Support NeoGAF

[Bernoulli]

In internal emails, Microsoft was also quick to react to Sony’s PS5 price increase last year — despite not hiking Xbox prices immediately. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart emailed Xbox chief Spencer and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood early in the morning of Sony’s announcement in 2022, noting that the Xbox team had “anticipated this and are moving quickly toward a plan now that we’ve seen confirmation.”

There’s a discussion in the email chain, which is heavily redacted, but it appears that Spencer wants the company to remain gamer-focused with any price increases. Ami Silverman, who at the time was head of Microsoft’s consumer sales and marketing, responds with “all good points, let’s be gamer obsessed here as we have not gotten out of the woods... we know this could be our time to win fans vs lose being a follower.”

Silverman is clearly referring to Xbox sales being behind PlayStation ones and not wanting to lose any momentum by immediately following Sony’s price hike with Microsoft’s own increase in Xbox prices. Microsoft repeatedly mentioned losing the console wars and being in a distant third place during the FTC v. Microsoft hearing.

Spencer then explains he purchased a PS5 in August 2022. “Sony has been force bundling HZD for $50 [additional] for awhile now,” said Spencer. “I bought my PS5 2 weeks ago and only option was HZD bundle at $549.” HZD incorrectly refers to Horizon Zero Dawn here, as it was Horizon Forbidden West that Sony bundled with the PS5.


The back and forth might explain why Microsoft held off on an Xbox Series X price increase for nearly a year. Microsoft increased its Xbox Series X prices in most countries in August, apart from the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia. The updated Xbox Series X console pricing largely matches the price hike Sony announced for the PS5 in 2022

This is how Microsoft reacted to Sony’s PS5 announcement and price hike

A rare insight into Xbox and PlayStation competition.

www.theverge.com

 

[shaddam]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

 

[Imtjnotu]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

well....they are based in Washington state.....

 

[Banjo64]

let’s be gamer obsessed here as we have not gotten out of the woods... we know this could be our time to win fans vs lose being a follower.”

Not gotten out of the woods = we have to still pretend we’re the good guys

 

[Hudo]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

Maybe? Some people from the US I had to work with were also using pronoun stuff in their Email. My group and me found it pretty cringy. But if it makes them happy, oh well.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Forced Bundurus™

Now we know why it was "important to maintain the current price going into the Holidays."

"I do think at some point we'll have to raise the prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices," Spencer told the audience, as relayed by Tom Warren of The Verge.

 

[adamsapple]

This is how Microsoft reacted to PS5's price hike​

Doctors hate him!

 

[GHG]

Maybe? Some people from the US I had to work with were also using pronoun stuff in their Email. My group and me found it pretty cringy. But if it makes them happy, oh well.

Fuck them/they.

 

[killatopak]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

Good question. Maybe some people put it as a option like a signature? There is not pronouns in Phil name, and not in any of the "main" people that he sent the message for. More importantly, we should welcome Phil Spencer in the PS5 community!

 

[skit_data]

let’s be gamer obsessed here as we have not gotten out of the woods... we know this could be our time to win fans vs lose being a follower.”

Not gotten out of the woods = we have to still pretend we’re the good guys

Lol, missed that part. It's pretty hard not to read it as

It's kinda wierd reading these emails (and the previous ones, especially from Booty) because I really don't think their intent is explicitly evil corp™ but it's just funny how they formulate their sentences as if they really are at times.

 

[Black_Stride]

let’s be gamer obsessed here as we have not gotten out of the woods... we know this could be our time to win fans vs lose being a follower.”

Not gotten out of the woods = we have to still pretend we’re the good guys

If you pretend to be gamer focused and do gamer focused things are you pretending to be gamer focused or are you just gamer focused?

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Forced Bundurus™

Now we know where this puerile narrative came from.

 

[Banjo64]

Now we know where this puerile narrative came from.

It’s a strange coincidence that this was the internal dialogue but it seeped in to online discourse.

 

[Horseganador]

Phil: We will say that we do not plan to raise prices and that we are very pro gamers to look good and next year we will raise everything at once, games, GP and console, seamless plan.

 

[Topher]

I'll wait for Asmongold's reaction video to Microsoft's reaction emails.

 

[AmuroChan]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

Can't speak for all companies, but at mine we're required to put pronouns in our email signature.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

A lot of companies have a DE&I department and of course all of them have their pronouns in their emails.
Pretty much no one else bothers at these companies it seems, and it hasn't been forced yet.

I'm more bothered by even Phil mixing up HFW with HZD. But I'm used to his lies by now. heh

 

[calistan]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

Seems to be a standard feature in Microsoft 365 accounts - hover over your own name in Outlook and there's a button for +Pronouns. Luckily my organisation leaves it up to the individual to decide whether he/she/it wants to use that feature, but sadly most do. I would probably quit if that became mandatory.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Can't speak for all companies, but at mine we're required to put pronouns in our email signature.

But what if you don't identify with the mental illness pronouns psyop? What if you have none? They force you to give yourself pronouns?

The Chief Diversity Officer at my company mandated it for all employees. Failure to do so = immediate termination.

It started out as optional for us as well, but once the DEI department gained enough power, they started mandating the rest of the company to follow suit. Now even our CEO doesn't mess with them.

Sounds historically familiar.

 

[@gkTH]

Anyway, welcome Phil to the Playstation family!

 

[PendekarRajawali]

Phil’s email inbox will be spammed, why do they show the address?

 

[AmuroChan]

A lot of companies have a DE&I department and of course all of them have their pronouns in their emails.
Pretty much no one else bothers at these companies it seems, and it hasn't been forced yet.

The Chief Diversity Officer at my company mandated it for all employees. Failure to do so = immediate termination.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

The Chief Diversity Officer at my company mandated it for all employees. Failure to do so = immediate termination.

Sucks. So far at the place I'm at, it's just that department doing it, and everyone else just rolls their eyes.

 

[Bloobs]

The Chief Diversity Officer at my company mandated it for all employees. Failure to do so = immediate termination.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

It’s a strange coincidence that this was the internal dialogue but it seeped in to online discourse.

It's almost as if the talking points are disseminated during the late-night rendez-vous between Sarah Bond and Klobrille:

Spoiler

Ahhh... young love.

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

How can ColtEastwood live with that Phil has bought a PS5???

 

[Rien]

Can't speak for all companies, but at mine we're required to put pronouns in our email signature.

That’s crazy.

 

[AmuroChan]

Sucks. So far at the place I'm at, it's just that department doing it, and everyone else just rolls their eyes.

It started out as optional for us as well, but once the DEI department gained enough power, they started mandating the rest of the company to follow suit. Now even our CEO doesn't mess with them.

 

[calistan]

It's almost as if the talking points are disseminated during the late-night rendez-vous between Sarah Bond and Klobrille:

Spoiler

Ahhh... young love.

Jesus, is that an AI generated pic?

 

[Radical Dreamer]

Pronouns in emails what the fuck xD

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Lol, missed that part. It's pretty hard not to read it as

It's kinda wierd reading these emails (and the previous ones, especially from Booty) because I really don't think their intent is explicitly evil corp™ but it's just funny how they formulate their sentences as if they really are at times.

Come on now, there's a reason people formulate their messages the way they do.

It's staring you right in the face.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Phil’s email inbox will be spammed, why do they show the address?

It's on his business card and isn't a secret. Most business executive emails are known and in the public domain.

 

[mansoor1980]

he didnt buy the HFW bundle

dude lies all the time

 

[Crispy Gamer]

"Let's be gamer focused" just confirms everything I've suspected about the current Xbox leadership

 

[Markio128]

he didnt buy the HFW bundle

dude lies all the time

That pic has clearly been photoshopped. Someone has made his laces disappear.

 

[Poltz]

"Let's be gamer focused" just confirms everything I've suspected about the current Xbox leadership

Yep, there it is.

 

[cireza]

It was a good call from MS to not raise the price at that time.

 

[Thirty7ven]

It’s funny because they started forcing the Forza Horizon bundle, then raised the prices, and their sales kept going down.

Good job incredible

 

[SSfox]

Microsoft :"Sony are not our competition"

Also Microsoft: Sniff every 1 millimeter move done by Sony

Bunch of clowns

 

[Killjoy-NL]

It was a good call from MS to not raise the price at that time.

Too bad it didn't help one bit.

 

[DrFigs]

Are pronouns in emails (see the CC) common in the US?

increasingly, i've noticed it yeah. far from the norm though

 

[Elder Legend]

Can't speak for all companies, but at mine we're required to put pronouns in our email signature.

And if you don't want too?

 

[phaedrus]

But what if you don't identify with the mental illness pronouns psyop? What if you have none? They force you to give yourself pronouns?



Sounds historically familiar.

Spoiler

 

[Elder Legend]

It's almost as if the talking points are disseminated during the late-night rendez-vous between Sarah Bond and Klobrille:

Spoiler

Ahhh... young love.

I could smell Klobrille's bum breath through the screen.

 

[DeepEnigma]

And if you don't want too?

 

[JackMcGunns]

Phil: We will say that we do not plan to raise prices and that we are very pro gamers to look good and next year we will raise everything at once, games, GP and console, seamless plan.

Wait, are we going to pretend it wasn't Sony who triggered this whole thing? that this wasn't a "reaction"?

 

[MarkMe2525]

It’s a strange coincidence that this was the internal dialogue but it seeped in to online discourse.

Or the online discourse found its way into the email. You know Phil always be lurking in here and on ree

 

[DeepEnigma]

Wait, are we going to pretend it wasn't Sony who triggered this whole thing? that this wasn't a "reaction"?

"Sony made us do it."

 

[RagnarokIV]

Do you reckon these guys get tons of spam or hatemail from playstation fanboys now that their email addresses are public?