Xbox Series X: 10 Worries Microsoft NEED To Address
2. The overall focus of Halo Infinite and other major exclusives
Now, we come to Microsoft's overall treatment of the major names. Having the big franchises is all well and good, but what you do with them now matters even more. Halo 5: Guardians is widely regarded as the weakest entry in its series with a poor campaign mode and an ambitious online component spoiled by questionable intentions with its REQ system. The many acquisitions Microsoft has made recently from Mojang to Rare speaks to their desire of pursuing properties that will make money.
While the ID@Xbox program has worked to balance things out, the big name franchises need to be handled with care and maintain a clear focus. Halo Infinite is said to have a ten-year support cycle, but knowing what happened with Destiny, this doesn't fill me with excitement.
The live-service model has been heavily criticised for poor business practices, incomplete content models and road maps that compel players to wait for the game to get better.
Going into the Xbox Series X, they should work to change this.
By that I mean focusing on making the best product right out of the gate. We already saw what happened with Sea of Thieves, a disguised early access game that should have offered more content on launch.