14 DAY TRIAL // The Xbox One had a very solid month at retail in the United States during the month of October, and Microsoft seems eager to continue the positive trend in the coming year to move into a position where it can threaten the dominant position of the rival PlayStation 4 from Sony.
Yusuf Mehdi, a corporate vice president in charge of Windows and devices, is quoted by NeoGAF as telling the audience at the Credit Suisse Technology Broker Conference that 2015 had the best lineup of video games in the history of the company and plans to deliver the same next year.
He states, "So if you like games, this is the year to get a Xbox. We have Halo 5 launching. We have Minecraft on Xbox. We have Gears of War… Best lineup. Next year will also be the best lineup. That leads to a great success on it. But the other interesting thing, is now we are bringing that Xbox gaming value prop to other devices, in particular, the PC."
The big bump in sales for the home console in October was linked to the launch of Halo 5: Guardians and other exclusive releases, like Forza Motorsport 6 and the Rare collection, failed to have a similar impact despite getting solid receptions from fans and reviewers.
It will be interesting to see how Rise of the Tomb Raider, which launched on November 10, will perform in November and whether Lara Croft has the power to deliver a solid boost to the Xbox One.
Gears of War 4 is the big launch of 2016
Exclusives can be crucial for a modern gaming platform, but they also represent a risk because a failure tends to affect the long-term prospects of the series and the associated companies.
In 2016, Microsoft is working to deliver titles including Quantum Break, which was repeatedly delayed, Scalebound, Crackdown 3, Re: Core, Fable Legends, Sea of Thieves and Halo Wars 2, which is being handled by The Creative Assembly.
The big star of the lineup for the Xbox One is without question Gears of War 4, the first title in the series which is being designed from the ground up for the new platform and its unique capabilities.
So far the development team at The Coalition has not offered too many details about the title, which is designed to be a direct sequel regarding narrative and will focus on two-player cooperative action.
It seems that Gears of War 4 will aim at delivering more atmosphere than previous installments without abandoning the core cover-based gameplay of the franchise.
Many PC gamers will be happy to see their platform mentioned by Mehdi, with wording that might be taken as a suggestion that some of the big Xbox One titles will also be launched on the PC or might feature cross-platform play.
Until 2016 rolls around, Microsoft is planning to deliver yet unspecified bundles and offers associated with its console in time for Christmas, aiming to generate once again more sales than the PlayStation 4.