Rumors of Xbox shutting down The predictions for 2023 are not ill-founded. Microsoft has suffered a lot in the past year. Xbox first-party games have largely been disappointing. Redfall was the Xbox console-exclusive game by Arkane Studios that many fans expected to bring some excitement to Xbox’s catalog. But reviews called it middling. S.|S. In addition, the UK’s CMA has recently prevented the merger between Microsoft and Activision, a deal that both companies expected would be approved.
Will Xbox be shut down in 2023?
Xbox is not going to shut down in 2023. However, it must turn things around.
Jeff Grubb, an insider on the Game Mess podcast from April 2023 said that Microsoft is unhappy with the Xbox gaming unit. Xbox did not release a major first-party game in 2022, and according to him, “a lot of people do regret getting their Xbox.”
Xbox has been putting a lot of its effort behind Xbox Game Pass, and while I called the subscription service one of the best deals in gaming back in November 2022, it’s only as good as its catalogue. Without strong first-party content, there’s not much that separates it from Sony’s PlayStation Plus, which is only growing in strength. Microsoft acknowledged in 2022, that PlayStation exclusives God of War & Spider-Man were better than Xbox Exclusives.
Starfield is the Xbox exclusive on which fans are most excited. So far, it looks like it has the scope and vision to become a top-seller, but we haven’t seen too much gameplay yet of the game and Bethesda is sadly known for releasing fairly buggy games at launch. The Starfield standalone show has been confirmed for June 11. The game will now be released on the 6th of September after multiple delays.
That’s a lot of pressure, though, to place on one game that won’t be coming out until the fall. Xbox game studios Bethesda and Halo’s 343 Industries were also impacted by layoffs in January, with 343 Industries being hit particularly hard, which will make it even harder for Xbox first-party games to make a comeback.
Microsoft was also disappointed when UK regulators denied their acquisition of Activision. This could take up to 10 more years. Microsoft and Activision may be appealing the decision. However, it’s still a serious blow for the Xbox.
Xbox momentum is currently at its lowest point, and it’s likely to remain there for some time. But that doesn’t mean that Microsoft is closing its Xbox gaming division anytime soon. But Microsoft must make some bold choices to improve its Xbox first-party catalog.