Head of Xbox Phil Spencer recently remarked that he believes current-day Microsoft could have held onto developer Bungie. The studio that once developed the massively popular Halo games left Microsoft in 2007 to pursue independent projects, including the astonishingly popular looter-shooter series Destiny, which has seen nearly ten billion hours of play.
Microsoft's approach to gaming in 2021 is strikingly different than its approach in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Before Spencer took over as the head of Xbox in 2013, the company was shifting its focus away from hard-hitting, must-play exclusive content and more towards all-purpose entertainment, with the Xbox One even being marketed as more of an all-in-one home media center than a dedicated gaming system. This is not even mentioning the implementation of the now-defunct Kinect, which many feel only realized a fraction of its potential. After a few years of less-than-ideal sales, the Xbox One became the home of Xbox Game Pass, one of the best deals when it comes to on-demand gaming. The company also famously acquired gaming goliaths like Bethesda, with Spencer hinting that similar buyouts are on the way.
Given the company's pivot back into core gaming, Spencer had a few words to say about the loss of studio Bungie in an interview with tech outlet Axios. When speaking about the 2007 departure, Spencer commented that the company has "learned a lot" and that he believes it could have held on to the studio under current philosophy and leadership. He also stated that he can understand Bungie's decision to leave, as it is arguable that Microsoft reaped more of the fruits of Halo's success than Bungie did.
Bungie as a company was almost part and parcel with Xbox leading up to the split, with Halo: Combat Evolved releasing as a launch title for the Xbox in 2001 and jump-starting the success of both organizations. Subsequent Halo games have been developed by 343 Industries, and although Halo Infinite has its detractors, the studio has been able to adopt the franchise relatively smoothly. Still, many fans consider the Bungie releases to be the best in the franchise, so it is interesting to consider where the series might be now if Bungie had stayed on board with Microsoft.
Spencer's comments are emblematic of a greater sea change within Xbox; the company appears to be taking a much more aggressive approach with its exclusives, once again becoming a viable contender against gaming giants Sony and Nintendo. Xbox is picking up new studios left and right, so future collaboration with Bungie might not be entirely out of the question.
Source: Axios