[IGN] Phil Spencer and the Battle for Xbox’s Soul
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Not surprise but definitely unfortunate because chances are the average worker is going to be the most negatively impacted by these changes coming down the line. Would love to be wrong on that though.
Feels like the industry is headed in a pretty gloomy direction. If Microsoft are going all in on zapping the soul from the brand then they're destined for a rude awakening. Xbox One vibes all over again.
Alongside that, Sony absolutely aren't the ones to pick up the slack as they continue to exhibit anti-consumer style sentiment, in typical 'leading Sony' fashion'. Nintendo will keep on Nintendo'ing which gives me some hope but they're almost a separate thing at this point and not what I'm personally after from a main device (I see my Switch as a secondary separate thing).
Overall feeling a little bleak about the future of a hobby I've adored for my entire life.
Its CRAZY they said they needed more of that and then closed them. It's unreal how ironic it was.
Yes. And probably started even sooner.
We could also include a big chunk of non traditional media: influencers, youtubers (some of them very loved here) and of course gaming forums. The not so old thread about the adquisition in this very forum was amazing. Or the famous 'Gamepass anticompetitive thing too.
I think this would make more sense if the things MS had been trying to do, were actually good for the industry. I think it could be argued almost everything they have been trying to do is damaging gaming as a concept, even if they aren't the only culprit. MS hasn't really contributed in a positive fashion that is actually designed to benefit the consumer since likely the 360 generation. Even Gamepass which started fine, the writing was always on the wall for the actual intent of it in the future, just like cloud gaming is just another extension of their 'you own nothing' mantra that lost them the Xbox One generation.
People have short memories, MS already tried to raise the price of XBL drastically prior, and the outrage caused them to pull back, but MS has been firing shots at consumers at least since the Xbox One, and you could argue prior if you really wanted. Almost every decision they make is merely angled to seem charitable, but there is always a money making reason behind it, it was never charitable and it's foolish that some thought otherwise.
Of course, all companies strive to make money, but some do so with an aligned interest with those who want to be their customers. MS is definitely not one that has your interest in mind, they want to make money in the most cynical fashion possible, not because they love the medium and want to make money with it. I do believe people at Xbox especially in the past had a passion to want to be a premiere gaming device, but they are always beholden to what Microsoft proper demands of them, since they deliver the money, and that has always created an uncomfortable tug o war in my mind.
I consider the original Xbox and 360 among the better consoles ever crafted, but once MS forced themselves into the fray things never recovered, and we're going to see why their involvement is not great more and more soon.
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Eh, I'd say they've done a lot. I feel like the Phil era of fixing the wrongs of the Xbox One launch often feels connected to now, but is a different phase with a different team and different goals.
They fired backwards compatibility into the limelight. Forced Sony to improve their PS+ service offers dramatically. Caused Sony to build improved controller offerings. And Game Pass itself can be seen in different lights, but it's still arguably one of the best value subs in gaming today - it's not as strong as it once was but the value on offer there is fantastic and still exceeds the competition. During a time where costs are increasing rapidly, a One S + Game Pass is fantastic value for many which has to be commended.
It's easy to focus on the negatives. But MS had a fire up their backside in the years after the dramatic XB1 launch failure. That fire seems to be dwindling out by corporate goals these past few years.
I can't really agree with the BC thing at all. That was clearly a desperation move to create some form of content during a period they had almost none, it helped pad out Gamepass and gave them stuff to talk about, however they didn't give a shit about it when they had content, and as soon as they got new studios, they shut the entire BC innitiative down. They barely hit a few dozen original Xbox games before pulling the plug. The 360 BC was solid, and I will commend them for basically turning BC into what people used to consider HD remasters, but I consider these happy side effects of otherwise desperate moves that were born from them killing all their talent off in the first place.
Controllers I also don't really see it, Sony persisted with their design despite the Xbox, and have still persisted with their Analog stick layout, etc, forever. Almost none of their controller innovations were born from things created by MS, and we should also consider MS themselves have effectively done nothing interesting with controllers since the 360, where as Sony has tried to push the envelope a bit both with PS4 and PS5 especially, and that's when they were winning the whole time.
Gamepass, sure it likely motivated Sony to upgrade their offerings a bit, but let's recall that Sony is the one that began giving out games with a service in the first place, MS adapted that later, and eventually created a value proposition to make up for the deficiency of their content pipeline, it was a good deal, but it had to be.
This isn't to say nothing they have done contributed in some positive fashion, but usually MS is reacting against the wall, not trying to innovate ahead of their competitors, I would say the 360 was quite innovative and pushed a lot of what we call standard now, but after that, eh.
As an aside, as someone who owned an Xbox One before a PS4 due to the 360 being such a killer system, I lamented that people would bring up titles like Sunset Overdrive in list wars.. Like 5 years after it came out, MS exclusive lineup was absolutely dire post Mattrick, and they did nothing to address that for a ridiculous amount of time, and I believe that is because MS proper is not interested in gaming, just having a box they control under your TV. I do think Xbox did the best they could with the hand they were being dealt, but it was a bad hand regardless.
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Did it really only occur to Ryan that it was Microsoft Gaming now when it's been Microsoft Gaming since 2022?
debatable. If you don't care for the majority of first parties (which mind you a few are also on ps+) , then it's no different to the x amount of third parties on offer on ps+ which aren't on GP. A game is a game, it's subjective either way.
I mean there's ps core too with like 100 movies
All of that is good and well and has kept Sony on their toes for some time, but ultimately, it boils down to the market clearly selecting a preference which isn't Xbox. People here on ResetEra keep droning on about "competition is good" and so on, but ultimately competition is about the general consumer having options and going for what they perceive is the best option. Xbox hasn't made a big dent for over a decade despite all the smaller good things their actions have led to that "core" gamers notice, which means they ultimately haven't managed to shift the market conditions which should make most people question their focus areas. For everyone wanting competition, isn't this outcome also something of a natural conclusion?
I miss the Xbox 360 days (before Kinect). Bright future ahead and then came the Xbox One.
It was the beginning of the end.
It was the beginning of the end.
I personally think in the current climate a PS only landscape (and Nintendo doing their own thing) would be disastrous for the industry. Would someone else rise to the challenge though, who knows?
The two absolutely do keep each other on their toes, and in fairness Nintendo should be included in that mix despite their detachment from that flow. Microsoft will do one thing, Sony will be influenced to do something comparable, forcing Microsoft to also try level things up further, rinse repeat - the constant eb and flow between the parties elevates things undoubtedly.
You're of course right, but maybe I wasn't clear enough: I tried to comment and expand on your initial sentence "Eh, I'd say they've done a lot.", maybe slightly off-topic. My argument was that they've certainly done a lot of smaller (and bigger) things that have kept their competition on their toes, but my counter-question was ultimately: has that even mattered at all to improve their own value proposition? I'm leaning towards "no" since they haven't shifted much share over to their side despite the time and money given, which should raise the question if the actions Xbox have taken actually mean anything to the general/non-core consumer base.
Destin is straight up a console warrior. Ryan worships Phil but at least he isn't as toxic as Destin.
Either way, that articel is terrible.
There are 3 reasons Xbox is currently in this situation.
1. Gamepass
2. ZeniMax acquisition
3. ABK acquisition
Phil Spencer is responsible for all 3. There is no need to look for someone else who is responsible for this mess. It's Phil.
He grew his empire without having an actual working business plan for it. He put all eggs in the gamepass basket without any clue how that model could possibly finance all these studios
Now the sheer size of the company is killing his vision and the CFOs are trying to fix the division with the only measures they know - cost cutting. The decision for cost cutting wasn't Phil's, but it's a direct result of his empire building and lack of foresight.
Remember when he said the human eye can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p, so there will be no difference between the PS3 and XB1?
Those were some good times. Secret sauce, power of the cloud, Get Lucky by Daft Punk.......................
honestly dude's dream of career moment being "buying nintendo with daddy's money" should really tell you all you need to know about him, lol
Wow, this is Waylon Smithers-level sycophant writing. And I thought his Alien Isolation review was the worst thing he ever put on the internet.
If he didn't come up with it first he almost certainly parroted it, but I was referring to the stupid terms that were going around back then in general.
Not Get Lucky though, that was great, even if it was played constantly everywhere for the entire year.
Poor Phil. I hope he can successfully defend himself against the mean corporate board members! It must be so horrible that they forced the purchase of ABK and now they're forcing him to fire thousands of employees.
What does this even mean? Higher ups going to take control over the gaming division? Sounds like the identity Xbox had and was trying to rebuild is being meddled with or taken away.
Will the "Microsoft game studios" splash logo be resurrected.
Big corps are fucking obsessed with headcount. Hence MS preference for contractors.
In the corporate structure they're maintaining different publishing labels - Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Studios, Activision Blizzard - but under the umbrella management of 'Microsoft Game Content & Studios'. Phil Spencer is now CEO of 'Microsoft Gaming'. For now when publishing they seem happy to use the sub-labels rather than an umbrella label of 'Microsoft Gaming' on game splash screens.
The commentary there though makes it seem like this last reorg under 'Microsoft Gaming' maybe had more significance than it seemed at the time. I think at the time most wrote it off as superficial rearrangement.
Wasn't the conversation at the top back in 2013 essentially about turning Xbox into Microsoft gaming? So many folks said Phil was the catalyst in stopping that from happening, but now here we are
I have a very good friend (who I trust) who has a friend that works at Ninja Theory (well aware this connection sounds like BS, but it genuinely is not). In 2021 he told me Hellblade 2 was years away and development was a mess. Here we are, years away.
He's told me it's an open workplace talking point that they'll be closed after Hellblade 2 releases. Apparently a few higher ups have already left but it's not been made official publicly.
When leakers mention this situation won't be the last, I assume the above is some of what's coming. Morale must be low at Xbox Game Studios right now, which just simply isn't productive or conductive to creative work.
He's told me it's an open workplace talking point that they'll be closed after Hellblade 2 releases. Apparently a few higher ups have already left but it's not been made official publicly.
When leakers mention this situation won't be the last, I assume the above is some of what's coming. Morale must be low at Xbox Game Studios right now, which just simply isn't productive or conductive to creative work.
What soul is left has clearly shifted. Or maybe that was always the plan and the rest was marketing BS after deciding to go all-in (more likely now).
A handful of IP to be exploited for maximum ROI. Call of Duty, WoW and Candy Crush. But after swallowing Activision Blizzard, how could it be any different... I will scream if I see another one of those shitty Twitter/X infographs.
Toys of Bob were the lucky ones at this rate.
A handful of IP to be exploited for maximum ROI. Call of Duty, WoW and Candy Crush. But after swallowing Activision Blizzard, how could it be any different... I will scream if I see another one of those shitty Twitter/X infographs.
Toys of Bob were the lucky ones at this rate.
This is sad, but true. I feel Arkane Austin is just as fucked up personally, but the internet has imploded over Tango specifically. MS could have gotten away with this if they had just closed the other three studios and buried their heads in the sand until their June showcase. The Tango closure brings to light the fact that they are fine with abruptly sacrificing artistic vision and quality for short-term profit. It's concerning to think they hadn't considered this interpretation a possibility.
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Ryan M is a blind fanboy through and through. Poor guy is in shambles that his plastic box is by far the worse of the big 3
Dude, what is this quote even?
Lawyers were largely responsible for the fight against FTC. The business people people like Phil Spencer should have literally thinking about people and studio they were about the aquire. They should have thought about it before they even made an offer.
How did no editor flag this nonsense?
It's arguable the protracted regulatory process actually gave them more time to plan for integration. And Spencer during the process made the point more or less repeatedly about how over that year his 'focus' had been on planning with Kotick about integration.
Matt Booty basically admitted in his internal emails/communications after the closures that the MS infrastructure they were plugging their acquisitions into hadn't been scaled to match what they were taking on. So they had to let projects/studios go to focus what resources they have on fewer bigger projects and studios.
Either they were asleep, or were planning for the acquisition to not go through and were left wrong-footed. But it seems totally irresponsible to be basically planning for failure if the latter was the case.
These are the questions, btw, that someone should be asking Spencer or Booty. You say you closed these studios because MS infra isn't there for this number of studios - why is it not?
Ryan is the Executive Editor at IGN, which is basically the top of the chain when it comes to editorial pieces. Nobody is checking his nonsense.
If it's one thing that's apparent on this forum, it's that self-professed gamers aren't serious people.
Nothing about Sony currently screams "consumer friendly", I cannot imagine if they do not have another player to keep them in check.
As for another player, the cost of entry is so high and the industry is going through a dark phase, why would anyone want to be a part of it? Stadia and Luna were the best hope for new competition, and we know how that went