It's no big secret that certain developers have faced struggles with the Xbox ecosystem in recent times. The biggest example is Baldur's Gate 3, which was delayed on Xbox because of the Series S console's inability to competently run the game in split-screen mode.
There have been problems in other areas, too; the studio behind Enotria: The Last Song made public its struggles to communicate with Xbox, leading to a lengthy delay. Similarly, the makers of 2D metroidvania HAAK are bringing the game to PS5, but skipping Microsoft's platform entirely.
This new push from Microsoft to improve its relationship with developers is perhaps a result of missteps such as these. It's "all about giving game developers what they need to feel empowered and supported by Xbox," reads the blog post.
Xbox's principal user researcher Dr. Deborah Hendersen says she wants to hear from "everyone who works on games or helps support game studios because if we can make your life easier, it makes gaming better".
Most interestingly, the scope of the research extends to those not making their games for Xbox. "If you aren't on Xbox, we'd love to know why," Hendersen says. "And honestly, if you are using our competitor's products, you probably have a great perspective we could learn from!"
It all sounds good to us — better communication and an open-minded view on feedback can only be a positive thing. What are your thoughts on this? Discuss in the comments section below.
