Microsoft Addresses 'Underwhelming' Inside Xbox Livestream | Article Reupload

Reception to #Microsoft’s May 7th Inside Xbox Livestream has been a bit of a mixed bag. In what was supposed to be a show of force of the beefy #XboxSeriesX console, many instead were left feeling a little disappointed with the level of actual ‘gameplay’ that was put on display during the event.

In the weeks leading up to the livestream, Microsoft promised that games would take centre stage with a “first Look at #Xbox Series X gameplay”. While the 27-minute showcase certainly placed games at the forefront – with over 13 new titles highlighted – the stream ended up being light on actual gameplay footage.

What was shown as ‘gameplay’ was more reminiscent of the more scripted cinematic and, or pre-rendered demos that plagued E3. Some footage was also tagged with a dubious “representative of expected Xbox Series X” message indicating that the footage might not be 100% in-engine at this stage.

It seemed more like Microsoft was banking on dazzling audiences with the admittedly stunning graphics on display and for the first few minutes of the show, it almost worked. The livestream had a strong start with Bright Memory Infinite, kicking things off with just under two minutes of high-octane first-person shooter action.

While it wasn’t exactly ground-breaking gameplay, Bright Memory Infinite succeeded in giving us our first real look at what the Xbox Series X (should) be capable of delivering to players, and it looks amazing. Unfortunately, the rest of the gameplay shown for the other titles would mostly amount to a few brief seconds of actual in-game action and a whole lot of dynamic, sweeping camera angles of the in-game environment.

Two titles shown during the livestream that received the most ire from viewers were EA’s upcoming sports title Madden NFL 21 and Ubisoft's recently announced Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Clocking at just under 2 minutes, the footage for Madden NFL 21, is comprised mostly of a compilation of gameplay from previous Madden games. The actual in-engine gameplay footage for Madden NFL 21 made up about 8 seconds of the video.

Ubisoft’s Assassin's Creed Valhalla footage was less about gameplay and was more of a minute and a half of cinematic, stylish camera work, which did little to entice or engage with viewers. It pales in comparison to the usual in-depth gameplay reveal treatment that previous instalments in the Assassin's Creed franchise have received.

So it wasn’t surprising when Fans expressed disappointment at the overall quality of the livestream, with the full YouTube version currently sitting under 27k dislikes.

Although, Microsoft and Ubisoft have since made it clear that they hear the fans loud and clear; Aaron Greenberg – the General Manager of Xbox Games Marketing – went on to state via Twitter that “clearly we set some wrong expectations & that’s on us”, in response to the backlash.

The folks over at Ubisoft also delivered a message to fans, with Ashraf Ismai, Valhalla’s creative director also expressing on Twitter: “You rightfully expected to see more today. We have a long marketing campaign ahead of us, you will see in-depth gameplay and get a lot more info about the game”.

So while Inside Xbox might not have been Microsoft’s ideal opener to starting the Xbox Series X hype train – especially in an already tricky climate for the games industry as Covid19 forces it to adapt to an unprecedented challenge – It’s clear that Microsoft and fellow game producers are keeping their ears to ground as they absorb fan feedback.

Fortunately, it won’t belong to see whether things improve or not as Microsoft’s next livestream is slated for July 2020 and is expected to focus on first-party titles.