9 Most Controversial Video Game Moments Of 2017

7. Microsoft Cans One Of Its Only First-Party Exclusives

Star Wars Battlefront 2
Platinum Games

Is the Xbox One X an impressive bit of kit? Objectively yes. Is it the premiere console for all your multi-platform needs? Unquestionably. Is it backed up by a healthy library of first-party exclusives? Not on your nelly.

Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves, two games that feel as if they've been haunting the release schedule since the eighth console generation began, have survived several delays and mediocre receptions to remain on track for launch sometime during 2018, but not Scalebound, it wasn't so lucky.

Platinum Games' action RPG was canned outright at the dawn of 2017, leading many to question their decision to drop the three-figure sum on a console starved of exclusive software, one that wasn't answered all too well by Xbox's passionate chief, Phil Spencer.

In fairness to Phil, Halo Wars 2 and Cuphead have been strong additions to the platform within the last 12 months, but compared to PS4's Nioh, NieR: Automata, Horizon Zero Dawn and Persona 5? Well, let's just say that Microsoft will need to up its game (output) if it hopes to regain lost ground in 2018.

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Contributor

Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.