Xbox Still Eager To Fill 'Family-Friendly' Gaps In Its Game Portfolio

points at Banjo

You have your answer, just need to put a team on it Phil

Banjo and conker please phil!

@Sakisa I was thinking the same.

They did put a lot of effort into appealing to Japan on the X360. I don't think it worked very well. I don't think it's as simple as just needing a few more japanese devs.

God, I love Viva Pinta so much to this very day! I remember running to the shops to get it when 360s got released.

Family Friendly is more than old Rare IP. They need to learn to back ALL of their stuff - there's no reason Powerstar Golf couldn't have become the Everybody's Golf of the Xbox, y'know? There's no reason that they couldn't have a great cart racing game either - JoyRide doesn't count because it has no personality. But there's no reason MS couldn't hire, say, Sumo Digital and task them to make an cart racer starring Xbox characters (kinda like Rare's abandoned idea for, 'The Fast and Furriest' but with characters and stages from more than just Rare's games). They could've greenlit that fantastic-looking Halo Mega Bloks game (Project HAGGAR) too. They just need to realize that a) you need good partner studios to make these things, and b) you have to market them as heavily as your "hardcore" offerings. Give them a chance to succeed. Don't be like Sony where they'll produce games like ModNation Racers, DREAMS, Puppeteer... and then completely fail to market them (and then blame the studios for failing and shut them down, idiots. I have no idea how Media Molecule is still around when DREAMS is flailing, but I wouldn't count on them surviving this generation based on how Jim Ryan is looking at things).

Rebooting older IP is important, but Microsoft can bring tons of new & exciting stuff to the fore as well. They can't just lean on Minecraft and Banjo forever. I'm happy they're still looking at stuff, because I wanna see what new things they cook up. Especially Double Fine; Costume Quest showed that they can create one of the best kid-friendly games of all time. Who knows what that team can cook up from scratch now?

Find more teams like that, with creative ideas, and support 'em right, and you'll be filling these gaps in no time, Microsoft. You already fell into family success big-time on accident with the Kinect despite some dismal support on that thing; if you actually TRY this time, you could kill it.

Xbox has the ips so it's just a matter of getting the games out. I agree with everyone about Conker and Banjo but Viva Pinata was a favorite of mine back when it was more relevant. Would love a new one. Plus they have so many studios that could make something brand new.

They need a family game where the family can sit down and all play together.
I know it’s copying but when I had a PS4 the power is knowledge using your console and mobile phone up-to 6 players went down amazingly well with family and friends when they were over.
Nintendo have Mario kart always a group favourite up-to 4 players at once.
Xbox needs something like those games.
See Nintendo know how to make buy more controllers with Mario kart 😂

Family friendly is where Nintendo rules. It’s a whole perception that they are going to have to deal with rather then just games. Game pass has dozens of family friendly games too. I’d certainly love some online viva piñata where you can have people help out your garden and vice versa. They would have to tackle it with multiple games in a row. Start it after slime rancher two.

But Microsoft is still doing a fine job at it though. No wreck damage in horizons, no crashing in flight simulator and ori. Cross platform play with pc, console and phone and accessibility accessories helps a whole family play together.

It's meeee, Banjo!

I think Microsoft needs to learn from Nintendo. Nintendo does not make all their games, they hire a lot of outside studios to make many of their games. Hell, Smash Bros Ultimate is done by Bandai Namco!

Microsoft needs to reach out to third parties that dedicate on doing games for contract AND have a good rep (again, like Bandai Namco) and have them make a game using some of Rare old IPs, like Banjo or Jetforce Gemini.

Edit: you know what?? Give Playful Studios, the developers of Lucky’s Tale, the project of making a Banjo reboot!

@Sakai conked is not what anyone would consider a “family game” 😅

Family games have largely been ignored by Microsoft for years and it would be nice. The brand has always struggled in this area really. The 360 didn’t have much by way of family games you could play with your kids compared to titles like LBP on the PS3 and the Xbox One was even worse.

Sony have always covered all the bases from day one. Look at the PS5 launch: you could happily let your kids play Spider-Man, Astrobot and Sackboy without batting an eyelid and these games also offered plenty for parents to tackle too! Ratchet and Clank just added to that portfolio. Where the heck is anything from Microsoft?

Is it any wonder the Switch is so popular? Of course Nintendo’s output mostly ticks that box (especially for couch multiplayer with your kids) but it also has every great indie Xbox 360 title on it now too, barring Braid.

My advice would be to set up a publishing arm made exclusively to publish family friendly content. This would allow 1st and 3rd party devs to tap in to funding and support to make those games a reality.

Secondly, I'd expand xbox services to have a family group setting. Allowing a whole family to have access to games, gold, and game pass under one plan, and without having to fork out a small fortune to give everyone their own stuff.

I might even suggest expanding Rare, or creating sister studios. Allowing them to really up their ability to build new IPs and revive old ones.

As impressive as Microsoft's E3 show was, it also highlighted the fact that Xbox is focused on "mature" games too much. Xbox 360 had some friendly games but Xbox One didn't. Super Lucky's Tale was a brief exclusive but that's it. Microsoft has a lot of studios but how many of them are filling that friendly gap?

Yooka-Laylee can't hold a candle to Banjo-Kazooie but Playtonic is an obvious acquisition opportunity because they lack budget but has some of Rare's talents. Instead, Microsoft acquired studios like Compulsion Games that has developed two weird games with mixed reception.

What Microsoft needs is a different kind of developer such as Playful Studios, Playtonic and expand Rare like Playground Games and create the Microsoft version of Nintendo's development. Besides, the management of Rare needs to change and I mean Craig Duncan is not the right choice.

@BlueOcean I think a large bit of that makes sense because PS4 has essentially become the template for "How to win a console generation" and it won because of a range of rated M games with great graphics. Some of the biggest selling franchises like CoD are also mature games. So it always makes sense to initially stick to covering these spaces and if resources were left cover the family-friendly which is mostly a Nintendo niche.

Please give us some new 3d platformers. A sequel to super lucky tale and some new banjo kazzooie platformer. I wouldn't mind a kameo 2 as well.
I would really love to see Rare return to 3d platforming, like the works of starfox adventures and kameo.

The issue for MS is they don't have any available studios to make these types of games.
You could argue Rare, but they seem to struggle to manage Sea of Thieves and Everwild.
So they either need to outsource or buy specialized studios.
They already have a few IPs like Banjo, Viva Pinata, Kameo etc.

I'm all for more family content. I think New Lucky's Tale is actually a lot more fun than Banjo or Piñata ever were.

I'm currently planning on getting the new Intellivision in October for fun, simple, family friendly games. I think my kids and I will love it.