Surprisingly absent from The Game Awards were Microsoft and its Xbox Game Studios.

Even Nintendo was represented, with PlatinumGames announcing a new Bayonetta spinoff. Sony was present with Final Fantasy XVI, Death Stranding 2, and Forspoke on the last significant video game event of 2022. On the other hand, Microsoft was suspiciously silent during the show, which may have been noticeable to many. After all, they already own ZeniMax Media, so Bethesda and all the studios and IPs under it are now Xbox properties, yet we heard nothing from Phil Spencer.

Xbox insider Klobrille tweeted this, “I’d love to understand the thought process of not having to show anything at one of this years’ biggest gaming events. You could say Xbox at least was consistent in 2022, ending the year with another disappointment.” The situation escalated to the point where Aaron Greenberg, Xbox’s chief marketing officer, had to respond on Twitter, “We have a lot planned to show and share about a fascinating year ahead for 2023. Appreciate folks who are eager to learn and see more. Timing is always key, but don’t worry, you will not have to wait too long for what’s next from us.”

In 2023, for example, Starfield, Redfall, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will arrive. Still, for now, Microsoft is more focused on closing its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard King, which the US Federal Trade Commission, the FTC, is at least trying to slow down with its antitrust lawsuit. Meanwhile, the European Commission and the UK’s competition and markets watchdog, the CMA, have also launched deeper investigations. These three companies are the obstacles facing Microsoft at the moment.

The only problem is that they are trying to get the deal done, but the players are left in the lurch. This year, they didn’t even have a standout exclusive like last year’s Forza Horizon 5 or the half-finished Halo Infinite. In 2023, the ‘greens’ will have to go all in.

Source: VGC