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[MarkMe2525]

I didn't say you lacked experience, I said you lacked experience having to manage risk.

You might have been offended that I mentioned a pretty normal term that you aren't familiar with, but most people who have had to manage risk know what a risk matrix is. It's not something fancy or smart... Your own inadequacies are showing here.

Oh I'm sure, I feel extremely inadequate. Again, I'm sorry I made you feel silly. I'm sure you're really good at risk assessment exercises. I'll also state again for clarity, I have seen the Matrix many of times. You do not have some monopoly on that movie

 

[Topher]

Exactly, one tweet about starfiled would have spawned websites and comments and fanboy speculation about "they didn't mention hardware, xbox is dead" etc etc...hey can't win, best to cover it all in one update.

The speculation on hardware was a direct result of the speculation that Micorosft was going full third party which would kill off the console. That was coming from Xbox fans as much as it was anyone.

Stop the Starfield rumor and this never goes anywhere. Period.

 

[MrMephistoX]

What people are posting is that no matter what Microsoft says, if they've lost public trust, it won't matter.

Their brand was already not doing well. It's not selling at all in Europe and Asia.

This largely blew up over the weekend. Phil and co should have got on a zoom (or teams lol) call and decided on a plan of action to publicly respond on Monday. Either going as far as to say, "hey we are going third party, we're going to bring select titles to other platforms, or none of it is true."

By waiting a week he has created animosity and toxicity to the brand, even to the point where he risks that people who otherwise wouldn't may sell their products and cancel their services...

Somehow you think that broken trust for a brand isn't a tangible thing. Again, you don't understand reputational risk and don't believe that it is a thing.

Look at Marvel movies. People spent money to go see Antman and Guardians of the Galaxy because they bought into the Marvel universe. Now they're not seeing any Marvel movies because of a handful of bad titles. The reputation is gone. Now they have to prove that a movie is good before someone is going to go see it.

That's why sometimes companies will cancel bad products rather than release them (that and tax write offs) because it is worth taking the L rather than ruining your reputation.

People pretend like Marvel never made a bad movie before. Thor the Dark World was a terrible movie. Iron Man 3 was a bad movie. But release 3-4 of these movies in a row?

In the case of Microsoft they haven’t made a great mind blowing in house game since Bungie and the original Gears teams left so the analogy to Marvel post End Game tracks…it’s not that they’re badly made movies or games they just aren’t setting the world on fire by a long shot and that’s what you need to sell systems.

 

[Hohenheim]

These threads are off the grind in batshit crazyness.
Not just folks here, but all these rumours, "insiders" and insane stuff.
Please find the time to play some videogames in between this stuff.
And keep calm. All the games will be here, easily available for all - no matter what that poor Spencer dude has to say next week.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Snowball effect. It started with Starfield. Aside from "me too" bullshit from some, the rest was a lot of conjecture about Xbox leaving the console business. A simple tweet or statement of fact about Starfield not going to other platforms would have halted this. Microsoft fucked up.



Of course it would. Dead in its tracks.

OK, I see what you're saying and maybe it would. Who knows. I'm not convinced but OK.

People are already saying Xbox is dead, they should have addressed this shit ages ago. The dead silence for days is why this thing has built up into a frenzy, and honestly I don't think their business update next week is going to quell the current panic and speculation.

Let it die imo, I think it's beyond saving and has a better chance with third party. Let peeps buy hardware who want it but that's that. There's not much to save in the console hardware space now.

 

[dorkimoe]

it would make sense to make any of the games as service multi plat, youd make more on microtransactions no?

 

[Fake]

Why don't you just wait your boss adress if this is true or not?

He can do that anytime he want, but here we are.

 

[bender]

Snowball effect.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

The irony is baffling.

Leakers, Insiders:

'Xbox is going to die next week.​

'Xbox fans:

'Rumors are false until proven right.'​

Same leakers:

'Xbox is goingt to be more alive than ever next week.'​

Xbox fans:

'See, I told you.'"​

 

[Iced Arcade]

oh vawn, give it a rest.

 

[FunkMiller]

Snowball effect. It started with Starfield. Aside from "me too" bullshit from some, the rest was a lot of conjecture about Xbox leaving the console business. A simple tweet or statement of fact about Starfield not going to other platforms would have halted this. Microsoft fucked up.

Clearly the discussion about porting Starfield has been had. This doesn’t mean it will happen, but if you are actively discussing something, and some are still for it, you don’t come out and say it’s not happening to the public.

The rumours have snowballed because we all know for a fact that:

a) Xbox Series sales are weaker than Xbox One.
b) GamePass subs have stalled.
c) Microsoft just bought ABK for 69 billion.

These three things are more than enough to give credence to the idea that Microsoft could be looking to go third party with many games to recoup expenses, in a market where they have lost so much ground in hardware.

 

[DenchDeckard]

The irony is baffling.

Leakers, Insiders:

'Xbox is going to die next week.​

'Xbox fans:

'Rumors are false until proven right.'​

Same leakers:

'Xbox is goingt to be more alive than ever next week.'​

Xbox fans:

'See, I told you.'"​

Who's saying xbox is going to be more alive next week?

I'm just sad that redfall won't be coming to ps5. I heard GHG is dying for the dualsense support.

 

[MarkMe2525]

The speculation on hardware was a direct result of the speculation that Micorosft was going full third party which would kill off the console. That was coming from Xbox fans as much as it was anyone.

Stop the Starfield rumor and this never goes anywhere. Period.

One can assume that in hindsight, but only hindsight. I don't think anyone could have predicted the magnitude of the "snowball" (I think it was you that described it in this way) that followed.

Edit: I want to be clear that I am very well aware that some of the rumors could be true. I just thought many were not being "productive" with making grand proclamations based on information that is impossible to verify as true, until after the fact.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Who's saying xbox is going to be more alive next week?

I'm just sad that redfall won't be coming to ps5. I heard GHG is dying for the dualsense support.

I was not talking about you. I was referring to the Purple Era, where they now use the same words from insiders as truth. It's funny

 

[Kacho]

If nobody can know, can you claim to know? I wouldnt dare disagree with a well exercised risk assessor who exercises their risk assessment skills with risk assessment exercises. That's why I trust you to know, what you claim no one can know, even if you're not sure you know what you do know or do not know.

Btw... I have seen the Matrix many many times.

I'm sorry I made you feel silly, that doesn't give you reason to attack other people's livelihoods.

I must say though, I'm surprised as a risk assessor, who exercises their risk assessment skills with risk assessment exercises, that you didn't see it coming. Maybe you aren't as good at risk assessment, as the risk assessment exercises have led you to believe.

Edit: btw @Wulfer gave me the "smartest post of the week award". He read your post about the Matrix, and found it lacking.

These posts have me in stitches. Go easy on the poor guy.

 

[Valonquar]

They know exactly what they started, now they are trying to spin the narrative

 

[Majukun]

can totally believe that tbh

 

[Sanepar]

Sure a business event for hifi rush and sea of thieves. Sure...

 

[MarkMe2525]

These posts have me in stitches. Go easy on the poor guy.

He assessed the risk beforehand

 

[Three]

Topher, I read the rumours of starfield on tuesday or Wednesday I think? Phil made his tweet Monday night.

And honestly, I don't think it would have done anything to stop this madness.

Do you think a tweet from Phil saying " we have seen the comments, starfield isn't going anywhere where there isn't gamepass" would have stopped the train?

The Starfield rumour was started on Sunday with an exclusive report by none other than the cofounder of xboxera:

EXCLUSIVE | Microsoft plans Starfield launch for PlayStation 5

For many weeks now, rumours have persisted regarding Microsoft’s intentions to release a number of 1st party games – namely Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves

xboxera.com

It should have been shut down there and then with an article update by a MS rep. Not a tweet that you need to wait a week for clarification. Maybe it was to lessen the blowback of the other more legitimate news by appeasing that hardcore bunch or it was just pure incompetence but there was no need to let that fester for a week.

 

[Topher]

Clearly the discussion about porting Starfield has been had. This doesn’t mean it will happen, but if you are actively discussing something, and some are still for it, you don’t come out and say it’s not happening to the public.

The rumours have snowballed because we all know for a fact that:

a) Xbox Series sales are weaker than Xbox One.
b) GamePass subs have stalled.
c) Microsoft just bought ABK for 69 billion.

These three things are more than enough to give credence to the idea that Microsoft could be looking to go third party with many games to recoup expenses, in a market where they have lost so much ground in hardware.

This has been a powder keg waiting to blow for weeks now. Yeah, you are right that you can't deny it publicly if you have or are still considering the possibility. But if it is flat false then you absolutely can say "this is all bullshit". And if Microsoft doesn't say that next week then the speculation will ramp up yet again.

One can assume that in hindsight, but only hindsight. I don't think anyone could have predicted the magnitude of the "snowball" (I think it was you that described it in this way) that followed.

Edit: I want to be clear that I am very well aware that some of the rumors could be true. I just thought many were not being "productive" with making grand proclamations based on information that is impossible to verify as true, until after the fact.

But it snowballed (yeah, that was me) quite rapidly. Even Tom Warren was posting and writing articles about it right away. I posted a thread where Jez Corden was calling out Microsoft all the way back to Windows Phone because of this. So that snowball became obviously big really quickly. Best Microsoft could do is kick the can till next week? I don't know man......something is really off about all this. Usually Phil Spencer is johnny on the spot, but not this time.

Yeah, I'm with you on not going overboard with this. I said a couple of days ago before the backtracking started that I thought this wasn't going to be nearly the big deal every one else did. All this nonsense about Halo and Gears going to PlayStation......lol, right.

 

[splattered]

Sorry but you have all of this backwards.

These people are the way the are because Xbox and the executives there endorse them, encourage them and engage with them.

TimDog literally speaks to Phil Spencer, as do many more of them. The reason so many of them threw their toys out the pram this last week was because uncharacteristically nobody from Xbox was even replying to them for a while when things were going wild.

I don't know why you find it so difficult to hold Xbox accountable in all of this. It's all of their own making, everything down to the 66 year old man-baby internet tantrums.



No, not interested, made that clear before already. But if you're enjoying it, it's probably shite.

Oh i see, all these weirdos were perfectly normal adults before Xbox got ahold of them... right.

 

[Topher]

The Starfield rumour was started on Sunday with an exclusive report by none other than the cofounder of xboxera:

EXCLUSIVE | Microsoft plans Starfield launch for PlayStation 5

For many weeks now, rumours have persisted regarding Microsoft’s intentions to release a number of 1st party games – namely Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves

xboxera.com

It should have been shut down there and then with an article update by a MS rep. Not a tweet that you need to wait a week for clarification. Maybe it was to lessen the blowback of the other more legitimate news by appeasing that hardcore bunch or it was just pure incompetence but there was no need to let that fester for a week.

Hmm......yeah, I forgot this came from xboxera. So why is NateDrake backtracking on rumors on shit he wasn't the source for?

Oh i see, all these weirdos were perfectly normal adults before Xbox got ahold of them... right.

Before and after pics...

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Hmm......yeah, I forgot this came from xboxera. So why is NateDrake backtracking on rumors on shit he wasn't the source for?



Before and after pics...

i would. dont @me

 

[MarkMe2525]

All this nonsense about Halo and Gears going to PlayStation......lol, right.

I think they should, they should handle the ports similarly to how Sony handles PC ports. Rely on FOMO for initial sales and GamePass subs, then give the player base a kick in the pants, down the road, with a PS5 and Switch 2 release. I have yet to see the Sony PC strategy hurting their sales.

 

[Topher]

I think they should, they should handle the ports similarly to how Sony handles PC ports. Rely on FOMO for initial sales and GamePass subs, then give the player base a kick in the pants, down the road, with a PS5 and Switch 2 release.

In the long run, it would make financial sense. Can't get past that negative PR though.

 

[MarkMe2525]

In the long run, it would make financial sense. Can't get past that negative PR though.

They will get over it, and I really mean that. The amount of people who would throw their Xboxes out of the window can only number in the tens of thousands. It will become normalized as always, and shareholders can have more confidence in the Xbox investment.

 

[Topher]

They will get over it, and I really mean that. The amount of people who would throw their Xboxes out of the window can only number in the tens of thousands. It will become normalized as always, and shareholders can have more confidence in the Xbox investment.

Can't say it is a bad thing if you are shedding a few nuts like timdog.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Can't say it is a bad thing if you are shedding a few nuts like timdog.

Do you remember the user's here flipping out when Sony started their PC ports, it got some users banned. Doom and gloom, why buy a PS5? It hasn't made a dent.

Edit: Mibu no ookami can you run a risk analysis exercise on this?

 

[Topher]

Do you remember the user's here flipping out when Sony started their PC ports, it's got some users banned. Doom and gloom, why buy a PS5? It hasn't made a dent.

Good point. That's how that other forum (not ree) even got started.

 

[Three]

Hmm......yeah, I forgot this came from xboxera. So why is NateDrake backtracking on rumors on shit he wasn't the source for?



Before and after pics...

Not sure, it might be because he heard the same thing from a source. The stupid thing about MS pretending to be dumbstruck by all this though is that these reporters reached out last week regarding the story

"We’ve reached out to Microsoft/Bethesda for comment."

So they were made aware of it and could have very easily debunked it there and then. Instead we got a tweet that we'll get an update next week. You have to wonder what the reason for pulling a silly stunt like that is.

 

[GHG]

Oh i see, all these weirdos were perfectly normal adults before Xbox got ahold of them... right.

No, but it's not like Xbox is helping them either is it?:

I mean, who of sound mind says, yeh, this is something I fancy getting involved in?:

A lot of these vulnerable individuals have their whole identities wrapped up in Xbox, this is now the fallout.

Can't take advantage of these people and get them to do your bidding for you, but then cry about it when you get adverse and unpredictable outcomes/results.

 

[Ozriel]

Not sure, it might be because he heard the same thing from a source. The stupid thing about MS pretending to be dumbstruck by all this though is that these reporters reached out last week regarding the story

"We’ve reached out to Microsoft/Bethesda for comment."

So they were made aware of it and could have very
easily debunked it there and then. Instead we got a tweet that we'll get an update next week. You have to wonder what the reason for pulling a silly stunt like that is.

Seems very clear that they want to bring some titles to other consoles, possibly a limited number. I can understand why they wouldn’t want to start selectively debunking rumors for individual games in press statements when they’re still figuring out how to announce their plans to port some titles over to competing consoles. Or even finalizing which titles can be safely ported over without jeopardizing hardware sales.

 

[Astray]

Not sure, it might be because he heard the same thing from a source. The stupid thing about MS pretending to be dumbstruck by all this though is that these reporters reached out last week regarding the story

"We’ve reached out to Microsoft/Bethesda for comment."

So they were made aware of it and could have very easily debunked it there and then. Instead we got a tweet that we'll get an update next week. You have to wonder what the reason for pulling a silly stunt like that is.

The thing I'm still wondering about is that Tom Warren story about Indiana Jones. If they were just 'considering' then why exactly was that newsworthy? Most companies consider all kinds of things in their meetings, we don't hear every single thought Jim Ryan ever had while CEO of Sony (thank lord). Then he reports on the business event (he actually gives us the most details on it btw), and then makes sure to tell people on ResetEra that no one knows anything at Xbox and to consider that factoid when seeing retractions.

The whole story is very weird to me and is genuinely the stuff great non-fiction books are made of. But Tom Warren absolutely knows more than he's letting on IMO.

And now as I write this he's arguing with Nate the Hate and posting stuff like this on Twitter

 

[Days like these...]

"They was surprised" it do be like that sometimes.

 

[Topher]

Seems very clear that they want to bring some titles to other consoles, possibly a limited number. I can understand why they wouldn’t want to start selectively debunking rumors for individual games in press statements when they’re still figuring out how to announce their plans to port some titles over to competing consoles. Or even finalizing which titles can be safely ported over without jeopardizing hardware sales.

Very well could be that MS understands that they are taking a major PR hit with some of their dedicated fans here. As far as we know, this was all a part of the plan in acquiring ABK.

I'll be happy if we get another handheld out of it.

 

[Lord Panda]

Microsoft's silence during all this was deafening. So for them to suddenly go 'lol, no that wasn't our plan at all!' is pretty funny.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Still haven't explained why your speculation that they were afraid to upset Nintendo and Sony is sound but me suggesting they were making decisions this week is conspiracy. I'm not the one who tried to make something seem unreasonable. You're the one who called out a "conspiracy theory" when it's not even that far fetched in how "business works".

Since the Hi-Fi Rush data mine, we know for certain that MS, Nintendo, and PlayStation have an agreement. We know that it is standard practice to not disclose terms of an agreement until all parties see fit. It isn't just that MS was "afraid" to disclose any terms, but there could be real legal consequences for doing so. You're assessment of what happened behind MS's closed doors is hearsay. An unfounded theory with a claim that MS changed the terms of the deal this week, due to backlash. There is no evidence of this and Occam's Razer suggests that it takes less leaps of logic (or assumptions) to conclude that MS was just operating by standard terms of the agreement, to not disclose until an agreed upon date.

Not really but Ok? If those claims were untrue 4 days ago and you heard them getting out of hand what would have been the problem exactly of "addressing them" by saying they're unsubstantiated? Nothing. Except your idea that it would have somehow upset Sony and Nintendo.

They did address them, when 48 hours later Phil announced that they would be disclosing future plans. As I mentioned, many other sister rumors popped up around the initial report. As we can plainly see here, omission of a denial, to some people, is just as good as a confirmation. If MS were to address one, they would have to address all of them. Hence, why they are having an announcement next week.

 

[Three]

The thing I'm still wondering about is that Tom Warren story about Indiana Jones. If they were just 'considering' then why exactly was that newsworthy? Most companies consider all kinds of things in their meetings, we don't hear every single thought Jim Ryan ever had while CEO of Sony (thank lord). Then he reports on the business event (he actually gives us the most details on it btw), and then makes sure to tell people on ResetEra that no one knows anything at Xbox and to consider that factoid when seeing retractions.

The whole story is very weird to me and is genuinely the stuff great non-fiction books are made of. But Tom Warren absolutely knows more than he's letting on IMO.

And now as I write this he's arguing with Nate the Hate and posting stuff like this on Twitter

My guess is that there was still internal discussion about what to do this week, hence the delay to respond. The articles that broke these storys often mention some internal turmoil:

"As the already existing rumours have suggested, the idea of bringing 1st party titles to competing console platforms marks a massive change in strategy for Microsoft and from what I understand, it’s not been without fierce internal debate on this new direction. "

" According to our sources, Microsoft senior leadership have reportedly debated the various pros and cons of releasing more of their exclusive software elsewhere, and internally, not everyone is necessarily happy with the decision, but recouping the potential money “left on the table” by releasing elsewhere has arguably won out."

The xbox diehards like Jez, Timdog, Gaz and the like kicked up a shitstorm and I'm sure MS would have been watching everything this week very closely. The growing backlash might have even tipped the debate internally like it did the xbox one plans before it. Would also explain why Tom said those sources inside xbox backtracked because they too weren't exactly sure what the outcome is.

 

[Astray]

My guess is that there was still internal discussion about what to do this week, hence the delay to respond. The articles that broke these storys often mention some internal turmoil:




The xbox diehards like Jez, Timdog, Gaz and the like kicked up a shitstorm and I'm sure MS would have been watching everything this week very closely. The growing backlash might have even tipped the debate internally like it did the xbox one plans before it. Would also explain why Tom said those sources inside xbox backtracked because they too weren't exactly sure what the outcome is.

I personally don't see how Spencer wins the debate entirely when it seems like he's going against Nadella, and his own CFO.

I think the best he gets is a compromise solution that doesn't kill Nadella's ideas.

 

[Three]

Since the Hi-Fi Rush data mine, we know for certain that MS, Nintendo, and PlayStation have an agreement. We know that it is standard practice to not disclose terms of an agreement until all parties see fit. It isn't just that MS was "afraid" to disclose any terms, but there could be real legal consequences for doing so. You're assessment of what happened behind MS's closed doors is hearsay. An unfounded theory with a claim that MS changed the terms of the deal this week, due to backlash. There is no evidence of this and Occam's Razer suggests that it takes less leaps of logic (or assumptions) to conclude that MS was just operating by standard terms of the agreement, to not disclose until an agreed upon date.

I'm sorry but no, Sony and Nintendo do not dictate whether MS is allowed to say if there are currently no plans to release Starfield on other platforms. What exactly do you think is in this agreement? Is it any more hearsay than your idea that there is some legal agreement with Sony, Nintendo and MS that prevents them from debunking incorrect facts?

They did address them, when 48 hours later Phil announced that they would be disclosing future plans. As I mentioned, many other sister rumors popped up around the initial report. As we can plainly see here, omission of a denial, to some people, is just as good as a confirmation. If MS were to address one, they would have to address all of them. Hence, why they are having an announcement next week.

They can debunk anything incorrect in an article without commenting on anything else. Especially as the HiFi rush rumour got data mined anyway so was all but confirmed. They could have easily addressed any sister rumours. "we plan to support xbox hardware in the future and currently have no plans to release Starfield on other platforms." I don't know why you're trying to make this complicated when it's not.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Lol sure. So they gonna port those 2 and just stop there? Sea of thieves and hifi rush is enough to know there'll be more than that. Even new releases like blade. It's pretty obvious now why they couldn't confirm it would be a console exclusive to xbox.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Sounds like the dream is dead again.

One day maybe probably Xbox will cease making consoles potentially.

 

[Ozriel]

Microsoft's silence during all this was deafening. So for them to suddenly go 'lol, no that wasn't our plan at all!' is pretty funny.

They’ve announced that there would be clarification given on their vision for the future of Xbox next week. Thats certainly not ‘silence’

The xbox diehards like Jez, Timdog, Gaz and the like kicked up a shitstorm and I'm sure MS would have been watching everything this week very closely. The growing backlash might have even tipped the debate internally like it did the xbox one plans before it. Would also explain why Tom said those sources inside xbox backtracked because they too weren't exactly sure what the outcome is.

I think some of you keep forgetting that MS doesn’t really operate that way.
A significant, transformative change in their gaming setup would have been discussed and approved at the Executive Committee level - basically Nadella and his EVPs. They’d have used hard metrics and forecasts to decide the path forward.

You’re not walking that back because TimDog et al are unhappy. You can be sure on the PowerPoint slides at the internal session, they had “declining Xbox sales”, “fan backlash” etc in the ‘Risks’ or ‘downsides’ column. Decisions are changed based on hard data. For example, walking back the proposed DRM for Xbox One was based on the poor preorder numbers post reveal.

Whatever they announce next week is most likely to be what they’ve planned all along.

 

[Ozriel]

Lol sure. So they gonna port those 2 and just stop there? Sea of thieves and hifi rush is enough to know there'll be more than that. Even new releases like blade. It's pretty obvious now why they couldn't confirm it would be a console exclusive to xbox.

I doubt they’d be porting just two games.

More likely they’ll be bringing more, likely timed.

 

[MarkMe2525]

I'm sorry but no, Sony and Nintendo do not dictate whether MS is allowed to say if there are currently no plans to release Starfield on other platforms. What exactly do you think is in this agreement? Is it any more hearsay than your idea that there is some legal agreement with Sony, Nintendo and MS that prevents them from debunking incorrect facts.
They can debunk anything incorrect in an article without commenting on anything else. Especially as the HiFi rush rumour got data mined anyway so was all but confirmed. They could have easily addressed any sister rumours. "we plan to support xbox hardware in the future and currently have no plans to release Starfield on other platforms." I don't know why you're trying to make this complicated when it's not.

You are speaking as if you were in the room, as the deals were being signed. Your assertions of what MS "can and cannot do" are hearsay, and I am basing my conjecture on standard operating procedures. I don't know how to respond other than I think you are wrong. To believe what you are saying, one would have to completely pretend as if the gaming industry was not rife with secrecy. These "unnanounced plans" did not just concern themselves, but their partners. Also, lots not pretend that within 48 hours, they did not publicly state that they would be announcing their plans next week. Why is it so hard to rectify the idea that they would address these at this showing? It makes more sense then playing rumor whack' a mole.

I feel bewildered having to again explain my view point regarding why they wouldn't choose to shoot down the rumours piecemeal. It is obviously a waste of time, so I'm not. I believe my earlier explanation is sufficient.

While MS sending a clear message, right when things started to turn, would have been advantageous for them, this can only be argued in HINDSIGHT. I dont think anyone could have predicted that within a couple of days, Starfield coming to PS5 (which could be still true, but not ready for announcement) would have turned into "MS is bringing every game to PS", MS is leaving the console business ", "MS diddled Nintendo's Wii". It seems to me as if you believe MS should have been able to foretell that one rumor would lead to another, and then another, and another. If this is true, I would love to know where you keep your crystal ball.

 

[FunkMiller]

While MS sending a clear message, right when things started to turn, would have been advantageous for them, this can only be argued in HINDSIGHT. I dont think anyone could have predicted that within a couple of days, Starfield coming to PS5 (which could be still true, but not ready for announcement) would have turned into "MS is bringing every game to PS", MS is leaving the console business ", "MS diddled Nintendo's Wii". It seems to me as if you believe MS should have been able to foretell that one rumor would lead to another, and then another, and another. If this is true, I would love to know where you keep your crystal ball.

Eh. Not really. One of the key responsibilities of a PR and Comms team is to ensure that the messaging is controlled in a way that's always advantageous to the brand. Speaking as someone who does this dumb shit for a living, I can safely say that had I been in the MS Comms team at the time the rumours started to swirl about Starfield, my first question to higher management would have been, what can I say, and how quickly can I say it.

Anyone with half a brain and worth their salt would have been able to predict where the conversation around these rumours would go, given the poor sales of Xbox and the stalling of GP. 'Starfield coming to Ps5' turning into 'XBox throwing in the towel' is quite a natural progression under these circumstances, and I don't believe for one second that nobody in XBox comms floated the possibility that people would start to think this - unless they are all brain dead guppies, which I doubt. They were either overruled by upper management, or knew that the messaging had to be kept generic for the moment, so they could get their ducks in a row about how to tell everyone the rumours are true.

I can guarantee you that the Comms team would look at that Phil Spencer tweet with no small degree of distaste and horror.

 

[Stuart360]

lol at the last week or so if true.

Talk about a mass of hopium becoming copium.

 

[Nydius]

Honestly I don’t care how much they spin and backpedal. We all see that they are beginning a push to move games to other platforms which is a tacit admission that the Xbox platform (and Game Pass) isn’t giving the higher ups the ROI they would like.

Regardless of what they say or do next week, the damage has been done. Trust has been eroded. I can’t see how I could reasonably trust any statement that comes from any Xbox executive. It has caused me to lose faith that Xbox will survive another generation, if it manages to survive this one.

This has been a masterclass in how to irreparably damage your brand.

 

[Three]

You are speaking as if you were in the room, as the deals were being signed. Your assertions of what MS "can and cannot do" are hearsay, and I am basing my conjecture on standard operating procedures.
I don't know how to respond other than I think you are wrong. To believe what you are saying, one would have to completely pretend as if the gaming industry was not rife with secrecy. These "unnanounced plans" did not just concern themselves, but their partners. Also, lots not pretend that within 48 hours, they did not publicly state that they would be announcing their plans next week. Why is it so hard to rectify the idea that they would address these at this showing? It makes more sense then playing rumor whack' a mole.
I feel bewildered having to again explain my view point regarding why they wouldn't choose to shoot down the rumours piecemeal. It is obviously a waste of time, so I'm not. I believe my earlier explanation is sufficient.

While MS sending a clear message, right when things started to turn, would have been advantageous for them, this can only be argued in HINDSIGHT. I dont think anyone could have predicted that within a couple of days, Starfield coming to PS5 (which could be still true, but not ready for announcement) would have turned into "MS is bringing every game to PS", MS is leaving the console business ", "MS diddled Nintendo's Wii". It seems to me as if you believe MS should have been able to foretell that one rumor would lead to another, and then another, and another. If this is true, I would love to know where you keep your crystal ball.

No but I'm not the one with a crystal ball. I said in a reply to somebody else "my guess is" and gave a possible explanation for Tom Warren's reporting discrepancy. That's all. You on the other hand seem adamant without evidence that some agreement was signed with Sony and Nintendo which prevents xbox from from debunking false and damaging information.

I think some of you keep forgetting that MS doesn’t really operate that way.
A significant, transformative change in their gaming setup would have been discussed and approved at the Executive Committee level - basically Nadella and his EVPs. They’d have used hard metrics and forecasts to decide the path forward.

You’re not walking that back because TimDog et al are unhappy. You can be sure on the PowerPoint slides at the internal session, they had “declining Xbox sales”, “fan backlash” etc in the ‘Risks’ or ‘downsides’ column. Decisions are changed based on hard data. For example, walking back the proposed DRM for Xbox One was based on the poor preorder numbers post reveal.

Whatever they announce next week is most likely to be what they’ve planned all along.

MS are one of the most agile when it comes to strategy but I'm not saying it was decided by higher ups and overturned. From the reports it sounds like the debate was ongoing and not necessarily backtracking on something already approved. it's very possible that they were still deciding and having an internal debate about strategy and games. you even said as much yourself here

Seems very clear that they want to bring some titles to other consoles, possibly a limited number. I can understand why they wouldn’t want to start selectively debunking rumors for individual games in press statements when they’re still figuring out how to announce their plans to port some titles over to competing consoles. Or even finalizing which titles can be safely ported over without jeopardizing hardware sales.

Backlash large enough can tip a debate and metrics while you're still making that decision very easily, even though I agree that a preapproved plan is more difficult to influence.