Jez Corden Believes Helldivers 2 Could Shine on Xbox Without Hurting PlayStation’s Market

Jez: Sure, I’m Jez Corden, managing editor at Windows Central, with a focus on gaming and news, although we’re a small team, and we all do a bit of everything, really. I started writing for fun during quiet times at work when I was an IT guy, and it has led me here somehow.

Jez: Honestly, kind of. I recall covering waves of layoffs before the pandemic, too, but for sure, the state of the world and arbitrary price hikes imposed by powerful multinationals have increased costs across the board. There’s a hard limit on how much the “core” is willing to pay for a “AAA” game, giving major publishers less wiggle room than other industries, potentially, when it comes to mitigating increasing costs. That’s a simplistic view of all the factors causing turmoil over the past couple of years, but it boils down to increasing costs vs. increased competition for our attention.

Jez: I’m not sure how Microsoft plans to achieve its game preservation plan in the next hardware cycle. I understand the next wave of Xbox console devices is going to be closer to Windows than ever, which throws a wrench in the works when it comes to backward compatibility. There’s a licensing conversation to have there, too. If the next Xbox consoles are more Windows-like, does that breach Microsoft’s partner agreements with third-parties for Xbox versions of games? It sounds like they’re solvable problems in any case, either with dedicated silicon like the first edition PS3 or via emulation. Maybe even cloud.

Jez: I do think Xbox has lost connection with its hardcore community in some ways, but the vast majority of Xbox customers are probably not what you would consider to be “in the community.” They’re casually playing Fortnite, Roblox, FIFA, etc, and not really engaging at the level many “core” fans expect. I think it’ll be a long road for Microsoft to regain the faith of Xbox fans who feel betrayed by their multiplatform strategy. I think visible investment in the console platform itself would be one way toward achieving that, as well as proper execution of nostalgic projects like Gears of War: E-Day and the next Halo.

Jez: I think putting single-player titles like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush onto PlayStation was probably a little too far. I think most people can rationalize growing a service game like Sea of Thieves beyond Xbox (and it has been incredibly successful on PlayStation). But, those smaller, single-player experiences don’t seem to have moved the needle even in the slightest and have only served to confuse the audience with regards to Xbox’s priorities while raising unwanted questions about future titles.

Jez: I have no idea what the status of Project MARA is, but I have heard that Ninja Theory’s next game has been greenlit.

Jez: I don’t find it hard, honestly. I think more about the developers who are under constant scrutiny for their art, with looming discussions about the viability of the industry in its entirety playing out in the background. It’s the developers, artists, and creators who inspired me to write about the industry, knowing I have no capabilities of my own to do what they do. Comparatively, my job is very easy, and I hope I can contribute in some small way to broaden the reach of great games.

Jez: I wouldn’t put much stock in the phrase “AAAA” since it was more used to drive hype and excitement in pitches to investors or internal staff. I think what could even vaguely define “AAAA” games are things like Fortnite and World of Warcraft, which have massive teams with roadmaps spanning years. These are games with mammoth budgets and hundreds of developers, building ongoing experiences with ongoing cash flow. Skull and Bones and Perfect Dark absolutely don’t fit that mold.

Jez: I want to see a bit more combat footage before I can get really excited about it, I think. A lot of the combat footage we’ve seen so far has been with heavy jump cuts, which I find to be a bit of a red flag (Redfall marketing comes to mind …). But like you, I trust Machine Games. At the very least, I expect it to be a lot better than the recent Indiana Jones movies.

Jez: Honestly, I’m not really following Embracer too much. I think the C-suite executive layer there has done such a poor job. I find them to have an incredibly cavalier attitude towards the industry and their employees.

Jez: 343i is working on Halo, that much I know. I don’t think you’ll see 343i work on much besides Halo.

Jez: I think PlayStation and Nintendo will hold out as long as possible when it comes to exclusivity, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to ignore multiplatform play and cross-play as a path to growth. Helldivers 2 would do absurdly well on Xbox, likely without hurting PlayStation in real terms even slightly. Sony must be considering these kinds of things. Will it become a thing of the past? Hard to say.

Jez: Xbox has mountains of service games now, from Diablo to Overwatch to Call of Duty to Minecraft. I honestly think Microsoft isn’t utilizing Minecraft to its full potential either, given that Minecraft Earth and Minecraft Legends both “flopped” in essence. I’m not sure about Jump Ship’s potential, but Microsoft is missing out on the “gatcha” craze in a big way. I would be more concerned that they don’t have a good answer to Genshin Impact and the HoYoverse games over anything else right now.

Jez: Right now, I’m bouncing between Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Kunitsu-gami: Path of the Goddess, I’m also downloading Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 since it just hit Xbox Game Pass. I’m absolutely hopelessly obsessed with Elden Ring right now, although Kuntisu-gami’s tower-defense style hack n’ slasher has been a nice pallet cleanser when I feel like something more chill. The games I’m most excited for in the near term are World of Warcraft: The War Within and Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. I’m also incredibly ready for Frostpunk 2 and The Alters from 11 Bit Studios.

Jez: Microsoft has reduced headcounts, and it always sucks to see this happen. There’s no real measure of the suffering and stress caused to individuals and families when these types of things occur. Microsoft and other big corporations tend to commit to layoffs based on future projections, prioritizing areas where they think they can extract the most return on investment. Some studios at Microsoft have seen their staff count grow and have many vacancies open, and some staff laid off in some areas have managed to pick up work in others. But it’s no excuse for the disruption. I want to believe there’s a better way.

Jez: I believe Microsoft is aiming to release new back catalog Activision-Blizzard titles into Xbox Game Pass on a near-monthly basis moving forward, with some leeway to give third-party partners more attention where necessary.

Jez: It probably will have an impact on sales, but it will also have an impact on in-app purchases. Users who might have never purchased Call of Duty for $70 may buy skins and the like for less, and I suspect Microsoft expects that to make up for any losses in retail purchases. The bulk of sales would’ve been on PlayStation and PC anyway. I highly doubt we’ll see people switching console preferences for Xbox Game Pass specifically. I think you’ll still see Call of Duty Black Ops 6 set sales records, even with it in Xbox Game Pass.

Jez: Xbox is in a weird place in some ways, but I’m still optimistic about the platform’s long-term future. Analysts are quite bullish on Xbox Game Pass finding growth in the cloud, particularly in countries and markets where consoles never gained a foothold. Every cloud user is technically an Xbox console user, too, which should help Microsoft find more support from developers when they eventually bring in “buy to own” cloud games, tentatively gunning for later in 2024 (maybe early 2025). I’m hopeful for that long-rumored Xbox handheld too.