8 Disastrous Failures That Killed The Xbox One
5. Self-Destructive Decisions
Scalebound, Fable Legends and Lionhead Studios itself: there's no guarantee that, had any one of those assets been propped up by Microsoft that they would have ultimately been successful, but they could have been, and that's the important distinction to remember.
Fable Legends, for example, had every chance of being a surprise hit, but even so, why didn't Microsoft opt to pursue the safe route and commission Fable 4? Former Lionhead employees have revealed since the studio's closure that nobody wanted to make Legends, but Microsoft's desire to tap into the 'games as a service' model meant that the treasured UK-based studio was forced into taking a risk that ultimately led to its demise.
Then there was Scalebound. Microsoft canned the project due to Platinum Games' unsatisfactory progress at a time when exclusives on Xbox One were (and continue to be) lacking. Microsoft promised a slew of great titles to come as a means of softening the blow and yet, here we are, one year later, still waiting on Crackdown 3 and State of Decay 2 to arrive.
Please, Microsoft, think before you leap.