Phil Spencer Says Xbox Needs To Do Better After Bethesda Delays
In 2022, we've got to ask… what is the point of video game release dates? Everything from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League have lost their 2022 release, while titles from last year like Hogwarts Legacy and God of War Ragnarok have found a new home this year.
Jumping on the trend of AAA game delays, it's Bethesda's turn to slap us with some disappointment. The developer behind The Elder Scrolls and Fallout already has some whales under its belts, but looking at the future, Starfield and Redfall were supposed to pave the way.
Last year, Bethesda Softworks also had huge success with Deathloop, but sadly, it won't be celebrating in 2022.
What Has Phil Spencer Said About The Gaming Delays?
We only just reported that Starfield and Redfall were being pushed to 2023, and in response, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said the gaming giant needs to do "better". Bethesda overlord ZeniMax media was bought by Microsoft last March, meaning there's a potential that future IPs will be Xbox exclusives. Both Starfield and Redfall were supposed to be two of the first to be part of this trend.
While Spencer admitted that these decisions were hard to make and said he fully supports teams taking a little longer to get the games right, he concluded that Microsoft "will continue to work to better meet those expectations." When the games were revealed at the Bethesda showcase, Bethesda's Todd Howard said, "We're confident in the date. Otherwise, we wouldn't be announcing it." Where are you now, Todd?
Spencer's comments have only rattled an already irate fan base. The replies were full of outraged gamers. One wrote, "How about as an industry, we change the way games are announced/marketed?" Another added, "As fans and consumers, we totally understand the delay to cherish the quality of games, we just don't agree with an entire empty year, without any heavy exclusive games on Xbox, Xbox is too big for that." A third championed Sony's PlayStation as they concluded, "Come to the blue side of force where the true masterpieces are made!"
What Do We Have To Look Forward To In 2022?
Taking two AAA games off the table in 2022 leaves Xbox with a pretty sparse state. Stalker 2 was delayed indefinitely when the Ukraine war broke out, meaning there's a question about what's left to release in a post-Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite year. Starfield was a Game Pass Day One release and set to dominate the holiday season.
Now that Starfield and Breath of the Wild 2 have moved from that window, it's over to God of War Ragnarok for a clean sweep with Sony. Perhaps our only hope is next month's E3. Hopefully, Spencer has a few surprise releases up his sleeve to keep the Xbox Series as more than just a Game Pass machine. Either way, one more delay and we'll be close to hurling our Xbox out of the window.