Phil Spencer Takes Responsibility Yet Misses the Point

Though he was honest when speaking about the tough week Xbox Studios has had, Phil Spencer made some questionable statements that had GameLuster staff writer Shaz scratching his head.

[mastershredder]

Phil's job is to make profit. He's no different than a sketch as -f used car salesman that knows he's got a lot of crap on his lot to sell off. MS bought the golden goose (actually several) and expected it to lay AAA eggs for them. That transition of MS and newly acquired studios have basically broken any culture and ethics that those studios had/held. Nothing like feeling inspired for work when your workplace just got turned upside down with new deadlines and policies! Everything they got going on right now has no soul at all, just straight-up short-sided consumer purchase fodder.

This is MS right now: " WHY DON"T YOU LOVE US and our games?!!!" with seething and rebellious anger. Phil and his entourage have gotta go. I'm tired of watching him drown and straight-up shitting on the bridges that tied many of the studios and industry services together. This game industry villain and victim bs was never an issue back in the day, it's just disgusting that this is their face man. Great pick guys.

[S2Killinit]

I feel that his recent comments are an effort on MS’s part to act dead. MS was about to drop 68 BILLION dollars but they want us to feel bad for them. Its crazy.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Phil you are suppose to compete not give up

[Bathyj]

Says for years that selling consoles is not a measure for success for them, then says if they ever made great games it wouldn't make them sell more consoles like that's a reason to not do it.

[Pyrofire95]

Selling consoles is not their measure of success, creating more high quality games would not drastically sway the market share, like he said. But don't conflate that it means they're not making games. They're aren't trying to spend 69 billion dollars to not make games. Xboxs goal is it's ecosystem. It's the ability to play 'anywhere' and still be part of Xbox.

[TheEnigma313]

And it's backfiring

[Bathyj]

That's bollocks. If they were selling 100 million consoles they would be bragging about it. More consoles is more gamepass members and even more game sales as little as they may be. That's not hard to understand.

Them saying they don't care about console sales is just them missing a 3 pointer from half court and saying yeah I wasn't really trying.

[SullysCigar]

Remember last gen, when Xbox execs were bragging they were targeting 1 BILLION console sales?

Let's say Xbox released 10 absolute top-tier games this year and Sony released none. Naturally Xbox sales would rise and PS would decline. There's no logic to suggest otherwise.

Phil's throwing in the towel. New management required URGENTLY.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Except the way Sony and Nintendo are going about things by continually making great games is EXACTLY why they're so successful. It's not rocket science. The ecosystem doesn't matter if they're aren't a constant stream of enjoyable first-party games to go with it.

[Markusb33]

thats why its failing, xb need to get very good and build from there, they just want to be everywhere and make as much money as possible, Thats fine, but people dont tend to play or buy low quality games.
69 billion is just so they can sit back and not make 3rd party deals and leave the publisher to push out titles onto their service. Xb is just gamepass now, the console is not important, xb will be a 3rd party publisher

[Pyrofire95]

Ya'll are misreading all of this. -_- and any way xbox acted in the previous generations, especially early in Xbone, is not the Xbox of today.
The ecosystem is there goal and part of that is making consoles, bolstering their PC presence (gamepass is there too!) and making games.
They have been failing on the games front. They DO need to do better and that WILL translate to more success.
There is a big picture here, focusing on any one thing too much and you are wrong.
Also try not debating what I said with counters to things I didn't say. It's embarrassing.

[neutralgamer1992]

Pyro

They are great at selling hope for the future but since 360 days Xbox brand hasn’t been great for gamers. Phil has quietly implemented don matricks original Xbox one vision

On topic

If Xbox is constantly being in the spotlight with their 90/100 type games and are in GOTY talk they would sell more console. Fact of the matter is Xbox series x is constantly outshined by ps5 when it comes to performance and series x is supposed to be stronger

Give me the resources and 24 months and I will make Xbox brand stronger. It seems current Xbox has no vision and they keep throwing stuff at the wall hoping something sticks

I have paid for GP till 2025 but I won’t renew because I rather buy the games I want. GP is just okay for me personally because the games I want don’t come to GP day one

I am really disappointed because I bought series x and bought into their ecosystem but so far it has been a major disappointment. Starfield is their next opportunity to show they can make great games and if that game is a failure in anyway it’s game over for Phil and Xbox team IMO

[Profchaos]

That statement is insane from Phil look at Nintendo it's whole existence is owed to it's high bar for first party otherwise it would have died around the gamecube era.

The switch and Wii first party library was the reason it sold 100 plus million consoles

[SICKINDIVIDUAL]

Would it kill this guy to visit these studios, see what they're doing, and straight up tell them it's crap?

Be more critical of what releases on your platform Phil you've had so much time already.

[monkey602]

He's too busy doing interviews and talking crap

[ModsDoBetter]

To be fair he’s in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

People were calling for him to address Redfall.
He addresses it and then the reaction is that he’s too busy doing interviews.

He’s a moron but he also can’t win with the demands of gamers flipping and flopping every two minutes.

[monkey602]

That'd be a great argument if he hadn't spent the last few years doing nothing but running his mouth all day

[VariantAEC]

@olMyerslo
"People were calling for him to address Redfall."
Phil's time to address Redfall's issues was before it released and he clearly dropped the ball there... as usual.

[Pyrofire95]

I can't see a way this is only his fault, Xbox is a much bigger machine than just Phil Spencer flying to studios to make sure a game is a-okay. He's the scapegoat, he's taking the public beating and the shame for a company wide management issue.

[TheEnigma313]

Excuses and deflection

[ModsDoBetter]

Phil Spencer is the big boy, head honcho, man at the helm.

It’s like any business, when something major goes wrong, it’s not the delegates and underlings who are responsible, it’s the top brass.

Phil is the top brass.
Whoever takes over has their work cut out for them as there seems to be some major SOP issues deeply rooted in Xbox structure such as the manner in which the testing and internal reviews of Redfall were handled.

[derek]

@SICK, I actually don't believe good guy Phil is actually capable of assessing what is a good game or good game development.

[TheEnigma313]

I agree. He probably isn't a real gamer like he claims to be.

[AmUnRa]

Nopp thats the task of Mat Booty visiting studios and look at the progession they are making, but Booty is failling at his job..

[The Wood]

....apparently that's 'not his job' smdh.... the excuses made for this fraud are immeasurable

[aws04]

It's time to rebirth xbox tv experience

[porkChop]

I think the author maybe misunderstood what Phil meant. He's not saying that you won't sell more consoles by releasing great games. Though I can understand why someone might take it that way. But he's saying that you won't see this paradigm shift where everyone leaves PlayStation for Xbox. And that is true. People have built up an entire library of games and content on PS. Those gamers won't leave PS and all their content behind.

With that said Xbox could still be very successful by releasing great games, even as a second console that people buy just for exclusives, or GP, etc. That's Nintendo's strategy and it's worked for them. Though it doesn't seem like Phil was necessarily arguing against that. Regardless, Phil needs to focus on keeping all their teams on track and making great games. If a game isn't where it needs to be either delay it or cancel it if it's too far gone in the wrong direction. Don't put out shit like Redfall. That does nothing but damage your brand.

[RauLeCreuset]

"Though I can understand why someone might take it that way."

The reason why it's understandable for someone to take it that way is because that's where Phil decided to take it in responding to sentiments from people like you saying they should focus on putting out good games. Phil decided to make it about whether or not someone would switch camps to Xbox. The implication is clear and plays into what many critics have been saying. Gaming is nothing more than a means to an end for them. For all the PR about pro consumer this and that, he all but said releasing a steady stream of quality games to their consumers isn't a priority for them if it's not going to get them more consumers than Sony and Nintendo.

[porkChop]

"he all but said releasing a steady stream of quality games to their consumers isn't a priority for them"

But he didn't say that. Nor did he imply it.

[RauLeCreuset]

@porkChop

"But he didn't say that."

No duh. That's the implication of "he all but said." You're just arguing to argue at this point.

"Nor did he imply it."

I can't help you here. This is one of those skills that can't be taught. I referred to you as an example of what people were saying versus Phil's characterization in hopes that it would help you to understand. Let's cut through the BS and quote the man, starting with his characterization of what people are saying:

"I see commentary that if you just build great games, everything would turn around."

Stop. That strikes me as an oversimplification of what most people are saying. That part about how "everything" will "turn around" seems like Phil putting his spin on it to setup this next part.

"It's just not true that if we go off and build great games, all of a sudden you're going to see console shares shift in some dramatic way."

"This idea that if we just focused more on great games on our console, that somehow we're going to win the console race, I think doesn't really lay into the reality of most people. Like 90% of the people every year who walk into a retailer to buy a console are already a member of one of the three ecosystems."

"There is no world where Starfield's an 11 out of 10 and people start selling their PS5s. That's not going to happen."

Who was talking about console sales all of a sudden shifting? Who said focusing more on great games would win them the console war? What? Who argued that people would start selling their PS5s if Starfield was a hit? That was not the popular argument if anyone was saying that. This is Phil using rhetorical sleight of hand. He gets your attention by feigning as if he's going to address the actual argument before switching it out to argue against one that's similar enough to fool people into thinking he's addressing the original but with enough key differences for him to make seemingly salient points that don't actually address the original argument.

Why would he do that? Why make these points about how focusing more on great games won't get people to leave the competition for an Xbox if that wasn't part of the argument he's responding to? That's the part I can't help you with if you still can't understand the motive behind that and the implication.

[EvertonFC]

15m Americans ditched playstation 3 because of party chat, halo and gears. X amount of gamers in the UK bought 360s instead of PS3 again because of great games like halo, gears and PGR, fable.
Gamers buy consoles for great games.
Unfortunately Xbox dropped the ball since the 360 then wondered what happened.

[porkChop]

Whether or not that's even true, that was before people built their digital libraries on PS4/XBO. It's a lot less likely for people to make that switch now and leave everything behind when they don't have to.

[RauLeCreuset]

@porkChop

This is the danger when it comes to Phil's conveniently timed slices of truth.

"Whether or not that's even true, that was before people built their digital libraries on PS4/XBO."

This is true and reflective of what Phil was saying, which was also true. But only a slice of the truth. The seventh gen is when online networks became the standard for consoles and when people started building digital libraries. Here, Xbox had the advantage. 360 beat PS3 to market. They got people onto Live before there was any competition. The PSN was viewed as substantially inferior for many years after it did launch, and PS3 was mocked for having no games.

The narrative shifted by the end of the seventh gen thanks to Sony's excellent exclusives output and the PS+ monthly games. Note that the former feeds into the latter. Great exclusives output obviously means Sony has more of its own quality games to buoy the PS+ free games library, but it also has the domino effect of allowing Sony to get better deals to add 3rd party content to PS+ because the service isn't as reliant on them, and there is more competition for those 3rd party games at retail.

Despite the shifting momentum, PS4 was still at a disadvantage due to the lack of backward compatibility with PS3. Xbox was backward compatible with 360. Xbox 360 digital purchases were playable on Xbox One.

Xbox had those advantages. Phil is telling a partial truth. Gen 8 was the worst one to lose, but not because that was the first generation when digital ecosystems became prominent. They were prominent during the seventh generation. Gen 8 was the worst to lose because it was the first gen where digital network investment was an incentive to stay with the same brand, and Xbox had the upper hand but lost it — to the competitor that focused on putting out great games.

[porkChop]

I'm not sure digital content was prevalent enough to have made any substantial difference between the 7th and 8th gens. For example, backwards compatibility didn't get announced for Xbox One until 2 years in. Regardless, you've made some fair points.

[RauLeCreuset]

@porkChop

Xbox sales were also closer to PS4 in those first two years. The gap continued to increase after the introduction of backward compatibility.

Another thing. Phil referenced Roblox, Fortnite, and Mine Craft. All of those have cross-platform play, Fortnite has cross-progression, and Roblox isn't on PS. Where is he going with this, other than to make us revisit why it is he pushed so hard for cross-play?

[derek]

@Pork, I understand your point. But the author does get what Phil was trying to say. Microsoft talks alot about their ecosystem, play anywhere blah blah blah. But that is just how you deliver the content or make it accessible and has nothing to do with the quality of the content itself which the author identifies correctly as being the priority. The decline of the xbox brand can directly be atrributed to their failure to produce great AAA games to attract people to the platform, whether or not those people would abandon the other 2 systems or not. Shifts do happen in the gaming industry, even if peoples digital libraries make it less likely for big immediate shifts. Let Sony/Nintendo get lazy for a generation plus in delivering great new exclusives as Microsoft has and they would eventually lose market share.

[Crows90]

I already know a few individuals that have opted for an Xbox instead of PlayStation because of starfield so he's actually wrong

[Crows90]

IF anyone had any doubt as to the horrible direction of xbox as a whole this interview puts that all to rest.
He speaks a good game about bringing games to xbox fans but misses the part of those games being good and consistently so.

Xbox isnt doing a single thing that nintendo or playstation arent already doing but better. How the hell do you feel like a class a citizen as an xbox gamer without the good exclusives?

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Exactly.

If you’re not doing anything better or new, then be prepared for people to shop accordingly.

[Petebloodyonion]

It makes me laugh to see the author, not gettings Phil's point of view.
Here's a simple concept to understand Phil's point, Mac can make the best OS tomorrow for the Mac Book in the world and it won't change the landscape of the majority of ppl sticking to a crappy version of Windows simply because that's what they are currently using and Windows is dominating.
That's basically the thing for the majority of PS4 players who already have PS+ and have only 1 console.
Why would they leave all they have behind to join Team Xbox?
It's also why Nintendo isn't trying to do a powerful console for Hardcore gamers instead of always doing the family kids-oriented console.

Also if making great games was so effective then why was Sony so mad about the possibility of losing COD surely they could just make more great games.
And they said " “Post-Transaction, Xbox would become the one-stop-shop for all the best-selling shooter franchises on console"

Yet Fun fact Sony made sure that PS4 become the one-stop shop for the most popular fighting game by removing Street-fighters
made sure they became the one-stop shop for the most popular RPG by denying Final Fantasy 7 remake or 16
Surely they could have made more great games instead of making sure that the next Silent Hill doesn't release on Xbox.

And for as perfect as the next GEARS, HALO, Forza, Hellblade, and Fable could be they will still be a small drop versus the impact of when Sony will showcase GT6 with some exclusive content only on PS5.

But on the other side PC gamers were treated as second-class citizens with crappy ports, missing features, and often games left to be patched by modders.

[EvertonFC]

"It makes me laugh to see the author, not gettings Phil's point of view"

So all gamers saying the same thing, all yt channels saying the same thing, media, social media etc.
I guess we all missed the point or he could have asked the questions better and not looked like a broken man.

[Crows90]

I'm pretty sure you missed the point. First off , yes many would be willing to shift because their brand loyalty is shallow. In other words they only get PlayStation because they've always ever gotten PlayStation. That would change quickly the moment they realize some of the expected franchises would skip PlayStation in favor for Xbox. Especially something like starfield from Bethesda and call of duty.

Secondly, Phil misses the point that in order to be a class citizen good games need to be there and be consistent. He himself claims he doesn't mind some of their games scoring in the 60s. That's ridiculous.
And lastly, Xbox fans like to pretend that Xbox is not and at the same time is competing...but the thing is we all know they believe Xbox is trying to compete but if we go with what Phil is saying then ps fans can all claim to have the better system since Xbox doesn't even count.

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

ms just has no standards when it comes to games. they want quantity over quality and it shows. i think the last time you can even argue that xb truly had a must-have exclusive was back on the 360.

it's not a secret that every company is in it for the money, but some actually put forth the effort to try and make good games and grow their reputation for it. ms is just throwing money into the wind and hoping that eventually one of the devs they buy will eventually put out a good game.

imagine if ms had invested 70 billion into their own studios. imagine if they actually cared about making good games lol

[343_Guilty_Spark]

What is the average score of their last 10 games? You make sound like every game has been a 62 on metacritic

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Why did I buy an XsX?

What does it do that my ps5 can’t?

And don’t say Game Pass. Any game on there I wanna play I can play on my ps5, too.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Guys, this might be disruptive, but we’re not here to make the best games…

…we’re here to live up to the bare minimum expectations set by a subscription service we regularly gave away for a $1.

[RauLeCreuset]

"Credit must be given to Howard and his Xcast co-hosts as they did not shy away from the tough questions..."

Yes they did. They were there to provide Phil a safe and controlled space to respond to questions that had to be addressed, pitched to him by fanboys whose roles were to praise him for his answers rather than challenge them and continue to question when warranted.

Case in point. That question about whether players can expect a clear message on how many fps Starfield will be that Phil responded to with a simple "yes" before they moved on. If the initial framing of that question didn't tell you it was a softball, you should have picked up on it by the lack of any follow-up to ask if Starfield will be 60 FPS.

[EvertonFC]

Agreed, I would have asked "So Phil is it 30 or 60 and does it have performance and resolution options at launch on console if you want the messenging to be ok"
They better mention it during the starfield direct or its more doom and gloom articles.

[RauLeCreuset]

"Agreed, I would have asked 'So Phil is it 30 or 60 and does it have performance and resolution options at launch on console if you want the messenging to be ok'"

You're referring to an ancient journalism secret called asking follow-up questions. This is a technique that was often utilized during interviews by media figures who prioritized truth and honesty over maintaining access. That set and the hoodie worn by Mike Howard for the interview says it all.

[badz149]

takes responsibility how? by saying it in interviews?

[gold_drake]

as usual. hes a talkerz there's usually not much behind it.

Im sure he cares about the Brand but damn does it not look like it haha.

[EvertonFC]

Like a dazed rabbit in headlights, not knowing what to do.

[QuantumMechanic]

What really confirmed my suspicions about the Xbox business model was Spencer's matter-of-fact statement that he considered Redfall (and suggesting future games as well) ready for retail release once its "creative effort had been more-or-less realized", not because development had finished. He basically said that a buggy mess would (may?) be addressed in a manner similar to service games such as Sea of Thieves (patching over a period of time). It is abundantly clear that it is not a priority to him to release complete products. How pathetic, unethical, and insulting to gamers! The normalization of this shit will become a blight on the industry!

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Unless Sony sets another standard…

[QuantumMechanic]

Sony and Nintendo already hold their releases to a much higher standard; they release complete products on physical media that are very playable from Day 1.

[z2g]

This article misses the point. What Spencer meant was most people have already picked a side and invested in that side so they aren’t likely to switch because of a few games now matter how good they are. Let’s be real. Xbox users aren’t going to give up their Xboxes that they chose, defend and are attached to just because the new God of War got great reviews and just as well PlayStation users aren’t going to rush out and buy Xboxes because starfield hypothetically gets great reviews.

[RauLeCreuset]

He's trying to change the subject and make it as if the discourse was about how people aren't going to abandon their PS5s for one hit or even a few. Obviously. I'm not going to abandon my PS5 or Switch after decades of Sony and Nintendo reliably releasing bangers because Xbox got it together for a stretch of a few games. That's not the point, and it ignores how Xbox did lose customers after the introduction of digital networks from 360 to Xbox One. Building brand loyalty is not a process of instant gratification.

The wildest part about existing Xbox gamers trying to defend this is that Phil took a dump all over them with his response. Why is he talking about his competitors' customers? What happened to focusing on great games for his existing customers? The ones who already bought the product, including people who bought in on faith for the One X and the Series consoles that had barren launches.

[sci4me]

Actually i do think quite a few people would go out and by an Xbox if they got a few really good games, myself included.
And keep in mind that i really dont like there business model and where there focus are at...

Should Starfield be a hit and Fallout/Elderscrolls be any good i dont think i have any choice but by an Xbox.. Even if i swore to never help them in the direction they are going. And this is because of a few games so games matter..

[Knushwood Butt]

I think you'll find plenty of people are 'changing sides'.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

You can own more than one console which can then later lead to people switching over next gen by getting an Xbox first this time over getting a PlayStation first. What happened to playing the long game?

[sci4me]

Yes exactly!. I wasnt taking about "switching" sides. More of getting an additional hardware sale because of good games that would never happen otherwise.

[EvertonFC]

Haven`t heard this yet but I was also shocked Phil said Redfall game crashes fell in line with they thought was acceptable. I watched "Angry Joe" and he had 12 crashes just himself, never mind all the others.
How can Phil say that was acceptable and in line with the data said.

[anast]

Missing the point is the opposite of taking responsibility.

[YourMommySpoils]

340°
Phil Half-Asleep His Whole Life Spencer.

[EvertonFC]

Phil said about 5 years ago he enjoys playing the playstation 1st party games, you would think the penny would drop what gamers actually want from there console lol.

[Vanfernal]

That's a bs argument. It's not about "shifting". It's about taking care of your current fanbase and gaining new fans. Yes, no amount of games would make someone just sell their console off choice... But nothing stops them from buying a new one if it has great games. Phil's interview basically said "we lost, we're too far behind, so we won't even try".

[Pepsi_Man3000]

exactly. Why is he acting like you can only own one console at a time??

[DynDasE]

In a pararell universe, Microsoft spend all the acquisition money and truely tried to develop good games as polish as Nintendo did.

[Markusb33]

another year another apology and the fans are calling him great for it, pack this up. They have the most studios, most money and cant get high quality games out, and this man says making great games wont make a difference. If starfield was an 11/10 you better believe that people will find a way to play that, thats what gamers do. This guy is out of touch and the best person to run xb is Donny M

[DogJosha]

First, the PS3 was $600, not $700. Second, no not most people do not agree the 360 was the best of the generation. Ending strong is better than starting strong. Starting strong just shows they are willing to stop producing games on a successful console so why trust buying a console from them again? They killed the Xbox early. They killed the 360 early. The One never took off, and now the Series looks to be the same. As someone who likes buying all consoles and building PCs, Microsoft is the only one I haven't bought for 2 generations now. I have too much disposable income for them to not sell me a console...

[Lionsguard]

I have a PS5 but I'm also a PC Master Race so the acquisition doesn't bother me in terms of exclusivity since most of their games that have been recently acquired are all on my PC. The one issue I have with Microsoft buying up whole publishers is that if they really do just throw in the towel one day, it all goes with them or if they mismanage so bad that the talent that made the studios great just all up and leave and they're left with a dead IP because everyone they hire just keeps mucking it up. So far, the only thing Microsoft has proven to me is that they're willing to open their purse strings to just buy the content outright but have yet to produce anything other than Forza that's good enough to say that it's their own.

[Profchaos]

I'd agree he totally missed the point and said he wouldn't delay the game from being buggy as long as it could deliver on the teams creative vision. However show any other publisher that wanted sales would have looked at redfall and instantly decided to delay it to bugfix and polish.

How is 20 seconds to load most of the world's textures acceptable with a console that has a fast SSD in it it's not the fault of the console it's the games quality or lack of.

It's clear the game was pushed out to be the game of the quarter and sacrificed to be so it wasn't ready at all