Phil Spencer steps in to save Enotria: The Last Song’s Xbox launch

Around this time last year, Phil Spencer also stepped in to help with the release of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox.

It seems that Microsoft’s size has been the biggest advantage, because now it takes a call on social media to get Microsoft to listen and act.

Enotria: The Last Songa game that most of us had probably never heard of and probably never would have heard of without the recent situation, went viral after Giacomo Greco, the CEO of Jyamma Games, criticized Microsoft and Xbox for their lack of response to the studio’s submission and certification requests ahead of the game’s September 19 release.

This silence from Xbox forced the developer to announce an indefinite delay of the Xbox version of Enotria, even though the game was ready for release alongside its PC and PlayStation 5 counterparts.

This incident quickly drew comparisons to other recent cases where third-party titles have struggled to release on Xbox. In particular, the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3 Due to technical problems with the Series S version, there was a delay of several months on Xbox. Black Myth: Wukong was released for PS5 and PC, with a delayed release on Xbox still planned for the future – and there is still debate about whether Sony paid to make the game a timed exclusive to the PS5.

Shortly after Xbox’s problems became increasingly serious, the situation took an unexpected turn when Xbox boss Phil Spencer personally intervened.

Following Greco’s public statement, Spencer and his team reached out to Jyamma Games, apologizing for the communication issues and offering to work closely with the studio to expedite the release of Enotria on Xbox. Jyamma Games then announced via social media that they are now working closely with Microsoft to bring Enotria: The Last Song to Xbox “as soon as possible”.

While the exact release date of the Xbox version is still uncertain, the fact that the Xbox version of the game is already complete suggests that the delay may not be as long as initially feared.

Given the indie nature of the developers, it would be no surprise if Phil Spencer offered Jyamma Games the opportunity to make Enotria: The Last Song available on Game Pass when it launches on Xbox.

However, this is no longer an isolated case. Microsoft’s inability to respond to submissions and certification requests in a timely manner, especially for smaller studios, is well known. Spencer’s quick response to Enotria, while deserving of praise, proves that there is a need for streamlined communication channels between Xbox and developers.

If nothing changes, we will certainly hear more from developers in the future reporting a lack of communication with Xbox.

If it’s any consolation, this whole fiasco has given Enotria: The Last Song an incredible amount of publicity that it otherwise wouldn’t have gotten. It’s a sad reality that publicly contacting companies that ignore your emails is still the most effective way to get customer support, especially if you get lucky and go viral.

Funnily enough, Enotria: The Last Song has been subject to numerous delays this year. We can only assume that it wants to avoid a collision with the release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Earth Tree in June and Black Myth: Wukong in August.

However, with Xbox now helping them out, Enotria: The Last Song could finally have a release date of September 16, which is just before the release of the PC ports of Final Fantasy 16 And God of War: Ragnarok.