In 2021, Microsoft's Games division published games such as Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Age of Empires 4, and Psychonauts 2. It was named Metacritic's Publisher of the Year (open in new tab), partly due to its average Metascore of 87.4. In 2022, Microsoft supported smaller games with good reputations, such as Grounded, Pentiment, and As Dusk Falls. support, but its biggest releases, "Starfield" and "Redfall," were postponed to this year.

Xbox fans were not happy about this, but I think we can reduce rushed video game releases and perhaps reduce video games overall. live Xbox/Bethesda Developer Direct In a post-stream interview with IGN (opens in new tab), Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, said, "The commitment to our customers to continue to deliver great games is something that my team and I take seriously, 2022 had too few games," he said, agreeing with fans.

Spencer took this responsibility to heart, saying, "Our commitment to our fans is that we need to release a steady stream of great games that people can play on our platform. And basically, that's my responsibility. I am the head of the business."

In addition to "Starfield" and "Redfall," other Microsoft-published games confirmed for release in 2023 include "Minecraft Legends" and an eighth game called only "Forza Motorsport Motorsport". Spencer said, "I know there have been questions about the release date for Forza Motorsport. Everyone knows that the quality that Turn 10 has poured into motorsports, historically speaking, will be on display in this game. That is first and foremost, and when we get a little closer, we will definitely announce a date. But we just wanted to reassure people that this is the 2023 game."

Microsoft also got a positive response with the unexpected release of Hi-Fi Rush, a surprisingly hard-hitting rhythm-action game. Shadow-dropped during the live stream was the developer Tango Gameworks' own idea, Spencer said. 'They were playing the game and liked the early signals about the release date and quality. It would be fun to launch this game during the Developer Direct and say, 'Play it now. So we did that. We are always learning, always listening, and the community seems to be responding well.

Spencer emphasized that smaller, riskier games like Hi-Fi Rush and Obsidian's excellent Convent Mystery Pentiment were made possible by being offered on the subscription service Game Pass. If sales were the only way to measure success," he said, "they might not have been able to play those games. So if you can create opportunities for teams to do something unique and different from what they normally do, you can find new customers for the studio, or find people who really enjoy the work they are doing.

"One of the benefits of Game Pass, not to be an advertisement, but I think as a gamer, when you buy a game that is outside of what you normally play, you're taking a risk, but it's so easy to click now, download now, click now, play now. It's easy.

Spencer also spoke about Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, first announced in January 2022. Subsequently, the European Union Commission opened an investigation into the deal, and more recently, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees worldwide, casting doubt on the company's ability to expand.

"When we announced the acquisition a year ago, we talked about an 18-month timeframe. We accomplished that in 12 months. I think we remain focused on getting the deal done." He also said he knows more about how regulatory commissions work than he did at the time of the announcement, adding, "My confidence remains high. I am actively working with regulatory committees around the world that need approvals, and it has been a learning experience for me. A lot of time is spent, a lot of travel, a lot of conversations, but they are conversations to talk about our industry, our work, and why we do it. I think it's good for the industry itself to have more information from the regulators about what gaming is, how the business is done, who the players are, what we're trying to achieve as Team Xbox, etc."