Phil Spencer is taking responsibility for Xbox's latest first-party game launch. Redfall, a game developed by Arkane, was released on May 2nd, to atrocious critical reviews, and even worse player reception. Billed as an open-world co-op first-person shooter, players overwhelmingly found it to be repetitive, glitchy, and bland. The game also promised to run at 60fps prior to its launch, but drew controversy when it was walked back, and the developers instead planned to have a 60fps update made available sometime post-launch.

When appearing as a guest on the Kindy Funny Games podcast, Xbox's CEO Phil Spencer bluntly stated, "There’s nothing that’s more difficult for me than disappointing the Xbox community, and just to watch the community lose confidence, be disappointed, I’m disappointed, I’m upset with myself," adding that, "we let a lot of people down this week with the launch of the game, but we will continue to strive on." In a response to fans asking why the game wasn't just further delayed, Spencer claimed, "I think there’s a fundamental piece of feedback that we get that the game isn’t realizing the creative vision that it had for its players. That doesn’t feel like a 'hey, just delay it' [situation]--that feels like the game had a goal to do one thing, and when players are actually playing they’re not feeling that thing, that creative execution of the team."

Furthermore, Spencer was questioned about the current state of affairs with Xbox, following this, on top of the CMA's refusal to allow Microsoft to acquire Activision. His response focused on how losing the Xbox One generation was "the worst generation to lose", and that great games aren't enough to draw customers in anymore, saying, "this idea that if we just focused more on great games on our console that somehow we’re going to win the console race doesn’t really lay into the reality of most people. There is no world where Starfield is an 11 out of 10 and people start selling their PS5s, that’s not going to happen." His plans for Xbox's future is to, "stay focused on making sure that console experience is awesome, but I know some people want to hold us up as being a better green version of what the blue guys do, and I’m just going to say there’s not a win for Xbox by staying in the wake of somebody else. We have to go off and do our own thing with Game Pass, the stuff we do with xCloud, and the way we build our games."

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[Marc_LFD]

especially a solo game when there's no need for an internet connection

That's why I haven't played Destiny (SP).

 

[stanleyopar2000]

Bruh Starfield is going to be his last hope.

If Starfield is as bad as RedFall or worse, Phil is gonna be out

 

[Foxi4]

Hey Spencer, you are aware of a company call Nintendo right? They kick you ass with great games alone.

Try launching a Xbox series N and see what happens. You don't need to lift a finger to beat the Switch HW. Just make Switch game load a hell lot faster on Xbox series N and you will finally beat PS5.

On the flip side, Nintendo hasn’t released a good console for over 2 decades now, so I suppose it’s swings and roundabouts.

 

[Veho]

On the flip side, Nintendo hasn’t released a good console for over 2 decades now, so I suppose it’s swings and roundabouts.

Yeah but they don't have to, just compare the sales numbers.
Pic related, Nintendo when you tell them they don't have the most powerful console on the market:

 

[nashismo]

If you watch the interview carefully, you can clearly see he is literally reading from a script! He is looking down to read and it is painful to watch, because you can tell he disagrees completely with the things he is saying. His sudden speech becomes accelerated and strange, this is the sign he is lying, the body never lies even if the mouth does.

We are just seeing big daddy Gates plans in motion.

 

[RAHelllord]

redfall is what happens when you dont even check on the teams, phill in the interview said they should have helped sonner but they just letted them do their own thing, when they arrived it was too late and it would take months to get everything into shape.

I wouldn't trust a CEO to watch my glass of chocolate milk, much less with anything that could indicate a failure of leadership.
The entire statement that "it was too late" makes no sense, Microsoft has enough billions they could have delayed the game for another year or two and actually fix it up proper if they wanted to. And that even gives them the benefit of the doubt that he isn't outright lying to the public like he has in the past.
This is very likely just the same execs that caused the problem trying to save face by kicking the blame down the line.

 

[lordofcombo]

Phil i like you but you're so full of sh*it.Games alone DO win console generation.Its just you havent financed a single new game for the Xbox.Were tired defending you ,seems to me you want to beta test on us until next gen.

 

[chrisrlink]

Hey Spencer, you are aware of a company call Nintendo right? They kick you ass with great games alone.

Try launching a Xbox series N and see what happens. You don't need to lift a finger to beat the Switch HW. Just make Switch game load a hell lot faster on Xbox series N and you will finally beat PS5.

the last couple of nintendo games namely pokemon sucked they just have a bunch of brainwashed cult followers who forgive them at a drop of a hat

 

[m_babble]

I stopped putting stock in AAA games ages ago.

 

[diggeloid]

Not to be a dick or anything, but I can't think of a single competent thing this guy has done as the head of Xbox. Every time I see his name in the news, it's attached to some embarrassing failure or evil anti-consumer thing.

Monopolists are weird. I'm sure if Xbox were its own independent company that actually had to compete to survive that this guy would've been replaced long ago.

 

[TomSwitch]

On the flip side, Nintendo hasn’t released a good console for over 2 decades now, so I suppose it’s swings and roundabouts.

If you mean better HW specs then yes, not since saga quit

 

[Foxi4]

Yeah but they don't have to, just compare the sales numbers.
Pic related, Nintendo when you tell them they don't have the most powerful console on the market:

They have a very dedicated, loyal fan base of man-children who are easily duped and separated from their money - that much is true. They’re also good at marketing towards kids and provide a nice budget option.

If you mean better HW specs then yes, not since saga quit

The build quality leaves a lot to be desired as well, horsepower aside. I’m Foxi4Sony and have been for a very long time, but even I have to admit that after the original VCR fiasco Microsoft has been making some very well-designed and robust consoles. I’ve been very impressed by the build quality of every Xbox since the One S - Sony and Nintendo consoles feel flimsy in comparison.

 

[Purple_Shyguy]

Promise that great games are coming.

Game releases and is shit.

Apologize for shit game and promise to do better in the future.

REPEAT FOREVER.

 

[subcon959]

As a gaming fan who hasn't had an Xbox since the 360, I'm a bit concerned here. On the one hand, I do have nostalgia for the good old days when console wars were purely Japanese. But, I also don't want Xbox to implode so we're at the mercy of untethered price rises if the likes of Sony don't have any competition.

 

[TheStonedModder]

"Great Games Alone aren't enough to win a Console Generation"
Oh no, they 100% are... its just that Microsoft hasn't made a single great game since like the 360

I’m still pissed about crackdown 3. They really suffered from the Ubisoft effect. Too big of a world not enough to do. Few and far repetitive tasks

Which is fine to an extent that’s what crackdown 2 was. But at least that was fun and not filled with tons of emptiness until you reach the objective

 

[Bladexdsl]

this is the reason i don't touch xbox anymore because of this TWAT

 

[Foxi4]

As a gaming fan who hasn't had an Xbox since the 360, I'm a bit concerned here. On the one hand, I do have nostalgia for the good old days when console wars were purely Japanese. But, I also don't want Xbox to implode so we're at the mercy of untethered price rises if the likes of Sony don't have any competition.

It is really annoying because there’s a clear mismatch between the software divisions and the hardware division. I feel that perhaps the prospect of a Day 1 Gamepass release doesn’t get developers all that thrilled since no matter what gets put out, if it’s on Gamepass, somebody’s going to download it, so the figures will roll in either way. That’s not to say that they should stop - it’s great value for the customer and as a result, my Series X functions as a Gamepass + BC machine most of the time. I know they can churn out something innovative and fun - they recently proved that with Hi-Fi Rush, but somebody needs to start cracking the whip.

 

[yoyoyo69]

He basically just glossed over everything and ultimately said nothing, except for a lie about great games not really changing things.

Xbox have been terrible this gen. Very, very software and OS (applications too).

Atrocious games, in the sense they just aren't fun (the odd exception if you like that genre, ie Forza)

Terrible hardware and business decisions (memory cards, no space to store anything unless you sell a kidney to pay Seagate and Microsoft)

 

[K3Nv2]

Yeah but they don't have to, just compare the sales numbers.
Pic related, Nintendo when you tell them they don't have the most powerful console on the market:

And not to mention they target kids where Xbox/PS5 likes to try to appeal to the adult market more. Every Grandma knows about Nintendo where your grandma might say what's a Xbox series? And we all know how little billy goes on rampages when he doesn't get the new Mario game.

 

[Bladexdsl]

all this fuck seems to do now is apologize! his basically copied please understand except his repeating it over and over