Today marks yet another time when an extremely anticipated gaming event, in this case Microsoft's Xbox Series X gameplay reveal, has fallen short of fan expectations in a spectacular way. The backlash that Microsoft is currently getting from fans is pretty harsh, and it may remind many of the similar reaction that fans had to Sony's Road to PS5 event back in March, which was criticized for being boring and lacking good content. That said, the two instances differ in a fundamental way, so it is worth taking the time to compare the two in terms of what they did well and what they didn't.
For those unaware, the Inside Xbox broadcast today has been hyped up for quite some time as it was said to show a first look at gameplay of next generation games on the Xbox Series X. Naturally, even non Xbox fans were excited about the chance to see just how good next gen gameplay would look, but the actual event was less than satisfying for most fans. Instead of seeing gameplay for games, Microsoft showed mostly trailers and cinematics, much to the dismay of fans in the comment sections and those watching the stream.
Microsoft's Inside Xbox Gameplay Reveal
For a while now Microsoft has been hyping up today's Inside Xbox, and even at the beginning of the video, Damon Baker, the Head of Global Portfolio at Xbox, continues to hype up the events about to occur. Baker even goes so far as to take a moment to reassure gamers that "everything you see here will highlight the in game experience, with actual gameplay captured in engine to give you the best sense of what to expect..." What followed that statement was a slew of trailers and cinematics for upcoming next gen games.
It is completely understandable for fans to be upset that not moments after being promised gameplay, they are instead given trailers. What makes this event particularly interesting, however, is that under any other circumstances, fans would be incredibly excited about the sheer number of trailers and games showcased, but because the expectation was a gameplay reveal, all of that has been overshadowed. That said, there were a lot of games showed which seem niche, such as Madden 21, or the numerous horror games showed during the Inside Xbox.
Sony's The Road to PS5
Sony's showcase back in March, titled The Road to PS5, was subject to some similar criticisms as well. This, like the Inside Xbox, was hyped up considerably as a chance for fans to learn more about the PS5 and what it will be capable of, but when fans actually tuned in, they found an admittedly dull presentation from Mike Cerny about the PS5's hardware capabilities. The design of the console was not shown, there was no gameplay shown or game reveals whatsoever, and Cerny instead simply talked to a green screen audience for 45 minutes. Reaction to this was mostly disappointed, as opposed to the rather angry reaction to the Inside Xbox reveal.
There is actually a good reason for this, however. Sony gave this presentation in lieu of the one it planned to give at GDC (Game Developer Conference), which was cancelled due to the Coronavirus. The Road to PS5 was intended for developers, not consumers, even though it was made available for consumers to watch and marketed to them to an extent. Whereas gamers are more concerned with what the PS5 will look like, developers could care less about that and want to know what is inside the box and how they can best use it to create next generation games.
PS5 and Xbox Series X - Setting Expectations
Although these situations were very different in nature, they boil down to the same root cause. Neither company did a good job of setting the expectations of their fans. Both events, when taken at face value, were great, with The Road to PS5 providing some really unique insight on the inner workings of the console and the Inside Xbox revealing a ton of new games that will be arriving with next gen consoles at the end of this year or early next year, but both were looked down on because of the context they were presented in.
If Sony had been more clear that its The Road to PS5 presentation would be mostly technical and may not be of interest to consumers, fans would have known to either skip it entirely or have gone in with expectations set closer to reality. Likewise, if Microsoft hadn't marketed its Inside Xbox as a "Gameplay Reveal," viewers would likely have been thrilled by the presentation. Instead, both companies misled (whether intentional or otherwise) their supporters and created an expectation which was unrealistic and impossible to meet.
How Can Sony and Microsoft Come Back From This?
If Microsoft wants to come back from this mistake, its best bet is to look at Sony, which already has bounced back. Granted, Sony's blunder was less severe than Microsoft's, but both can still learn from each others' example. Shortly after The Road to PS5, at the start of April, Sony revealed its new DualSense controller. This was a sufficient enough reveal to draw attention away from The Road to PS5 and back onto more exciting things that fans care about. Microsoft is going to need to do the same, and relatively quick, if it hopes to win back the fans it may have lost as a result of what some would consider false advertising.
Of course, Microsoft has already showed its controller and even its actual console, so something more will be needed in order to make things right. More than likely, the best thing for Microsoft to do would be to actually acquire some Xbox Series X gameplay footage and show it to fans, although it is unclear how realistic this is given that the console and the games itself are still in development. Either way, Microsoft is a big company and a setback like this certainly won't be the end of it, but fans should look out to see if Microsoft makes a comment on the recent occurence.
The Xbox Series X will be available this holiday season.
