The Xbox Series X Will Launch on Schedule, But Console-Specific Games Are Another Story

It was just last week that Phil Spencer confirmed that we’d be seeing more about Xbox Series X games and learning more about the Xbox Series X, and while that’s still happening, and the Series X console is still on schedule, there is a possibility that next-gen games might not be available at launch. This comes straight from Phil Spencer himself via an interview with CNBC.

In his interview, he said that there could be “some impact” to schedules surrounding the Xbox Series X, but admitted that “the teams are doing a very good job with keeping our hardware on track” and “overall we’re in line with where we thought we’d be.”

So, as of now, the Xbox Series X is still expected to launch in the holiday 2020 timeframe. Leaks last month point to that being on Thanksgiving, but that has been denied for the time being. Either way, it seems as if Microsoft has some kind of wiggle room in terms of launching the console. Games for that console, on the other hand, are a completely different story. As you can imagine, game developers are working from home on less-that-favorable internet connections as they try to develop and fine tune next-gen games. The challenge is most likely beyond what most of us can imagine.

So, where does that leave us with games for the Xbox Series X? Well, that’s still up in the air. Microsoft has committed to launching Halo Infinite alongside the Series X, but that’s a cross-gen game, and Phil Spencer recently said game delays won’t hinder the Series X launch.

“I’d say the bigger unknown is probably the game production, just being honest. Game production is a large scale entertainment activity now, you have hundreds of people coming together, building assets, working through creative.”

He went on to explain a little bit of the situation on the game development side of things, and expressed that team safety and security are more important than launching anything on time.

“On the game production side, we’re learning every day. I still feel good about it, but I also need to make sure that the security and safety of the teams is the most important thing, and not unduly push when things just aren’t ready.”

So, with all of this said, it’s quite possible that Microsoft could launch the Xbox Series X with a very limited lineup of console-specific games if even has any at all. Naturally, this isn’t something that the company or fans want, but pandemic-related setbacks have done a number to all industries. The real question is what will it mean for first year sales? If there’s a very limited selection of games designed or enhanced for the Series X, will it still have the jump on Sony that a lot of people thinks it will have on the sales front? Only time will tell, friends, only time will tell.