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Microsoft Cancels 2004 Xbox Sports Lineup
madopal writes "Well, it's no secret that Microsoft has been slashing internal development (Mythica, anyone?). Now, they've announced that they're cancelling their entire 2004 line-up of XSN Sports games for Xbox. Wow, with Ed Fries gone, it sure is a different place over there." The article quotes Kevin Browne of Microsoft as saying: "We need to be making great games, and the marketplace told us that we're just not at that level."
For all they are slagged off, EA still do produce the goods year in year out.
And then there's Pro Evo Soccer... simply the best of the lot.
Why bother pumping resources into places that other people consistently out-perform you. Just get them to build their game for your platform instead...
We know better than to believe most PR. Perhaps much of MS's energy is being redirected towards Xbox 2?
Besides, as was pointed out earlier, Xbox sales are being driven by sports games, but largely not the ones made by MS: think EA, Sega, etc. Considering that Xbox hardware sales are not exactly a cash cow, Xbox 2 seems to be of superb strategical importance for market domination, especially compared to the idea of doing Xbox 1 sports games.
I was addressing the fairly frequent accusation that Microsoft doesn't know games. If it didn't, it wouldn't have pursued Valve and Sega. Who did the developing doesn't really matter, imo. What matters is that Microsoft was sitting at the top of the decision making process, and thus their ability to identify value was tested.
As for the yearly updates - Microsoft could easily carve a niche for themselves by simply issuing roster updates and gameplay patches over XBL several times each season, and only selling updated sports games based on actual improvements. EA and madden have been getting fat off essentially selling expansion packs each year, for full price. There is quite a bit of gamer animosity against them for it.
But my point was simply that: Microsoft can and does identify quality titles and deliver them to their customers. They know good games, and they (demonstratively) have the balls to hold back games that aren't going to be top-of-the-line.
(E.g. the well-documented delay of Crimson Skies until it was great, the delay of this sports lineup, and one is left to assume: the delay of halo2.)
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
But one of the things Microsoft excels at is adapting their products until they work.
That is because they have the cash to enter a market and do very poorly but still survive. Any other company (pretty much) would not have time to adapt their product while losing money.
That is because they have the cash to enter a market and do very poorly but still survive. Any other company (pretty much) would not have time to adapt their product while losing money.
Well, to some degree yes. That is certainly true now. However, while I might be off on my MS history, I'm not so sure it was true back in the DOS/early windows era. I think you're defintely right, but I also think that it's as much a characteristic of Microsoft's corporate identity as much as it is money.
This is the first step in microsoft realizing that it has no place in the gaming industry...go ahead I know there's people bitching at me right now, but plain and simple...sony is outselling them. Xbox has no hope unless they make it backwards compatible, until they realize this, I will continue to talk about how stupid the development decisions are for Xbox.
If carrots got you drunk, rabbits would be fucked up. - Comedian Mitch Hedberg R.I.P. 03/30/68-2/24/05
Sounds like someone over there might have finally caught a clue. In the game business people won't put up with a crappy 1.0 and a mediocre 2.0 while waiting for the finally good 3.0.
If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
Are you purposely misunderstanding what I am saying? Let's try to put the fanboyism aside for a moment. The two "exclusive" titles that I mentioned for the Xbox are not really exclusives. I play both of them on my PC. That is why I do not own an Xbox right now. I also really like Gran Turismo 3. I bought a PS2 to play it. I do not have the option of playing that game on anything other than a PS2. Also, I'm not talking about the Xbox having many "really great" games. That may or may not be true. My comment was specifically about the very high profile games that lead people to purchase a specific console. The Xbox does not really have any right now. Ninja Gaiden is getting a lot of press but it is nowhere near the level of a GTA3 or Metroid Prime.
Also, that long list of games you just mentioned are not all must-haves at all. They are just run of the mill games. As a non Xbox owner, I have heard nothing about those games. I am not going to buy an Xbox for the chance to play them.