Microsoft had already made public their intentions to win GamesCom 2013. They desperately need a leg up on the competition. They're already behind Nintendo's Wii U going into the fall console war and Sony is already racking up pre-orders like a discount on crack in the ghetto. Now Microsoft has confirmed that they will showcase their “unique” exclusives for the Xbox One on August 20th during their staged press conference, a day before GamesCom 2013 officially kicks off, in hopes of finally winning over favor from the embittered and discontent hardcore gaming community.
MCV India caught wind of the press conference news when Microsoft's Xbox studio VP Phil Spencer spoke about the mini 'M's intentions at this year's GamesCom, where they will face off head-to-head with Sony, who will also be on hand to hold a press conference and talk up their PS4 exclusives as well, which number about 140 in the console's first year on the market.
According to Spencer...
“We took the approach with our showcase that we want to showcase the developers and their games. So we’re going to have a really short stage presentation with some news. [We’ll be] talking about some unique exclusives coming to the platform, [and] we’re going to talk about Europe’s biggest franchise. We have some stuff,”
MCV India's Sameer Desai hazards an educated guess that FIFA 14 is the game that will be the showcase of the event for Microsoft, especially given Microsoft's exclusive deal with Electronic Arts that they announced during the Xbox One's official reveal on May 21st.
Given that EA hasn't officially showcased any notable gameplay for their next-gen sports outings for the Xbox One and PS4, it stands to reason that GamesCom will be the make-or-break moment in which Microsoft will have all the negative publicity behind them regarding unsavory anti-consumer policies, and perhaps they can win back over the gaming crowd with something actually centered around the highlights of game culture, something their DRM policies did not reflect in the least bit.
In reality, GamesCom 2013 will be the first public press conference for Microsoft in which the Xbox One will actually go in without any negative connotations or impressions. They have a clean slate and, in the words of Angry Joe, please don't screw it up Microsoft. All you have to do is point the barrel at Sony and Nintendo and squeeze the trigger like the badass mofo you used to be back between 2001 and 2009.
We see Nintendo ratcheting up their policies, and jockeying for better positioning and leverage for the holiday season. We also see that Sony is 100% set for the PS4 and they don't need to do Jack-spit but advertise... that's it. Microsoft, alternatively, has to win back the hearts and souls of core Xbox fans and prove they aren't out to rip the rectums out from their most respected fans. GamesCom will be that showcase that they so desperately need and it will determine the entire catalyst of momentum that Microsoft will have going into the holiday console war.
Good luck, Microsoft... you're going to need it, even more than Nintendo.
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