Phil Spencer apologizes for Redfall’s ‘disappointing’ launch however guarantees to maintain engaged on it

Redfall is out, and to be blunt, it’s not good. We’ll have our full evaluation posted at present however the brief model is that it’s extremely a lot in keeping with our earlier review-in-progress (opens in new tab): It fails on a number of ranges, and is simply not enjoyable to play. In an interview with Kinda Humorous (opens in new tab), Xbox boss Phil Spencer mentioned he is “disillusioned” within the state of the sport, and apologized to followers for lacking the mark so badly.

“I am disillusioned. I am upset with myself,” Spencer mentioned. “I form of revisit our course of—I feel again to the announcement of 60 frames per second, after which we weren’t delivery 60 frames per second (opens in new tab). That was form of our punch within the chin, rightfully, a pair weeks in the past. After which seeing the sport come out, and the essential response was not what we wished. It is disappointing.”

“I need to give the [Xbox] groups the inventive platform to go and push their skills, push their aspirations. However I additionally have to have an amazing number of video games that proceed to shock and delight our followers, and we under-delivered on that. And for that, I apologize. It is not what I anticipate, not what I would like.”

Apparently, Spencer mentioned delaying Redfall’s launch would not have solved its most basic issues as a result of whereas there are clearly “high quality points,” the larger drawback is that “the sport is not realizing the inventive imaginative and prescient that it had for its gamers.”

“That does not really feel like a, ‘Hey, simply delay it’,” Spencer mentioned. “That seems like the sport had a purpose to do one factor, and when gamers are literally enjoying they are not feeling that factor, they are not feeling the inventive execution of the workforce.”

All of this apparently caught Microsoft unexpectedly: Spencer mentioned the evaluation scores for Redfall have are available in “double-digits decrease” than what Microsoft anticipated based mostly on its inside mock opinions.

Regardless of the tough begin, Spencer mentioned Microsoft and Arkane stay “completely” dedicated to fixing and enhancing Redfall, evaluating it to Sea of Thieves (opens in new tab) and Grounded (opens in new tab), which grew from less-than-stellar launches into well-liked successes. “However I additionally know that these video games are $70,” Spencer mentioned, “and I’ll take full duty for launching a recreation that must be nice.”

Spencer additionally touched on the upcoming Xbox Video games Showcase (opens in new tab) and Starfield Direct streams, and on that topic he was a bit extra upbeat, promising updates on present initiatives and “some issues that folks have not seen, [including] some new video games.” That occasion is ready to start at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on June 11, and might be adopted by the PC Gaming Present (opens in new tab).