Listening to gamers and offering exclusive games is the future of XONE - Phil Spencer

Then again, it could be another case of a timed exclusive, which they had a plenty of last gen. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a solid data for pointing out which was the case with the early Capcom games of last gen.

Yup. One game we do know that MS locked down exclusivity for was Dead Rising. Not the sequel though, which I thought was rather strange, but then decided to fund the third title.

Crazy.
 
I hope what he says as true and XB1 gets some good exclusives, but at the same time I have a hard time buying this solely from the fact that he plugs the smartglass second screen experience crap. It's a worthless gimmick and anything that draws my attention away from the screen where I'm playing the game to some other screen somewhere else is a no-go in my book. Smartglass is only worthwhile for sending messages to people over XBL, and that's only because the on-screen keyboard is slow as balls to use for messaging.
 
Yup. One game we do know that MS locked down exclusivity for was Dead Rising. Not the sequel though, which I thought was rather strange, but then decided to fund the third title.

Crazy.

That was actually one of the reasons why I never bought DR2, as coming late to the party didn't seem ideal to me, eventhough there really isn't any cohesive story. In retrospect, I'm glad I skipped it, as I would have been pissed about not being able to play DR3 after that. I think that's one of the things the 3rd parties have to think about when deciding on the exclusivity deals, as the late releases and sequels without preceding entries never sell as much on the other platforms.
 
Have no issues, actually I'd encourage them going to 3rd parties and fund special projects with them. I'd rather a quality, proven team were given funding then relying on new teams with no pedigree. Of course this doesn't mean ignoring initiatives with internal teams. They have the money and their fans would appreciate the effort from top teams.
 
and what other games have they got then? didnt MS famously drop all support last gen? I didn't mention titanfall as it is new and from the sounds of it, will be multiplat next gen.
You also didn't mention Killer Instinct,Ryse ,Crimson Dragon, Max: Curse of Brotherhood right out of the gate. As well as upcoming games like Sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break and the next State of Decay game pretty much kills the old tired " only Halo/Forza/Gears argument. ( Not that it will stop people from using it) Don't remember MS under"famous dropping all support" for the 360's. I do remember them changing focus to XBLA and Direct when Matrick took over.
 
Good.

New traditional Banjo-Kazooie, please.
 
I'd usually laugh this off, but Spencer seems like a genuine guy. This E3 he has a chance to prove himself.

Way to short of a timespan to do that. He only got in his position recently, and E3 is in 2 months, most of the content has been planned for months already.
 
Why not both? I don't understand the obsession with people not wanting any first party to "buy" exclusives.

It all hinges on whether buy means "fund" as in helping fund TitanFall or helping fund Dead Rising 3 - or just buy timed exclusivity - which is a fake way of providing a true exclusive and is negative for consumers overall because it simply consists of using money to hold back something from another platform for a period of time.

Funding a title with a 2nd or 3rd party developer is a positive move for consumers and ensures the money is going towards creating more games. Buying timed exclusivity doesn't create more games and doesn't provide true competition.

I and many dislike buying timed exclusives and the reasons are pretty clear and valid - it's not competition that's positive for consumers.
 
I'll even be happy with console exclusives that are also on PC. Part of what made me prefer the OG Xbox over the PS2 was that I got to play games like KotOR, The Chronicles of Riddick, Morrowind and Jade Empire. While I'm not expecting anything quite on that level, it would be nice to see some fresh new IPs that at least approach being as good as those titles. New IPs for a new generation that makes the system stand out as a must have amongst the other consoles.
 
If they really do start to show a consistent and meaningful turnaround in games I gotta play then I'll jump in. I owns both other Xbox consoles day one and was going to do the same with the xone. Then all the bs of last year happened and that was enough for me to not reward a company doing what I believed to be harmful practices to thr industry. And now that for the first time they don't have the power advantage where I almost always bought multiplats on Xbox all they have to entice me is exclusives. And for my gaming tastes I always enjoyed Sonys mixture of games more then MS. Although halo, Forza and gears were fun.

I'm still not convinced they aren't going to be heading down the same path of relying too much on Forza, gears, fable and halo. Hell they just shutdown on studios new ip to do another gears. A decision made by Phil. I think gear's time has passed and to sacrifice a new ip for it is highly discouraging. But I'm looking forward to seeing insomiacs new game more and they might have some surprises

I'm also curious how many kinect games they have in the works. It's bundled if they truly believe in the device they will have to start showing more kinect games in development.
 
I can't help but feel that this guy is just trying to fix XBO image by saying what everyone want to hear its like he is being stressed from higher up to keep repeating "games" word every time anyone ask him something. Talk is cheap

thats what this is at the moment,the whole phil spencer will save the one is just a big pr campaing ,he can prove we are wrong on e3
 
If they really do start to show a consistent and meaningful turnaround in games I gotta play then I'll jump in. I owns both other Xbox consoles day one and was going to do the same with the xone. Then all the bs of last year happened and that was enough for me to not reward a company doing what I believed to be harmful practices to thr industry. And now that for the first time they don't have the power advantage where I almost always bought multiplats on Xbox all they have to entice me is exclusives. And for my gaming tastes I always enjoyed Sonys mixture of games more then MS. Although halo, Forza and gears were fun.

I'm still not convinced they aren't going to be heading down the same path of relying too much on Forza, gears, fable and halo. Hell they just shutdown on studios new ip to do another gears. A decision made by Phil. I think gear's time has passed and to sacrifice a new ip for it is highly discouraging. But I'm looking forward to seeing insomiacs new game more and they might have some surprises

I'm also curious how many kinect games they have in the works. It's bundled if they truly believe in the device they will have to start showing more kinect games in development.

I agree with this. It's been clear from the past Microsoft starts to drift away from creating new ip's as the generation goes on and focus mostly on just proven franchises. What is unclear however is Kinect. Microsoft made a drastic change by allocating resources to make Kinect games and that hurt them on the XBox 360. Now they seem to be going back to the basics (aside from Rare).

I can see Microsoft working more with third party studios to create exclusive content like they are doing with Insomniac. What they should be doing is making PC/XBox One games so they have a larger userbase to sell to. These AAA games are not cheap to make which means Sony is in the same position until hardware sales are high enough to remove some of that risk. That's why you see a lot of Sony ip's also on their handhelds, Microsoft doesn't have that but they have Windows. Which isn't the same because they don't get revenue from hardware sales but they still get people to continue to buy Windows. They also have their servers that publishers can access. What Microsoft needs to do is get their ecosystem of Windows/XBox out there and I think that was the whole idea of making it easy to go from PC to tablet to smartphone to game console.
 
Why not both? I don't understand the obsession with people not wanting any first party to "buy" exclusives.
I don't mind a bought exclusive like Ryse since it was made for the xbox one. I do mind when a game is being made for both and they hold/cancel a version because MS threw money at a developer/publisher. It's like paying money to actively make another platform worse instead of paying money to make you're own platform better. That kind of practice pissed me off as a ps3 owner. It caused me to hate the 360, because I felt like MS was paying money to fuck my gaming experience. I eventually got a 360, but I would have bought one sooner if they just made more of their own exclusives.
 
I think if a dev focuses solely on one version of the game when making it, It will be a better polished game.

This almost never happens with any exclusive that wasn't being directly funded at the start. If you're buying the exclusivity later, when you can see the project running, then work on other platforms has pretty much always already compromised any single console focus. Decisions like having Titanfall use a modified Source engine, to make the PS3 port easily have already taken their effect before the game becomes an exclusive, so this line of reasoning is invalid.
 
Phil Spencer is different. He exudes a genuine love for gaming and is passionate about XBOX. There is a reason he was appointed with the role and it is to make changes in the right direction. I am a massive supporter of the guy.

My philosophy with anyone is to look at what they deliver or fail to deliver before criticising. He hasn't not delivered on anything yet. I know that he's only been in the role a few weeks but let's see what comes of his initial promises and ideas before being negative.
Phil Spencer was assigned the role after major executive-level shakeups as well as several key XBox team members saying bye-bye to Microsoft. It's not like he was put in the role at the beginning. As such, I find it hard to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, as if they finally realize "Phil is the right man for the job to get us back on track". If they really believed he was the right man for the job, why not assign him this role years ago?

No, Microsoft believed whole-heartedly in the idea of the Xbox One and Phil's new role is simply to reassure gamers that Microsoft "is listening to their fans" (seriously, he says this in every single interview) and they're totally dedicated to gaming. I think perhaps they realize that the whole TV TV SPORTS focus isn't going to skyrocket right out of the gate like they previously hoped. Cart before horse. Now they're scrambling to establish the installed base with gamers so that they can later return to their original plan (not necessarily the DRM, but definitely the TV and integrated social media stuff).

Thing is, the execs said that same exact stuff about being dedicated to gaming last year, too around the time of the Xbox One reveal. It's not a new line. I suppose it's more true this time around because Spencer is saying it, right?
 
It says a lot about their initial strategy that something so basic and fundamental has to be stated and is received warmly.
Sony screwed up last gen and Microsoft screwed up this time. Luckily for Microsoft, sony's recovery can be used as a blueprint for success.
 
I hope what he says as true and XB1 gets some good exclusives, but at the same time I have a hard time buying this solely from the fact that he plugs the smartglass second screen experience crap. It's a worthless gimmick and anything that draws my attention away from the screen where I'm playing the game to some other screen somewhere else is a no-go in my book. Smartglass is only worthwhile for sending messages to people over XBL, and that's only because the on-screen keyboard is slow as balls to use for messaging.
I quite liked SmartGlass in dr3, left my Surface propped up on its stand while playing, it was quite cool to answer calls and call in air strikes. Haven't yet used it for much else though
 
And I really doubt Titanfall would have been thrown in the trash if Microsoft didn't fund it. Someone would have come along eventually and funded it.

The one that did was Microsoft. So what's your point? Should Microsoft go through a binding arbitration process where all other publishers of note get the first crack at funding the game before they can?
 
I can't help but feel that this guy is just trying to fix XBO image by saying what everyone want to hear its like he is being stressed from higher up to keep repeating "games" word every time anyone ask him something. Talk is cheap

My thoughts exactly.
Prove me wrong Phil.

Mine too. It will be the higher ups that will shape Xbox ones future. They chose Spencer over say someone like Marc written for the job. Spencer has the perfect image the top dogs wanted to appease gamers and it's been working. That said, it doesn't mean things won't improve. MS may very well want to follow in Sony's foot steps in with how they have been handling third party relations and listening to the consumers. I love how things have been playing out so far and it should be a great time to own both consoles.
 
Phil Spencer was assigned the role after major executive-level shakeups as well as several key XBox team members saying bye-bye to Microsoft. It's not like he was put in the role at the beginning. As such, I find it hard to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, as if they finally realize "Phil is the right man for the job to get us back on track". If they really believed he was the right man for the job, why not assign him this role years ago?

No, Microsoft believed whole-heartedly in the idea of the Xbox One and Phil's new role is simply to reassure gamers that Microsoft "is listening to their fans" (seriously, he says this in every single interview) and they're totally dedicated to gaming. I think perhaps they realize that the whole TV TV SPORTS focus isn't going to skyrocket right out of the gate like they previously hoped. Cart before horse. Now they're scrambling to establish the installed base with gamers so that they can later return to their original plan (not necessarily the DRM, but definitely the TV and integrated social media stuff).

Thing is, the execs said that same exact stuff about being dedicated to gaming last year, too around the time of the Xbox One reveal. It's not a new line. I suppose it's more true this time around because Spencer is saying it, right?

I find it slightly amusing that in one post you state that MS probably realises that their previous direction, focused on media offerings rather than primarily games is not working and they need to do something to change that.... but at the same time discount the possibility that MS could realise that Phil may be the correct man for the job, rather than those that held that position before. Do you not realise how contradictory those two claims are?
 
Why not both? I don't understand the obsession with people not wanting any first party to "buy" exclusives.

lets turn this around and ask if people would be upset if Sony went out and grabbed exclusivity for Destiny during the early stages of it's life. you can guarantee some people wouldn't be to happy with that deal.
 
lets turn this around and ask if people would be upset if Sony went out and grabbed exclusivity for Destiny during the early stages of it's life. you can guarantee some people wouldn't be to happy with that deal.

Okay. They wouldn't get as much Backlash if MS did it
 
BS there are well documented money hats. Dead rising 3 is one such case. COD DLC, = money hat. GEars of war = money hat. Not like epic needed MS help to launch that game.

GTA IV DLC expensive money hat.

Destiny dlc = moneyhat, ass creed dlc = moneyhat, watch dogs dlc = money hat, batman dlc = moneyhat

Oh noes Sony does it too, every hardware company in some form moneyhats exclusives so people need to get off their high horse lol
 
Destiny dlc = moneyhat, ass creed dlc = moneyhat, watch dogs dlc = money hat, batman dlc = moneyhat

Oh noes Sony does it too, every hardware company in some form moneyhats exclusives so people need to get off their high horse lol

And Sony should be fucking called out on it as well. I don't stand by while Sony money hats either.

However unfortunately for you, Sony actually owns loads of great studios that produce great games for Sony.

Microsoft has destroyed what legacy studios it has and lost the rest.
 
And Sony should be fucking called out on it as well. I don't stand by while Sony money hats either.

However unfortunately for you, Sony actually owns loads of great studios that produce great games for Sony.

Microsoft has destroyed what legacy studios it has and lost the rest.

Unfortunately for me? lol

I own all 3 next Gen systems, I'll get games on any and exclusives won't "sway" me cause I'm here to play games not systems.
 
Destiny dlc = moneyhat, ass creed dlc = moneyhat, watch dogs dlc = money hat, batman dlc = moneyhat

Oh noes Sony does it too, every hardware company in some form moneyhats exclusives so people need to get off their high horse lol

Its thee nature of the beast. You have to stay competitive . if your competition is doing something that's keeping consumers faway from your product you can't just stand by and watch. I don't know who started the exclusive dlc thing and I don't care but SLC is much more re tolerable then moneyhatting third party titles that would have ended up multiplat if said company didn't step in to finish funding the game. I have nothing against a platform holder working with third parties to start a game from scratch though.
 
Phil Spencer is different. He exudes a genuine love for gaming and is passionate about XBOX. There is a reason he was appointed with the role and it is to make changes in the right direction. I am a massive supporter of the guy.

My philosophy with anyone is to look at what they deliver or fail to deliver before criticising. He hasn't not delivered on anything yet. I know that he's only been in the role a few weeks but let's see what comes of his initial promises and ideas before being negative.

Penello exuded genuine openness and honesty here but all he did was spewing out one bullshit after another. MS execs are pretty good at pretending and say whatever they think sound good without being truthful.
 
It says a lot about their initial strategy that something so basic and fundamental has to be stated and is received warmly.
Sony screwed up last gen and Microsoft screwed up this time. Luckily for Microsoft, sony's recovery can be used as a blueprint for success.

Sony screwed up with the ps3 early, but it was always a more powerful core gaming device with cutting edge bluray. Sony also had larger first party output all along. They just needed their games to show off the hardware and the price to drop enough.

MS built the Xbox one as a multipurpose media hub first, and they're stuck with the limits regardless of what policies they reverse. MS fired off a halo late on the 360 and launched with Forza. Another Gears or Fable won't shock the world, and it'll take years to put out games greenlit now in response to their problems.

MS is saying the right things, but a turnaround like Sony will be more difficult. certainly more expensive if they have to start buying more exclusives.
 
I find it slightly amusing that in one post you state that MS probably realises that their previous direction, focused on media offerings rather than primarily games is not working and they need to do something to change that.... but at the same time discount the possibility that MS could realise that Phil may be the correct man for the job, rather than those that held that position before. Do you not realise how contradictory those two claims are?
I think you just want to see a contradiction. Microsoft still believes TV TV Sports is an integral part of the system's future. They've said nothing that leads me to believe otherwise. But they are also aware that making TV TV Sports the focus of the system now isn't going to work for right now, hence the renewed insistence that X1 is all about dem games. We've heard this exact rhetoric before when Kinect launched on 360 years ago. Would you say Microsoft's recent track record is all that good?

Phil's new position isn't going to drastically revolutionize the Xbox brand. What seems likely is that he is being put in place to be that lovable "gamer who also makes games" person that was missing all last year when Mattrick and Mehdi (who is still in place) were the talking heads for the brand. Brand image is pretty bad right now for Xbox One, or at best, people just feel "meh" about it. Microsoft knows it. We know it. Everyone knows it. Putting someone in charge to change the brand image - even if he won't ultimately be able to change the brand direction - seems like a smart move.
 
I think you just want to see a contradiction. Microsoft still believes TV TV Sports is an integral part of the system's future. They've said nothing that leads me to believe otherwise. But they are also aware that making TV TV Sports the focus of the system now isn't going to work for right now, hence the renewed insistence that X1 is all about dem games. We've heard this exact rhetoric before when Kinect launched on 360 years ago. Would you say Microsoft's recent track record is all that good?

Phil's new position isn't going to drastically revolutionize the Xbox brand. What seems likely is that he is being put in place to be that lovable "gamer who also makes games" person that was missing all last year when Mattrick and Mehdi (who is still in place) were the talking heads for the brand. Brand image is pretty bad right now for Xbox One, or at best, people just feel "meh" about it. Microsoft knows it. We know it. Everyone knows it. Putting someone in charge to change the brand image - even if he won't ultimately be able to change the brand direction - seems like a smart move.

This.
Phil probably doesn't have the power to change the brand direction but he can influence it. I think ms will have a great e3 presence tHanks to phil but how long will the influence last.that's the question we should ask
 
I think you just want to see a contradiction. Microsoft still believes TV TV Sports is an integral part of the system's future. They've said nothing that leads me to believe otherwise. But they are also aware that making TV TV Sports the focus of the system now isn't going to work for right now, hence the renewed insistence that X1 is all about dem games. We've heard this exact rhetoric before when Kinect launched on 360 years ago. Would you say Microsoft's recent track record is all that good?

Phil's new position isn't going to drastically revolutionize the Xbox brand. What seems likely is that he is being put in place to be that lovable "gamer who also makes games" person that was missing all last year when Mattrick and Mehdi (who is still in place) were the talking heads for the brand. Brand image is pretty bad right now for Xbox One, or at best, people just feel "meh" about it. Microsoft knows it. We know it. Everyone knows it. Putting someone in charge to change the brand image - even if he won't ultimately be able to change the brand direction - seems like a smart move.

I'm not trying to come across as confrontational. I just think if MS is able to realise that their previous plans are not likely to see success currently, and they have seen changes all throughout their corporate structure right to the top (Ballmer), then it doesn't seem very unlikely that they could also have changed their minds on who's right for the job. They both take a very similar level of awareness, and are two responses towards the same goals.
 
lets turn this around and ask if people would be upset if Sony went out and grabbed exclusivity for Destiny during the early stages of it's life. you can guarantee some people wouldn't be to happy with that deal.

if sony buys the exclusivity of destiny will be a shitty move.because they are making a xbox one version and xbox one users have the right to have that version
 
Are you sure you don't just want a version of Destiny on both machines because it guarantees a Digital Foundry face-off megathread?

Do you seriously believe that thread will compare to a potential Destiny Xbox One cancellation thread?

A DF thread will draw attention for a few days or so before everyone just goes back to actually playing their games. A cancellation thread would run all year round, and be forever referenced as the moment the Xbox One was truly fucked. It'd be FFXIII all over again, but in reverse.
 
I'm not trying to come across as confrontational. I just think if MS is able to realise that their previous plans are not likely to see success currently, and they have seen changes all throughout their corporate structure right to the top (Ballmer), then it doesn't seem very unlikely that they could also have changed their minds on who's right for the job. They both take a very similar level of awareness, and are two responses towards the same goals.
No I didn't feel like you were being confrontational and I apologize if I came across as such, too. To me, I just see way too much benefit-of-the-doubt being extended to Microsoft. You're right: maybe the changes in leadership will spell an absolute change of heart for the Xbox brand. Maybe. But if so, I'm still going to wait until I see it. A cool dude with a gamer T-shirt leading the Xbox brand is absolutely not a new thing. I need to see the results and it feels to me - in the very anecdotal, subjective, limited way that a single individual can perceive things - that certain people believe what Microsoft is saying because they want to believe what Microsoft is saying. 360 was top dog for so long. It was competitive for so long. Perhaps the notion that Microsoft really has fallen so far is too much for people to believe.
 
Purchasing 3rd party exclusives, buying up studios, or funding internally is all the same. The fanboy logic being employed on this subject is ridiculous. The end game is that a company used it's money in one of 3 ways to acquire exclusive content to make their product more desirable. Your guys' made up rules don't apply here. This is a business.

Spend money Phil. Make consumers happy. Give me games.
 
Purchasing 3rd party exclusives, buying up studios, or funding internally is all the same. The fanboy logic being employed on this subject is ridiculous. The end game is that a company used it's money in one of 3 ways to acquire exclusive content to make their product more desirable. Your guys' made up rules don't apply here. This is a business.

Spend money Phil. Make consumers happy. Give me games.
It is not fanboy logic at all. We don't want to see history repeat itself. Because of Micrsoft's lack of first party investment both Sony and Nintendo had much more exclusives the last couple years of the previous generation.

As install bases go up for all consoles it is harder and harder to secure third party exclusives because as the console maker trying to make the deal you are paying for the potential loss of sales for being exclusive. You can't keep on doing AAA third party exclusives forever.
 
It is not fanboy logic at all. We don't want to see history repeat itself. Because of Micrsoft's lack of first party investment both Sony and Nintendo had much more exclusives the last couple years of the previous generation.

As install bases go up for all consoles it is harder and harder to secure third party exclusives because as the console maker trying to make the deal you are paying for the potential loss of sales for being exclusive. You can't keep on doing AAA third party exclusives forever.

I honestly don't think the lack of third party studios had that much of an effect really. I was more than the split their focus between the core 360 and Kinect. If every Kinect games they published had been a standard 360 project, I don't think we'd be looking at things similarly. Plus Crimson Dragon could have been out on 360. Ryse could have been out on 360. They could have worked with someone earlier to bring back Killer Instinct and that could have been out on 360. Dead Rising 3 could have probably been out on 360 (would be quite different in that case though).

Just looking at the X1's launch lineup alone shows that you can easily produce exclusive content without relying purely on first parties to create it, or buying up games that would have otherwise been multiplatform. People tend to have far to rigid a view of the possible avenues for securing content. There will always be someone ready to work for hire on a project they're very capable of pulling off.

If only Phil Spencer could do a AMA here on Gaf, that would awesome.

It would be a complete disaster unless there were countless mods on standby.
 
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