Phil Spencer's Plans for E3: First Party Exclusives

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Steve Anderson
The Video Store Guy
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Phil Spencer's Plans for E3: First Party Exclusives

It's not surprising that people are already fueling up for E3. With the big event a little under two months out, and some tidbits already getting out like the fact that Bethesda's going to have its own presser at the event, it's clear that this could be one of the biggest such events in a long time. But something slipped out that suggests a little something about Microsoft's plans for the big event, and you'll want to get a bib for this one. Might be some drooling afoot.

The plan, as revealed from a tweet from Xbox head Phil Spencer, is that Xbox One will be focusing on first party games for E3, and looks to have a platform exclusive title to announce as well. Exciting? Indeed. But what is this spectacular new title? No one's sure as yet, but there might well be something big to show at the big event. Following a response on Twitter suggesting that first party was the "best long term route," Spencer responded with the idea that Microsoft will be "focusing on our games."

That's not to say that there won't be third party material, of course--if Microsoft didn't get in the fourth Fallout or the sixth Elder Scrolls, just for starters, there'd probably an armed mob outside Redmond baying for blood--but it was more that Spencer wanted to note a focus on first-party, not an obsession with it to the exclusion of all else.

Indeed, right now, the game stock does seem a bit slim. There have been some clear winners, of course--I'm still enamored with stuff like Dying Light, Sunset Overdrive, and Neverwinter, and Dead Rising 3 gave me a hope for the entire console generation that I have yet to have actually felt--but just walk into a video store, if there's one near you, and take a look at the rental wall for Xbox One titles. Seems kind of sparse, doesn't it? The picture's a bit brighter for PlayStation 4, but it's still pretty light over there too.

Naturally, only time will tell what all makes an appearance at the next E3, but with just over seven weeks to go until the big day, we've got some time to wait. There will likely be some leaks between now and then, of course, but until then, there are still plenty of gaps to fill in and, in all likelihood, a host of surprises waiting for us.


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