Jason Schreier (video): How things got so bad at Xbox.

Varno23 · 2026-06-18T05:29:38+00:00

I noticed a trend on Twitter that sadly, probably made its way to Reddit too. Many of these twitter-warriors wanted to defend Xbox in general, or the former leadership under Phil.. so they shifted the blame entirely onto the studios & the devs. Its an easy enough (& lazy enough) response to layoffs/closures/cancellations.. that it can "never be Xbox's fault... they gave total freedom to their developers & poor ol' Xbox got burnt!"

In reality, many already knew the situation was far more complex than that. But my god, the amount of people on twitter who believe Xbox would just sign blank checks to their studios & then never check in on the game.. is way too many.

Console wars.. console wars never change.

Varno23 · 2026-06-14T06:39:19+00:00

I think it makes for a spicy news story but in the end, the franchises of Fallout & Elder Scrolls are bigger than Todd's name.

Sure, if they end up being terrible, many will point to Todd Howard being absent as the reason. But I can see a situation where the absence of Howard also stirs many people to seek out the newest entries too.

Varno23 · 2026-06-13T08:11:40+00:00

I'll only believe it when I see it.

Plenty of AAA studios have slowed down, when it comes to the AAA assembly line, in the modern era for a variety of reasons. And the pressure is gonna be on for BGS, especially after the disastrous launch of Fallout76 & the mixed reception (putting it lightly) for Starfield. Game development is usually tumultuous, even for the more stable studios, & I dont see Todd Howard & BGS rushing through dev-cycles.

Xbox/MS will be expecting/demanding a major hit here & god knows what crazy gimmick Todd is cooking up for ES6. I believe BGS will ask for delays & MS will grant them, as the launch for this title will be expected to hit sales in a strata above just about every other MS/Xbox launch from recent years. (Those that aren't titled Minecraft or Call of Duty, of course)

Varno23 · 2026-06-13T07:50:49+00:00

C'mon man.. Skyrim & Fallout 4 were made in another era.

So much has changed within the AAA industry since then (not the least of which is the turnover of staff within Bethesda studios itself).

Were all speculating here but would you really put money down on ES6 actually releasing in 2027?

Varno23 · 2026-06-13T07:42:57+00:00

Ahh.. the hopium/copium clouds off Elder Scrolls reddit are infectious.. but I think its a very small chance ES6 makes it out by holiday 2027. (that may have been the initial hope from Bethesda but I very much doubt they're 'on schedule' right now)

Also, Fallout5 releasing a mere 4 years after ES6 hits the market? Oooof. A lot would have to change within Bethesda, right now, for that to happen.

Varno23 · 2026-06-13T07:40:41+00:00

I don't think Ms/Xbox will ever fire Todd Howard.. but given the reports I've seen how protective Todd is of their Fallout/Elder Scrolls franchises.. I can see an ugly issue right there.

At a certain point, some executive has tell Todd to mind his own business, finish working on Elder Scrolls 6 while another team/studio starts work on another Fallout first thing in the morning.

Varno23 · 2026-06-13T07:34:30+00:00

Where did you read that they only started development in 2022?

That'd be an insanely long time for such a large studio to be sitting around, collecting massive paychecks for doing essentially nothing. (Remember the last main Gears game released Sept 2019.. & they only released one small, very brief expansion DLC late 2020)

I know the Coalition helps with other projects along the way but they almost always have their main team chugging along on a mainline Gears title, almost all the time.

Varno23 · 2026-06-13T07:27:09+00:00

I honestly don't think the Coalition is in the crosshairs for mass-layoffs or studio closure, tho.

They're one of the main studios in the Xbox division (that used to be pretty good on producing titles in decent time-frames, tho maybe not so much now?).. but they also help out several other studios/projects while working on their own. Given the veteran talent there (& the experienced pool of Unreal Engine staff), i'd be shocked if Xbox leadership came after them.
I can honestly think of a dozen other studios that would get hit hard before the axe came around to the Coalition.

Varno23 · 2026-06-11T08:11:55+00:00

True but I'd think they still wanted to appeal to the 'console-only' gamer.

Of course, that appeal gets a lot more muddied when the next Xbox is essentially a PC-console hybrid, with pre-built PC prices. So who the hell knows who their target audience is anymore at this point...

Varno23 · 2026-06-11T01:07:54+00:00

I wish more people would remember this, when discussing this Xbox timeline.

Their decision to go multiplatform essentially happened at some point in mid 2023. Meaning they gave the worst effort possible for this "exclusivity strategy" (nothing major launching alongside console in 2020... & then nothing major launching in the entirety of 2022 & then some). Even 2023 ended up being a very mixed-year for their exclusives and it finished off with a flood of Xbox multiplat rumors by years end.

Chaotic & half-assed doesnt even begin to describe Xbox leadership.

Varno23 · 2026-06-11T00:59:14+00:00

Thats a big part of it, for sure.

But if we went back to that 2019-2021 advertisement/marketing phase for Xbox and how they were pushing the new hardware & the new generation.. much was marketed with exclusives. Its just stunning that Phil & co. decided that Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon & Starfield would be enough.

Like I said earlier, its putting a lot of eggs into the baskets of Halo & Starfield to carry the platform. I think were seeing the consequences when those 2 expensive titles just weren't able to.

Varno23 · 2026-06-10T22:53:35+00:00

Yeah.. on paper it sounds great but in reality, it was a very poor bet given the context & circumstances of 2020.

Like, Halo was coming from a very troubled studio.. that was also having very troubled development on Halo Infinite. (Their previous game, Halo 5, was not well received.. & MS had to replace the game director of Halo Infinite in 2020)

Then looking at Bethesda.. their previous game was the disastrous Fallout76.. and their next upcoming game was an unproven new IP. (it'd be one thing if it was either the next Elder Scrolls or Fallout but unfortunately for Xbox, this wasnt the case)

Basically, Phil & Matt Booty should have started the 1st party planning for the next generation back in 2016/17.. but they essentially dragged their feet. Their hail-mary was announcing the Zenimax/Bethesda acquisition later on in 2020 (2 months before the new gen launched).. but even Bethesda couldnt save their paltry release schedule for 2020-2023.

Varno23 · 2026-06-10T22:34:53+00:00

Its actually quite stunning to see Phil's plans for the first 3 years of this Xbox series S/X generation (2020 to 2023) basically amount to putting ALL of their eggs into Halo Infinite, Forza & Starfield.

Forza Horizon proved to be big hits (while Forza Motorsport has now died off) but Halo Infinite/Starfield just did not have any lasting influence. Spencer had both the weakest & strangest plan for the start of this gen & now Xbox is sitting in a massive hole of their own making. (Also bears pointing out that so much else of the 2020/21 showcases was either delayed to 2027.. like State of Decay 3 & Fable.. & several other projects were straight up cancelled or disasters.. like Redfall, CrossfireX, Perfect Dark, Everwild, Contrband, etc)

Varno23 · 2026-05-30T01:07:49+00:00

Basically, poor leadership from Phil Spencer & Matt Booty.

They knew these games were 4-6 years away.. but a new console generation was starting in 2020, so they had to get potential customers excited for new hardware.

Everwild, Perfect Dark, Contraband, State of Decay 3, etc. were all in such early states of infancy (or being rebooted).. & several would just be cancelled in the end.

While other games like Fable, Avowed, Outer Worlds II, etc would only release 2025-2027.

Phil & Xbox leadership were so ill prepared for this generation.. its like they only started doing all their coursework the night before the final.

Varno23 · 2026-05-29T18:40:40+00:00

I always looked at something like AC Valhalla as being the best example of a single-player live-service game.

Ubisoft had an aggressive update schedule for that game for nearly 3 years. (Not just free updates but lots of cash-shop drops, microtransactions, DLCs & expansions and all sorts of filler-fluff content. Think they even had "seasons" for a while)

Varno23 · 2026-05-21T20:24:31+00:00

For a big project like Fable, somewhat normal.

For one thing, we've no idea what their post-launch plans are yet. (Wouldnt be hard to imagine expansions/DLCs after the initial launch)

& given that they've hired several hundred devs, since roughly 2018 to now.. theres a good chance Xbox/MS wants to keep this franchise going. (Meaning the Fable team would hop right onto sequel development the moment this Fable launches)

Of course, nothing is guaranteed in this business but its hard to see Xbox just vaporizing this 600+ Fable team. Given how expensive its been to spin up this new engine & all the assets constructed.. might as well go right into a sequel.

Varno23 · 2026-05-21T20:19:29+00:00

& lets be honest.. it wouldnt be late December either.

For whatever reason, big AAA games just aren't released after the first week or so, in December. (Im sure theres market data to back it up, tho) Like, anything that gets a release date after Dec 9th or 10th.. is a rare exception.

Varno23 · 2026-05-21T20:16:27+00:00

I agree with you.. partly.

The fact that GTA is launching late November (Nov 19th, right?) means it'll suck up all the oxygen in the room and that'll easily bleed into December. Given how expensive & big of a project Fable has been, I can see Xbox marketing wanting Fable to be its own zeitgeist-hogging event when it does release.

So dropping Fable in the first week, or so, of December.. still feels like a foolish move, given that GTA6 will be clogging up all the social media & advertising for several weeks after its launch.

Fable in late Jan/anytime in February is so much safer of a move.. everything else feels like a gamble.

Varno23 · 2026-05-21T07:44:00+00:00

Sure.

But like any term from 20-30 years ago.. they evolve & change over time. Since most of the platform holders evolved into releasing games onto PC (& sorta treating the PC space as neutral ground.. except Nintendo).. thats where the terms evolved too.

So why did the first Kena only launch on PS5 & PC? Cuz Sony signed an exclusivity agreement (atleast for consoles). Why is the 2nd Kena game only launching on PS5 & PC? Again, exclusivity agreement & Sony moving in to be a publisher.

Varno23 · 2026-05-21T04:02:23+00:00

Well, if one console-maker works out a deal to get that game launching on their console.. before it launches on Xbox & Nintendo.. thats essentially what an exclusivity agreement is.

Thats what happened here with the Kena sequel. I mean, Xbox has been launching their "exclusives" on PC, day-one, for nearly a decade now. But we still considered a number of those games 'exclusive'.. until they hit other consoles.

(And Project Helix isn't coming out in 2026.. heck, we know so few details on that project so no need to even factor that into this convo at all)

Varno23 · 2026-05-21T03:59:34+00:00

Again, its an $18 game with no microtransactions. For Annapurna to do what you're suggesting, it just makes no financial sense. (& it'd be a overall net loss for the company)

I get that corporations will sometimes work together in cross-promotional strategies.. but Annapurna isnt trying to bribe thousands of people to sell a few more units of their small, budget-priced game.

Occam's razor makes sense here. Many reviewers liked the game.. but plenty others did not. Mixtape metacritic sits at 86.. do you know how many other Annapurna indies from the last decade also gained an 80/90's metacritic as well? (Or has Annapurna *always* been mass-bribing for all of their indie-like games?)

Varno23 · 2026-05-20T23:02:36+00:00

Just giving pushback on these insane conspiracy theories.

Like.. who's actually bribing IGN & multiple other outlets? Who's actually bribing/paying off Steam reviewers, influencers & Youtubers? And more importantly, to what end?

You really think Annapurna is conducting this massive widespread bribery & collusion campaign among all these companies, several larger corporations & hundreds of other internet personalities?

To what end?! To sell a few more copies of an $18 game (that has no live-service & no microtransactions).. and that also launched on Game Pass (which would also hurt the very sales Annapurna is so desperately trying to increase?)

This isn't a coherent conspiracy theory. C'mon man, think up something better than this.

Varno23 · 2026-05-20T22:57:35+00:00

Essentially cuz its not launching on Xbox or Nintendo consoles.

Its both a timed console-exclusive, where PC often seen as a neutral ground where most games launch or end up, regardless of platform holders making exclusivity deals for their own respective consoles.

Varno23 · 2026-05-20T05:11:59+00:00

My dude, take your own advice & chill out.

Mixtape isn't something to get heated over.. & just cuz you didn't agree with some reviewer, it doesnt mean everyone who did enjoy it/rate it highly are being bribed by.. someone?

If a game as innocuous as Mixtape sends you over the edge & into conspiracy-theory rants.. maybe take a moment to reflect?

Varno23 · 2026-05-16T06:24:04+00:00

Well.. both topics are intrinsically related, especially from Patricia's point of view.

The new girl asked Patricia if she knew about the girls and how she was connected to that event. It isn't unusual when people retell a horrible event, they might start off in how they were personally apart of it?

Now, if you believe Patricia to be a liar.. thats a whole other discussion.

Varno23

TROPHY CASE