When the Xbox One was announced the focus seemed to be all about TV and Sports – while Sony’s focus was purely on games. That sort of ethos worked out in Sony’s favour, helping them become the dominant console this generation.
When Don Mattrick left Microsoft and the Xbox Division got a new leader in the way of the infinitely more affable Phil Spencer though, the entire strategy at Xbox changed. The company dropped Mattrick’s beloved Kinect, and the focus shifted over to games being the biggest selling point for the Xbox One. It’s a strategy that I like to believe has worked in turning around the public perception of the console. The Xbox One is all about the games.
And that’s the strategy that they’re sticking with. Speaking to Inner Circle, Microsoft’s director of programming for the Xbox Division, Mike Ybarra, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to games.
“We are all gamers. I’m on the platform side, but I would be encouraging us as an organization to focus on games. Games are why we are all buying these consoles to play and so you go t to have a great lineup. This holiday I think Phil has done a great job. It’s in my opinion the best holiday lineup we’ve had in Xbox One [history]. I really feel like we have to continue to focus on creating great content and great games,” Ybarra said.
And we already know of some of the great exclusives that will be coming to the system next year; Quantum Break, Scalebound, Crackdown 3 and Gears of War 4. With games like those, and the newly-introduced Backwards Compatibility, the Xbox One is a great value proposition.
“Backwards Compatibility is part of that, it’s part of the games portfolio and value add we want to give to users. I consider Backwards Compatibility a platform feature with some of the monthly updates we do. I would bucket that feature as well. Platform runs the Xbox Live service and delivers the monthly features that you see and sort of paints the landscape of where the future hardware can go…We’re very games focused,” Ybarra said.
I don’t honestly think that Backwards Compatibility is as good a feature in practise as it is on paper. While it certainly helps the Xbox One as a better value system, It’s the sort of thing that people will use a few times and then forget exists.
It’s new games that have me personally using the Xbox One more than my PlayStation 4 right now – and I think that might continue until well in to the new year.
Last Updated: November 26, 2015
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 26, 2015 at 11:03
It amuses me just how often MS have to reaffirm their commitment to things they’re already supposed to be doing.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
November 26, 2015 at 11:18
I was about to say exactly the same thing, almost as if they have to convince themselves that they are still working on games….
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:19
3rd party games that everybody else plays on other platforms 😉
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
November 26, 2015 at 11:21
Exactly, “Oh, we’ve lost the CoD guys and now we’re losing everyone else, maybe we should focus on gaming and hype them like Halo 5 Guardians…”
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:23
They know they have Black Friday in a bag. So they do a little marketing spin this time every year. All thanks to the loyal American fanbase. Its so transparent.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
November 26, 2015 at 11:23
Transparent and sad…
cvantu
November 26, 2015 at 12:58
It’s called “pulling a Sony” as it’s the exact thing Sony did when PS3 wasn’t doing so well.
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:21
Their followers are forgetful, I mean they still own a XO
WitWolfy
November 26, 2015 at 12:06
Well to be honest here. Their console is AWESOME bro.. And thats coming from a PS4 fanboy.. The UI and gamehub is a blast for each respective game; showing how far you are with each achievement untill it unlocks and how much time you spent playing it.. Unlike Sony’s lame attempt at gaming community and its WOWza stickers… Meh…
The added BC adds more value to games for gold section each month and actually motivates me to use it more than my beloved PS4 since it then! If it only had remote play though… And I dont mean to a Windows 10 PC. I mean to my android devices. I’d jump ship in 2 minutes!
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:17
Their console aint that awesome.
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 12:20
Its design sucks. Its bigger than the PS4 and the power brick is external. At least there are no more RROD this gen.
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:21
RPOD ?
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 12:24
poop
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:25
Red Ring of Death. Sorry.
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:26
I even spelt the abbreviation wrong…:)
WitWolfy
November 26, 2015 at 12:23
Agreed its design does suck.. But you cant ignore that external storage feature though…
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 12:24
good point.
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 13:03
Stooop. Now I want one….again.
WitWolfy
November 26, 2015 at 12:22
http://www.winbuzzer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/xbox-one-game-hubs-official-microsoft.jpg
VS…
https://discuss.rocketjump.com/uploads/default/original/2X/4/41fd0440914b2266800935aa06df5659a75805a4.jpg
“For the gamers”
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:24
You must understand that things like that are very superficial to me. How does that serve to enrich my gaming experience in a pragmatic way ?
WitWolfy
November 26, 2015 at 12:26
So I take you’re not very competitive but more a social sticker whoring when it comes to things like these?? To each his own then…
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:27
Honestly, Nope. Too little time in each day.
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 12:30
Pragmatic…..I meant practical, I had very little sleep last night.
Fweds
November 29, 2015 at 23:09
Duh, That’s because they have committed to making 1st party titles and that takes a lot of resources so they are basically saying “We have committed the cash, the games are coming its not just talk”.
Sony on the other hand hmmm what can they reaffirm yet another Uncharted game (delayed from 2015),a lot of remasters and indie games, oh and investing in exclusive ADVERTISING
Don’t think Sony will be in any rush to reaffirm anything.
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:10
XBOX news. Must be a slow news day.
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:16
😀
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:19
Well, you already had your kick in the nuts from Sony and their PSN games line up earlier, they had to write about something positive to bring balance to the force and seeing that Xbox is the only place where you get something positive these days………
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:23
King’s quest looks good and we’ve already organized a Gauntlet team to my surprise. So it’s not that bad. AAA game would be nice though, just as a thank you.
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:26
Right there, that little bit of vomit in the back of your throat…..IT’S NOT OK!
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:26
Vomit? I thought it was job satisfaction. Who knew?
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 26, 2015 at 11:31
It’s like he’s forgotten all about yesterday’s Games for Iron Pyrite.
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:32
lol good point. But the discounts are what matters. Far Cry 4 is R299
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:21
https://media.giphy.com/media/SrbqVVTjYABos/giphy.gif
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:22
bwahahaha Every South African public office.
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:26
Don’t be daft, I see actual work being done in that gif!
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:27
If you speed it up by infinity
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:28
…and then divide by zero
Sean Carbutt
November 26, 2015 at 11:19
LOl, this one made me laugh. So when MS released the Xbone, it was all about the must be connected at all times, have a “big brutha is watching you camera” and effall about games. Now that they have been given a right royal PK from Sony, they have done an about turn and are like a stukkie from Lollipop lounge hoover your pants for more cash
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:20
Believe me, as a 360 fanboy, the last 2 years have been hard to watch. FUCK UP A LE ROYAL.
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:22
Also switches, flipping all the switches
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:24
Oh and the 180’s!!! First we heard that PS4 will not be getting BC/Emulation and then…….
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:25
Even if it does, not a lot of people will care. I mean PS2 games? Do they want us to rebuy games we traded or sold long ago to afford new ones. No thanks
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:28
No, uncle Sony wants you to pay a subscription and then pay again to rent old games you already own, nice heh?
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:29
Can’t have PSNow. Our internet is too shitty
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:37
I know I know, that makes their business model right, right? Shows you how much uncle Sony loves you right? LOL!
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 12:20
Yeah, not sure what they were thinking
miaau
November 26, 2015 at 11:26
Xbox One on switch is stunning, this blue (I am colour blind, so bear with me) sort of thing, that you do not touch so much as move your hand near. Then it changes colour. Very cool.
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:27
hehe
miaau
November 26, 2015 at 11:29
Small little things like that, functional AND a beauty to behold I like a lot. Shows thought and creativity and quite often the tech behind it is disappointingly simple. Clever people can do a lot with a little and make the complex a very simple thing indeed.
DrKiller
November 26, 2015 at 12:16
oh that red thing? 😛
miaau
November 26, 2015 at 12:33
never seen that?
WitWolfy
November 26, 2015 at 12:17
You act like flipping switches a bad thing…
Xbox One “BC cant be done!” flips switch*
PS4 “Cant be done” *Release all tis games as “remastered”.
The more you know…
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 12:18
Wish I knew nothing. I’m too cynical for my own good
miaau
November 26, 2015 at 11:22
Sounds awesome. Great. Yay.
Um? What was this about again? Oh, a games and entertainment console with focus on games and entertainment?
So, marketing, then.
It is a good console, I enjoy using it. Yay. Fan-boy, me. Still, some changes would be good. For example, being able to categorise games in the store, when browsing. That would be nice.
Also, FPS and FPS and other FPS? other genres, MS, other genres.,
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:24
I thought GOW was third person
miaau
November 26, 2015 at 11:25
I played 1, it was FPS, with muscels so big on arms, telephones could not be answered. And for such big men, they sure could hide behind little walls.
It was FPS, no aim help for ham fisted me, like ME.
Ir0nseraph
November 26, 2015 at 11:42
No Gears of war was never a FPS (First Person Shooter) it’s a third person shooter.
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:44
Technically it was an OTS shooter
Ir0nseraph
November 26, 2015 at 11:48
Isn’t a 3rd person shooter classified as an over the shoulder shooter anyway?
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:53
Kinda.
So lets say it was a 3rd person OTS with FPS elements
😛
Ir0nseraph
November 26, 2015 at 11:58
Ok as long as we can agree that it wasn’t a FPS I am happy.
miaau
November 26, 2015 at 12:14
Well, I had to aim and shoot and stuff. So, shooter.
I get the First Person vs 3rd person, thanks for the clarification
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 12:11
I thought Bloodborne was a RPG…..
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 12:18
LOL it is
Fox1 - Retro
November 26, 2015 at 11:25
Dammit MS! Consoles are about sales and not exclusives or games! Haven’t you been reading Kotaku or hearing the whines from Gamestop???
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:29
SHAME they even thought they were being cool when they bagged Tomb Raider withought a thought that it has a universal and stronger fanbase than Halo. All they did was create even more negativity.
That was their trump card this year. So was HALO. Yet its all in the forgotten past. Why is nobody talking about those games?
All I see is Star Wars this and Star Wars that. Why did they not foresee the Destiny work model for HALO or buying some exclusivity for Star Wars?
All they care about are LIVE subscribers.
Where are the games? Where the fuck is Quantum Break?
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:30
TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:34
Disappointed, especially after the highs of the 360. 2007-2009 were fcuking EPIC. Even Japanese people bought a 360.
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 11:48
You know you messed up when you lose a whole market…..
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:31
It quantum broke? There’s two games I want on XO. Cuphead and the new RPG with the dragons and the final fantsy guy. Everything else is just sub par muliplat games when compared to the PS4
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
November 26, 2015 at 11:36
I’d love to play Quantum Break, Sam Lake has always been epic at writing stories, no matter which way you look at it, but with it dragging as it is…well, it’ll probably release when the Xbone sells for 50$ a piece….
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:41
You actually sit with a vomit bag next to your desk don’t you?
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 12:20
Yes, but only when I read your comments
*Runs
Ir0nseraph
November 26, 2015 at 12:22
XD
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 12:24
Oh dayum son
Sageville
November 26, 2015 at 12:26
Burn!
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
November 26, 2015 at 11:33
It’s Quvantoom Break…
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:35
My favourite studio. But if Microsoft cant bankroll HALO 5 into Destiny killing glory then expect another DEV hell from Remedy Studios.
Pieter Kruger
November 26, 2015 at 11:35
Has anybody found the Lost Guardian yet, where the fuck is it?
Admiral Chief - World on Fire
November 26, 2015 at 11:35
Stuck in a quantum singularity
Ir0nseraph
November 26, 2015 at 11:35
XD
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:36
In the Final Fantasy Versus archives to be pulled out when the company goes under. Hence why Square is doing a FF7 remake only now. They need to regain their shares.
Hammersteyn
November 26, 2015 at 11:36
@umarbastra:disqus kept it for himself
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 11:37
On the PS3 dev kit 😉
Darren Peach
November 26, 2015 at 11:46
Yeah, Microsoft. I am baffled at the need to tell gamers who buy your gaming device that said device is going to focus on games. Clearly the previous one ( Don Mattrick ) was a little detached from the concept of a GAMING device. IDIOTS.
oVg
November 26, 2015 at 12:23
He preferred Zynga lol
DrKiller
November 26, 2015 at 12:18
Less talking and more developing!
Giff Tekken 6 and Tag 2 backwards compatible.. NOW! While you at it, help with Tekken 7 🙁
Sageville
November 26, 2015 at 12:30
I’m so bored with the console fanboy competitions these articles spawn… Soooooo BORING!
Both consoles have merits, go play the one you like and stop with the “My penis is bigger than your penis” bollocks.
Francois Knoetze
November 26, 2015 at 13:39
Well all the bloody exclusives and “timed exclusives” made my last 6 months very awesome.Never got to finishing the first Gears of War. and bam! got it. Halo 5(yes I am enjoying it) last night picked up Forza6 and got Rise of the Tomb Raider as a pre Xmas gift. now piled on to my already major backlog I seem to be sorted for another year…My PS4 is taking 2nd place for now.
ElimiNathan
November 26, 2015 at 15:10
They’re really beating a dead horse here with this same statement over and over. Move on, we get it, you done f*** it up at E3 many moons ago
InF3rN0
November 26, 2015 at 20:19
You forgot Re-Core and the pirate game from Rare… btw, isn’t there a Fable game for XO?