Head of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer has been doing a few end-of-year interviews as 2024 draws to a close, and unsurprisingly the mood music is bullish. Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard for $69 billion went through in October 2023, and in its first full year has seen an instant increase in the depth and strength of the publisher's lineup (though Spencer warns the PC-heavy makeup is "historical" and an "anomaly"), alongside a focus on pushing players towards Game Pass with titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
The company has such an embarrassment of riches, in fact, that Spencer says it's letting them take their time where it's needed. Obsidian's hotly anticipated Avowed, a fantasy RPG that it's desperate for people not to compare to Skyrim, was at one point scheduled for a fall 2024 release, but in August was delayed into February 2025. The reason? Microsoft said it was all about players! Giving us a chance to get through those backlogs, what kindness!
"We can afford it when we have the Diablo expansion, then Black Ops, then Indy [-ana Jones and the Great Circle]," said Spencer. "We didn’t move it because Obsidian needed the time. They’ll use the time."
Hmmm. Spencer says that Microsoft internally is looking at the Game Pass slate, and how it's pacing out the larger releases. "Matt Booty and I, we plan it out, we talk with the Game Pass team. We say, 'Okay, what are the big launches coming in?' We also have Stalker, which isn’t even on that list [of 2024 releases], but obviously for us is a very meaningful launch. We said, ‘Okay, let's make sure we pace this out a little better."
Ah yes, the good ship Microsoft believes in the rising tide that lifts all boats… just as long as it's the biggest fleet on the waves. Either way the rationale behind Avowed's delay feels a little euphemistic. Games on this scale don't get delayed because Xbox executives are fretting about peoples' backlogs: They get delayed because they need more time in the oven, and the suits decide it's worth it. I can certainly see why, given the lukewarm reception to something like Starfield, Microsoft wants Avowed to launch in as good condition as is possible, because this is a game with hit potential, but there's equally a chance it could be a janky 6/10 cult classic.
