I'm also not sure what his level of success would have been managing MS Studios if managing Blizzard Studios was an absolute disaster but....
Former Blizzard CEO: "Tough to see Xbox confused about who it is and what it should be"
- Thread starter Topher
- Start date
Banjo64
cumsessed
I just don't think there's room in the market any more for a third player. Nintendo's handheld business and Sony's home console business can't be penetrated.
Added to the fact that PC/Apple/Android are serious players in the market and Xbox, even with 40-55m players, ends up looking like the odd one out.
Making all of their software third party makes sense to me.
What they are currently doing on the hardware front (partnering with AMD for more consoles, the ROG Xbox handheld, cancelling their own internal handheld, promoting Steam in their own gaming UI etc.) just seems muddled.
Rip the plaster off and just say that there will be no more home consoles.
Added to the fact that PC/Apple/Android are serious players in the market and Xbox, even with 40-55m players, ends up looking like the odd one out.
Making all of their software third party makes sense to me.
What they are currently doing on the hardware front (partnering with AMD for more consoles, the ROG Xbox handheld, cancelling their own internal handheld, promoting Steam in their own gaming UI etc.) just seems muddled.
Rip the plaster off and just say that there will be no more home consoles.
Bonfires Down
Member
So it sounds to me like he wants Microsoft to stop producing hardware, for some reason. So essentially, leave all those with Xbox game libraries high and dry. Genius idea. Very consumer friendly.
Topher
Identifies as young
Those Xbox game libraries ain't going to stop working on current hardware just because Microsoft stops making new hardware.
reinking
Gold Member
He wants Xbox to pick a lane. Period. It just happens that they have placed themselves in a spot where embracing the largest publisher role is the one that makes most sense. It seems like they are slowly headed that way while trying to retain previous libraries but getting there is messy. IMO, it is harming the brand more than helping it.
Why do people feel Xbox has to make a new console to support old games? I have stacks of discs and cartridges that only worked for one generation of console. Microsoft has already moved its exclusive Xbox games onto other platforms, I don't see the point in making another Series X type system.
Pop
Member
Humdinger
Gold Member
I think it's because Mike Ybarra was corporate VP for MS. Many of the men who rise to high levels in megacorps are basically organization men, company men. That's part of why they rose up the ranks - they identify with the company, with its goals and vision. The company becomes part of their identity, part of who they are. Even after they leave or retire, they are still that way - or at least, they have a hard time letting go of it.
So it makes sense to me that he would still "bleed green," even many years later.
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semiconscious
Member
'bleed green'? as in, 'i bleed corporate blood'?...
DreamcastSkies
Gold Member
What exactly is he asking them to do? I looked over the tweets posted in this thread and I feel one comment from him is he wants them to embrace being the largest/best publisher and just focus on that but then in another tweet he says 99% of people thinks Xbox is a console manufacturer. Does he want them to publish all of their games exclusively to Xbox or get out of the console business? I can't tell.
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GoodData
Banned
What about starfield, avowed, doom tda, indiana jones, forza, black ops? They bought a lot of talent and Spencer said he's going to support them, not control them, which is the right approach.
I'm playing BO6 on Xbox and it is really active, lots of people playing. As a fan of Xbox in addition to steam and PS, I have to say it would hurt to see the hardware part of the ecosystem go. Xbox series has a great UI, and the consoles are great; I think they need to focus on tweaking game pass for current subs and do something about advertising reaching an untapped market. They probably won't be bringing in many people through multiplatform publishing is my guess. I'd have to characterize sony right now really high in the dexterity stat, but moderate in vitality. Microsoft just needs to dig in and hold onto what they have and not overextend or experiment too much.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
To think Xbox once had Peter Moore, J. Allard, Pete Hines, Rodd Fergusson, Mike Ybarra. All of those people would have been infinitely better than what they have now and Phil Spencer I believe could have benefitted working with them.
Letting Pete Hines walk was one of their dumber decisions. Not saying any of those people were perfect, but they are far better at understanding gamers and studio management. Far better.
Instead, we have Phil Spencer, Greenberg, Booty and Bond. Do any of those fuckers have one thing they can hang their hat on?
UltimaKilo
Gold Member
XBOX has the ability to revolutionize the industry (for better or worse). However, they have an incompetent retard at the helm, whom MS refuses to fire for some reason. They need to bring in someone fresh.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I've said it a million times and I'll say it again. Microsoft's best (and possibly ONLY) moves to make are:
1. Go full 3rd party publisher and just acknowledge it.
2. Release a gaming version of Windows that removes all the bloat, can install AMD, nvidia and Intel drivers.
3. Work with Valve and other launchers to allow gamers who got Xbox achievements to earn them on those launchers. This is something I would love, but I doubt it will happen and PC Gamers most likely don't care.
1. Go full 3rd party publisher and just acknowledge it.
2. Release a gaming version of Windows that removes all the bloat, can install AMD, nvidia and Intel drivers.
3. Work with Valve and other launchers to allow gamers who got Xbox achievements to earn them on those launchers. This is something I would love, but I doubt it will happen and PC Gamers most likely don't care.
Baemono
Member
With this slogan, I would've put something else than a Meta QuestNo one is confused, except Xbox and its fans.
This is idiotic marketing. Plain and simple.
HerjansEagleFeeder
Member
The thing that pisses me off the most is their indecisiveness and failure to go through with one thing to the end. If you want everything to be an Xbox, great, THEN DO IT. Instead we get a confusing mess where nothing really works the way it's promised to us. Oh you're not ready yet? No problem, THEN DON'T F ANNOUNCE ANYTHING. Christ I swear they promise cloud streaming then they somehow manage to have even worse streaming than Sony which is using their own server infrastructure. What can you stream? Not even 400 games! They tell you about Play Anywhere and then only a fraction of games actually support it. They can't execute a single project it's almost a running gag at this point. They've become their own meme. God if they can't make it happen at least go back to the "old" console model Sony and Nintendo are riding into the sunset. Pretty sure would work quite well with everything they've got being exclusive.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
1. Starfield: Massive disappointment. and the community is not happy.
2.Avowed: mismanaged to end up being a disappointing AA game at best.
2. Doom:TAG. Massive flop(low engagement and sales) divisive among players.
3.Indiana Jones: Better than expected came and went as a fart in the wind... (Poor Xbox's marketing)
4. the latest Forza basically killed the IP. some KEY people left Playground after MS acquired the studio. (which was the main argument from shills to justify Tango's closure)
5.Call Of Duty: the core community is alway pissed and it's seems player retention has been a big issue
Warz Zone was/(is?) on a tightrope?
... like Minecraft.
yet:
... Any kind of read or analysis around Xbox should be anchored in the business… which is not doing well.
im just going to say this:
They can't close studios anymore. I dunno how many dicks Phil has to suck, but if he has to suck all of them to save studios, then he has to do it. I can't stress strongly enough how fucking embarrassing, absurd, and outright pathetic Tango's closure was. not because Tango was the second coming of Christ, but the significance of that closure.
Hawk The Slayer
Member
Blizzard is still one of the greats! World of Warcraft and Hearthstone are some of the greatest games of all times!!!
RetroGamingUK
Member
The only logical answer is that Satya laid down an ultimatum based on that game significantly increasing console sales and Gamepass subs.
It failed to do neither, spectacularly.
Phil lost the bet, now he's forced to go third party.
The moment that happens is the moment when you'll see MS going full third party mode and ditching any semblance of hardware manufacturer they had left
Bridges
Member
It's tough. As a big Xbox fan, I care deeply about them staying in the hardware race. Simultaneous, I have never been less interested in the next generation of their hardware. I really like my Series X but it'll have to be more than just a power bump this time to justify a purchase when all their games release everywhere and they support crossgen as long as they likely will.
I have too many games in their ecosystem to abandon it now, they haven't done a good job in instilling confidence in their future though.
I have too many games in their ecosystem to abandon it now, they haven't done a good job in instilling confidence in their future though.
Audiophile
Member
All MS really had to do was come out in 2013 w/ a simple $399 box upfront that was similar in performance to the PS4, show off some solid first party games and continued to put out a couple quality titles a year to that were in a similar ballpark as Sony's. They could've steadily built out their Gamepass in a more measured way rather than using it to cannibalise themselves and steadily built up their game studio capabilities.
Instead they just kept fucking it up and once again they've bought their way out of the situation.
I don't get how the folks at the top still have jobs, it's like there's no consequence up there any more and with it, very little reflection. They keep making all the wrong decisions and then get to keep doing it. All the blame in their eyes is probably on the market; a common theme of modern business, no one can admit failure or be seen to course correct as a result.
So they messed up over and over, brought out the cheque book and now they get to be one of the biggest third party publishers in the world. The company that has practically run every one of their franchises into the ground...
Instead they just kept fucking it up and once again they've bought their way out of the situation.
I don't get how the folks at the top still have jobs, it's like there's no consequence up there any more and with it, very little reflection. They keep making all the wrong decisions and then get to keep doing it. All the blame in their eyes is probably on the market; a common theme of modern business, no one can admit failure or be seen to course correct as a result.
So they messed up over and over, brought out the cheque book and now they get to be one of the biggest third party publishers in the world. The company that has practically run every one of their franchises into the ground...
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VolticArchangel
Member
Ybarra has gone unhinged ever since he left Xbox and Blizzard.
Part of me still believes that we was sent in by Satya and Phil, as a mole to convince Bobby Kotick for the acquisition and push the investors to consider it.
But since he went out, the old Ybarra, the sychophant who would be on every Xbox exec's tail defending and damage controlling their every move, has been specifically hostile towards certain Xbox execs like Phil, on twitter.
Maybe some old payback or just good old bitterness since he was let go.
Same case with Major Nelson since he left Xbox. Don't remember which one exactly, but he was mocking Xbox's vision sometime ago on twitter.
Part of me still believes that we was sent in by Satya and Phil, as a mole to convince Bobby Kotick for the acquisition and push the investors to consider it.
But since he went out, the old Ybarra, the sychophant who would be on every Xbox exec's tail defending and damage controlling their every move, has been specifically hostile towards certain Xbox execs like Phil, on twitter.
Maybe some old payback or just good old bitterness since he was let go.
Same case with Major Nelson since he left Xbox. Don't remember which one exactly, but he was mocking Xbox's vision sometime ago on twitter.
GoodData
Banned
I'm not a professional reviewer but the games I mentioned are all at the very least solid, high production value games. Have you played any of them? They're good. As for COD you're right, seeing as I consider myself part of the core community now there are issues (rubber banding, xm4 load out bug, etc) but it's good enough to play everyday... I'm lucky to have the time and resources to be able to have this discussion.
Jerm411
Member
They somehow pick every lane and no lane at all simultaneously….it's quite horribly impressive.
Even when they "decide" something, they almost assuredly pull it back or swerve it to something else.
Audiophile
Member
"Everything is an Xbox, but nothing is an Xbox, we are all things, but nothing at the same time!"
Humdinger
Gold Member
Sounds like green blood will be splattered on the walls pretty soon.
violence
Member
You can't sell a console without exclusives. To do so would mean that you have a platform that is so much better that people will overlook missing the other platforms exclusives.
But PC exists, if I dont care about exclusives, pc is the much more capable platform, by a wide margin. And even then pc has exclusives you could argue. A lot of games never make it to any console.
Xbox either goes back to exclusive releases or it's just a game publisher eventually. At some point executives are going to realize it and replace Spencer with someone and go back to Xbox only games, or they're gonna just discontinue any hardware all together.
But PC exists, if I dont care about exclusives, pc is the much more capable platform, by a wide margin. And even then pc has exclusives you could argue. A lot of games never make it to any console.
Xbox either goes back to exclusive releases or it's just a game publisher eventually. At some point executives are going to realize it and replace Spencer with someone and go back to Xbox only games, or they're gonna just discontinue any hardware all together.
Come On Tars
Member
"It's simple to me. Xbox should strive to be the world's largest publisher of entertainment content. Get rid of everything else and get focused. Do not be afraid to say what you are. Embrace the lane."
I must be confused on what he's saying this is exactly what Xbox is doing right now.
I must be confused on what he's saying this is exactly what Xbox is doing right now.
HeisenbergFX4
Member
He is saying they should rip the bandaid off and stop making hardware period, that video they released with AMD says they aren't dropping hardware
GoodData
Banned
No, but Phil Spencer needs to fix the PR department, including his own interviews. Who can he be replaced by? Don Mattrick did screw up though, I tried Ryse son of Rome on GP and got stopped by the paywall where you had to buy a $5 micro transaction shield or whatever it was.
Punished Miku
Gaslighter Pro: 16.7 Fireflops
More brain dead Ybarra bullshit.
Not really. They are attaching their name to an Asus handheld and apparently have plans for more consoles in the future, after partnering with AMD.
kazuyamishima
Member
Almost 25 years ago, Peter Moore ripped the band-aid off and announced that Sega was going Third-Party.
We have yet to see what will happen next year when MS releases their new systems, but sharing the same fate as Sega seems inevitable.
We have yet to see what will happen next year when MS releases their new systems, but sharing the same fate as Sega seems inevitable.
asdasdasdbb
Member
Kinect is what killed XBox. The RROD didn't help.
Inviusx
Member
It's tough to see what Xbox has become, the Series systems will be the first Xbox hardware I haven't bought. I've usually stuck with Sony through launch and then picked up an Xbox at a deep sale late into it's life to play all the games that were tied to the hardware that I missed, but that just makes no sense in this current era.
I truly don't know where they go from here. Do they go for one last hail mary with a new console launch in 2027?
At this point, the only thing that would force my hand is Microsoft tying their hardware into the PC ecosystem and let me play games that would normally require traditional PC hardware. I don't want to build a gaming PC but I would love an affordable box that lets me play Steam games with a controller.
In my opinion, that's the play.
I truly don't know where they go from here. Do they go for one last hail mary with a new console launch in 2027?
At this point, the only thing that would force my hand is Microsoft tying their hardware into the PC ecosystem and let me play games that would normally require traditional PC hardware. I don't want to build a gaming PC but I would love an affordable box that lets me play Steam games with a controller.
In my opinion, that's the play.
memoryman3
Member
I mean the PS5 is doing just fine…
Now how much would you think it would sell if Sony decided to port all of their games elsewhere?
This statement only really applies to Nintendo consoles in the west and enthusiast gamers who use Windows as their primary platform.
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ReBurn
Gold Member
Starbuck2907
Member
Manufacturing console hardware is necessary until cloud gaming is 100% viable for everyone. Microsoft is planning for the future. The next Xbox is basically just a system on a chip pc.
Historically, Sony are a manufacturer first and a services company second. Much like Walkman's, cd players, minidisc, dvd players and and a variety of other stuff, Sony are the ones who need to figure out their way for the future.
The future, in many years, is probably gaming pcs for highest quality and modding, or tvs and streaming sticks for streaming games over the cloud. Console market share will shrink.
Only Nintendo, who cater much more to children, might dodge this fate.
I say this as someone who owns all consoles and a gaming pc. I have a ton of time in cloud gaming with Xbox Gamepass and it works great. I find myself installing fewer and fewer games and just playing immediately via the cloud.
Historically, Sony are a manufacturer first and a services company second. Much like Walkman's, cd players, minidisc, dvd players and and a variety of other stuff, Sony are the ones who need to figure out their way for the future.
The future, in many years, is probably gaming pcs for highest quality and modding, or tvs and streaming sticks for streaming games over the cloud. Console market share will shrink.
Only Nintendo, who cater much more to children, might dodge this fate.
I say this as someone who owns all consoles and a gaming pc. I have a ton of time in cloud gaming with Xbox Gamepass and it works great. I find myself installing fewer and fewer games and just playing immediately via the cloud.
Feel Like I'm On 42
Member
Seriously. It pisses me off that these companies all felt the need to radically change the console industry. Mostly MS who started this whole mess due to greed and incompetence. They couldn't just make good on their own promises at the start of the generation with the very nice piece of hardware they had in the Series X and focused on games, pushing graphics, and continuing to have the best Backwards Compatibility program. Nope, once they saw dollar signs with GamePass they literally stopped trying to deliver on their own promises. They shut down BC, ruined their best IP in Halo, focuses on Cross Gen BS and the Series S and then doubled down on GP with the Activision purchase.
While they forced Sony to venture into multiplat and PC gaming which has been financially successful for Sony, they created a devastating snowball effect for console gaming as we knew it....even more corporate, consolidated, subscription focused, and further push away from Pro gamer practices and game ownership, increase in prices but with less quality due to these companies being spread so thin plus bad management etc etc
Worst possible outcome for console gaming with the "end game in sight" that is- its an inevitability that console hardware, physical media is going to fade away sooner rather than later and we won't own our games.
Pimpbaa
Member
Key words there being viable for everyone. I can download a 150GB game in under an hour, but playing an xcloud game for me looks like a corrupted pirated mpeg2 file from 20 years ago. I dunno if I live too far from their servers or what, but my ping is decent in multiplayer games. I mean I would try to figure out exactly what the problem was if i was interested in it, but after trying it a few times and just getting a laggy game with video corruption and excessive color banding I just gave up. I really hope by the time I HAVE to use streaming, it's a pristine 4k image with no noticeable lag.
You can't play many Sony games on Xbox or Nintendo
Sorcerer
Member
It seems once a season, four times a year Microsoft swerves direction, Who needs dedicated hardware. this is an Xbox. Then we are going to make the most powerful hardware. But why do you need hardware if your games are on PC, Playstation, and Switch? It must be headache inducing going into work each day at the Xbox division and not having any sort of direction. Of course, that won't be a problem because they have decided they really don't need employees anymore either.
Your only job security in the Xbox division is if you can come up with a pretty controller color. LOL!!! (Still no Series Elite).
Your only job security in the Xbox division is if you can come up with a pretty controller color. LOL!!! (Still no Series Elite).
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Jibran#one
Member
Xbox from the launch of Xbox one should be studied in business schools of how not to run a business
Absolute stupid decision after stupid decision
Absolute stupid decision after stupid decision
Killjoy-NL
Member
It already happened way before that.
Xbox took a nosedive during the second half of X360 when games slowed down. It was their best shot to get ahead of Playstation and despite 18 months head start, lower price and solid output during the first half of the gen, they still messed up.