Microsoft is a mysterious beast. Whereas its biggest exclusives get more marketing than a bloody Harry Potter movie and games such as Quantum Break are featured constantly on TV, websites and even have months-long advertisement deals with the entire brand of IGN. So what about ReCore? You know, ReCore! The Microsoft exclusive game that comes out in about a week. Oh wait, you might not know actually since Microsoft have done toss all to actually advertise the bloody thing.
I know that ReCore is a budget game, launching at £30 in the UK, coming with a free code for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and will be single-player only but it’s still an exclusive and, frankly, it’s one Microsoft needs. One of Microsoft’s biggest downfalls, in my opinion, is the fact that it has a very little amount of child-friendly games and while ReCore seems to be aiming more of an early teen demographic, ReCore is a game that’s suitable for children and a game that Microsoft should be marketing more due its gigantic lack of child-friendly games in comparison to Sony and Nintendo.
Heaps upon heaps of cash is thrown at Quantum Break and Halo 5, their biggest games but also the games targeting their primary demographic of teens and young adults. Compared to Halo 5 making an explosion in London, what does ReCore actually have? A corgi on Twitter dressing up and giving away a free copy of the game and two small E3 trailers. Wow. It seems even the press have forgotten about it with the odd mention of the game appearing around Gamescom but no one is talking about ReCore, probably since not even Microsoft is!
Marketing is a powerful tool, it’s what drove me over the edge to get Quantum Break—well actually to make a mate buy Quantum Break and let me play it but that’s beside the point. Some games we don’t even end up reviewing here since we’re unaware that they’re even releasing. Tecmo Koei’s Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom had such little marketing on the European side that we here at ICXM.net completely forgot to request code for the game and when it comes to ReCore, no one knows about it, no one is talking about it.
No one is going to be at GameStop at midnight for ReCore, they aren’t hyped enough. Around launch week Microsoft should be launching trailer after trailer, TV spots should be everywhere. I’m still seeing trailers for Overwatch in-between Top Gear reruns on Dave for God’s sake but I have yet to see an entire video for ReCore this past month. The most I’ve seen of ReCore from the few who are mentioning it on social media seems to suggest that Microsoft wants ReCore to fail, which can only mean wonders for its quality.
Inafune and Armature seems like a winning combination—although Inafune’s record with Mighty No. 9 may put some customers off straight away. A Microsoft-funded game from the team behind Metroid Prime is a project that should succeed but I can’t imagine ReCore doing anywhere near as well as some Sony exclusives that are launching soon—like the long-awaited The Last Guardian—and I feel like it’s going to be a shame because ReCore looks good!
So please tell us in the comments below, did you know ReCore comes out in a week? Do you even know what it is? Should Microsoft have done more to market what seems like a competent, fun action-adventure? In my opinion, Microsoft should be doing more, a lot more, to make Xbox owners aware of and care about ReCore.
Lewis is a games journalist, freelance gaming and consumer-tech journalist. They contributed 344 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: has since served as Editor-in-Chief at StealthOptional and Gaming Editor at MSPoweruser, with bylines at Gfinity Esports and FRVR.