MS admits Xbox 360 game releases screw up

Microsoft is not known for openly admitting its shortcomings but Phil Spencer, MS Game Studios general manager, departs from the norm and gets candid about the mistakes his company committed.

In an interview with GameIndustry.biz, Spencer said that, as first-party developer, they didn’t really do a tremendous job. He was referring to the almost 7-month gap between the release of Dead Or Alive 4 (January 27), and Ninety-Nine Nights (August 25) with nothing in between.

“Obviously our job as a first-party publisher is to lead on our platform and to create content not only that appeals to a broad set of customers, but also content that comes out with a regular pacing to continue to freshen the shelves,” said Spencer. Having learned their lesson the hard way, Spencer reveals a more active calendar of release dates: Viva Piñata, Gears of War, Crackdown, Forza Motorsport 2, Mass Effect, Fable 2, and Halo 3. In fact, by Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa (whichever you celebrate) there will be 160 Xbox 360 titles out.

So for all you Xbox 360 fans out there, the main message from Spencer is the first-party game “drought” is over!

Microsoft is not known for openly admitting its shortcomings but Phil Spencer, MS Game Studios general manager, departs from the norm and gets candid about the mistakes his company committed.

In an interview with GameIndustry.biz, Spencer said that, as first-party developer, they didn’t really do a tremendous job. He was referring to the almost 7-month gap between the release of Dead Or Alive 4 (January 27), and Ninety-Nine Nights (August 25) with nothing in between.

“Obviously our job as a first-party publisher is to lead on our platform and to create content not only that appeals to a broad set of customers, but also content that comes out with a regular pacing to continue to freshen the shelves,” said Spencer. Having learned their lesson the hard way, Spencer reveals a more active calendar of release dates: Viva Piñata, Gears of War, Crackdown, Forza Motorsport 2, Mass Effect, Fable 2, and Halo 3. In fact, by Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa (whichever you celebrate) there will be 160 Xbox 360 titles out.

So for all you Xbox 360 fans out there, the main message from Spencer is the first-party game “drought” is over!