Microsoft Accidentally Leaks A Ton of Gaming Info

[LAwLz]

Summary

As part of the legal battle with the FTC over Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the FTC asked Microsoft to submit a document with redacted information so that they could publish it on their website.

Microsoft complied but forgot to actually redact any information (or forgot to tell the FTC that the document contained confidential information). As a result, we now have access to a massive amount of internal documents related to Microsoft and gaming.

The leak includes plans for future consoles, plans for future games, internal emails. Discussions about which companies to buy (Microsoft were discussing buying Nintendo among others), talks about the economics of game pass and many other things.

 

It's worth noting that a lot of this information are several years old and Phil Spencer from Microsoft said (in an internal memo, which was also leaked) that "our plans have evolved"

 

 

Since I need to include a quote, here is part of an email Phil Spencer (CEO of Microsoft Gaming) sent to Takeshi Numoto (chief marketing officer of worldwide commercial business) and Chris Capossela (chief marketing officer)

Quote

Takeshi, I totally agree that Nintendo is THE prime asset for us in gaming, and today gaming is our most likely path to consumer relevance. I’ve had numerous conversations with the LT of NIntendo about tighter collaboration and feel like if any US company would have a chance with Nitnendo we are probably in the best position. The unfortunate (or fortunate for Nintendo) situation is that Nintendo is sitting on a big piule of cash, they have a BoD that until recently has not pushed for futher increases in amrketing growth or stock appreciation.

-snip-

I don't think a hostile action would be a good move so we are playing the long game. But our BoD has seen the full writeup on Nintendo (and Valve) and they are fully supportive on either if opportunity arises as am I.

-snip-

Conidentially we have two fairly active M&A dicsussions in Gaming right now, Warner Btothers Interactive and ZeniMax. I took ZeniMax to the BoD last week and prior to the BoD disucsisons I asked Amy and Satya if they wanted me to slow either or both of these given the TikTok dicussions and they both emphatically told me "no".

They are fine doing all 3 of these if the deals make sense. I won't say WB or Zeni is Nintendo but bvoth are for sale and gettable by us if things align.

 

My thoughts

The leak is massive, and it is taking a long time to go through all of it, but there are a lot of interesting things. How much of this ends up being true remains to be seen.

 

Sources

https://nordic.ign.com/news/72932/leaked-microsoft-email-reveals-xbox-boss-phil-spencer-really-wants-to-buy-nintendo

But there will be more.

[LAwLz]

Here are some of the games the leak talks about:

 

• The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remaster was planned for release in 2022.
• Doom Year Zero and DLC planned for 2023.
• Fallout 3 remaster planned for 2024.
• Sequel to Ghostwire: Tokyo planned for 2024.
• Dishonered 3 planned for 2024.

 

This leak also includes estimated revenue for various titles.

Spoiler

 

 

Source:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880132/microsoft-ftc-documents-leak-oblivion-fallout-3-remaster-doom-xbox

 

 

 

 

Another document also talked about a new version of Red Dead Redemption 2 for the current gen consoles, and Microsoft expected that to cost them over 5 million dollars a month to keep on game pass.

Source:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/microsoft-court-documents-mention-next-gen-red-dead-redemption-2-version.765932/

 

 

 

Here is an article that goes over leaked information regarding Game Pass and the cost of buying in third-party games for that service:

https://www.axios.com/2023/09/19/game-pass-cost-xbox-games-microsoft-leak

 

Some interesting information:

1) Microsoft estimated that Rockstar would want 12-15 million dollars a month to have GTA V on Game Pass.

2) Microsoft called Baldur's Gate 3 a "second-run Stadia RPG". What's funny is that the publishing director of BG3 responded to this by saying "in their defense, so did everyone else" as a response to how Microsoft misjudged the success BG3 would have.

3) Microsoft estimated that it would cost them 300 million dollars to get EA to agree to add Star Wars Jedi Survivor to Game Pass the same day the game launched. BG3 on the other hand was estimated to cost 5 million dollars.

[LAwLz]

Microsoft has leaked plans for a new Xbox controller, which is called "Sebile". It is planned to be released in May 2024 if their plans haven't changed.

 

The new controller looks similar to the current Xbox controller, but would also feature:

• A "direct to cloud" connection similar to the Stadia controller. Where the controller connects directly to the cloud server for game streaming, instead of connecting to the console.
• "Precision haptic feedback", probably similar to what the Playstation controller does.
• A haptic motor that can also be used as a speaker.
• "Lift to wake".
• Replaceable thumbsticks.

 

Not sure which features the current Xbox controller already has so feel free to point out anything else that's a major new thing, or if I am listing things the current controller already has.

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Source:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/new-xbox-sebile-controller-revealed-by-microsoft-ftc-leak-o-rama

[8tg]

All Microsoft would ever need to do to remain controller king is re-release the xbox 360 controller as it was, AA’s and all.

They peaked for the entire industry, anything further is sullying perfection.

 

[LAwLz]

Here are the new console stuff:

 

 

Microsoft has (or at least had) plans to release a new Xbox in 2024, codenamed "Brooklin".

The new console will actually not be a box but rather a trashcan cylinder.

 

Here are some of the key aspects of the new device, as well as a render of it:

• Wi-Fi 6E support.
• Bluetooth 5.2 support.
• The CPU and GPU are now on a 6nm fab process for lower power consumption. (The current Xbox is on 7nm so let's see how much of a difference that actually makes.)
• Same 499 USD price as the normal Xbox Series X.
• USB-C port on the front.
• 2TB storage.
• "adorably all digital" which is another way of saying "no disc drive".

 

Spoiler

 

 

They will also refresh the "series S".

The new one will have 1TB of storage and Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and a few other improvements.

This one will still be a box though.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Source:

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/major-leak-reveals-design-and-specs-of-mid-gen-xbox-series-x-refresh-codenamed-brooklyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another console that leaked was plans for their next generation "hybrid cloud handheld" which is (or was) planned for 2028.

I am not sure if it's because it's so far into the future, but the leaked presentation (which is from May 2022) for this device sounds more like a wishlist or speculation rather than solid plans. This might just be something someone at Microsoft threw together as a concept for what they might design in the future.

 

In any case, it's a handheld device targeting a <99 USD price point.

Their vision is for the console to be a "hybrid gaming platform capable of leveraging the combined power of the client and cloud". So don't expect anything super powerful.

 

This is the only slide we have regarding the console, but it sounds like Microsoft want to use either an Arm processor, or "Zen 6" processor.

Spoiler

 

 

Source:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880138/microsoft-xbox-2028-hybrid-cloud-games-platform

[AlwaysFSX]

3 minutes ago, 8tg said:

AA’s and all

Eugh, archaic and awful.

[LAwLz]

Microsoft's long-term plan ("path to 2030") is to keep the Xbox console as the foundation for their gaming business, but will also invest heavily into cloud gaming.

Their goal is to make a controller that can directly connect to the cloud so that no console (or a very cheap one, possibly just an app on a smart TV) will be the only thing.

 

In Microsoft's own words:

Quote

Controller becomes the hero

The new Xbox controller is the only thing you need to play on every device. This low barrier to entry will fuel subscriber growth.

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Source:

The leaked document titled PX1517.

[LAwLz]

Microsoft is planning on making The Elder Scrolls 6 exclusive to their platforms.

 

In one of the leaked documents, Microsoft had a spreadsheet of their upcoming ZeniMax titles and one of the columns was if they should release the game on PlayStation or not.

One of the games on the list is The Elder Scrolls VI, and it has a big red X on "Released on PlayStation?" which means their plans is to keep it exclusive to PC and Xbox, the platforms Microsoft owns.

 

 

Source:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/18/23878504/the-elder-scrolls-6-2026-release-xbox-exclusive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit:
Tacking this little thing onto this post.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/18/23878376/microsoft-xbox-cloud-gaming-pc-games-streaming-ftc-documents

 

Some interesting things from that leak:

1) Microsoft might be thinking about streaming PC games to Xbox consoles using game streaming.

2) Phil Spencer thought that the Steam Deck would increase the number of Linux gamers, and he described the tools for making/porting games to Linux and Vulkan as "decent for game devs", but added that porting a game can still take months.

3) Satya Nadella reads 9to5Google and uses the Windows mail client. He always struck me more as an Outlook guy.

[StDragon]

5 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Here are some of the key aspects of the new device, as well as a render of it:

<snip>

 

Oh goodie, another NUC refresh... 
Console launches don't seem all that impressive anymore.
 

5 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Microsoft has leaked plans for a new Xbox controller, which is called "Sebile". It is planned to be released in May 2024 if their plans haven't changed.

 

The new controller looks similar to the current Xbox controller, but would also feature:

 

• "Precision haptic feedback", probably similar to what the Playstation controller does.
• A haptic motor that can also be used as a speaker.
• Replaceable thumbsticks.

Now this is news! So far all XBox controllers use motors with spinning offset weights to vibrate. Basically a more advanced version of what the N64 Rumble Pak does. But a modern haptic feedback would offer greater resolution and depth. THIS would be worth using with PC gaming.

[Mark Kaine]

9 hours ago, 8tg said:

All Microsoft would ever need to do to remain controller king is re-release the xbox 360 controller as it was, AA’s and all.

They peaked for the entire industry, anything further is sullying perfection.

 

Hsnds down best controller... but i have the "PC version" which only comes with a cable and frankly i didn't miss changing batteries lol.

 

(also still works after all that time, but the cable would need replacing tbh,  mind you after almost 20 years, it worked flawlessly until now...) 

[Mark Kaine]

9 hours ago, LAwLz said:

no disc drive

the ONE and only reason to own a console gone... good grief! 

[Athan Immortal]

Wait, this didn't get a post here? This "news" is almost 2 weeks old, am I imagining it? I thought they even covered it on WAN show?

 

Yeah it was the one they had to splice so it wasn't in the Live section,

 

Gamelinked covered it 10 days ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Doobeedoo]

Most what we were expecting from big IPs so cool I guess. But man I want to see new Quake game. 

[LAwLz]

3 hours ago, Athan Immortal said:

Wait, this didn't get a post here? This "news" is almost 2 weeks old, am I imagining it? I thought they even covered it on WAN show?

 

Yeah it was the one they had to splice so it wasn't in the Live section,

 

<video>

 

Gamelinked covered it 10 days ago

 

<video>

From what I can tell, there were no threads on this forum about it which I think was strange.

And yes, at this point it's a bit "old", but I still think there are interesting discussions to be had, and some people may not have watched those videos. I guess some mod can move it to general discussions if they feel like it's not "news" anymore.

 

Although it seems to be an evolving story since there are quite a few documents to go through. 

[Athan Immortal]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

From what I can tell, there were no threads on this forum about it which I think was strange.

And yes, at this point it's a bit "old", but I still think there are interesting discussions to be had, and some people may not have watched those videos. I guess some mod can move it to general discussions if they feel like it's not "news" anymore.

 

Although it seems to be an evolving story since there are quite a few documents to go through. 

Nah I'm in support of it being a news topic here for discussion, I just can't understand how it was missed here, weird