Xbox boss raises eyebrows with claim Microsoft expected Redfall reviews to be "double digits" higher
As the fallout from Redfall's release continues, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has raised eyebrows with his claim that Microsoft expected the game to score much better in critics' reviews.
During a wide-ranging interview with Kinda Funny, Spencer said Xbox had planned for Redfall to land with an average review score «double digits» higher than the one it actually got.
«We do mock reviews for every game we launch, and this is double digits lower than we thought we would be with this game,» Spencer said. «That's one of the disappointing things. We would never strive to launch a game that we thought was going to review in the low-60s. It's not part of our goals.»
At the same time, Spencer also spoke at length on the reasons why Redfall would likely not have been improved by further delay, despite some issues with bugs at launch, and that Microsoft had been too hands-off with its development.
Specifically, the Xbox boss said Redfall had fallen short as it hadn't delivered on Arkane Austin's own creative vision.
«A fundamental piece of feedback that we get [is] that the game isn't realising the creative vision it had for its players,» Spencer continued. «That doesn't feel like a hey, just delay it. That feels like the game had a goal to do one thing and when players are actually playing they're not feeling that thing, they're not feeling the creative execution of the team.»
Video game publishers typically invite consultants to review a near-final build of the game to set expectations internally on how it will be scored. Additionally, consultants are often employed throughout a game's development to provide an external perspective on its progress, with early impressions helping identify and correct issues as they arise.
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