‘I’m Upset With Myself’: Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Takes ‘Full Responsibility’ for Redfall Debacle

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It has been a tough few days for Microsoft and Xbox. First, the firm's ambitious and expensive attempt to acquire Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard hit a major hurdle when Britain's competition regulator blocked the $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,63,980 crore) deal on April 26, citing cloud gaming concerns. And then, Redfall, Xbox's first big tentpole exclusive of the year, released May 2 to largely negative reviews that criticised the game over its technical and creative failings. Arkane Austin's first-person looter shooter is currently sitting at an underwhelming overall rating of 61 on OpenCritic. In the aftermath of the fallout from the botched release and the resulting fan backlash, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has come out and taken “full responsibility” for the Redfall's less than stellar reception. In a wide ranging and revealing interview late Thursday, a visibly dejected Spencer laid out his word on Xbox's recent failures, the expectations from the community, and the road ahead. “I'm disappointed, I'm upset with myself,” the head of Xbox said on Redfall's poor launch.

Two days after the dismal launch of Redfall, Spencer came on the Kinda Funny Xcast show and spoke candidly about the failures of Xbox's latest exclusive. “There's nothing that's more difficult for me than disappointing the Xbox community,” Spencer said, adding, “...Just to watch the community lose confidence, be disappointed — I'm disappointed, I'm upset with myself.” Spencer admitted that Redfall's critical response fell far short of internal expectations and was “not what we wanted” and also volunteered to take accountability for the game's poor reception. “I also know these games are $70 (nearly Rs. 5,720), and I'm gonna take full responsibility