Xboxis taking the necessary steps to make a comeback in a big way on the gaming scene, returning to the juggernaut presence the brand held in the early days of the Xbox 360. Aside from doing a commendable job with online play and providing consumer friendly services likeXbox Game Pass, there has been one common complaint about the brand making the rounds in recent years.
Compared to the competition over at PlayStation and Nintendo,Xboxusers don’t have many exclusive IPs available only to those who purchased the popular Microsoft console. All of that appears to be changing after various acquisitions over the years but perhaps most notably the recent Bethesda acquisition by Microsoft, giving Xbox fans more bragging rights over which popular franchises are going to be more commonly associated under the Xbox banner in the years to come. This is especially evident in the amount of games within the shooter genre that were acquired in the deal, an extremely popular choice for many players within the ever growing gaming community.
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Guns, Lots of Guns
Nintendo is known for its more family friendly entertainment and PlayStation prides itself on single player action adventures. The Xbox always aimed to deliver more “mature” gaming experiences even from the launch of the original console back in 2001.Halo: Combat Evolvedredefined the first person shooterexperience on a home console and helped further popularize the genre, paving the way for later hits to thrive likeCall of Duty 4: Modern WarfareandTeam Fortress 2.
It now seems only fitting that things have come full circle and Xbox becomes the reigning king in the genre it helped solidify as one of the most popular in all of gaming.HaloandGears of Warare already some of the biggest names in the shooter genre, let alone the entire gaming industry. Now, with franchises likeDoomalso entering the fray to be closely tied to the Xbox brand, that results in the brand being the all in one console to enjoy some of thebest first person shooters available.
An Firm Grip on Multiplayer Gaming
As stated above, the Xbox platform has made its mark in gaming history forrevolutionizing how console gaming could be taken onlinelike never before. With a serious push for quality multiplayer titles and dedicated online servers with Xbox live, Microsoft helped usher in a new era for online console gaming, a level of quality that the competition is arguably still trailing behind. Nowadays, nearly every major video game release comes packaged with an accompanying multiplayer mode, something which is especially true in the first person shooter market.
If players recognize that all of these games are in one place, especially ifolder Bethesda titles get a performance booston Xbox Series X/S, then that brings more gamers to the Xbox family. Furthermore, since these titles have the aforementioned multiplayer modes, this growing Xbox base of players will lead to an even bigger online community for Xbox consoles. Since shooters are prime for multiplayer sessions, whether with a quick match or more hardcore gaming, having all of these IPs under one roof provides endless options for trigger happy gamers everywhere.
Association with Recognizable IPs
Just as the competition at PlayStation has many recognizable franchises that have become synonymous to the brand such asGod of WarandUncharted, this new merger can help Xbox in the long run in a similar fashion. Gamers know that if they want to playRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart, an investment in a PlayStation 5 is required in order to do so. While onlysome Bethesda IPs will be exclusive to Xbox, the increasing association between these series and the Xbox brand will be commonly connected by marketing campaigns. When the time comes that a newDoomorWolfensteinis announced, they will be marketed as Xbox titles first and foremost, making consumers think of that console first before any other.
While all genres have fans in gaming, shooters are without a doubt at the top of the pack in terms of popularity. To now have the likes ofDoom, Wolfensteinjoin the ranks of already established Xbox IPs likeHaloandGears of Warmakes Microsoft’s platform the ultimate place for any gamers with an itchy trigger finger. Much like how Sony attracts players with a fondness for morestory based, single player adventures, the Xbox will now fully appeal to an entire demographic of shooter enthusiasts.
Of course, Bethesda’s library is comprised of much more than shooters, withhorror titles likeThe Evil Withinand sprawling open world RPGs likeThe Elder Scrollsseries just being icing on the cake for Xbox. It remains to be seen what else will be made of the Bethesda deal during Xbox’s planned summer event, but for the time being, all fans of first and third person shooters need to look no further than the Xbox platform for endless entertainment.
