Shinobi602 Believes Xbox’s Multiplatform Approach Is A Smart Move As Console Sales Struggle

Shinobi602: I’m Nate, and I’ve been working in video games for over 6 years in the areas of community management, brand management, and communications across independent developers and publishers, and now at Keywords Studios. You can also find me online on Twitter and other spaces as Shinobi602!

Shinobi602: It’s constantly evolving in all directions. Some are good, some are bad. The continuing layoff purges are extremely sad to see, especially when profits are growing and publishers are making record revenue. We’re also seeing a continued push towards evergreen titles that generate recurring revenue, which takes up a lot of resources. At the same time, I think the quality of games in general has never been higher, and there’s so much variety out there, especially in the indie space.

Shinobi602: I can’t see it in any other light other than a negative one. Tango created one of Xbox’s most unique and exciting titles in years that was beloved by players and was considered a success by all accounts. If that’s not enough to ensure the team’s and its developers’ security, then how do different studios gauge success? How do they feel good about the art they’re making? I think it’s an impact that was felt across the industry in different ways.

Shinobi602: It’s an unfortunate reality that budgets for games have grown by a huge amount compared to generations before. I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone to say that publishers want the most return on their investments, and often, the safest route is the one they’ll take. There’s still risk-taking happening, new teams forming, and new IPs coming, but popular franchises are popular for a reason: people love them.

Shinobi602: I wouldn’t call myself an analyst, but in terms of an overall picture, I think games will be in a great spot. There’s work that needs to be done for sure, especially about ballooning budgets, but I think the industry’s never been as creative and diverse as it is today, and I know that will continue well into the future. I believe PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo will continue to be strong platforms that cater to everybody’s needs.

Shinobi602: I love being excited, so I’m always anticipating a bunch of games! I’d say the one I’m looking forward to the most for the rest of the year is Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I really like what I’ve seen and read so far, and I think that team has taken the time to really cook up something great. It’s been a tough several years for BioWare, but I have hope this new Dragon Age will be the start of an awesome redemption arc for the studio.

Shinobi602: It’s hard to say because some publishers and teams are equipped for it, and others aren’t. There’s always going to be those companies and shareholders out there chasing that golden goose because once you hit the jackpot, you’re set for a very long time. But I think oftentimes; many teams fail because they’re either too late or they don’t realize the number of resources it takes to tackle and then maintain a popular live service game.

It can be the right approach if that’s what a team is specifically built for, but it’s very, very difficult to take a team known for strong, single-player experiences and transition them into live service. It’s a failure 9 times out of 10.

Shinobi602: I love the people in it and the variety and breadth of experiences that are getting made every year. I’ve met so many wonderful acquaintances over the years who have become awesome personal friends, and I’ve learned so much wisdom and knowledge in a short amount of time. Likewise, I’ve been playing games since I was 4 years old, and there are tons of games coming out all the time that pique my interest and get me excited. It’s not all perfect, as we’ve clearly seen the devastation from layoffs over the last 12 months, but it’s hard to see myself doing anything else. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Shinobi602: I’ve been playing a bit of Helldivers 2 over the last couple of months, and I adore it. Just a whole bunch of maniacal fun times, and I call it my Starship Troopers simulator (which is a fantastic film). I’m also playing through Stellar Blade and having fun with that one!

Shinobi602: There’s some contention over the approach. On the one side, you’ll see some say that it takes away any incentive to buy an Xbox, while on the other hand, folks will say they’re doing what they feel is best to grow their business. I tend to fall in the latter group because, on the face of it, the Xbox console platform has been on the decline sales-wise over the last decade. Game Pass grew for a good while, though it seems like it’s gradually tapering off.

At the same time, Xbox consoles have certainly fallen far behind the competition, and I’m not sure any number of exclusives will really change that dynamic. So if that’s not really changing, you have to pivot and do something. I think putting your games where many more players are makes sense and from what we can see across charts like digital downloads on PSN, they’re doing great on there. There’s still a strong incentive to pick up an Xbox, and that’s Game Pass.

Shinobi602: That’s a really tough one. I’m not privy to all the numbers that have been crunched to quantify anything. It’s a guarantee that premium sales of the game will drop, at least on the Xbox platform. Clearly, Xbox feels that having it in Game Pass on day one will reap benefits, and maybe the number of players who subscribe can offset any loss in sales, but it remains to be seen. I personally don’t think many Call of Duty players are going to drop their platform of choice and pick up an Xbox just to subscribe to the service for the game, but we’ll see what happens.

Shinobi602: It shows that there’s a hunger for new experiences that sort of capture that online viral zeitgeist if you will. I haven’t played Suicide Squad myself, but I think there’s more context in that as an IP; I’m not sure Suicide Squad has a ton of pull. And I think most Rocksteady fans were looking for something else from that team, while games like Helldivers 2 and Palworld felt like they seemingly came out of nowhere with gameplay loops that were highly addictive and rewarding. A lot of teams around the world will definitely take notes and learn from those launches.

Shinobi602: I think they’ve been threading the needle pretty well so far in keeping their core PlayStation audience happy with great exclusives for a time, then porting over. It seems they’ve landed on a 2-year cadence of PS5 release -> PC port or thereabouts.

I’m sure launching their big exclusives sooner on PC would net even higher sales, but they seem to have a strategy in place where they’re keen to keep growing their console base and still net some good returns on PC later. Maybe they’re happy with it, maybe they’re not. But it seems like it’s not hurting them if Ghost of Tsushima’s huge launch four years later is any indication.

Shinobi602: Nothing, really; thanks so much for having me and picking my brain. It was fun! And play Mass Effect, people!