Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase , CEO Phil Spencer sat down with IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey at IGN Live 2024 to run through what some have called the best video game showcase in years. The reveal included fresh looks at upcoming big hitters in Xbox’s now enormous arsenal of franchises following its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Xbox mainstays Gears of War, Fable, and Perfect Dark were joined by the likes of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo.
.. all these huge series got their time to shine.
It was a blistering showcase focused squarely on the games, and based on initial feedback online, the games looked good. But Microsoft's showcase has hit the headlines during one of the most troubling times for Xbox in recent memory. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced 1,900 staff would lose their jobs across its gaming business , and then came the shock closure of Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks as part of devastating cuts at Bethesda.
Is any studio, regardless of critical or commercial acclaim, safe? Meanwhile, Microsoft faces difficult questions about the future of Xbox consoles , which have seen sales plummet year-on-year, as well as an apparent struggle to grow subscription service Game Pass. Microsoft is bringing even more of its games to rival platforms with the announcement that Doom: The Dark Ages will launch on PlayStation 5 alongside Xbox Series X and S and PC. When it comes to Xbox, the t.
