XBOX’S LOCKED IP VAULT
XBOX'S LOCKED IP VAULT
Since Phil Spencer took over as the Head of Xbox, things have been in a massive upswing for the brand; fans are rejuvenated, more and more studios are being added to the first party family, Gamepass has been a huge success, Backwards Compatibility and its continued support has been incredible, the adaptive controller has been a miraculous tech innovation for disabled gamers, and many other signs of a much healthier Xbox than before his appointment to the top spot. Having said that, there is still one thing that Xbox desperately needs; nurturing, supporting, and growing their new IPs. Throughout its history as a console and game maker, the Xbox Brand has largely struggled with turning games into sustainable franchises. Their IP basement is filled with IP’s that have been abandoned for whatever reason, many after just a single entry. Obviously, Xbox is operating a business, not a gaming spa for spoiled fans, but fans do drive their business.
"THIS GENERATION (XBOX ONE) ALONE HAS SEVERAL NOTEWORTHY IPS SEEMINGLY AXED"
Casting off IP’s with potential after just an entry or two is wasted potential, and a bad look for the company, especially when they are already at a large disadvantage for exclusives this console generation. This generation (Xbox One) alone has several noteworthy IPs seemingly axed after failure to meet the standard Xbox wanted. Quantum Break, Sunset Overdrive, Recore, and Ryse were all high-profile exclusives this generation, and appear to be effectively dead to rights now. The cancellation of Scalebound is another point of discontent from the fanbase.
"XBOX CAN'T EXPECT TO MAINTAIN A PORTFOLIO OF GEARS, HALO, FORZA, AND FORZA HORIZON SEQUELS EXCLUSIVELY, WITH ONE-AND-DONE IPS SPRINKLED IN"
Not all “disappointing” games deserve a second chance; sometimes they are just bad, but when there is a fanbase starving for new franchises to support, and they are actually passionate about these, it’s mindboggling to see them just cast off. Xbox can’t expect to maintain a portfolio of Gears, Halo, Forza, and Forza Horizon sequels exclusively, with one-and-done IPs sprinkled in. They need other franchises to carry the brand, as well. State of Decay, Outer Worlds, and Wasteland seem to have Microsoft’s support going forward, so that is a great sign, but the sheer number of other potential (Sunset Overdrive, Ryse, etc.) or already established franchises (Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, etc.) that they have locked away, is disheartening for fans. Hopefully, the well-established rumors of Playground Games’ next title being a Fable revival are accurate, Xbox fans have certainly been waiting a long time for that franchise to return, as well. Below is a list of just some of the many IP’s that Xbox seems to have put on ice.
Rare Replay is a collection of 30 Classic Rare games, and was released in 2015
- Banjo-Kazooie (Last Seen: 2008, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Blinx (Last Seen: 2004)
- Blue Dragon (Last Seen: 2007)
- Brute Force (Last Seen: 2003)
- Conker (Last Seen: 2005, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Crimson Skies (Last Seen: 2001)
- Fable (Last Seen: 2014 Remaster)
- Grabbed by the Ghoulies (Last Seen: 2003, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Infinite Undiscovery (Last Seen: 2008)
- Jetpac (Last Seen: 2007, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Jet Force Gemini (Last Seen: 1999, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Kameo: Elements of Power (Last Seen: 2005, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Kung Fu Chaos (Last Seen: 2003)
- Lost Odyssey (Last Seen: 2008)
- Perfect Dark (Last Seen: 2010 Remaster, 2015 Rare Replay)
- Project Gotham Racing (Last Seen: 2007)
- Project Spark (Last Seen: 2016 Servers Shut Down)
- Quantum Break (Last Seen: 2016)
- Recore (Last Seen: 2017 Definitive Edition)
- Ryse: Son of Rome (Last Seen: 2013 Xbox One, 2014 PC Release)
- Scalebound (Cancelled: 2017)
- Sunset Overdrive (Last Seen: 2014 Xbox One, 2018 PC Release)
- Viva Piñata (Last Seen: 2008, 2015 Rare Replay)