Greenberg: Xbox Userbase Is Composed of More Hardcore Players, They’ve Always Been on Our Side

[kungfuian]

Attach rates naturally decline as the install base grows. This is well known in the industry and for him to brag about it is 100% pure marketing BS. The first 40 million customers will always be more active and purchase more games than the following 40 million.

That's like bragging that my 10 million customers are more active than your 100 million; like with the Switch attach rates. Yeah no shit they are. But what Mr. Dishonest Greenburg doesn't mention is that they would love to have those extra 40 million customers and all the software sales of those customers too.

Everything out of this guys mouth is BS. This type of dishonest marketing is designed only to obfuscate their poor position in the market. It ranks up there with "total hours played and bullets fired" and "total sales for the hour of..".

Gamers are smarter than that and Greenburg and the Microsoft camp should be called out for this kind of crap. Someone has to tell them how bad this makes them look!

 

[Heisenburger]

Small man syndrome personified in ms pr

 

[Ada]

They've found their niche I'll give him that.

 

[jroc74]

If this is true, does that mean that Switch owners are the most hardcore gamers of them all?

(Really, attributing being hardcore to the amount of games you buy is really quite atrocious in its entirety).

Click to shrink...

Heeeeey.

 

[Deleted member 6730]

*sigh*

This won't end well.

Spoiler

Anecdotally at least, he is right

Click to shrink...

Yeah, look at how they were doing between 2010-2013 when they were pushing Kinect and the Xbox as more of a media machine. Still hardcore gamers don't deserve props for being loyal to a billion dollar company. That's just going to fuel the exclusionary mindset that hardcore gamers are somehow more special than everybody else playing games.

 

[Gnorman]

they let phil do the kumbaya stuff. and the lower level guys do the dirty work at throwing the tim dogs of the world a bone.

Click to shrink...

Not only do they engage with the Tim Dogs of this world they seem to actively encourage them. They love to whip the crazies up into a frenzy.

 

[N.Domixis]

That's because Sony has the casuals too so unfair. The more popular console will have less hardcore gamers.

 

[Sheng Long]

That could have been put better lol.

 

[Wagram]

and your reward hardcore players is.....Sea of Thieves.....Crackdown 3....State of Decay 2.

Kidding aside. Microsft is making so many good moves that it's times like this when Greenberg really needs to keep quiet. Reminds me of Mattrick.

 

[jroc74]

Conveniently left out the original Xbox One in the power argument. Funny definition of always.

Click to shrink...

And the One S.

So many ppl do...so many ppl do.

 

[Cat]

Yeah, we have a thread about the Ps4 500 million edition, we have a thread about nintendo crossing the 700 million mark, and we have a thread about who is more hardcore.

Click to shrink...

Perfect summary.

That's a pretty subjective label he's chosen to put on attach rate, but in the end it's just a poor way of marketing their successes. There's not a lot to discuss here.

 

[JMY86]

Honestly he is not wrong but who really gives a shit? I generally lean towards Xbox because I much prefer the Xbox controller and they have the better online ecosystem but Sony certainly is currently in the driver's seat. Just play where you want to play...

 

[Hieroph]

Nobody was on your side when you announced the DRM scheme. Nobody.

 

[Madsenpai]

Lol. This kinda statements are so lame imo. Just do your job man.

 

[jroc74]

Congrats on being able to be compared to the Vita I guess

Click to shrink...

lol.

 

[Weeaboom]

Xbox marketing and PR...how long before Spencer overhauls them?

Look I'm a fan of the brand and ecosystem. Think it's in a very good place today and is positioned well for the future. The one exception is their messaging. If Spencer or Booty aren't doing all of it, it goes poorly. From overhyped, under-delivered Inside Xbox, weird statements from Shannon and Aaron, Lobb telling everyone Scalebound was the greatest game ever before canceling it, Lobb telling everyone Phantom Dust had a big single player campaign before the stunned developers had to correct him (and then get their game canceled the next week), Crackdown events where people who don't know how to videogame are demoing the game, not knowing how to market IPs like Sunset Overdrive, lying about Halo 5 and the constant issue of having to backtrack, clarify and correct...is it time to get the marketing house in order before next gen is here and it's too late?

Bad messaging leads to mistrust. The mainstream still doesn't trust Xbox because the messaging and marketing is still all over the place and the marketing guys contradict the tone that Spencer sets.

I think it is time for a marketing shakeup. Aaron and co seem to struggle fitting in with where they are trying to take the brand.

Click to shrink...

Great post.

Microsoft is doing a good job of at least recovering from their pitfalls this gen in terms of goodwill. Insulting one's intelligence is counterproductive.

 

[ABK281]

Anecdotally, that is bullshit. I still check up on some of my ol' Xbox pals on the Xbox app and they're always playing CoD games or Fortnite/PUBG. My PS4 friends are constantly playing *insert niche anime game here* or one of the many exclusive PS4 games that are constantly being released.

 

[EthanKart]

Why would anyone be proud to be a hardcore gamer?

 

[OrdinaryPrime]

Lol. This kinda statements are so lame imo. Just do your job man.

Click to shrink...

I mean he IS a marketing manager. So this kinda is his job. Now I'd argue for more transparency but Microsoft has stopped giving numbers so it's probably not his call.

 

[ethomaz]

I don't like this guy. Although Xbox users do purchase more games per console then PS4 (PS4 is more popular and has higher casual playerbase diluting per console numbers)

Click to shrink...

Is that really true? From what I remember PS4 attach rate was bigger than XB1.

 

[JMY86]

I mean he IS a marketing manager. So this kinda is his job. Now I'd argue for more transparency but Microsoft has stopped giving numbers so it's probably not his call.

Click to shrink...

Exactly! This is all PR speak (which all large companies do) and it is funny how bent out of shape some folks get from these kind of statements.

 

[OrdinaryPrime]

Is that really true? From what I remember PS4 attach rate was bigger than XB1.

Click to shrink...

I believe Ubisoft has given numbers that indicate they get more money from each Xbox One owner. But that tends to be the case with smaller userbases from what I understand.

Exactly! This is all PR speak (which all large companies do) and it is funny how bent out of shape some folks get from these kind of statements.

Click to shrink...

Well Greenberg is a special case, as in he's had multiple cases of purposefully misleading people. Which I put on a different level than this sort of talk.

 

[ShinySunny]

Why would anyone be proud to be a hardcore gamer?

Click to shrink...

Exactly.
After the shooting in Florida, nobody wants to be known as a hardcore gamer.

 

[Septic]

He's right!

 

[ethomaz]

I believe Ubisoft has given numbers that indicate they get more money from each Xbox One owner. But that tends to be the case with smaller userbases from what I understand.

Click to shrink...

Yeap but that didn't mean attach rate... that mean they spend more money on MTX or DLCs.

I read in NPD threads (two years ago) that PS4 attach rate was bigger than XB1... actually we have up to date PS4 attach rate so I'm asking if XB1 really has bigger attach rate?

 

[hussien-11]

PC hardcore gamers, yes.
console hardcore gamers, no.

 

[Stealth X Hawk]

Hardcore players like Tim Dog.

Click to shrink...

Man some of you are like my ex wife... "Oh?! Remember when you said '(stupid thing said)' 8 years ago??? No? I have proof of messages saved!!

 

[Vincent Alexander]

All the casuals are playing on the PS4 then I guess.

Click to shrink...

Yep. Bunch of fookin' noobs.

 

[Deleted member 30005]

Attach rates naturally decline as the install base grows. This is well known in the industry and for him to brag about it is 100% pure marketing BS. The first 40 million customers will always be more active and purchase more games than the following 40 million.

That's like bragging that my 10 million customers are more active than your 100 million; like with the Switch attach rates. Yeah no shit they are. But what Mr. Dishonest Greenburg doesn't mention is that they would love to have those extra 40 million customers and all the software sales of those customers too.

Everything out of this guys mouth is BS. This type of dishonest marketing is designed only to obfuscate their poor position in the market. It ranks up there with "total hours played and bullets fired" and "total sales for the hour of..".

Gamers are smarter than that and Greenburg and the Microsoft camp should be called out for this kind of crap. Someone has to tell them how bad this makes them look!

Click to shrink...

Precisely.

If all the casual buyers deserted PlayStation tomorrow and moved over to Xbox, Sony's attachment rate would climb [despite having less players] and Microsoft's attachment rate would decline [despite suddenly having more players]. There's no contradiction here. Casual buyers purchase less games than hardcore gamers, and lessen the overall attachment rate, but they are still important and help your community grow - just at a lesser rate.

A higher attatment rate does not allow you to draw the conclusion that you also have more hardcore players. It's blows my mind that Aaron Greenberg does not appear to know this.

 

[Remark]

I mean more money is spent per user on XB1 due to the smaller userbase. Less casual players are buying into Xbox compared to last gen so he is technically right but why even talk about this honestly :L

 

[Cess007]

Precisely.

If all the casual buyers deserted PlayStation tomorrow and moved over to Xbox, Sony's attachment rate would climb [despite having less players] and Microsoft's attachment rate would decline [despite suddenly having more players]. There's no contradiction here. Casual buyers purchase less games than hardcore gamers, and lessen the overall attachment rate, but they are still important and help your community grow - just at a lesser rate.

It's blows my mind that Aaron Greenberg does not appear to know this.

Click to shrink...

He does. Believe me, he does.

 

[Elios83]

This guy has always been embarrassing with his PR. He's basically at the level of a message board troll/console warrior.

 

[MetalBoi]

Labels used with marketing will always be a mixed bag.

 

[Ombra]

Hardcore gamers exclusive to Murica.

Click to shrink...

Fuck yeah.
Who needs all those japanese A-R PG's and non shooty bangs?



Something tells me they just found out they are 3rd.

 

[IDreamOfHime]

"Microsoft declares Japan a country of casuals."

 

[pswii60]

If this is true, does that mean that Switch owners are the most hardcore gamers of them all?

(Really, attributing being hardcore to the amount of games you buy is really quite atrocious in its entirety).

Click to shrink...

Of course Switch owners are the most hardcore, playing games everywhere you go instead of only when you're at home is pretty hardcore.

 

[FlyingFeline]

This thread should be locked indeed. The quote was stupid and every discussions that will come out of this will be stupid because it's another PS4 vs Xbox one discussion ... mmm I mean argument.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

whyareyoubooingimright.jpg

 

[potatohead]

I'd watch a Jimquisition on this

 

[Smokey]

I'm not seeing the lies tbh.

 

[m_dorian]

What is the definition of a hardcore gamer and what authority defines it?

 

[talkTOmyHAND]

I believe Ubisoft has given numbers that indicate they get more money from each Xbox One owner. But that tends to be the case with smaller userbases from what I understand.

Click to shrink...

That was few years ago. And how one, few years old statement, from one company can be used in general? Lot's of things changed. Userbase has grown, especially PS4 userbase compared to X1. Surely things changed!

 

[Poimandres]

They had the hardcore... Until they turned their back on that audience in the late 360 years, and followed up with an under powered overpriced console with little focus on games. They have done a lot to turn things around but yikes.

 

[Adult Contemporary]

aaron greenberg is like a talking gamer t shirt

 

[Apex88]

Greenberg and Major Nelson fly into Germany.

Nelson looking like he's stepped off the set of the Home Shopping Network.

Reveal **** all of significance. Not even a trailer or info about Crackdown 3.

Greenberg signs off with a condescending interview and fails to address what more they can do to appeal to European games.

Back on the plane.

Announce Xbox All Access on Twitter - US gamers only.

Just about sums up Microsoft's European marketing and PR efforts.

 

[El Bombastico]

Nobody was on your side when you announced the DRM scheme. Nobody.

Click to shrink...

Um, yes quite a few very sad people were, actually. Stanning for a company that wants to fuck you over was definitely one of the low points of the whole DRM fiasco.

That or they were shills, as was discovered by a Mod on the other site...

 

[Faithless]

Yeah sure, that's why hardcore gamers wanted Kinect, DRM and TV bullshit at Xbox One launch.
lol
We were at your side with Xbox 360 then you ruined everything.

 

[VeePs]

Greenberg really needs to keep quiet. Reminds me of Mattrick.

Click to shrink...

Greenberg has been making dumb statements like these for a long time. It happened in last gen, and you can bet it'll happen next gen.

Um, yes quite a few very sad people were, actually. Stanning for a company that wants to fuck you over was definitely one of the low points of the whole DRM fiasco.

That or they were shills, as was discovered by a Mod on the other site...

Click to shrink...

I know a few people who were looking forward to that "sharing" feature, but that's about it. I'm not saying your lying just saying thats what I remember.

 

[Dimple]

God Greenberg is the fucking worst, im an XBOX guy and there's no doubt in my mind that XBOX is by far the more causal platform of the two.

 

[rokkerkory]

Greenberg not doing MS any favors here