It has been a difficult year for the ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Xbox Series X. While we had all expected ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Microsoft Gaming to build on the momentum it had generated coming out of 2021 ā following the releases of ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Forza Horizon 5, ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Halo Infinite, and ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Microsoft Flight Simulator ā delays to Redfall and ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Starfield scuppered that, and it left the platform with arguably one of its weakest first-ą“party lineups since Phil Spencer took over the job as head of Xbox nine years ago.
As fantastic as Obsidian Games' ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Pentiment and Grounded are, they were smaller-scale productions aiming to deliver to more niche corners of the game-playing public. In a year where PlayStation Studios delivered ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:God of War Ragnarok, ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Horizon Forbidden West, and ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Gran Turismo 7, and where Nintendo was able to launch ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Pokemon Legends: Arceus, ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Splatoon 3, I can't help but be a little disappointed by what Microsoft was able to release in 2022. Do I wish people spoke about Pentiment with the same reverence as they would for Ragnarok or Forbidden Westš? I sure do, but then a 16th-century murder mystery is always going to be a tougher sell than big cinematic action and benchmark setting visual designs.
(Third)party time
If Microsoft Gaming succeeded in any area in 2022, however, it would be with the third-party exclusives it was able to lock down for the platform and Game Pass. Two of the ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:best games of 2022, ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Immortality and Vampire Survivors, arrived as console exclusives for Xbox, while ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:As Dusk Falls, ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Sommerville, and ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:High on Life certainly impressed too. Whether this scale of game will keep the Game Pass library looking attractive to prospective subscribers while they wait for the likesš of Starfielšd and Redfall is, however, largely debatable.
It was reported this year that Xbox had failed to reach its Game Pass subscriber target for the second year running, while Phil Spencer confirmed that While there was always going to be a ceiling on Game Pass subscribers, which Microsoft said sat around 25 million in January, it's perhaps no surprise that the publisher is struggling to see growth. There are 23 first-party studios under the ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:Xbox Game Studios umbrella, and while we knoš§øw what a great many of the teams are working on, it has been quite some time since we've received updates on šÆthe likes of Avowed, Fable 4, Indiana Jones, Perfect Dark, and countless others.
Then again, to say that Microsoft Gaming has been a little distracted in 2022 would be something of an understatement. In January, the company announced a $68.7 billion dollar acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Naturally, a move to bring franchises like Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and others was not taken all that well by industry regulators and platform rivals. The deal would reshape the landscape of the video game industry, so it's no surprise that it's being investigated by various competition authorities and is facing ź¦a serious legal challź¦enge in the US from the FTC.
Given how fervently Sony has challenged the deal too ā which has now essentially devolved into the two platform holders mud-slinging over Call of Duty, while everybody from Nintendo to Valve ąµ²watch curiously from the sidelines ā it's almost a guarantee that this will remain one of the biggest stories throughout 2023, and one that has tšhe power to change Xbox.
Regardless of whether tź§ he acquisitiź¦°on of Activision Blizzard completes, there is a lot of work for Microsoft Gaming to do in 2023. After a surprisingly quiet year, we need to see Starfield and Redfall release without any major issues, yes, but also for the publisher to leverage more from Xbox Game Studios. This new generation is finally starting to settle into its rhythms, and now we need to see what it's really made of.
Here are the ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5å¼å„å·ē åå²ę„čÆ¢:best Xbox Series X games to play right now
Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of gamesā¢ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreaš¦te, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot hiš„m in.
