How would you judge Phil Spencer's tenure as the head of Xbox so far?

[commanderbuck]

@NierlyCrazy

But we can all unanimously agree this is still an issue, right?

Like can anyone in good faith say their communication, marketing, and transparency has been great?

Hell, we had folks on this very forum getting upset with Tom Henderson’s leaks because MS didn’t set proper expectations for their showcase.

I understand the frustration and I agree they haven’t been the best at communication. My feelings about this are that it’s never going to be good enough and I really don’t care about marketing. As long as they are putting out good games and good reasons for me to continue to be in the ecosystem, I’m good. All the discussion about communication and marketing is meaningless to me.

[DeAd3yE]

i think xbox marketing doesnt know how to market a game whether its first party or third party

[Bits-N-Pieces]

Fill yer boots, as they say.

What is Microsoft’s current marketing strategy

Came across this article and this is very much how I remember how it was in the U.K. growing up when the PlayStation released. I know Microsoft want to reach billions of gamers from all demographics but do you see a marketing ploy as to how they are doing it. This article is how PlayStation went after the 18-30’s in the U.K. Do you think MS could do more to agressively market everyone if they want to reach that many people and if so how. & society has changed so they wouldn’t be able to do t…

[Doncabesa (Jesse Norris)]

@DeAd3yE

i think xbox marketing doesnt know how to market a game whether its first party or third party

Yet their player bases on first party games are astronomical, and the division as a whole is making more money than ever.

[saintsflow20]

@DeAd3yE

i think xbox marketing doesnt know how to market a game whether its first party or third party

Well they marketed Persona 5 game pass very well, to an extent not even seen since the 360 days, so they do have the know how, as well as clearly knowing it’s important (because otherwise why “waste” so much money on it?)

[BRiT]

@DeAd3yE

i think xbox marketing doesnt know how to market a game whether its first party or third party

The proper discussion for that is over here:

What is Microsoft’s current marketing strategy

Came across this article and this is very much how I remember how it was in the U.K. growing up when the PlayStation released. I know Microsoft want to reach billions of gamers from all demographics but do you see a marketing ploy as to how they are doing it. This article is how PlayStation went after the 18-30’s in the U.K. Do you think MS could do more to agressively market everyone if they want to reach that many people and if so how. & society has changed so they wouldn’t be able to do t…

[DeAd3yE]

@Doncabesa

Yet their player bases on first party games are astronomical, and the division as a whole is making more money than ever.

doesnt change the fact that marketing sucks for many games except gamepass they dont do marketing that good even pentiment their first party game there was no tweet from their own twitter handle

[CallMeCraig]

@TeamAndromeda

SONY done a better job of it

@TeamAndromeda

Unless you were involved in developing the games you can’t say that with authority.

lol

[DeAd3yE]

@saintsflow20

Well they marketed Persona 5 game pass very well, to an extent not even seen since the 360 days, so they do have the know how, as well as clearly knowing it’s important (because otherwise why “waste” so much money on it?)

thats just one game tho when many people have been asking for that game we already know marketing for halo that was kinda meh the tech demo of halo infinite we all know how it went no matter what u think of sony but their marketing is good

[Doncabesa (Jesse Norris)]

@DeAd3yE

doesnt change the fact that marketing sucks for many games except gamepass they dont do marketing that good even pentiment their first party game there was no tweet from their own twitter handle

What they’re doing seems to be working

[Popppi (Phil Spencer's shelf)]

@TeamAndromeda

… been able to pump out quite a few big AAA games on the PS4/5. We basically got Flight Sim, Forza Hor 5, psychonauts and Halo from MS over 2 years in and they had nothing to show at the Game Awards. Having the new Forza running on an actual Series X would have been something or even a new trailer and a date for Redfall would have been something… SONY win yet again. Having the better tech or a ton of studios doesn’t mean you win, you also have to win the PR battle and MS is utterly hopeless at PR. On TV I’m seeing adverts from SONY thanks to the deals it done with EA and Activision, Nintendo is pushing hard and we get sod all from MS and the likes of Aaron Greenberg thinks that having a photo of him with an XBox fridge makes it’s all ok. Its not, MS XBox PR divsion is beyond hopless ​ ​ ​ ​

You’re just completely ignoring what I wrote and I’m not really interested in engaging in this kind of discussion.

[MasterChief]

I think he’s been great for the most part and he was working with almost zero help from Microsoft until he finally convinced Nadella to throw billions of dollars at the Xbox division which was badly needed, I think Game Pass, Series S and buying Bethesda were all great ideas but I feel like he still gets beaten too much by Sony when it comes to securing 3rd party exclusives, like KOTOR for example.

[TeamAndromeda]

@Joe_Sinister1

Which is why I think they should go back to rushing out games before they are ready. Worked so well for them last gen and gamers clearly want that judging by the current discourse.

That’s just being silly and pedantic. The reason why they MS did badly last gen was they made a lame duck GPU, a weaker memory system and then looked to hold back the GPU even more with Kinect taking 10% of the GPU power and yet again MS PR was utterly terrible with its handling of a console needing to be online or 2nd gand games and even worse the consoel cost more too. MS was on the back foot betfore the system launch; MS would be the 1st to say that showing off your console with someone saying XBox ‘Watch TV’ is not a way to have your console be embraced by gamers

Its all very well buying every studio under the sun only to have nothing to show of it and be told it be better next year or the year after. MS done a terrible job of getting 1st party games out and a even worse job with its PR . To have nothing to show at the Game Awards was a terrible own goal and you don’t have to be in a PR dept on a six figure sum, to have worked that one out.

[TeamAndromeda]

@Popppi

You’re just completely ignoring what I wrote and I’m not really interested in engaging in this kind of discussion.

All I said is that SONY faced the same issues with Covid and its wasn’t like the Studio’s MS bought were start up. Hellblade been in development since the 1st game shipped, just look at how MS looked to handle to launch of the Series S and X, it put all its eggs with hoping Halo and Medium would be ready and when they weren’t, you were left with Gears Tactics (great) contrast that to SONY who had Astrbot and Dark Souls Remake ready on day 1

RARE been going since the 80’s and part of MS studios since 200 2 yet Everwild seems years from coming out. Forza 7 came out in 2017 and we still haven’t got a date for the new Forza. I get game take time but there needs to be better planning and studio handling with making sure you have something for the gamer.

Look at Deadfall that was a game MS get on saying was coming in the Summer and then weeks before E3 said it would be delayed. That’s terrible PR, since MS can’t even give us date now, it would have been clear very early last year it was going to be delayed. For me that’s bad PR and MS should have made it clear long before E3 the game wasn’t going to come out this year. I get the issues with Starfield, given how massive the scope is mind

I’m only so critical of Team XBox since I love the brand and the console, but Xbox needs to do better with its PR

[TeamAndromeda]

@Doncabesa

Yet their player bases on first party games are astronomical, and the division as a whole is making more money than ever.

hanks to GamePass and MS also making the best console around(the Series is on course to be the best console I’ve ever owned ) for which they deserve all the credit in the world. XBox One was MS most profitable console so far and the XBox Division never made a loss ever in the console life cycle in stark contrast to the 360 or OG XBox. That doesn’t mean they were issues with the One mind.

MS PR been very poor and to offer nothing for last part of the year just so disappointing

[Ironfistchinmi]

@MasterChief

I think he’s been great for the most part and he was working with almost zero help from Microsoft until he finally convinced Nadella to throw billions of dollars at the Xbox division which was badly needed, I think Game Pass, Series S and buying Bethesda were all great ideas but I feel like he still gets beaten too much by Sony when it comes to securing 3rd party exclusives, like KOTOR for example.

Not a great example given the developer situation there, more like a dodged bullet!

[LeeLayfield (Lee)]

Short version B+

Long version - In many areas Phil has done incredible work, game pass (this alone is amazing), expanding studios, acquisitions, budget increase, PR is better, friendly with more devs/studios/japan.

Sadly in other (key) areas not much has improved, frequency of games (might be about to change next year) and marketing.

I overall I’d say he’s hit many key factors but missed others however next year looks to be the year to change that.

Right now a B+, next year it could become a A or slip to a C mainly dependant in the first party line up. I’ll add that I think Phil has to work with some difficult restrictions IE Xbox doesn’t do 3rd Larry deals often, doesn’t like working on IP it doesn’t own etc.

[DeAd3yE]

@Doncabesa

What they’re doing seems to be working

they could do much better i guesss

[TheLegendaryGamer]

@DeAd3yE

doesnt change the fact that marketing sucks for many games except gamepass they dont do marketing that good even pentiment their first party game there was no tweet from their own twitter handle

Pentiment is very niche, so even if they do nonestop marketing for the game, it would still be niche.

It’s for a select group of audience, no amount of marketing can change that.

They have Gamepass, so just toss it on there and if people want to play it they will.

[Joe_Sinister1 (Joe_Sinister)]

@TeamAndromeda

… back the GPU even more with Kinect taking 10% of the GPU power and yet again MS PR was utterly terrible with its handling of a console needing to be online or 2nd gand games and even worse the consoel cost more too. MS was on the back foot betfore the system launch; MS would be the 1st to say that showing off your console with someone saying XBox ‘Watch TV’ is not a way to have your console be embraced by gamers Its all very well buying every studio under the sun only to have nothing to show of it and be told it be better next year or the year after. MS done a terrible job of getting 1st party games out and a even worse job with its PR . To have nothing to show at the Game Awards was a terrible own goal and you don’t have to be in a PR dept on a six figure sum, to have worked that one out.

I am so sick of the hyperbole. Next year nobody is going to give a shit about them not being at the game awards. It’s not some dire situation as people want everyone to think , wake me up when they stop showing up for E3. I guess that I don’t get bothered over this enough to throw online forum tantrums over it is because I actually play games that are out instead of being over dramatic bitching about what isn’t. Way too much to play out now for that and frankly the online/Youtube/Twitter drama queens complaining about nothing to play make my eyes roll out of their sockets.

Along with armchair developers and amature advertising “experts”.