First party and exclusive games appear to be a focus of Microsoft’s for the upcoming E3 gaming conference. Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted about the upcoming event:
@Masih3KA We should have new exclusive IP at E3. I’m trying to make this E3 more about 1st party than past E3s.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 19, 2015
Focusing on exclusives makes sense for Microsoft. Advertising third party games that are available on the Xbox One’s rival, the PlayStation 4, doesn’t do much to drive sales. While it shows that people could buy either console and get their favorite third party games, something that can’t be said for the third place Wii U, it wouldn’t differentiate the Xbox One from its main competition. In any event, Spencer is hinting at making a big splash at this year’s E3:
@thekeenpaladin This is going to be a fun year. I think it might be our best 1st party content year ever.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 19, 2015
Some of the more notable rumors surrounding Microsoft at E3 are the possible return of “Battletoads” or the introduction of “Banjo-Kazooie.” Both those games come from Rare which is a subsidiary developer and would certainly qualify as centerpiece first party games.
E3 runs from June 16-18 this year and is set to have some of this year’s premier gaming announcements.
