Microsoft Xbox is often criticized for the low performance of its first-party titles. The Xbox Studios deliver – regularly. With Starfield, the next big release may now be imminent.
Microsoft was on a purchasing spree in the industry for many months to strengthen the Xbox brand. Xbox Game Studios now includes 24 active game studios, including well-known developers such as Double Fine Productions, Mojang, Rare, Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment. Being so well positioned, the scene is certainly not sparing with criticism of the game studios. Frequently mentioned: There are far too few high-quality games coming onto the market.
Starfield next big thing?
In fact, the many developers at Xbox Game Studios seem to have fallen into a kind of sleeping beauty sleep in view of the corona pandemic and now the tense situation in the global economy. Instead of increasing the pace of releases, exactly the opposite happened. Quite a few fans are angry because they were hoping for a different, much more aggressive launch strategy since the Xbox Series X|S was released. In other words: Microsoft should feed its power console with great games much more often.
It works for Microsoft and Xbox – and basically for the fans too. A look back at the most recently released first-party developments shows that the development teams are doing their job extremely well.
If you look at the Metacritic ratings, one top-class game follows the next, but the number of games in total can make some fans despair. If video games like Grounded, Gears Tactics or Ghostwire Tokyo or Age of Empire IV are considered “bad” games with average ratings in the low 80s, it should be clear that the criticism is actually complaining at a high level.
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Xbox Elite Controller Core 2 Edition + Game Pass Ultimate 3...* |
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The developers affiliated with Xbox Game Studios have really hit the ground running with some games - Forza Horizon 5 received an average of 92 out of 100 points, the new edition of the flight simulator got a round 90. Behind them are Deathloop (89), Psychonauts 2 and Halo Infinite (both 87), as well as Age of Empires 2 and Pentiment (both 86).
And now Bethesda is just around the corner with Starfield. Given the consistently good developer performance in the other studios, the creative minds from Rockville in Maryland, USA, should have a lot of fun. Because: With Starfield you will have to join the ranks of very good to outstanding games. Yes, the chances are pretty good given the information available so far about the space adventure game, but a certain residual risk remains. Not least because of the extremely high expectations. After all, Starfield is Bethesda's first new games brand in around a quarter of a century. How much greater could the pressure on a development studio to perform actually be?
And if the takeover of Activision-Blizzard is completed, Microsoft could usher in a new era for Xbox.
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