“Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Apologizes for Redfall: What Went Wrong and How They’ll Improve”

Spencer was a guest on the Kinda Funny Xcast today, where he was asked his thoughts on the reception of Redfall. “It’s disappointing. Now we’re going to see what we can learn from this and how we can get better. One thing I don’t do is go against the creative aspirations of our teams.”

He clarifies: “A lot of people think that certain developers are good at one type of game. I don’t think you should force them to just develop that kind of game. That might mean they’re not delivering what some fans hoped for. But when Rare Sea of ​​Thieves, develop Obsidian Grounded, and make Tango Gameworks Hi-Fi Rush, I want to give them a platform to do that.”

However, things didn’t go quite right with Redfall: “I also need a selection of great games that will surprise and delight our fans. We haven’t met that and I apologize for that. It’s up to us to deliver. is nothing harder for me than disappointing Xbox fans.(…) To see fans lose confidence and be disappointed…I am disappointed and angry at myself too.I think back to our process – the announcement that the game running at 30fps on consoles was a slap in the face, and then the game came out and the critical reception wasn’t what we had envisioned.”

The journalists at the Kinda Funny Xcast also asked Spencer when a decision is made to postpone or release a game, possibly with technical problems. “A developer has a creative vision. They have to ask themselves whether that creative vision has materialized in their game. If the answer is ‘no’ to that, then it’s not a question of procrastinating.”

He continues, “This isn’t just about Redfall specifically. We’re putting out high-rated games and low-rated games. If that’s what you’re afraid of as a publisher, don’t work in the entertainment industry. That said, every time we If we release something that doesn’t live up to expectations, we need to analyze our process. There are quality issues we’re working on, but the feedback we get is that the game doesn’t live up to the creative vision we had, so delaying isn’t the solution.”

Spencer emphasizes that Microsoft has no problem with postponing if necessary – he points out Starfield and Redfall, among others, which have already been postponed. “I love Arkane Austin, but the team didn’t meet its own internal goals on release. I think it’s too simplistic to say that if we had delayed the game for three months, the game would have delivered what was expected. So if there are issues with time constraints or bugs, we are open to delays, but at some point we have to release it and critics and players tell us what they think.”

Lars Cornelis gave a 5 to Redfall, which has recently been released on PC, Xbox Series and Game Pass: “Redfall falls far short of the standard we’ve come to expect from Arkane Studios. The game is surprisingly ill-conceived, you know? sporadically stimulate the imagination and technically also runs below par. The game shoots okay and has some cool weapons, but that’s about it.”

Spencer also spoke during the Xcast about the negative ruling by the British Competition and Marketing Authority (CMA) about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. “The CMA ruling was a disappointment. I was talking to them for a year. They are talking about a cloud gaming market that I don’t think exists today. But they believe we have an edge in a market that is evolving has just formed, and this content they believe could stop others from competing. But we will appeal and remain committed. Activision Blizzard King is not our strategy, but it accelerates our strategy, so we will continue to work on it.”