Microsoft is confident its Xbox One launch line-up is still strong, despite Titanfall not arriving until March 2014.
Phil Spencer, Microsoft Studios boss, has said the Xbox One launch line-up won’t suffer with the disappearance of Titanfall, believing it has plenty of other strong titles with consumer appeal.
Many fans expected the title to be among the launch games for Microsoft’s next-generation console when it is released on November 22. However, the Titanfall release date of March 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC was announced last week.
“We look at our pre-order numbers, and we look at the anticipation in the market we’re hearing from retailers, and I think we’re going to sell about every piece of hardware we can build,” said Spencer. “Sure, [Titanfall] would have had an impact at launch, but I think it’s coming at a perfect time for us.”
Titanfall developer Respawn Studios decided it would be best to wait until March to release te game so that any Xbox One issues could be ironed out in time. Spencer still talked up the upcoming FPS in IGN’s Podcast Unlocked though.
“It looks great, there’s no doubt. Respawn is doing an amazing job with that game, they have a great pedigree as a studio that knows how to build strong shooting games, and to have them working on an Xbox game is incredible.”
Despite Titanfall not arriving until 2014, the Xbox One launch titles still number over 20 and include strong entries like Dead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome.
“I like the number of titles we have – we’ve got over 20 titles at launch, and then you start to talk about what’s going to happen in early ’14. The strength of the portfolio all up is something that I really think will be great for Xbox One customers.”
With Xbox One console shortages expected for anyone who hasn’t already pre-ordered a unit, Titanfall could come at a point where there is good availability of the console post-Christmas.
“For us, where [Titanfall] is landing is actually really nice. Having it come in March is fantastic, when you think about. There’s a lot of content at launch there’s obviously only a certain number of consoles early on in the life cycle, and then it will continue to sell. Having a great beat in early ‘14 for core fans is going to be fantastic.”
Next, read our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison.
