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Why Don’t Developers Want to Release Games on Xbox?

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I remember May 2013 very well. This was the month when Daft Punk released their hotly anticipated album, Random Access Memories, when the Solar Impulse completed its first leg of its cross-country flight in the US and, of course, it was the month when Xbox imploded.

Even now, many gamers look back at the Xbox One reveal as the moment that Xbox folded in on itself, completely tarnishing the reputation the company had built for themselves with their last two consoles in just a single, hour-long conference. 

Since that moment, Xbox has never really gotten back on its feet. Of course, a lot of the mistakes made by the company were fixed – the Xbox Kinect was dropped within a couple of years, the price of the Xbox One dropped too – but the complete disregard of fans shown in that initial conference damaged their credibility irreparably. To the point where developers in 2024 still don’t want to release games on Xbox. 

But while I think Xbox is still feeling the sting of May 2013, is that really the only reason developers don’t want to release their titles on Microsoft’s console? I thought I’d do a bit of digging and find out.

The Complaints Issue

After a quick Google search, I found out that the Xbox Series X is the most complained about console of all time. Even more so than the Xbox One! While that sounds like a bad thing, I think the key point here is not that the Xbox Series X is complained about, but that Xbox doesn’t do anything significant about the complaints in question. Gamers won’t stand for that anymore. 

One of the biggest gaming markets in 2024 is undoubtedly the iGaming market, and despite the fact there are hundreds of iGaming platforms online, the industry has one of the best reputations when it comes to dealing with complaints and putting customers first – as demonstrated by CasinoMeister, where 152 complaints out of 497 are solved, and 271 have been closed with resolution.

Gamers in 2024 have now gotten used to their complaints not only being listened to, but the resolutions being actioned, but Xbox doesn’t seem to have caught up with the times. 

One of the most common complaints, as an example, was the storage limitations and expansion costs. The Xbox Series X, of course, comes with a 1TB SSD, but after accounting for system files, only around 800GB are usable. While they offer a proprietary 1TB expansion card, it is almost unfairly expensive, which limits affordable options for players in need of that extra storage. This was probably the number one complaint when the console in 2020, but has it been resolved? No.

The New Audience Issue

The other problem that Xbox has is that they are marketing to a completely new audience compared to the audience of the 2000s through to the 2010s. Looking back at the iGaming sector for a moment, so long as they understand the rules around responsible gambling, anyone in 2024 can go onto their phone, click on an online casino and start playing within just a few seconds. 

The variety of games they can play is also very varied, with most platforms offering thousands of different features, with a regularly updating interface. Xbox has tried to replicate this with Game Pass, and to give them their credit, I think Game Pass does a good job. But there are a number of problems, with the most recent being the Game Pass price hike, and the most significant being the lack of real variety. 

Rather than offer new, modern titles that are hotly anticipated, the majority of Game Pass is made up of old titles from the Xbox and Xbox 360, with just a small pattering of newer, exclusive titles. This isn’t helped, of course, by the fact that there is a complete lack of exclusive titles in the first place. 

Because of the problems mentioned above, many developers don’t want to release their work on Xbox, which subsequently leaves the Game Pass library to feel empty and lacklustre, which then, almost paradoxically, only adds to Xbox’s problems and makes more developers want to stay away.

The Playstation War

Last, but not least, Sony is doing better. Sorry. But they just are. Just look at some of the PS5 and PS5 Pro exclusives coming in the next few months:

  • Silent Hill 2
  • Ghost of Yotei
  • Wolverine
  • Final Fantasy XVI
  • Death Stranding 2

And now look at the Xbox Series X exclusives:

  • Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator
  • Avowed
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
  • Assassin’s Creed: Shadows

Which list looks more enticing? For me, it would obviously be Playstation’s. Sure, Xbox has Assassin’s Creed: Shadows on there, but with the new AC already getting a number of complaints, it’s hard to say whether that game will actually be a good thing. The bottom line is that Xbox has been struggling to regain trust ever since 2013, and with the gaming world moving on rather rapidly, there are a number of key areas where the company continues to let them down. I’m not saying it’s the end for Xbox. There are still a number of things they can do to get people back on board. But in terms of the console wars, it’s fair to say Playstation is certainly standing a little taller.

Adam loves gaming and the latest Tech surrounding it, especially AI and Crypto Gaming are his fave topics

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