Xbox Only Has 10 Games It Considers Successful

VR gaming has had a bit of a rocky road, and it's still seen as something of a niche market. Despite huge companies like Meta and PlayStation getting into VR gaming in a big way, the cost of entry is still daunting. Even with rigs like the PSVR 2 getting strong reviews, common hurdles preventing gamers from diving into VR include the cost of equipment and relatively smaller game libraries. That hasn't stopped major game publishers from trying though, and many gaming fans may be curious to learn why a major company like Xbox is avoiding the VR and augmented reality market at this time. 

During a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty discussed the viability of the VR market, getting into why Xbox has not invested in virtual reality in the same way as its competitors. In the process, he may have revealed Xbox's extremely high mark for success. "I think for us, it's just a bit of wait until there's an audience there," explained Booty. 

According to the studio head, there's a certain threshold of sales that could convince Microsoft to change its collective mind about embracing VR — but it's not one that's easily met.

"We're very fortunate that we have got these big IPs that have turned into ongoing franchises with big communities," Booty told The Hollywood Reporter. "We have 10 games that have achieved over 10 million players life-to-date, which is a pretty big accomplishment, but that's the kind of scale that we need to see success for the game and it's just, it's not quite there yet with AR, VR."

Xbox has certainly released games that would be considered hugely successful, but haven't cleared 10 million units in sales. That should give gamers an idea of how seriously Xbox Game Studios is taking its product line, if the company holds itself to such a high sales standard.

It's unclear which 10 games Booty is referring to in this conversation. There are certainly a few that can be guessed at, like the best-selling game of all time, "Minecraft." No VR game is making "Minecraft"-level numbers at this point, but it sounds like Microsoft will certainly keep an eye on the progression of the VR industry going forward. In the meantime, Booty tells The Hollywood Reporter, Microsoft is prioritizing growing its cloud gaming user base.