After taking stock of the company’s current standing, Xbox manager Phill Spencer has decided that the Xbox One/PlayStation 4 generation was the “worst generation to lose.”
Spencer said in an interview with Kinda Funny (opens in new tab) that even with great games, the Xbox is still only in third place among gamers. “We lost the worst generation to lose in the Xbox One generation, where everyone developed their virtual library of video games,” Spencer says. To paraphrase, “when you go and you’re developing on Xbox, we want our Xbox community to feel incredible,” but “this concept that if we just focus more on terrific video games on our console, in some way we’re gon na win the console race,” does not “truly [match] the reality, in my opinion, of many people.”
In addition, Spencer notes, “like 90% of individuals annually who stroll into a large merchant to purchase a console, and are currently a member of among the 3 communities, and their virtual library exists.” Spencer claims that this is the first generation to grow up with games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft that were released in the previous generation.
The bond between generations is really solid. Many industry veterans, in my experience, long for the days of cartridges and discs, when each new console generation represented a clean slate and the chance to reshape the market. Unfortunately, that is not the world in which we currently reside. Starfield cannot be an 11/10, and people will not start selling their PS5s if it were. You can rule out that happening.
Paradoxically, when gamers started building virtual libraries on rival platforms, Microsoft lagged behind in the Xbox One generation. The original concept for Xbox One was an internet-connected console that would force gamers to give up hard copies in favour of digital downloads. While this wasn’t the lone factor in PlayStation’s success throughout that generation, Sony’s quick capitalization on this assumption (opens in new tab) helped drive PS4 to an early lead that never evaporated even as Xbox backpedalled.
Although Spencer stresses the importance of the system hardware, Microsoft now appears to be positioning Xbox to be as much of a service as it is a console brand name. We’re in a unique position to know what developers want since we can peek into their minds. Game designers strive to make titles playable on any display. Spencer claims that people enjoy themselves with friends regardless of the number of screens they are simultaneously using.
There is no victory for Xbox in following in the footsteps of another company, as one employee put it: “Some people want to hold us up [to] being simply a much better green version of what the blue men do.”
Spencer recalled that he was “dissatisfied” with the release of Redfall, but reassured Starfield fans that they need not be concerned about the next major Xbox exclusive.
Find the most recent and most important gaming news, along with deals, reviews, tips, and more.
In May of 2022, Dustin Bailey located in Missouri joined on as a Staff Writer for the GamesRadar team. Since 2015, first as a freelancer and subsequently as a news author at PCGamesN, he has covered video games (with occasional dalliances on the worlds of anime and professional fumbling). His interest in video games was sparked by a combination of Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and he now spends his free time playing a variety of games, including classic console titles, the latest blockbuster action/adventure game, and American Truck Simulator.
Reviewing the present state of the brand name, Xbox manager Phill Spencer has actually concluded that the Xbox One and PS4 generation was the “worst generation to lose.”
Throughout an interview with Kinda Funny (opens in brand-new tab)Spencer explained that excellent video games alone will not pull Xbox out of its third-place position in the console race. “We lost the worst generation to lose in the Xbox One generation, where everyone developed their virtual library of video games,” Spencer states. “So when you go and you’re developing on Xbox, we desire our Xbox neighborhood to feel incredible, however this concept that if we simply focus more on terrific video games on our console, in some way we’re gon na win the console race, I believe does not truly [match] the truth of many people.”
Spencer includes that “like 90% of individuals every year who stroll into a huge merchant to purchase a console, and are currently a member of among the 3 communities, and their virtual library exists. This is the very first generation where the huge video games that they’re playing were video games that were offered last-gen,” Spencer states, mentioning examples like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft
“The connection from generation to generation is so strong. I see a great deal of experts out there that sort of wish to return to the time where all of us had cartridges and discs and every brand-new generation was a fresh start, and you might change the entire console share. That’s simply not the world that we remain in today. There’s no world where Starfield is an 11/10 and individuals begin offering their PS5s. That’s not going to occur.”
There’s a paradox in the reality that Microsoft fell back in the Xbox One generation as gamers began to develop their virtual libraries on other platforms. The preliminary pitch for Xbox One was an online-focused platform constructed to press individuals into digital, instead of physical, ownership of their video games. Back in 2013, that concept was comfortably declined by fans, and while it wasn’t the only consider PlayStation’s success that generation, Sony’s fast capitalization on that belief (opens in brand-new tab) assisted move PS4 to an early lead that never ever dissipated even as Xbox backpedaled.
Now, it seems like Microsoft is placing Xbox to be as much of a service as it is a console brand name, and while Spencer highlights that the console itself is main to Xbox, the brand name’s vision is much more comprehensive. “We have this special vision since we see what developers wish to do. Developers wish to construct video games that can satisfy gamers on any screen. Individuals have fun with their good friends despite what other screen they’re on,” Spencer states.
“Some individuals wish to hold us up [to] being simply being a much better green variation of what the blue men do, and I’m simply going to state there’s not a win for Xbox in remaining in the wake of someone else.”
Spencer likewise kept in mind that he was”dissatisfied” by Redfall’s launchhowever assured Starfield fans that there’s absolutely nothing to fret about from the next huge Xbox unique.
