Microsoft 'upset' with Xbox over lack of first-party games

Microsoft is reportedly said to be ‘upset’ with the lack of Xbox first-party games, according to an industry insider.

We think it’s fair to say that since its launch in November 2020, the release schedule of the Xbox Series X|S has been somewhat disappointing. Sure, both the Series X and S consoles are fantastic machines, but without a quality line-up of first-party games, a fantastic machine can only do so much.

Take for example Xbox’s main competitor, the PlayStation 5. Since the launch of the PS5, also in November 2020, its seen first-party titles such as God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and the Demon’s Souls remake, not to mention the likes of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on the way.

Major Xbox Series X|S exclusives on the other hand have been few and far between with Forza Horizon 5 and the recently released Hi-Fi Rush arguably being the best of the bunch. Even 343 Industries' Halo Infinite is considered to be a letdown, especially with the multiplayer offering.

In defence of Xbox, it does have both Redfall and Starfield to release later this year, as well as the expected arrival of the Forza Motorsport reboot. What’s more, Microsoft has acquired a fair few studios in recent years including Bethesda, Ninja Theory, and Obsidian Entertainment to name but a few. Not to mention the pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. So the future still looks bright for the green brand.

That being said, despite a seemingly positive future for Xbox, reports claim that Microsoft hasn't been overly impressed when it comes to first-party exclusives.

As reported by TheGamer, video game journalist and industry insider, Jeff Grubb claims that Microsoft is: “upset... You know, they didn't release a first-party game last year, and if that doesn't affect you if you always have something to play again, that's awesome, but a lot of people do regret getting their Xbox.”

One of the recent successes for Xbox Series X|S was the aforementioned Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks which was shadow dropped in January 2023 and took the internet by storm. On Metacritic, Hi-Fi Rush scored a very respectable 87 from critics and 90 from users.

Yet, despite the popularity of Hi-Fi Rush, it wasn't apparently the commercial success that Microsoft had hoped. “It just straight up didn't make the money it needed to make. I mean, it got good reviews, the buzz was good, so where do you put the blame for something like that?” said Grubb.

Should Xbox gamers be concerned with the lack of new-gen exclusives? Perhaps not for the long term. Though it has been disappointing seeing the green brand playing catch-up with its big blue rival.

It remains to be seen whether Redfall, which releases on 2 May and Starfield on 6 September 2023 can be the big difference makers and add to the justification for those fans that purchased the Xbox Series X|S consoles at launch.