We talked with Phil Spencer about his strategy in our country, his latest successes in Asian territory and how he lived through the bad times of the division.
November has been a special month for followers of the Xbox brand. The recent X019 has brought a multitude of developments around the ecosystem built by the division. A 2020 of illusion in Xbox Game Pass and of playable potential through titles such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, Bleeding Edge, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and icing on the cake: Halo Infinite, among others.
FreeGameTips goes to the capital of the United Kingdom to chat face to face with the architect that the Xbox machinery is again greased. Because the bad times have passed; It's time to look to the future. Phil Spencer opens the channel to touch on various current affairs and the role that Spain will play in that future called Project Scarlett.
nobody said it was easy
The purpose of the existence of the X019 is a way to reward the loyalty of those who day after day support Xbox from the heat of home. Since the premiere of the current format last year in Mexico City, this festival was an opportunity to celebrate a community that has not always gone through its best moments. Since occupying the position as head of the division, he has had to go through the toughest moments of it.
By encouraging him to share his memories of those days, silence occurs. Phil's face speaks for itself: it conveys the sensation of having gone through countless battles in Redmond's offices. Nobody said it was easy, as he would say. Chew your words for a few seconds before giving us an answer. "There are decisions and directions that we would change if we could go back." He recognizes that he is not a person who spends his time lamenting in past times. "I see every opportunity we have as an opportunity to learn and improve."
That every moment becomes a new lesson is the philosophy that prevails within this new stage, including when events like this are conceived. “I always think about how we can learn to improve our future plans. Our focus on places like X019 is the reflection of the people who tell me "don't spend time talking about business, just show us new games."
In recent years they have been a “great learning” for him and his team. During that trip through the bad times, they were able to extract the common denominator that gave meaning to being able to continue: the user. “We think about how to make players feel and be the center of our plan. The future that holds us makes no sense without them, ”he concludes.
To the reconquest of Spain
Not only the first steps of the present generation were the cause of widespread discontent of his followers. In markets such as Spain, a certain disconnection has been felt between consumers and their agents. If we look back, the boom in popularity that the company lived in our territory is far away. Multiplayer successes such as Halo 3, Gears of War and third parties of the likes of Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops caused Xbox 360 to be placed in a multitude of Spanish homes.
"Spain is a market in which I have noticed a decline in popularity between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. I think some of the reasons were (or not) our initial focus on the market." To the question of what is the strategy to follow in our country, it is sincere again, but not before taking again a few seconds to reflect: "We must do much better than we did with Xbox One."
Not only social networks serve as a means of communication between fan and company. In the specific case of the console, since its inception a system was implemented in which the most passionate can convey their opinions about the new functionalities and decisions within the region, called Xbox Insider.
Gears 5 has full localization to Spanish.
Specifically, there are certain points that directly affect the pampering of products that arrive with Microsoft. “I have heard a lot of feedback about the location and even the type of location we do there. Now that we look at the beginning of a new generation, we are committed to our goal to move the full Project Scarlett experience to all of our Xbox markets; We don't want anyone to feel displaced. ” It seems that those who are serious about reporting problems will see that their effort has paid off.
As he says, the expense of resources in the new organization of Xbox Game Studios is the answer to the harshness we have experienced in markets like ours. These improvements give you “hopes and promises” to build a “solid future in all our markets”, including Spain. Phil does not avoid pronouncing the name of our country in a Castilian worthy of the English colonies of Marbella. The wink is palpable.
The future is here to contribute, not replace
Together with the announcement of the new intellectual properties of Rare and Obsidian, we have seen a strong presence of Project xCloud, especially during these last weeks. Since the arrival of the trial version to the first selected countries, the idea of game broadcasting within the Xbox universe has been gradually emerging. But the moment we live goes beyond: companies like Google and PlayStation are part of a kind of competition for the technological throne.
The future, at least for Stadia and PlayStation Now, is already here, but Phil is clear about where they are in the way we understand the game from Ping Pong. "No, the streaming game will not replace the traditional method." Although during the question we try to extract a small opinion about others, the president tries to clarify his own program.
Project xCloud had its own stand at X019.
“In our case, we want Project xCloud to be a way to extend your experience. When you're away from your console, this will be your best option to stay connected, but if you're on your TV, I would say that Xbox One X is above. ” The reasons are clear: "Just to feel the real power of the console, the exact answer, the contents of your hard drive that you can access without the need for internet … I think that is the method that we should all use in our corner of game".
The very idea of discarding the place of consoles is not something that comes into your plans. “It would be illogical. We love desktop concepts. xCloud arrives to give you the ability to make a decision about when and how you want to play. This is not about replacing something you love, but adding to the equation of things you can do, ”although he says that“ not everyone wants to convey that message in the industry. ” "We don't look in that direction."
Bleeding Edge and Grounded are not the result of chance
After the acquisition of the new studios that will be part of the Xbox global seal, we expected that those same teams would provide us with projects that only they know how to do. It has been from the past E3 when we have seen several projects that surprise coming from those who come. After works like Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice or the restart of Devil May Cry, the last thing we expected from Ninja Theory is Bleeding Edge, a multiplayer court title; like Obsidian and Grounded, his first dive with the survival genre.
We can understand that this trend is the result of studies that had a baggage behind when purchased. But what happens to those computers that have been formed with a specific IP present? Do 343 Industries or The Coalition have the creative freedom that other teams have in Xbox Game Studios? "Yes Yes. Absolutely. And you can add Turn 10, ”he chuckles. "We are not the ones who have to dictate what our studies should build."
Grounded was one of the big surprises revealed in X019.
The sensations from the barrier are those of a brand that embraces creativity, the diversity of options and proposals for all profiles within its audience. “There are certain studies that have been built around the intellectual property in which they are working. If you walk through those same teams, people who come to work share the passion to continue building and to be able to grow that franchise. ” It seems inevitable that those same entities leave their comfort zone.
However, in Phil's words, they not only want to give them the creative freedom of each individual study, but also have the ability to collaborate with each other. "Even a person can move to other studies if they are interested in that project or have their own ideas," he concludes. This way of working works in other companies such as Valve, to take your laptop, your chair and be able to join the place where you think you can contribute.
Build bridges to Asian industry
Like everything in life, some adaptation time is required when a new place is reached. If we talk about what surrounds electronic leisure, in Asian industry (especially Japan) it is even harder to make a dent. "We are not a Japanese company, nor are we the largest console brand in Japan," says Spencer. Although "it also takes time to build relationships of trust with the creators of any part of the globe," what happens in those markets is simply a matter of tradition. "Many of its creators have developed on other platforms, or just their friends work for Sony or Nintendo." His time as a video game developer allows him to have strengthened relations in Japan.
The key to this positive trend between Xbox and Japan is based on a careful process with the great publishers present there. "The third party editors must help them build mutual trust to make them see that we respect what they do." Phil underlines E3 as a place to show them their good work: "Having their games on the stage of E3 in recent years has helped us to see how we treat their franchises."
Yakuza arrives on Xbox One.
He gives an example of titles such as Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV. "Our fans reacted positively by having them on our platform." He confesses that during a dinner with Shinji Hashimoto, executive producer at Square Enix, he told him that Xbox fans kept asking him on Twitter when he would bring the Kingdom Hearts saga to Xbox One. “I would say that it is our community that communicate with those creators, they have helped us to get where we want to go. ”
It not only refers to the arrival of the first chapters of the franchise. Names like Yakuza, Crossfire X or Kartrider: Drift show that little by little the company begins to complete its offer with the Asian look demanded by its community since the beginning of generation. Even Final Fantasy XIV will arrive. When things are done well, you have your reward.
