Xbox boss Phil Spencer is against cutting game content to fill DLC expansions

This year, we’ve seen new Diablo 4 achievements and Starfield achievements arrive with expansions, giving many of us plenty of reasons to dive back into the games. According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, there isn’t a “mandate” for Xbox game expansions, but the exec prefers that they have a “unique point of view.” Phil Spencer doesn’t like “manipulative” game expansionsDuring an interview with Game File, Phil Spencer confirmed that there isn’t a “top-down mandate” enforced for Xbox’s first-party studios creating expansions for their games. “It’s really left to the creators [regarding] what plan they have for their stories. I think it’s a great way for us to reengage players who may be lapsed.”Spencer goes on to say, “I don’t like expansions that are manipulative,” he said. “I want it to have a unique point of view. I don’t want it to be, like, the third level that you cut before you launched.” In September, Bethesda dropped Starfield’s first expansion, Shattered Space, adding a new world called Va’ruun’kai for us to explore as we uncover the secrets of House Va’Ruun. We saw a huge spike in Starfield Xbox players following its launch, but many players were disappointed with the lack of content available, and Spencer says that Bethesda boss Todd Howard has questioned if the free vehicle update in August should have been rolled into Shattered Space. “Todd and I were talking about Shattered Space. Starfield is a game I put a ton of hours into and really love, but they’ve had this thing where they’ve added features throughout the year and then they had an expansion, Spencer said. “I think some of the feedback on the expansion is: ‘We wanted more features.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, should we have waited to put buggies out?’“And so, I think you’re trying to tune both development effort and the impact of the expansion. And I think there will always be a balance to managing the game month to month. But not every game will do expansions.”As for Diablo 4, its Vessel of Hatred expansion, which dropped in October, seems to have gone down great with players — it’s turned me into a loot goblin! Many players have been enjoying the overpowered nature of the new Spiritborn class and exploring the Nehantu region, although its storyline leaves much to be desired. Looking ahead on Xbox’s first-party calendar, we still have Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to look forward to, which leaves our list of upcoming Game Pass games in December.



Source link