At E3 Microsoft shocked the world with its announcement that the previously PC-exclusive World of Tanks would be coming to the Xbox 360. While the partnership made it look like Xbox is going in the right direction with MMO titles, it’s anything but.
Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi shared his frustration with Microsoft and the difficulty of maintaining an MMO on its Xbox platform when speaking to Polygon: He said:
One of the biggest challenges with Microsoft was the frequency of updates because the QA process and certification process takes an extremely long time. Totally unacceptable for a meaningful free-to-play.
Other MMO developers have shown similar positions in the past. Square Enix ported Final Fantasy XI over to the Xbox 360 only to learn that it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Its experience led it to work only with PlayStation and PC for its next MMO title, Final Fantasy XIV.
Despite mountains of concern and feedback over the years, Microsoft hasn’t changed much. It insists that it must be as strict as it is to maintain quality control. It’s a risky compromise that has turned off MMO and indie developers alike.
