The head of Microsoft Studios also says Xbox development teams will collaborate more, and it plans to continue support for the Xbox Series S.
In an interview with Axios, Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty has said that the firm is no longer developing games for the Xbox One, and is instead solely focusing on Xbox Series X/S.
Third-party developers may continue to develop games for the Xbox One, but none of Microsoft’s internal studios is working on games for the ageing machine, although Booty says the firm will continue to support existing Xbox One titles like Minecraft.
Booty also said that future releases will continue to run on the less-powerful Xbox Series S, even though it can make development more complicated. He adds that developers are getting more skilled at squeezing improved performance out of the Series S. “They can plan better, knowing where some of the sharp corners are.”
One interesting note is that apparently Microsoft’s 23 game studios are collaborating to share resources. Booty gives the example of The Coalition (which is rumoured to be working on a new Gears of War game) sharing expertise on how to use Unreal Engine 5.
Booty also added that 343 Industries will continue to work on the Halo series, even though nearly 100 staff – including directors – were laid off at the developer earlier this year, according to a Bloomberg report. However, he added that other studios might also be involved in developing Halo games.
And finally, Booty had a few things to say about Arkane’s Redfall and its disappointing critical reception in May. “I feel accountable that we could have done a better job with Arkane,” he said, mentioning that Microsoft failed to set out the expectations of what the game needed to be. However, he said Arkane Austin will remain open. “That is the plan right now. They are hard at work on updates and continued content for Redfall.”
Read more: Redfall | Arkane Austin lost 70 percent of staff during development
