5 Moves Microsoft Needs to Make to Win 2017

Get the Exclusives Out

While 2016 was certainly a good year for Xbox One owners, Microsoft didn’t manage to bring out all of the exclusives that fans may have been hoping for. Scalebound was delayed to sometime in 2017, Cuphead got pushed back once again, and Crackdown 3‘s individual multiplayer and campaign releases didn’t quite make their 2016 releases, either. Even without these releases, the Xbox One was still treated to some excellent titles. However, with Sony mounting a formidable lineup of exclusives for 2017, it’s incredibly important that Microsoft fights fire with fire.

Ensuring that these previously announced titles finally make their way to fans in 2017 is imperative to Microsoft coming out on top in 2017. Of course, these will need to be supplemented by further exclusive experiences to tempt players into the Xbox ecosystem.

Work with Third Parties

While first-party exclusives are a pretty huge deal in swaying people into buying your hardware, it’s third-party support and relationships that will ultimately become the decider in 2017. Microsoft made some good progress in this regard last year, with Bethesda bringing full mod support to the Xbox One far earlier than PS4 owners received a watered-down iteration. Ubisoft’s The Division also saw all of its downloadable content come to the Xbox One a month prior to Sony’s system, and EA’s FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1 both received Xbox One S hardware bundles.

For Microsoft to really put the pressure on its competitors, it’ll need to continue to secure special deals with third-parties. Whether it’s third-party exclusives to help flesh out the Xbox One’s exclusive lineup for 2017, or more hardware bundles to drive sales, it’ll all help to make the Xbox One look appealing to potential buyers.

Get Project Scorpio Right

Last year’s E3 saw Microsoft announce not one, but two new pieces of hardware. The Xbox One S released in August, coming in 40% slimmer than the original system and boasting HDR and 4K streaming. Then there was Project Scorpio. Microsoft claims the upcoming system will be “the most powerful console ever,” and its six teraflops of power don’t argue against that.

While this is certainly promising for Xbox fans, it’s important to remember that power isn’t everything. Microsoft needs to ensure not only that Project Scorpio releases at the right price point in 2017, but that fans know why they should be spending that money. Clear and concise messaging will be order of the day when Microsoft officially unveils Project Scorpio, as well as some great-looking games, of course. If Microsoft can nail the price point, and provide plenty of stellar native 4K experiences for fans to jump into on day one of the console’s release, the Scorpio will deal a seriously heavy blow to its competition.

Keep Up Games with Gold

While both Sony’s PlayStation Plus and Xbox’s Games with Gold offered some great value in 2016, for both quantity and quality of titles available on the flagship systems, Microsoft just edged out their main rivals. The difference between the two was very slim, however, so it’s important Microsoft keeps up the great offerings in 2017 if it wants to come out on top once more this year.

With the Xbox One having just passed its third year on the market in November, there are plenty of older AAA titles that could headline a month’s lineup in 2017. Considering Games with Gold in 2016 was, for the most part, an indie offering on Xbox One, bringing the big guns in 2017 would show Microsoft means serious business.

Backwards Compatibility

When Microsoft first announced that backwards compatibility was coming to the Xbox One in 2015, Xbox fans around the world lost their minds. The impossible had finally been done, and it was a huge blow to Sony, whose PlayStation Now streaming service wants to charge you for games you may already own. By the end of 2016, Microsoft had managed to bring almost 20% of the entire Xbox 360 library to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility feature.

2017 shouldn’t see Microsoft slow down on the backwards compatibility front. Considering Xbox One owners spent 265 million hours collectively playing 360 games in 2016 alone, the service is clearly very popular. Further expanding its library will not only make PlayStation Now’s library look unimpressive, but bring even more value to both the Xbox One and the upcoming Project Scorpio.