It looks like Microsoft’s size has gotten the best of it because it now take a call out on social media to get them to listen and take action.
Enotria: The Last Song, a game most of us probably hadn’t heard of at all and likely wouldn’t have if not for the recent situation, went viral after Jyamma Games’ CEO, Giacomo Greco, called out Microsoft and Xbox over their lack of response to the studio’s submission and certification requests ahead of its release on September 19.
This silence from Xbox forced the developer to announce an indefinite delay for the Xbox version of Enotria, despite the game being ready for launch alongside its PC and PlayStation 5 counterparts.
This incident quickly drew comparisons to other recent cases where third-party titles faced challenges in releasing on Xbox. Notably, the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3 experienced a several-month delay on Xbox due to technical issues with the Series S version. Similarly, Black Myth: Wukong launched on PS5 and PC with a delayed Xbox release still planned for the future—with an ongoing debate that Sony paid to make the game a timed exclusive to the PS5.
Shortly after adding to the Xbox’s pile of growing problems, the situation took an unexpected turn when Xbox head Phil Spencer personally intervened.
Following Greco’s public statement, Spencer and his team reached out to Jyamma Games, apologizing for the communication breakdown and offering to work closely with the studio to expedite Enotria’s Xbox release. Jyamma Games then announced via social media that they are now collaborating closely with Microsoft to bring Enotria: The Last Song to Xbox “as soon as possible.”
While the exact release date for the Xbox version remains uncertain, the fact that the game’s Xbox build is already complete suggests that the delay may not be as prolonged as initially feared.
Given the indie nature of the developers, it wouldn’t be surprising if Phil Spencer offered Jyamma Games to make Enotria: The Last Song available on Game Pass when it comes to Xbox.
With that said, this is no longer an isolated incident. Microsoft’s inability to respond in time to submissions and certification requests, especially for smaller studios, is well-known. While Spencer’s quick response to Enotria deserves praise, it does prove that there’s a need for a more streamlined communication channels between Xbox and developers.
Unless things change, we’re bound to hear more developers tell everyone about a lack of communication with Xbox.
If it’s any consolation, this entire fiasco did give Enotria: The Last Song an insane amount of publicity that it wouldn’t have otherwise enjoyed. It’s a sad reality that reaching out publicly to compnaies who ignore your emails is still the most effective way of getting customer support, especially if you luck out and go viral.
Funnily enough, Enotria: The Last Song has faced numerous delays this year. We can only presume that it wants to avoid clashing with the release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree in June and Black Myth: Wukong in August.
Now that Xbox is helping them out though, Enotria: The Last Song’s September 16 release date might finally stick, which is close to the release of the PC ports of Final Fantasy 16 and God of War: Ragnarok.
