Both Determination and Guitar Hero could have ended as Xbox Exclusive – if Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer did not miss the opportunity to sign the now iconic titles.
At a PAX West panel, Spencer revealed that Xbox considered signing Bungie’s popular sci-fi shooter, but ultimately decided against it: “When we asked the question about Destiny, whether we wanted to sign that, we ultimately didn’t sign Destiny. It obviously went to Activision, and to see what’s come of that, so from an Xbox business perspective, I can look at that… and it’s just a really interesting journey in terms of what (Bungie) has built.”
After a brief comparison of Destiny with haloSpencer, another Bungie fan and arguably one of the most successful Xbox exclusives of all time, explains that the online shooter “didn’t really click” with him at first, as he’s not “a big PvP player.” However, his opinion gradually changed when the game’s second expansion came out: “It turned out it wasn’t like that at all, and when (House of) Wolves came out, it was definitely my thing.”
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Despite his later love of Destiny, Spencer doesn’t think twice about the decision not to sign the game – after all, it’s one of many: “I’ve turned down some of the worst ones, like making some of the worst decisions in game selection.” Another game that eluded me was Guitar Hero, a title that Spencer says he initially felt “wouldn’t work” for Xbox. The concept was too surreal, from the toy-like instrument that plugged directly into a console to the gameplay itself.
“(Alex Rigopulos) proposed a game where they actually made plastic guitars, plugged them into consoles and then sold songs… “I thought, ‘Do we really think this will work?'” The strange formula actually worked. “A few people played Guitar Hero,” Spencer jokes. “I heard it turned into a pretty good game.” He still doesn’t regret not signing on, though.
“I’m not a person who regrets things. Maybe it’s a mistake on my part, but I’ve missed so many games.” Instead of looking back in frustration, Spencer tries to “look forward and be positive about the things we’re doing.” For successful games like Destiny, that means celebrating studios like Bungie and their monumental work: “I just like to celebrate what the team has done. I mean, it’s incredible.”
Phil Spencer never said Indiana Jones wouldn’t come to PS5. He said it wouldn’t be one of the first 4 Xbox exclusives to make it, like Grounded and Hi-Fi Rush.
