The Xbox ecosystem has never looked better than it has in 2021 and looking forward into the future. Microsoft's recent acquisition of Bethesda has only further bolstered its game library, adding the likes of Starfield and Redfall among the ranks of heavy hitters like Halo Infinite. Considering that one of the most common criticism of the Xbox platform was its lack of exclusive content just a few years ago, Phil Spencer and the rest of the Xbox team have done a commendable job at turning things around in this regard.

The jam-packed showcase that Xbox/Bethesda just had for E3 2021 was appropriately all about the games. It was reveal after reveal and trailer after trailer. The emphasis for Xbox going forward seems to be to underline the platform as an ultimate game hub, with an avalanche of new titles being made available on a regular basis. While this may ensure there is never a dull moment for consumers of Xbox content, there is a problematic side to the approach as well. A cursory glance over these highlights how a lot of them (though nowhere near all) fall into the category of co-op multiplayer first person shooters. A fun genre to be sure, but one too many of these may risk being counterproductive for Xbox as time goes on.

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Xbox's First Party Lineup

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Make no mistake, Xbox's progress and efforts in terms of new first party content looks to be a great success for the company as a whole. New installments in established franchises like Halo are sure to be a big deal for the console, while titles like Forza Horizon 5, Psychonauts 2, Starfield, Avowed, and many more help to further diversify the upcoming lineup. This is certainly a positive thing for the company and helps to broaden the types of content available on the console, ensuring that there is a game for every kind of player to enjoy.

A lot of pressure was placed on the Xbox platform after the misfires made during the Xbox One generation. Considering the changes that have been made, with exclusive license deals the incredible value of Xbox Game Pass, a great deal of work has been done to appeal to the gaming masses. The fruits of this labor have really been seen with the recent aforementioned E3 showing, with so many games being shown off at a rapid fire pace. However, in chasing these positive changes and ability to appeal to gamers on a larger playing field, Xbox may have placed itself in danger of working with a double edged sword.

Xbox and The Danger of Deja Vu

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The Xbox/Bethesda E3 2021 showcase had dozens of announcements from Stalker 2 to Redfall, adding even more shooters next to the incredible hype for Halo: Infinite. However, when added to the list of even more first person shooters and open world co-op experiences being announced, like Crossfire X and Contraband, a sense of sameness begins to settle in. This is in no way reflective of the quality of these games, as all of them may be high quality, must play experiences. The danger is more in how similar each of them are to each other, in terms of gameplay and genre, resulting in a risk of overshadowing each other.

On the one hand, it is understandable for Xbox to chase so many projects in this vein. Multiplayer gaming and furthermore co-op is all the rage in such a connected, social gaming atmosphere nowadays. People like to play together, sharing unforgettable moments and have that sense of unity while playing online with others. Esports events have further bolstered this notion, with competitive/co-operative gaming proving to be such an appealing and involved pursuit.

Once again, this is not about the games themselves, but as a whole, having too many on the market may be oversaturating co-op shooters for the Xbox brand. Many of the most popular multiplayer shooters on the market right now like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone saturate the battle royale niche, something that is very hard for new games to break into now. In theory, the same could be said of co-op FPS games with the likes Halo InfiniteRedfall, Stalker 2, Contraband, and Crossfire X with the exception that they are all from one house, with all aiming to be available within the next year or so.

This does not automatically spell doom and gloom, as with how unpredictable the gaming market can be, every single one of these games can be a big hit. However, with so many of them launching in such close proximity, it seems like quite a challenging feat to pull off. With every single game attempting to tap into the same audience, and said player base only having so much available time and money to invest in a certain game, there is a change one of these titles gets left in the dust. Hopefully with a clever marketing strategy from Xbox and excellent work from the development studios, this potential issue can be avoided.

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