Sponsored By

"We feel really good heading into 2020. We've got a goal of being able to deliver a [first-party] game, roughly, every three to four months."

Chris Kerr, News Editor

November 29, 2019

2 Min Read

Microsoft has spent the past 18 months very publicly adding to its roster of first-party studios with a spate of high-profile acquisitions, and now Xbox Game Studios chief Matt Booty has outlined how they’ll be put to use. 

When asked about consumer demand for more first-party titles during a recent interview with GamesRadar, Booty said Xbox owners will (hopefully) be able to look forward to a new game every three to four months in 2020. 

"We feel really good heading into 2020. We've got a goal of being able to deliver a [first-party] game, roughly, every three to four months," he commented. "We have a little bit of work to do to get there. It'll be lumpy, but we’re closer than we were. And so we feel really good going into 2020 -- and the run-up to Project Scarlett -- with our content line-up."

It’s an ambitious target, but Microsoft obviously feels it has the resources to deliver the goods. The company now has 15 studios working under the Xbox Game Studios banner, including a number of recent additions like Double Fine, Obsidian, Ninja Theory, and Playground Games

Although Booty was eager to talk up Xbox’s growing first-party offering, he also dismissed the notion that the company has shifted away from third-party content. 

"I don't think there's been a shift -- no one, at least in Redmond, would say: 'Oh, we've shifted from third-party over to first-party.' Sarah Bond, who leads our third-party team, is out there day in and day out working with our third-party partners," he explained.

"If you were to sit in a meeting back at Redmond, I think you would hear an equal amount of talk about first-party, third-party, and ID@Xbox. We take that altogether as our content stream. I think it’s just that, lately, we felt a little more proud about talking about what we’ve got going on with first-party."

You can hear more from Booty by checking out the full interview over at GamesRadar. It’s well worth a read.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like