IMAHAPYHIPPO:

"Annnnnnnnddd commence missing the entire point and arguing about things this post wasn't about."

I like pizza. How'd I do?

lol j/k anyway, I do think they understand that very well and these devs will get massive help like they've not had before so I fully expect them to greatly improve upon what they've done in the past. We shall see.

Also, Halo, remains a killer IP...

Hale to the Chief baby!! hehe :P

SJW!!!!

I think gamers are misrepresenting the importance of exclusives.

@Bread_or_Decide said:

@SecretPolice said:

@IMAHAPYHIPPO:

"Annnnnnnnddd commence missing the entire point and arguing about things this post wasn't about."

I like pizza. How'd I do?

lol j/k anyway, I do think they understand that very well and these devs will get massive help like they've not had before so I fully expect them to greatly improve upon what they've done in the past. We shall see.

Also, Halo, remains a killer IP...

Hale to the Chief baby!! hehe :P

SJW!!!!

Lololo.. Why I ought tah..

Right to the moon, Alice:. :P

@SecretPolice said:

@Bread_or_Decide said:

@SecretPolice said:

@IMAHAPYHIPPO:

"Annnnnnnnddd commence missing the entire point and arguing about things this post wasn't about."

I like pizza. How'd I do?

lol j/k anyway, I do think they understand that very well and these devs will get massive help like they've not had before so I fully expect them to greatly improve upon what they've done in the past. We shall see.

Also, Halo, remains a killer IP...

Hale to the Chief baby!! hehe :P

SJW!!!!

Lololo.. Why I ought tah..

Right to the moon, Alice:. :P

Didn't women knew they're role in his era?

@PSP107:

Oh man, caution, thin ice ahead...

Now then, go make me a sammich missy and afterwards go clean the bathroom. lololol :P

I don't think it needs to be AAA in terms of production budget to be worthwhile for first party developers. hell you could argue that by todays standards Nintendo dont even make AAA games anymore (again stressing: in terms of production budget. Nintendo certainly deliver the AAA quality). yet they sell a crap load of software.

many hits this gen have also not been AAA.

A first party though is there to deliver exclusive compelling content that makes its host platform more tempting to buy and, just as importantly, use. not every title has to sell systems in and of itself (though that doesnt hurt) but it needs to keep a lot of users engaged with the platform. this can be a combination of the AAA blockbusters, some small and interesting indie type titles and AA titles also (currently the most interesting part of the industry). it can be used to promote a new service too (big AAA game tied to a new feature on xbox live to get people to use the feature)

i do take your point that a first parties job is also to show off their host platform though and, yes, that is part of it. you definately want an attention grabbing title exclusive to your console (especially at or close to launch to get the momentum) and first parties are a big deal with that. the halos (in their prime), uncharteds and so on: a lot of that is showing off and grabbing peoples attention. but it doesnt have to be AAA to be effective.

in the case of obsidian: they have a track record of making excellent games. buggy perhaps (though they are getting better) but i cant think of anything they have made thats been outright bad. fallout NV is well regarded, POE series is great, south part was brilliant (albeit a bit basic in the gameplay department). they also know how to do AAA. they just haven't done it in a while. but i suspect whatever they deliver to xbox is going to turn heads.

A good game is a good game, exclusive or not. If MS thinks the same way? Fine by me.

All talk about exclusives normally boils down to: I got one, you don't. Ha Ha!

How soon they forget. Sony had a lousy ps4 launch line up and their higher rated exclusives didn’t arrive till at least 2 years later. Knack, Driveclub, The Order, and even Street Fighter V (which should’ve been a slam dunk) were all poorly received at launch. Remember when Gran Tourismo was a strong offering? Well that landed with jeers as well. No Man’s Sky was lauded as revolutionary with the strongest gaming trailer in history. Another dud. Other than God of War and Uncharted, what are these big first party titles they haven’t had to pay to keep off other platforms?

I fail to see how Pillars of Eternity is not in the same league as Zelda and God of War. Is it because it isn't a game type you like?

To the point of your thread - Pillars and Wasteland are top tier RPGs, so where is the evidence that MS bought style over substance? If anything, I'd suggest that devaluing those games is holding style over substance - because near as I can tell, all they lack are flashier cinematic flares

First of all, it's ridiculous to assume that none of MS's studios have the ability to create "AAAA" games.

Second of all, what is a "AAAA" game? If we're talking high quality content, I think the Forza Horizon games, Ori, Gears 4, Hellblade etc are definitely top quality games.

Most of MS's studios have released high quality content.

They got these studios in order to elevate them into making there games big. Whatever games those studios creatives want to make. I could see Obsidian making a big open world rpg similar to CDPR, Bethesda. On the other hand they could still make the greatest Pillars of Eternity type game and microsoft wont mind. The important thing is to make great games. MS has got alot of services going on and its important for them to make great original content. They have to build those services as there not going to be able to license everything from 3rd party. There thinking is much bigger then the binary thoughts that goes on forums.

The idea of liking a game only because it is on your system of choice is preposterous to me.... and I think the OP misses the mark about why good games are good.

its a marketing poly.

it used to be more effective because the competition for making games was limited, so in many ways the exclusives actually were better than other options.

however, they never changed the formula and now there is more creative competition so it doesnt work as well

^^^This is a subset of the point I'm trying to make. Microsoft has been bombarding us with "look at all the exclusives we have and all the studios that are going to make exclusive games for us in the future," as if games merely being exclusive to a console are what makes them good.

My point may have gotten lost in bringing up Breath of the Wild and God of War. I'm not suggesting that those games are good because they're exclusive to a certain console(s), nor am I saying multiplatform titles are of a lesser quality because they're available everywhere.

As another user pointed out above, yes, a good game is a good game; it doens't matter if it's exclusive or multiplatform. And that's why I'm suggesting MS may be misinterpreting the need for exclusive content.

Microsoft wants Game Pass to become more famous as that's where most of the money is for them. More exclusive titles on Game Pass, the better. These studios with some backing can come up with great games that could be designed around getting the players hooked so that these games make the game pass users stay subscribed. 10-15 hour single player campaign games won't make people come back to game pass but could trigger them to just buy a one time one month game pass, so those games are best to be left to third party studios whom could potentially join game pass if they are willing to.

I do also feel Game pass needs just a few exclusive AAA single player titles that could push people to try out game pass. Fable/Gears/Halo/Forza Motorsport aren't what they used to be with only Forza Horizon being top tier left. Halo Infinite looks like another game designed around longevity like Sea of Thieves is. Cinematic games aren't Microsofts goals anymore. Sony will lead there, they are involved in the movie industry as well so they are specialized to make cinematic games. Microsoft revolves around multiplayer centric and arcade fast paced gaming.

Sony and Microsoft apply different business models. Let's not forget that 99.5% of all titles are multiplatform due to the Xbox 360/PS3 era. Most exclusive third party series from last gen are now multiplatform. Xbox One was a massive failure by having a less powerful console for 100$ more, so M$ shooting themself in the foot with the foundation that the X360 established.

Exclusivity is not what gives these companies income per se, but how they handle the business model around the game will. The next Xbox will be more powerfull for the same price with better services and more exclusives revolving around mp and longevity. Playstation will have the more immersive single player experience but will lose some of it's lead it had this generation due to the Xbox being a more viable competitor.

Ok I was reacting to your *because* clause in the OP... but I understand what you are trying to say. Getting a bunch of exclusives just to say they are exclusives wont magically make the same games any better. I agree with you there, but at the same time it wont make them bad games either just because they arent all high budget, 3rd person and cinematic exclusives.

The other side of that is that just because microsoft ports xbox games to PC doesnt magically make the game worse. I think a lot of system wars misses this point... and sees this move as diminishing, when in turn it is probably one of the most pro-consumer policies of this generation.

Games are important.

Exclusivity is meaningless to gamers outside of System Wars...

MS can rely on those types of titles from 3rd Party and its own studios like 343, Coalition, Playground Games and The Initiative. Sony does the same with multiplayer games where they heavily rely on 3rd party.

The studios MS are buying seem to be smaller studios to bolster Gamepass while giving these studios the resources/tech to grow and learn. Im pumped to see what Undead Labs can do now that they are in MS family. Seeing a little bit of it with Undead making further inprovements and free content outside of the planned content when they were 3rd party. Will be exciting to see these studios grow.

today Microsoft is just a holding company

What about yesterday?

they were less so a few decades ago.

Are you not aware of this? surprising how a gamer would not know this

Video games are an afterthought for Microsoft and it shows. They have Xbox just to have Xbox.

They don’t have any desire to actually try. Whereas Sony has to try because PlayStation is huge for them.

Nintendo is similar to Sony in that video games are their livelihood, but nintendo doesn’t have to try at all because they got millions of fanboys to rebuy the same trash games every gen.

This whole gen is one huge misunderstanding for Microsoft. I don't think I've ever seen a major company in the industry so out of touch with their fanbase's needs the way MS is. They think having a bunch of exclusive titles and studios is what's important to gamers instead of understanding it's the quality of those exclusives that is the important thing. GOW, HZD, Breath of the Wild, Uncharted 4, Mario Odyssey aren't just good because they are exclusive, they are good because they are quality games that people truly enjoy.

None of these games are going to be exclusive to the Xbox console, so they can do whatever as long as I don't have to invest in their hardware. Uncle Phil can buy all the indie studios he wants. If they fail, they can just regroup and start anew anyway.

People who take issue with Xbox games on PC are sad.

As for quality, I guess I was just trying to slide in a point I've been arguing for this entire console generation, in that MS doesn't have that one killer exclusive title in the same way they did in the previous generations, or that other console manufacturer's have now. I've enjoyed quite a few of the Xbox exclusive games this gen, but, to use a sports metaphor, they don't have their Lebron James. Their team has a ton of great players, but they don't have that Lebron James-esque game that makes you go, "Yep. THAT's a championship team."

People bought Switches because they wanted to play Breath of the Wild. People chose Xbox 360 over PlayStation 3, among other reasons, because Halo 3 was coming out.

I bought Sunset Overdrive because I had an Xbox One. I did not buy an Xbox One to play Sunset Overdrive, if that makes any sense. Again, I'm not shitting on the quality of content that's come out for the Xbone this gen, I just think they missed having their franchise player. I hope that analogy makes sense.

I get the way MS is playing the game is confusing to Console Warriors. They are changing the game, and have been for some time. If it works out for them? we will have to wait and see.

MS could literally put out a console that plays every game, and better than anywhere else, with free Xbox Gold and free games every month and some people will still hate it!

I think XBox fans misunderstand Microsofts aversion to risk after the XBone launch. They were only ever going to crawl throughthis gen cutting every corner possible. Total mulligan.

Yep, pretty much.

Seems their focus is a mixed bag, seems they're going for diversity, I think would be smart so people don't go "all their games are alike". And buying some studios brings their reputation with them, so, added benefit. Still, last decade has been a bloodbath, studios once revered dropped like flies as the online gaming communities turned into raging feral zombie mobs that hate everything. There's a lot of distressed studios with potential and reputations. Still, sad they couldn't acquire Capcom Vancouver and the Dead Rising IP under this new push to broaden its first party efforts.

You create the illusion of it being important.

Spam the word "exclusive" relentlessly even if it's technically not exclusive.

Get dumb ass "pop culture" sites to act as an extension of your PR department relentlessly spamming articles until it;s ingrained in your brain.

ect....

MS is doing a mix of building from the ground up, expanding the repertoire of groups they have already been doing business with, and acquiring smaller independents.

It's not like Sony....oh wait it is just like Sony....with a mix like home grown Santa Monica, acquiring Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games, and Media Molecule, and having strong relations with Insomniac.

Whether they will be as successful is an open question, but the path to building includes the same strategies.

The problem with only building everything from the ground up is that it takes a long time and there is no greater chance of success.

@Pedro: spiderman nor god war would be the same if they were intially for pc and other platforms

Rockstar games (and other popular console series) can only afford pc port cuase consoles sales are good enough and their well known enough

Weather you care or not exclusivity is often the sole reason a game was able to be as good it was and produced in the time given

Gaming as a whole wuddnt be where it is today without occasional exclusive platform's to focus on

Yet you wonder why ppl value them ?

And have the nerve to despise exclusives ?

Gaming would be trash if every project had $150 pcs in mind.

Technically with your mindset games should get realsed on all plaforms ever made till infinity and beyond

Its just games right ? Ppl can wait and accept lower the avg speed of technical advancements right in the process right ?

Tryna replace reality with your fantasies dont cut it here.

Might aswell go start a world peace petition in the off topic discussions.

In those days, she will do it with no questions.

It's hard to take you even remotely serious... Even as the cow you are.

Comments like this show just how out of touch you are.

@hrt_rulz01: uncharted 2 has a bigger production than gears 4. The little next gen assets added to gears 4 is shameful and can too easyily pass for last gen.

Hellblade is multiplat

Horzion is big budget but like in the low to mid tier of big budgets lol

Lems pretending to not want anything bar setting for its time of realse has been comedy

Stuck overprasing whats very good when very great exist lol

Horizon 4 is very great for a racing game but its just a great game overall.

Lems have half a point all gen lol

1 if you count horizon 3 aswell

Heck 1.5 if you count horizon 2 lol

@the-a-baum: the same happens to Sony here. When anything tha bodes well for them gets published here, it is instnantly trashed. Just check out the other thread.