Xbox’s content acquisition strategy has been in the headlines again recently.
Let’s be honest, Xbox fans are pretty well off overall right now. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Coming to Xbox Game Pass,Alongside Valorantall characters were unlocked for subscribers. Also, there were some great titles like: National God and Hinterburg dungeon It recently entered the service. Xbox Games Showcase 2024 The June announcement provided the most exciting and comprehensive look yet at Microsoft’s roadmap. Microsoft also officially Next version of Xbox console hardware in development.
I’ve structured this article this way because I want to acknowledge that Microsoft has been great for Xbox fans lately, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. However, the brand has been under a bit of stress lately, with some of Microsoft’s strategic decisions calling into question the long-term future of Xbox. Microsoft has Bringing Xbox games to third-party console platforms such as PlayStationSeemingly, this could lead to less interest in Xbox hardware and less desire for the brand.
With that in mind, Xbox fans are often skeptical of some aspects of Microsoft’s strategy: Halo, the Xbox’s flagship IP, has arguably been thoroughly mishandled over the past few years, for example. Capcom and other companies have been releasing games exclusively. skip Xbox, including Monster Hunter Storiesand ports of games like Marvel vs. Capcom.
Many of these games have been available on the Xbox platform for some time now, so the community is understandably upset at Microsoft’s lack of urgency on some of these issues. And perhaps they are all symptoms of the same issues I will discuss in this short article. But I rarely see the core Xbox community discussing the Xbox’s near total omission, arguably the biggest failure in recent Xbox history since the infamous Xbox One launch in 2013. whole Gacha games Genre.
Microsoft had the chance to port Genshin to Xbox but turned it down. It’s a spectacular failure.
People often skip the Xbox because they’re not interested in gaming. They are I want it. I’m probably one of the few gamers who really wants Monster Hunter Stories on Xbox. Microsoft is probably keenly aware of that fact too.
At EVO 2024, Capcom announced SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos for its latest platforms: PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Xbox will not be present again. EVO is the largest fighting game tournament in the world and represents one of the most passionate and dedicated communities in gaming, so it would be great to see another game like this announced. Exclusively The lack of Xbox presence on such a big stage sends a big message: the fighting game community doesn’t necessarily perform at its best on Xbox.
For the sake of argument, let’s give this one a thumbs up in Microsoft’s favor. Fighting games aren’t as popular as they once were, and they probably won’t draw new users into gaming like they did in past decades. Games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are popular, but they’re nowhere near as popular as games like Call of Duty and Fortnite in terms of driving engagement. So maybe Capcom’s old fighting games aren’t a big deal. Maybe now, but who knows what the future holds when it comes to content. I would argue they should take a shot to be sure. every Even if the audience is relatively small, the genre is well-served on the platform – you never know when something is going to blow up, and few games embody that reality quite like Genshin Impact.
While we may be open to Microsoft when it comes to its old-school fighting games on Xbox, the same cannot be said for the increasingly popular “gacha” type games that have become so popular in recent years, and I’ve barely seen any discussion of this from the core Xbox community. I can’t help but feel that the underserving of this genre over others is what is holding Xbox back at the moment, and one of the biggest failings of the brand.
For those of you who don’t know, Genshin Impact is a hugely popular free action RPG that basically do not have It’s a huge game on Xbox, with tens of millions of players and helping Shanghai-based MiHoYo generate billions of dollars in annual revenue. Profit rate In 2022, Genshin Impact’s immense popularity and in-app purchase model helped it outsell both EA and Activision, and it shows little sign of slowing down.
Games like Genshin, Collapse Starrail, and the recently released Zenless Zone Zero have been downloaded hundreds of millions of times across mobile devices, PC, PlayStation, and even the Epic Store, yet are nowhere to be found on Xbox. These games have billions of dollars in revenue, incredibly dedicated fanbases, and above all else, huge user bases. very It is popular with the younger generation of gamers looking to buy their first gaming console.
The worst part is that Microsoft had first choice for Genshin and all subsequent MiHoYo games, and, sensationally, they reportedly turned it down.
Gacha games have exploded in popularity literally everywhere except for Xbox
Yes, that’s right. Microsoft passed it Reuters reported that MiHoYo mentioned the issue when they were pitching Genshin Impact for Xbox in 2020. Genshin’s absence essentially handed a genre of games over to PlayStation, at least when it comes to the console side of things. Of course, we know that the majority of engagement with these types of games happens on mobile, but why are we still in them if they’re not going to at least try to compete with the most trending and foundational titles?
It would be nice to have games like Monster Hunter Stories and the classic Marvel vs. Capcom on Xbox, but I will admit that it’s not necessarily important in and of itself. However, similar titles like Genshin and Storm Caller Mobile Suit are not on Xbox, and they are very popular with young gamers, especially Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha generations. These generations may be going to college for the first time and considering a console to play these types of games more comfortably. Perhaps they will consider playing on a device such as the $40 Amazon Fire Stick 4K with Xbox Cloud Gaming to save money. If that were possible, which it isn’t.
My younger relative recently cited Genshin specifically as the basis for his decision to go for a PS5 over an Xbox Series X|S console, and I’m curious how many other young people are following the same line of thinking.
It’s hard to know for sure why Microsoft would have passed on Genshin. Perhaps there were concerns about the genre’s strong adherence to loot box-style mechanics back in 2020, when the government was investigating the business model. Maybe Microsoft just doesn’t like anime that much. Either way, there’s no doubt that Microsoft deeply regrets the decision to pass on MiHoYo’s lineup, which is effectively a PlayStation exclusive in the console market. We know that Microsoft is also, at least ambitiously, exploring the option to bring Genshin to Xbox one day.
But any chance to ride the wave of popularity of Genshin and its gacha siblings is probably long gone, and this is just another example of Xbox playing catch-up as a result of a lack of cultural foresight or urgency.
Is it too late to fix the Xbox gacha situation?
Microsoft has had some free-to-play wins recently with games like: First Descentand Bandai Namco’s Genshin-esque Blue Protocol may be coming to Xbox later this year, but that’s probably not much consolation at this point. Xbox Series S For millions of young people looking for a compact gaming console to use at college or in their bedrooms, this would have been the ideal choice if it actually had the games they wanted.
Microsoft often talks in interviews about scouring the internet for the hard-to-find “Xbox newbie” audience. The company has done some impressive things to capture these users, including big partnerships with service games like Valorant and League of Legends for PC, and partnering with Epic Games on cloud. Microsoft also boosted its credibility in Japan with Atlus’ support for franchises like: Persona (I don’t dislike the Ys or Trails series, but…Microsoft has finally Final Fantasy 14 MMOs also seem to be doing well on Xbox. EA’s College Football 2025 has also been driving Xbox console sales recently. Microsoft did obtain Palworld It was released as a launch exclusive for the console and became a huge hit earlier this year.
Releasing Genshin and its gacha siblings should be a DEFCON 1 situation for Xbox.
I want to shout victory here because I truly appreciate the effort every part of the Xbox team is putting into it. But something is definitely missing. Whether it’s “smaller” titles like classic Capcom games, cult classics like Final Fantasy VII Remake, or even big flops like Genshin Impact. Xbox fans seem typically left out, but in a world where Microsoft has started putting their games on competing platforms as well, that’s unforgivable. I think the backlash against that strategy is somewhat natural, given that there are still content issues at home. Those content issues kept Xbox out of the competition, and cost Microsoft the wasted cost of paying premium dollars after the fact just to right past mistakes.
Xbox Game Pass It’s great. I love it. No issues there. I love the cloud efforts, I love the first-party efforts. But I can’t wait for a future where a studio will give you a press release for a new game and it says “coming to all platforms!” but it omits Xbox. But maybe I’m asking too much, but I can’t help but feel like the release of Genshin and its gacha brethren should be a DEFCON 1 situation for Xbox.
