Support NeoGAF

[Alebrije]

Kinect was the beginning of the end it wasn't game pass. They stopped investing in new AAA first party IP halfway through the 360 generation to focus on new kinect games and it killed all of their momentum.

Also the Harware..Xbone one was weaker vs PS4 contrary to previous generations. Sony did all good and Microsoft so bad that since that E3 all has been a downhill for Xbox. Don Matrick began this nightmare and after 10 years it seems Phil has no found the way to wake up..Gamepass could not be a failure like Kinetic but also clearly is no the solution. Its a shame Xbox not has a single game that competes vs God of War or TLOU or even Ghost of T. Forget about Mario or Zelda...They had Halo and Gears but they are gone now...

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Benji's dress sense is almost as bad as Phil's FP management.

 

[DR3AM]

Wow, rough but honest interview. Phil looks exhausted and I think that's mostly because of the Activision merger.

I think having Phil doing this type of interview is great and helps the Xbox community which I'm part of for over 20 years.

Keep it up Xbox team!

 

[H-I-M]

This was very very interesting.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Same goes for Sony. Skipped 2021, 2022 which woudve been their E3 2015 moment. Ok, but now in 2023 if they phone in their conference with some more third party exclusives then im done. Respawn just released Star Wars after shipping the first game in november 2019. Death Stranding came out the same month and we still havent seen any gameplay for it. Days Gone came out in April 2019, and all Sony bend has shown is a fucking logo. ND shipped TLOU2 6 months after Jedi Fallen Order, and we have no idea if they are making tlou3 or a new IP.

If both Publishers dont have shows to end all shows like E3 2015 then it's time to take a break from gaming because that means the generation wont start until 2026-2028 at best.

What I want from Sony - Gameplay only:

• Spiderman 2
• Death Stranding 2
• Factions
• Wolverine
• FF7-2

I have to disagree with you here. I feel, the truth of the matter is that sony and MS are not even in the same ball park much less paying the same game.

An argument can be made for being (or not being) excited about what sony has shown, and put out since launch, or their choice for making a lot of those cross-gen titles, but we cannot say it has been lean.

Since 2020, Sony's first party has released

• Demon Souls
• SM.MM
• Ratchet
• Returnal
• HFW
• GOWR
• GT7

And there is a new IP on that list and I didn't add any remake/remaster or third-party games revealed at sony shows and that have a strong tie to PS (eg. RE, FF, SF, Tekken, Hogwarts, KH4....etc). Funny enough, I think they have released more than 90% of the stuff they showed in their shows in 2020 and 2021.

So this year, we just know we will see Spiderman 2, and start to see more of the stuff we will get next year and the year after that.YOu can almost set your clock to how Sony operates now. The same can't be said for MS.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Criticism aside, at this point I just hope Phil is okay mentally. I cannot imagine how he must feel after the amount of shit he has eaten in the past few weeks.

Poor Phil. Was forced to take this position earning minimum wage

 

[Aaron Olive]

Microsoft should rent Jim for a week to train Phil on how to not be a fucking loser

 

[ReBurn]

So much pearl clutching because he said what everyone already knows. It's too late for Microsoft to win this console generation regardless of how many games they release. He didn't say they weren't going to make any new games, just that games won't move the needle much on their overall percentage of the plastic box market. Game Pass needs content to sell subscriptions snd they're going to keep selling consoles as a gateway to Game Pass. It's the thing they've been doing since the start of the generation. But now everyone is shocked.

 

[NickFire]

?? You have not understood. I'm talking about MS losing 30% of every 3rd party game sells on XSeries. That's a big part of MS's revenue in the XBOX business and I certainly don't think they're willing to lose it in the short, medium or long term.

And no, your accounts are more than speculative. No one assures you that an XBOX first party game will sell more on PS than the same % that it stops selling on the XBOX console where you also do not lose that extra 30%.

I’m not saying they have to pick only first or only third party. The Xbox platform and multi platform game sales can Coexist.

 

[SlimySnake]

That would be pretty impressive, considering that E3 2023 has been cancelled.

They just announced their e3 conference this morning. June 11.

 

[Punished Miku]

They just announced their e3 conference this morning. June 11.

Kei-3ley

doritospope.jpeg

 

[H-I-M]

So much pearl clutching because he said what everyone already knows. It's too late for Microsoft to win this console generation regardless of how many games they release. He didn't say they weren't going to make any new games, just that games won't move the needle much on their overall percentage of the plastic box market. Game Pass needs content to sell subscriptions snd they're going to keep selling consoles as a gateway to Game Pass. It's the thing they've been doing since the start of the generation. But now everyone is shocked.

Gamepass needs more than 'Hi-fi Rush' and 'Redfall' to sell.
One wasn't marketed and big enough and the other one wasn't good enough.

Phil been promising to deliver games for a while now. It's been what, 5 years that we've been hearing about how 'next year will be the year'?

 

[GHG]

Everyone needs to watch Jaffe's take on this interview

Starts at around 18 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/live/LIzDva3fxQQ?feature=share

 

[TransTrender]

Benji's dress sense is almost as bad as Phil's FP management.

I don't know who this person is but the first thing that came to mind was 'soy'

 

[ReBurn]

Gamepass needs more than 'Hi-fi Rush' and 'Redfall' to sell.
One wasn't marketed and big enough and the other one wasn't good enough.

Phil been promising to deliver games for a while now. It's been what, 5 years that we've been hearing about how 'next year will be the year'?

I never said otherwise. We already know more games are coming. There's a showcase in June. I don't even know what this comment is.

 

[Kacho]

 

[ElCasual]

Well at least he spoke with the true not like the CEO with the Big nose.

 

[Fahdis]

My God, some of the takes in here are embarrassing.

Pretty much people acting like 12 year old doomers.

 

[Meicyn]

I just want to make mention that it was very much games that made Xbox. Fucking Halo 2 was an event.

Mass Effect, Gears of War, and numerous other new IPs made everyone rebuy red ringing Xbox 360s.

 

[Diddy X]

So we shouldn't expect great games on xbox?? Wtf is this

 

[The Pleasure]

Seriously, how much is he being paid to gobble the goo?

Not enough. BELIEVE IT!

 

[CLW]

Exhibit 10 billion on why MS should have fired this guy YEARS ago

 

[Aaron Olive]

 

[SHA]

I hope his talk doesn't go to waste, we really deserve great contents from every platform, even if anyone said they wish to see MS fail they really don't mean it.

 

[Darsxx82]

I’m not saying they have to pick only first or only third party. The Xbox platform and multi platform game sales can Coexist.

I think we are not understanding each other.

I say the Xbox console business is still the core of MS's gaming revenue. And much of that revenue comes from the 30% royalty that MS charges to 3rd party publishers who publish their games on the XSeries.
If MS became a 3rd party and stopped manufacturing consoles, it would lose that income and in no way would it recover it only from what It earned from the sales of first party games on PS5.

Only what Fornite, COD, Pubg, Fifa etc. generates in microtransactions means that the option of liquidating Xbox console is not an option for MS in the short, medium, long term.

In other words, becoming a 3rd party would not mean improving MS gaming business and more revenues. It Is The opposite.

 

[Spank_Magnet]

I just want to make mention that it was very much games that made Xbox. Fucking Halo 2 was an event.

Mass Effect, Gears of War, and numerous other new IPs made everyone rebuy red ringing Xbox 360s.

Re-buy or just send them back for replacement and ms would count that replacement as a shipped console?

 

[Rival]

There is no passion to make great games. Only to drive subscribers to game pass and that’s fine but that’s why they are in last. They used to care about the games and gamers.

 

[Dane]

Re-buy or just send them back for replacement and ms would count that replacement as a shipped console?

Pretty much this, people were replacing because they had to godfather all manufactured units, that included out of warranty ones because once they realized it was a massive problem that could end the brand and that was Peter Moore words.

 

[Eotheod]

I mean, he isn't wrong? They lost any form of library building for the consumer in the Xbone era, which is incredibly important because it allowed people to have backlog content. Now you've got people on PlayStation that have BC (to a point) with their built up library, and you have to convince them to either buy a new console or trade the one they have in and go fresh. That's fucking hard to do.

I'm thankful I never really had a PS4 for long, so my library is heavily Xbox/PC/Nintendo and I'm confident there will still be titles made for Xbox. I also understand where Phil is coming from, which of course those here will construe to their own storytelling needs. I've got games for years to play, I'm happy as a consumer with that approach.

Realistically, who here on PS5 would have even bought or traded in for the XSX/S if there suddenly was a deluge of titles? I'd wager not many on an enthusiast forum, because we are the hardest to swing when it comes to shifting playstyles and platform. There are already a crap ton of games on Xbox available right now, and that hasn't even turned the dial. So I don't think it's the actual content, I think it's the name.

There is no passion to make great games. Only to drive subscribers to game pass and that’s fine but that’s why they are in last. They used to care about the games and gamers.

See I'd argue against that, as it's clear the actual amount of content is there on the Xbox platform. It's just people don't want to switch if they haven't already, as it's either a) leaving behind a large library of games on an existing platform or b) they can't afford to have more than one platform/swapping. Game Pass has content, Xbox has games, even first party. Just no one wants to drop their library.

Also the whole "yeah well their PC focus killed Xbox" is bullshit. There are still far and away more console players that are not just going to buy a PC, and yet still want access to the catalogue of games on offer. For me I was just lucky I was PC before I met my fiance, who is an Xbox fan. So I had that platform well in advanced and have continued the upgrade trend.

 

[drganon]

I agree. He did get crushed by the Activision deal though.
Theyre both true. They're going to do it again and buy up more publishers and IPs.

I'm hoping between being tied up with abk deal and getting their hand slapped by the cma that they're done trying to buy publishers, but wouldn't put it past them to keep trying to monopolize the industry one way or another.

 

[Meicyn]

Re-buy or just send them back for replacement and ms would count that replacement as a shipped console?

Both. The point is that massive widespread hardware failures couldn’t stop that train. The games made people show up for the party.

Lack of games results in people talking about anything other than games. When Hifi Rush showed up, it’s all anyone could talk about for weeks.

It’s always about the games.

 

[Belthazar]

And then goes on to say that making great games wouldn't help Xbox compete.

So... That's why he didn't try?

 

[FrankWza]

I'm hoping between being tied up with abk deal and getting their hand slapped by the cma that they're done trying to buy publishers, but wouldn't put it past them to keep trying to monopolize the industry one way or another.

There is zero chance that they are done imo. Zero. They don't want to risk. They would rather buy a sure thing. They're not even willing to do deals for exclusivity.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Everyone needs to watch Jaffe's take on this interview

Starts at around 18 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/live/LIzDva3fxQQ?feature=share

The caller that said Xbox Game Studios need to hire a bunch of alpha male frat bros to make Alpha games is 100% in point.

Xbox used to be about Alpha gaming, the male power fantasy. It's now so far from that it's strange.

They need to really amp up the "America, fuck yeah!" vibe with their games. I'm talking, Mad Max Fury Road type energy to it.

You dig me Kacho ?

 

[BackBackPunch]

They just announced their e3 conference this morning. June 11.

Yeah, that's not for e3. It's just some showcase they're doing on their own.

 

[Captain Toad]

The caller that said Xbox Game Studios need to hire a bunch of alpha male frat bros to make Alpha games is 100% in point.

Xbox used to be about Alpha gaming, the male power fantasy. It's now so far from that it's strange.

They need to really amp up the "America, fuck yeah!" vibe with their games. I'm talking, Mad Max Fury Road type energy to it.

You dig me Kacho ?

That's an, um, take...

What they need to do is put out consistent great AAA games. Not look cool. Not look tough. Just games.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

That's an, um, take...

What they need to do is put out consistent great AAA games. Not look cool. Not look tough. Just games.

That's what their audience that grew up with them wants

If they can't do the same mature cinematic stuff Sony does, then just double down on awesome shooters with minimal story and cinematics.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

It took a separate hardware revision to add HDMI.

Imaging thinking the very rare YLOD was on the same level as the 1.15 BILLION it cost Microsoft to fix their RROD cluster fuck.

Sym gamepad, I will agree, is a matter of taste.

The X360 HDD upgrades were proprietary trash. Even after the slim revisions came out you couldn’t just slap in your own HDD unless you bought the proper plastic shell and you used some hackery to properly format it to be detected as useable on the 360. They charged ridiculous prices for their proprietary formatted drives versus the cost of a bare drive that could be slapped into any PS3 with minimal fuss (kinda like how MS are charging laughable amounts for an inferior proprietary SSD today).

Any other rosé tinted goggles bullshit you want corrected?

Still true facts instead of lies and revisionist history: Xbox 360 has all those features

Writing GAF posts like you’re selling Chinese electronics on Amazon Aliexpress

Did not even realized but hey, it works apparently, I got your attention
And now you said it, I forgot this one:

️Weight Loss in 7 days thanks to the bulky X360 fat design

 

[Indyblue]

I really had hope for Xbox this gen but boy has that come crashing down in the last couple weeks. Oh well.

 

[Silver Wattle]

Maybe have a consistent release of good games and stop letting your studios get overly ambitious only to take 4-5 years then drop the ball and launch the game in a mediocre state.

 

[kuncol02]

They sold a shit load of consoles because they made a shit load of fucking spectacular games. One banger after another. The PS3 was the walking dead until some of those ND & Insomniac games started to hit. The first party output from 2009 onwards was absolute killer.

Now, imagine where Xbox would be now if they had pursued a similar strategy of excellent games, designed exclusively for Series X.

As you called it "walking dead" PS3 even at it's lowest was still selling more consoles than X360 (which was cheaper, faster, had controller designed for humans and better games) on every market except US and UK.

 

[Kacho]

The caller that said Xbox Game Studios need to hire a bunch of alpha male frat bros to make Alpha games is 100% in point.

Xbox used to be about Alpha gaming, the male power fantasy. It's now so far from that it's strange.

They need to really amp up the "America, fuck yeah!" vibe with their games. I'm talking, Mad Max Fury Road type energy to it.

You dig me Kacho ?

I heard that part and yeah he’s right. Xbox needs to embrace dudebro gaming again. There’s an underserved market for that currently and Xbox have the IP ripe for that. Doomslayer needs to be standing next to a John Cena looking motherfucker. Ripped, square jaw, lunchbox sized hands. A chick ain’t gonna cut the mustard, so yeah I dig ya Icemang.

 

[DeceptiveAlarm]

 

[Yoda]

They still heavily invest in exclusives though? Starfield would make more money if it was sold on all consoles, so if it's purely about juicing Microsoft's bottom line, than why remain in the hardware biz? Esp since they have something called Windows as well? This strikes me as someone who's had a rough few weeks (merger failed + bad AAA release).

 

[SegaSnatcher]

Figured this should probably have its own thread, given the implications of what Spencer is saying.

Timestamped video from Kinda Funny Xcast:




Here, Spencer basically says there's no way the Xbox can compete with Sony and Nintendo, and then goes on to say that making great games wouldn't help Xbox compete.

I find this attitude utterly baffling, and I think we're now at the point where this dude needs to step away.

Whole quote here, provided by @Heisenberg007:

Perhaps a bad day, but Phil doesn't seem as excited to be head of Xbox anymore. I think he honestly might be on his way out. There is just something about his eyes that says "I'm tapped out".

 

[[Sigma]]

No matter how much he talks like that, MS will never be the little guy he's trying to portray. Their failure are his and Matty Booty. They have benefits that other 3rd publishers don't have like a store in which they get 30% everything on for doing nothing. It's Xbox's duty to delivery high quality games, to demonstrate why you should buy their console or be in like the gamepass ecosystem I guess. Regardless of what place you're in, you must deliver on that. Nintendo and Sony understands that. When Sega was in it, they understood it. That means locking your shit down that you do have and giving them the support they need to deliver consistently on those high quality games. Microsoft is simply not doing it and instead seems to be just buying and trying to basically force people into the ecosystem with their deep pockets from non gaming sectors.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

I mean, he isn't wrong? They lost any form of library building for the consumer in the Xbone era, which is incredibly important because it allowed people to have backlog content. Now you've got people on PlayStation that have BC (to a point) with their built up library, and you have to convince them to either buy a new console or trade the one they have in and go fresh. That's fucking hard to do.

I'm thankful I never really had a PS4 for long, so my library is heavily Xbox/PC/Nintendo and I'm confident there will still be titles made for Xbox. I also understand where Phil is coming from, which of course those here will construe to their own storytelling needs. I've got games for years to play, I'm happy as a consumer with that approach.

Realistically, who here on PS5 would have even bought or traded in for the XSX/S if there suddenly was a deluge of titles? I'd wager not many on an enthusiast forum, because we are the hardest to swing when it comes to shifting playstyles and platform. There are already a crap ton of games on Xbox available right now, and that hasn't even turned the dial. So I don't think it's the actual content, I think it's the name.

See I'd argue against that, as it's clear the actual amount of content is there on the Xbox platform. It's just people don't want to switch if they haven't already, as it's either a) leaving behind a large library of games on an existing platform or b) they can't afford to have more than one platform/swapping. Game Pass has content, Xbox has games, even first party. Just no one wants to drop their library.

Also the whole "yeah well their PC focus killed Xbox" is bullshit. There are still far and away more console players that are not just going to buy a PC, and yet still want access to the catalogue of games on offer. For me I was just lucky I was PC before I met my fiance, who is an Xbox fan. So I had that platform well in advanced and have continued the upgrade trend.

So can you kindly explain the Nintendo Switch?

 

[Alebrije]

I just want to make mention that it was very much games that made Xbox. Fucking Halo 2 was an event.

Mass Effect, Gears of War, and numerous other new IPs made everyone rebuy red ringing Xbox 360s.

I got 3 xbox360 no matter the RROD because I needed to play online Halo and Gears, besides Xbox had better PC ports than Sony.

Great Software is what sells console..just imagine how many Switchs Nintendo will move with Zelda. Or even Sony with FF16.

Meanwhile Xbox releases RedFall and now Srarfield its thier last hope this year...you cant compete this way..

 

[FrankWza]

It took a separate hardware revision to add HDMI.

Imaging thinking the very rare YLOD was on the same level as the 1.15 BILLION it cost Microsoft to fix their RROD cluster fuck.

Sym gamepad, I will agree, is a matter of taste.

The X360 HDD upgrades were proprietary trash. Even after the slim revisions came out you couldn’t just slap in your own HDD unless you bought the proper plastic shell and you used some hackery to properly format it to be detected as useable on the 360. They charged ridiculous prices for their proprietary formatted drives versus the cost of a bare drive that could be slapped into any PS3 with minimal fuss (kinda like how MS are charging laughable amounts for an inferior proprietary SSD today).

Any other rosé tinted goggles bullshit you want corrected?

Putting an SSD in PS3 helped tremendously with load times on some games. Especially GT. PS still takes hits for having a proprietary card on PSVITA but their consoles have been non proprietary in the right places for the most part. PS5 having open USB has been a godsend for audio options.

 

[mansoor1980]

"There's no world where Starfield is 11/10 and people start selling their PS5s"