As the slow crawl towards 2020’s next generation consoles, Microsoft continues to tease fans with little tidbits of information regarding Project Scarlett. Without much to go on, rumors and leaks have already attempted to compare both the PS5 and Project Scarlett, though Microsoft seems more than content to stick to their own timeline. Regardless of technical specs, Microsoft is positioning its console to have at least one major advantage over the competition.
In a recent interview, Matt Booty, the head of Microsoft Game Studios delivered a bit more information about Project Scarlett and Microsoft’s increased focus on first party offerings. When asked specifically about the content library for Scarlett, Booty reveals that the system may launch with the largest game library of any Xbox system thanks to its backward compatibility.
Essentially, when a consumer invests in the Xbox brand, Microsoft wants them to know that its bringing all legacy content forward as well. Any game that runs on the Xbox One will continue to do so on Project Scarlett without requiring a different operating system to boot up, utilizing a different API system, or anything like that. This extends to all Microsoft first party games that launch prior to Project Scarlett as well, so titles like Grounded or Bleeding Edge will be readily available on day one for next gen.
Booty also went on to confirm that with 15 first party studios now actively working on various projects, Microsoft is aiming to have a new first party game release every three to four months starting next year. It’s certainly a change of pace as the Xbox One has struggled to maintain a consistent first party release schedule when compared to its rivals like Sony and Nintendo. With recent studio acquisitions and an effort to learn from the missteps that plagued the Xbox One early on, Microsoft seems better positioned to come out swinging with Project Scarlett.
Project Scarlett is scheduled for launch during Holiday 2020.
Source: GamesRadar