During a recent podcast, Bloomberg journalist and industry insider Jason Schreier shared his concerns about the current state of Microsoft’s Xbox division, describing it as disorganized and directionless. According to Schreier, Xbox is struggling with shifting strategies and indecision, which has impacted its long-term plans. He also provided insight into the future of Guerrilla Games, specifically its work on the Horizon franchise, indicating that Horizon Online will be the next major release from the studio, with Horizon 3 likely being far from completion.
Schreier was notably critical of Xbox’s overall situation, stating, “Xbox is such a mess right now, I feel like their plan is changing every single year.” He went on to highlight the inconsistency in Xbox’s approach, citing the company’s changing stance on various projects. “Right now they’re talking about teasing handheld over and over again but who knows? A year ago, they were saying Indiana Jones was never coming to PlayStation so like, they change their minds every month. They’re just a disaster over there, it’s really sad.”
The journalist’s comments come at a time when Xbox’s future direction remains unclear, with questions surrounding both hardware and exclusive game releases.
Schreier also shed light on Guerrilla Games’ current focus, revealing that the studio’s next major release will be Horizon Online rather than Horizon 3. “And their plan…I mean, Horizon Online is their next product, not the third single-player game, looks like. So, that one may be ways off,” Schreier said.
The shift towards live-service games has been a notable trend within Sony’s PlayStation strategy, and Schreier pointed out that this focus has affected the development of many titles. “Yeah, I mean like, Sony-PlayStation’s like live service initiative was no joke,” he explained, referring to the company’s prioritization of multiplayer and ongoing-service games. Horizon Online, according to Schreier, is one of the few live-service projects that have survived, unlike others that have either been canceled or underperformed, such as Concord.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the next release in the series that is coming to the PS5 and PC on October 31, 2024.
