I don't understand the worship and false platitudes for Phil Spencer.
I'm sure he's a great family man, but as head of Xbox? Almost nothing he's set out as an initiative has manifested into actual content yet for customers of the brand. He may have a good way of being pals with industry peers (that should be expected), but I don't see how he is seriously nominated for some of these awards when you look at the state of Microsoft 1P content for 2022, as an example, and compare that to the other platform holders.
And this gets into a bigger question: what exactly has Xbox as a platform been industry-leading in over the past several years? GamePass? A subscription service part of a slice of the market that's a slice of only 4% of total revenue in the industry? A subscription service that Phil himself has said is slowing down growth on console just two years into the new generation? A subscription service that has not manifested any big 1P releases for the entire year, and barely any big 3P Day 1 inclusions of new games outside of Plague Tale: Requiem?
Series S? A console that is underselling in comparison to its mission statement, and is being heavily subsidized with discount deals to attempt moving unsold inventory during peak shopping months? Where are the industry-leading 1P software from Microsoft Studios helping set standards or inspire developers in some way or another? Where are the 1P games from Microsoft studios dominating the gaming zeitgeist among the majority of gamers and the mainstream? Where are these games, they've been missing for several years so where are they?
Sorry for the rant, sorta. I know these are awards among industry peers and they way different criteria, but I'm a gamer, and a customer, so if something like this is being reported to me, I'm going to draw upon what I see as a gamer & customer and decide whether I agree with the choice. Not that my opinion matters in determining these awards, but I still have the right to express it. As a gamer & customer, I wish I could agree with giving someone like Phil Spencer a similar award but when I look at where the Xbox brand is currently and look the results in terms of content (or lack of results more like), when it comes to impact and gaining the brand genuine mindshare and favorable comparisons with other platform holders past and present and even against Xbox's earlier years when compared against the OG & 360....no, I don't think he's deserving of such an award yet.
From MY perspective, I should add, and I already said what perspective that is. But hey, if they actually decide to do something for VR with Xbox, and Avowed, Starfield, Hellblade II, Project Mara, Everwild etc. turn out to be great games and push some aspect of AAA gaming forward one way or another, set some standard or two...then I would feel much better giving him his flowers.
