While it may seem that Xbox is giving up on creating new IPs to focus intently on its existing series, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has claimed that isn’t the case.
Following ongoing mass layoffs across every studio as well as divestments of teams such as Double Fine that were creating new IPs, Sharma has claimed that Xbox needs new franchises to survive. However, they also claim that Xbox will continue to focus on its existing franchises as well.
According to Windows Central, Sharma reportedly claimed that new IPs are essential to the future of Xbox in a recent Town Hall meeting. While the console giant has cut thousands of jobs and closed a number of studios working on fresh IPs, and even cancelled new, internally well-received MMO Project Blackbird, Sharma claimed the company needs to invent new series to survive.
“We’re backing our strongest franchises,” Sharma reportedly said. “I want our great games to become great global billion-dollar franchises. I would also like to see us continue to create enduring new IP. We will not survive if we only revive on the past. We have to find new ways, and courage, to have invention on new IP, that reaches new sets of audiences.”
Since Sharma’s appointment as the head of Microsoft’s gaming brand, the CEO has focused on further commitments to existing IPs. The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Forza, Gears of War, and Halo—which is now in the hands of Activision, have been discussed at length, and massive cuts across the board were made to studio’s working on non-flagship games.
Additionally, Blizzard, which is now owned by Microsoft, is doubling down on its legacy IPs with announcements for Diablo 5, a new Starcraft game, and the release of brand-new Classic+ MMO World of Warcraft: Forever. Call of Duty also remains a strong focus for the gaming giant.
Now that’s all known, the question becomes: where are these new IPs coming from? Xbox’s expensive partnership with Kojima Productions can bring two new IPs, OD and Physint, but where is the space for internally developed original IPs when everyone is already focused on “backing our strongest franchises”?
With that said, Xbox’s next brand-new IP is coming out fairly soon in the form of Clockwork Revolution. Created by Wasteland developer InXile, the upcoming RPG is a bold new time-travel story where players’ actions change the world around them. Launching in 2027, the game is exclusive to PC and Xbox, and will launch on Xbox Game Pass.
