Microsoft’s new promise sparks optimism for franchises like CoD and Halo
Microsoft now has 13 "billion-dollar" gaming franchises under its portfolio, according to its latest quarterly report, but that isn't going to stop it from slowing down.
If you expected Microsoft to rest on its laurels after the Activision merger was finally processed, you're set to be proven quite wrong. Instead, it's all systems go in the Microsoft camp.
Now, with these war chest games under its flagship, Microsoft is going all in on getting its portfolio of titles up to that of Sony's.
Microsoft pledges Xbox will "double down" as a game producer
Shortly after Microsoft landed at the Activision headquarters and got to grips with the new team, the company released its quarterly financial report, which saw revenue grow by 9%.
But in a blog post on MSN, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has now pledged that Xbox will be "doubling down" on its efforts as a game publisher, not just a console engine.
"We're looking forward to really doubling down both as a game producer and a publisher. Now we'll be one of the largest game publishers and also as a company that's building platforms for it," Nadella said.
Microsoft's publisher promises breathes life into Call of Duty and Halo
Click to enlargeAmong Microsoft's banner are two colossal FPS franchises that have felt the blunt force of some lackadaisical approaches to publishing: Call of Duty and Halo.
These two series specifically have seen developmental issues arise year after year, with Infinite flopping hard due to a lack of post-launch support.
Call of Duty also continuously churns out semi-finished titles, possibly due to individual studios being dragged across into titles that should already be complete (case in point, Treyarch developing Zombies for Sledgehammer Games' Modern Warfare 3, despite them being lead devs on the next Black Ops game in 2024), with a clear sense of direction needed.
Should Microsoft be able to steady these ships, it will have an armada under its control, as both series have the potential to make bigger splashes than they already do, if the publishing is aligned.
