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<\/figure>\n Riding the bus of video game fandom should come with a seatbelt warning. To wit: Last month, it seemed like everyone was losing their minds over Microsoft gobbling up half the industry. Now, in the wake of some major delays, it\u2019s all \u201cDead console!!!\u201d this and \u201cXbox has no exclusives!!!\u201d that. Hope you\u2019ve buckled up!<\/p>\n There is, to be fair, some precedent for observers to fret about Xbox\u2019s forthcoming slate. Throughout the Xbox One\u2019s life cycle, players (rightly) criticized the platform for having few lightning-rod exclusives, particularly during its initial launch window. But over the past few years, Microsoft has been on a bit of an acquisition spree, burgeoning the ranks of its first-party studios as one console generation waned and another began.<\/p>\n By the November 2020 launch of the Xbox Series X\/S, close to two dozen studios<\/span> were under Xbox\u2019s first-party umbrella. Last March, regulators approved<\/span> Microsoft\u2019s then-seismic $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda and the grandparent company (yes, that\u2019s a technical term; no, don\u2019t fact-check it) of a number of other prestigious studios, including Arkane, the makers of Dishonored<\/em>. Then, the big one: In January, Microsoft stated an intention<\/span> to buy Activision Blizzard, despite its well-publicized woes<\/span>, for the price of a European nation\u2019s defense budget<\/span>.<\/p>\n In the immediate wake of the deal\u2014which has been approved by Activision shareholders, who stand to gain a lot<\/em>, but still needs the green light from regulators<\/span>\u2014a lot of attention was given to just how many studios Microsoft had acquired. Gaming influencers breathlessly shared splashy infographics<\/a><\/span> about how many legacy franchises were now technically first-party Xbox games, the implication being that Xbox had the sturdiest lineup of exclusives. Outlets like The Verge<\/em><\/span> and The Guardian<\/em><\/span> ran trend pieces wondering whether or not Microsoft was monopolizing the games industry.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong> Microsoft\u2019s Activision Blizzard Purchase Isn\u2019t Great, But Isn\u2019t An Illegal Monopoly Either<\/span><\/p>\n G\/O Media may get a commission<\/p>\n Pre-order<\/p>\n AnkerMake M5 3D Printer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 5X Faster Printing and AI Camera<\/strong> But the winds have shifted. Last week, Bethesda announced<\/span> that it would delay Starfield<\/em>, its massive spacefaring RPG that had been planned for release on November 11, 2022. In the same breath, the company also said it was pushing back Arkane\u2019s vampire shooter, Redfall<\/em>, that had initially been planned for a summer release. Both are now slated for an indefinite date in the \u201cfirst half\u201d of 2023, essentially leaving Microsoft\u2019s fall slate\u2014historically the busiest time of the year\u2014void of any hot-ticket exclusives.<\/p>\n \u201cShit,\u201d the Twitch streamer KidSmoove<\/span>, whose bio notes that \u201cXbox is the best box,\u201d said on Twitter<\/a><\/span>. Some people pointed fingers<\/span> at Xbox head Phil Spencer. Others called it<\/a><\/span> a \u201cbad look,\u201d a \u201cPR nightmare,\u201d and used the word \u201csucks\u201d a lot. Even social media users with accounts named after Xbox\u2014gamers who\u2019ve derogatorily become known as \u201cXbots\u201d\u2014expressed disappointment<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Observers have pointed out this sudden sea change through the internet\u2019s favorite form of communication: memes<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n Since the days of the Xbox One, public opinion on Microsoft has swayed like a pendulum; so far this generation, the company has accrued a wellspring of goodwill. The Xbox Series X\/S was a head-and-shoulders improvement on the Xbox One, and has only gotten better since launch, thanks to a steady wave of updates and quality-of-life improvements. Last fall, the console\u2019s release calendar was anchored by Halo Infinite<\/em> and Forza Horizon 5<\/em>, two hotly anticipated new entries in marquee Xbox series. (Both smashed series records<\/span>.) And this is to say nothing of Microsoft\u2019s enormously popular games-on-demand service, Xbox Game Pass, which regularly adds some of the best games around to its rotating library. Redfall<\/em> and Starfield<\/em> were highly anticipated additions to Microsoft\u2019s ecosystem, so the joint delay has dinged that goodwill a bit as a result.<\/p>\n Some fans, however, have taken the hit in stride. Plenty recognize<\/span> that a delayed game is better than \u201canother Cyberpunk<\/em>,\u201d to use a phrase reportedly attributed<\/a><\/span> to some Bethesda developers. (That said, there\u2019s some sentiment out there<\/span> that can basically be summed up as, \u201cStarfield<\/em> better be fucking amazing, OR ELSE.\u201d) One common joke: Bethesda, in lieu of having a brand-new game for the fall, could simply release Skyrim<\/em> again for the 71st time. (Deserved.) The award for \u201cBest Bit,\u201d though, goes to this tongue-in-cheek video from Twitch streamer TheGladihater<\/span>:<\/p>\n![\"AnkerMake](\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80\/63baac60edbf7b67fc5846e519d1550b.jpg)
Print Time Cut by 70% | Smooth 0.1 mm Detail | Built-In AI Camera Monitoring | Multiple-Device Hub | Multi-Color and Material Kit<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80\/480e755099e978c0e2e81872d573f86e.jpg)