A big question at the heart of an Xbox fanatic like myself is simple: I see these studio acquisitions, but will it mean better games?

It sounds silly, and a bit revisionist, but the Playstation 4 wins this console cycle because Microsoft couldn’t put out a lineup of good games. That, of course, ignores the many achievements Xbox has earned, such as a great Xbox Game Pass system, a killer 4K console update to its Xbox One model, and of course, a general PR approach of putting gaming before competition. It is fantastic that we can play across Xbox and PC seamlessly, but it’s not worth much if there isn’t anything great to play.

I don’t regret buying my Xbox One, that’s not what this piece is about. Rather, my question is simple: do multiple studio acquisitions mean we’ll be getting great Xbox games? Absolutely not. I’m eager to see what the next generation of consoles means for Xbox, and although I don’t game on a PC, I’m thrilled for my non-console gamer friends. I’m not trying to be a pessimist, and I’m the biggest Xbox apologist there is. Yet, look at where we’re at. All these Microsoft Studios additions don’t mean anything until we get our hands on games.

Xbox ran Battletoads as a top release this E3. That’s a B-list title at best, and instead, it’s getting a lot of push from the team because we’re at a point where there’s not enough great works being published. Gears 5 looks to be wonderful, and AAA titles will keep my Xbox running well through Spring 2020. With 15 acquisitions, the question now becomes what these new studios are going to do for Microsoft. More importantly, what are they going to do for gamers? My optimism isn’t wearing thin, it’s just getting a bit tired of making excuses while great gaming moments occur on other consoles.

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