Defining Duke, Episode 208 | Looking Back At Xbox's 2024 - Was It A Disaster?
Added 2024-12-26 17:00:05 +0000 UTCTo say 2024 resembled a year of change for Xbox would be a bit of an understatement. Heading into a new year, the brand had all the momentum they had finally been seeking. They just delivered great, high profile exclusives in 2023 with the likes of a new Forza Motorsport, Starfield, and Hi Fi Rush, Game Pass delivered GOTY level experiences, and the Activision deal was finally done. Now, it was time to get down to business for the rest of the generation and Xbox did just that, only not in the way we expected. The reality is that the aforementioned momentum we all thought Xbox has ended up meaning very little. Their gaming brand barely generated profits in the final quarter of the year despite a highly anticipated Bethesda Game Studios game leading the charge. It was time for change and they made plenty. At the end of 2024, Xbox is now a multi-platform publisher, their dedication to future hardware is in question, and the social commentary surrounding their games has started to get messy. Combined with low quality deliveries in Shattered Space and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 as well as how divisive the long sought after Hellblade 2 ended up being and you have quite a lot to sift through. In a year full of negatives, can the Dukes find the positives, if any? How does 2025 shape up for Xbox with these changes now solidified? There's quite a bit to parse through, so let's get into one of the busiest years for Xbox.
Comments
Iβm starting to think cog canβt be objective when it comes to xbox. Love the guy but jeez.
Not John Cena
2025-01-09 22:57:23 +0000 UTCDon't get me wrong, I'd love for physical to always be an option, but for every platform besides Nintendo's it all seems to be going the way of the dodo. Playstation might not make coasters but they look just as ready to abandon the disc drive next gen, and then what? I used to love getting a physical disc but that's just a formality now. Midnight releases were cool, but we're past that. And I agree retail presence is important but a lot of this does just feel like shouting at clouds. As much as this corruption feels true and poignant, times change. Personally I'm more than ready and willing to adapt.
David P
2025-01-05 21:55:16 +0000 UTCCouldn't agree more with Matty. I was an Xbox One/Series X Day 1. Believed in the vision and like Matty says right at the cusp of something we're basically told your not good enough, we need more. So ye I jumped. Don't get me wrong I'll get their games Day 1 on PS5 but I will no longer invest in an Xbox Ecosystem. Thanks for the Memories
Ciaran Mckeown
2024-12-31 17:14:48 +0000 UTCAs a Mets fan, we deserve this new culture shift. Weβve come a long way from Jason Bay. Steve wants to win. Happy Holidays fellas
Michael Mashpotato
2024-12-31 16:25:35 +0000 UTCXbox has been my favorite platform since the OG Xbox and they are now dead too me. Xbox died in 2024 R.I.P
Louis-Charles Desjardins
2024-12-30 16:13:57 +0000 UTCWhere are the games going? Bro, where are the games π
Nghtseye
2024-12-30 08:19:30 +0000 UTCMarvel Heroes was dope AF. I wish that game would come back.
jordan allen burton
2024-12-28 15:59:42 +0000 UTCMicrosoft just doesn't have the software. They haven't had good software for a long time. One or two games that are good but don't catch fire, isn't good enough.
jordan allen burton
2024-12-28 15:23:29 +0000 UTCYes because the cadence behind their events allows them to do so. Cog's entire argument is that at least you know Xbox will have an event. Nintendo's approach allows them the ability to do this, not to mention they're not competing against Playstation or Xbox.
Edwin Juarez
2024-12-27 21:47:33 +0000 UTCIt kinda sucks what Xbox has become looking back at its history from the first Xbox and 360 but since Peter Moore left it just turned into every other Microsoft hardware initiative out there. No vision, no differentiator and "how do we copy the formula and try to out spend our competition" strategy that ultimately leads to failure. Must be rough for Xbox content creators. What do you talk about? I don't really see and EA or EPIC games podcasts out there
slick
2024-12-27 19:45:30 +0000 UTCMatty spitting facts once again.
A Hind D
2024-12-27 16:51:20 +0000 UTCAirPods 4. So glad I got a new pair. The battery life was so worn down on my old ones that I could barely use them anymore.
Haru Discourse
2024-12-27 14:12:14 +0000 UTCI appreciate the balanced look at the metrics of success. Cog is great at showing us all the different angles. But the βrevenue is upβ argument is a broken metric because of the acquisitions. It sure as hell better be up with everything they bought. And it does go back toβ¦ CEO spreadsheet success versus holistic, overall success. Sorta like dropping water weight instead of actual fat weight. Xbox might be up, but is it in a healthy long term way. Health is wealth indeed.
Kenneth Koepnick
2024-12-27 13:27:15 +0000 UTCMetroid was definitely a rich example, but only used to prove the point that Nintendo know how to market in the current landscape and that the announcement to release window is short, as it should be. Everything they announce actually has gameplay and/or a release date.
The Infinity Strasher
2024-12-27 08:41:26 +0000 UTCEven had to fact check myself because they announced the game when I was 17, I'm 25 now...
Edwin Juarez
2024-12-27 08:18:42 +0000 UTCDid Nintendo not do exactly the same with Metroid Prime 4 when they announced it in 2017? You don't even know what you're talking about lol
Edwin Juarez
2024-12-27 08:17:27 +0000 UTCThe "arrogant" talk is hilarious. Imagine how ridiculous it would be if Nintendo announced a new Zelda game that was 4 years away or triple revealed some StarFox game, or more recently, revealed Metroid Prime 4 with it being just a 10 second cinematic title card. Nintendo & Sony don't need to constantly do events, create TBD roadmaps and faux hype teasers to keep people interested in them.
The Infinity Strasher
2024-12-27 07:17:44 +0000 UTCWhat headphones did you get?
Edwin Juarez
2024-12-26 23:55:36 +0000 UTCI definitely agree. Some people are not old enough to remember e3 2016 for Sony but I do. They announced so many great games but they were not set for release until atleast 2018 most 2020. People got annoyed with them showing the same games from 2016 in the following year showcases because they announced stuff way too early. I think they learned from that. Also we gotta be adults here. We all know how long it takes to make games Iβm not expecting a new announcement every 3 to 6 months nor do I find it necessary. I feel like content creators fall into this trap because they need something to talk about.
Big titty drinker
2024-12-26 21:29:54 +0000 UTCI mean they flew him out the last couple times, got to be buddy/buddy. This is the reason xbox has been put into the position it has. No one yelled after phil didn't deliver when he had control of xbox. No one yelled loud enough because their initiative in having a dialogue via social media worked in a way to get their fans on their side for the longest time. Fans wanted to feel connected to these ceo's and developers. ANd to me thats why there has been no pressure on xbox previous to ABK deal. Now its money making time and MS is putting pressure on not the consumer
Alex Eddy
2024-12-26 21:17:23 +0000 UTCCouldn't agree more. The only people asking for more from Sony (not Nintendo as they do communicate regularly, probably the most out of the big three) are enthusiasts and industry commentators, the average user couldn't give a fuck. Sony had multiple State of Plays this year and just refuses to announce games that are in particular stages of development. I would rather see a game that's coming soon and is of a high quality standard and close to complete, (much like Nintendo does most of the time) rather than a vertical slice of a game that is years away ala Perfect Dark and Fable. Sure Sony have had a recent misfire but come-on it's one in how many? Even this year Xbox has had big misses, adding to year after year pattern. This cycle doesn't exactly earn loyalty or trust. It just comes across as copium to be critical of an approach that is clearly working well for both Nintendo and Sony.
Davario
2024-12-26 21:15:20 +0000 UTCAgreed
A Hind D
2024-12-26 20:26:22 +0000 UTCCog would rather have the company he likes keep lying to him than not say anything, lol. One of the worse arguments I've ever heard from him.
Jacob Lesperance
2024-12-26 19:50:21 +0000 UTCReally appreciate the commitment to releasing podcasts throughout the holiday season! Just got new headphones for Christmas and this is the first thing I wanted to listen to with them.
Haru Discourse
2024-12-26 19:40:20 +0000 UTCAppreciate all the work you guys do throughout the year. You guys and the rest of LSM family. Merry Christmas and enjoy your time off.
Jacob Lesperance
2024-12-26 19:16:55 +0000 UTCThe only problem I have with cog saying Sony and Nintendo are arrogant is that at the end of the day they deliver. Whether they say anything or not ,at the end of the year there are more good to great games that people wanna play on their platforms than Microsoftβs. And really thatβs all that matters truth be told. I could not care less about showcases because they constantly prove themselves year in and year out with great games. Xbox has struggled to do that CONSISTENTLY for like the last 10 years. So they SHOULD do more in terms of showcases because they donβt deserve the benefit of the doubt in my opinion.
Big titty drinker
2024-12-26 18:55:47 +0000 UTC
