Former Nintendo America President Says Games Industry Is 'Better' Because Of Xbox

Xbox is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, and as part of this, it's held a panel hosted by the former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé.

[darkrider]

Of course, look at the amount of goty quality games that Microsoft launch in the last 20 years.... I think it were 25 games or 15 games or 10 games? 2 games?... The amount of new ip they launched...

[MajorLazer]

They released a lot of quality games in the first 10/11 years. Not sure why you felt like attacking their whole history when they were actually good for about half of it.

[NealGamby]

He was paid to be there. Microsoft trying everything they can to look relevant.

[MadLad]

On 4th generation of console.
Largest gaming subscription service had.
Has multiple inhouse studios games up for goty awards.
Large number of big name titles, as well as new IP coming down the pipeline.
While not the best selling console, is still doing highly well.

Want to define what you consider "relevance", because you're either highly in an anti-MS bubble, or your expectations are so high nobody should rightfully be considered for it.

[Nerdsworth]

Way to make an ass, Neal.

[Neonridr]

Having all 3 companies has benefitted the gaming industry. The way some people on N4G talk, they would love to see Sony as the only maker of hardware. Competition spurs creativity and helps push the industry forward.

[ColtPSSX]

Yeah like Xbox fanboy weren’t hoping MS bought more studios to keep them away from Sony.
If I recall when they bought zenimax a lot of Xbox fanboys was calling Sony’s doom.
Every fanboy does it.

[Teflon02]

Ps360 owner, we're you not around when the 360 dude bro Era existed. That was the most toxic Era in gaming. Legit was pretty even and the Xbox fanboys completely took over acting crazy af all over. PS outnumbers Xbox fanboys, but they've yet to be even half as bad as the 360 fanboys.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

@Teflon02

I witnessed that toxic era and the Sony ponies were equally as toxic. Such a poor attempt at revisionist history.

[ColtPSSX]

@TheRealHeisenberg

No not really.
It wasn’t until Sony got on equal grounds with Xbox after being behind a year Sony fanboys became more toxic but that’s due to the fact how toxic Xbox fans were.

I remember, because I use to be a toxic Xbox fanboy, but that was when I was in middle school lol

[TheRealHeisenberg]

@Colt

It is all a matter of perspective. You obviously see it from a Sony fanboy point of view which is really no different than that of a Xbox fanboy. You are all stuck in your own echo chambers and don't care what the other side has to say; much like Libtards and Trumptards in the good old USA.

[ColtPSSX]

@TherealHeisenberg

Did you not read anything I wrote or you just chose to ignore it.

I literally said I use to be a toxic Xbox fanboy during the 360 era.
How do I see it as a Sony fanboy side??
I literally witness how toxic we were and how much fun it was because we outnumbered them.

I’ll wait for your response.

[Kavorklestein]

You're a fool.
Sony fans don't "do it to get back at 360 fans who did it first.c
They do it just to DO it. In general. Period.

[ColtPSSX]

@ kavorklestein

Again I never said that.
What I meant was when they finally had ammo to fire back they released everything at once to match how toxic Xbox fans were.

Kind of like how Xbox fanboys are now if you didn’t notice. But I wouldn’t doubt if you think Xbox fanboys are the victim while Sony is the big bad wolfs lol.

[dbcoops]

"The way some people on N4G talk, they would love to see Sony as the only maker of hardware."

Wasn't that long ago some people here were absolutely positive Sony was going to go bankrupt, it was less of a fact and more akin to wishful thinking but apparently some would love to see Sony gone from the industry so lets not point hypocritical fingers.

@ps360owner09

Apparently your history forgot about the 360. PS3 was not two to three times the install base of 360 and Sony is not "far worse" that's just your myopic biased opinion.

[dbcoops]

@ps360owner09

"Use your comprehension skills."

My God are any of you people capable of communicating without the snide remarks and insults? How about try using your polite adult conversation skills. Dude saying "historically" implies always, nothing about it suggests otherwise you just picked the wrong term to use. Also you're pulling numbers out of thin air to make a point, 5% and 5% um ok. Since we are just throwing numbers out how about if I said 5% of the Playstation fan base was fanboys while 90% of the xbox fan base was fanboys. The problem is you don't know the numbers you're just making them up to make it sound like the Playstation fan base is as you claim "far worse" which is not a fact but your opinion based on numbers you came up with nothing more.

[dbcoops]

@ps360owner09

"What is important is what is considered a more reasonable or practical assumption"

"what do you believe"

I believe when people make assumptions they're usually wrong. Good day now.

[TripleAAARating]

@ps360owner09

Dude, what metric are your numbers based on? The worldwide fanbase?.. because I can assure you these toxic ps fanbois you're talking about are in the minority.. because culture is a major factor as well... you'll see these toxic fanboys on BOTH sides are based mainly in North America, and North America is the land of XBOX, where 80% of its install base resides... most PlayStation fans outside of the US don't give a shit about console wars... so if you're looking at numbers based on install base, Toxic Xbox fanboys far outnumber that of PlayStation.

[dbcoops]

@ps360owner09

"and then made a snide comment"

Where did I make a snide comment exactly?

"incapable of reason"

I don't have to reason with your opinions dude. You're making things up what about that requires me to reason with it?

"You have also contributed absolutely nothing to the subject matter of this thread"

I have contributed no more or less than you have. Now once again, good day.

[BehindTheRows]

Pointing fingers at one side is a very large part of the problem. But, I'm sure you knew that.

OT: In any event, the game industry is great and would have been so without Xbox. Did it contribute? Certainly. Was it needed (over SEGA/Sony/Nintendo)? I wouldn't say so.

I would actually have preferred SEGA stick around, as like Nintendo and Sony, they were all about their own content, despite their 3rd Party deals and interactions.

[Neonridr]

my point was to highlight that having more than one company is beneficial to the industry as a whole. I like to point fun at N4G sometimes because of the nature of the fanbase.

[-Foxtrot]

Urm…sure

[dumahim]

It's as simple as you needing competition to keep others putting up the best they can. Nintendo does not do that for Sony. MS does, so yes. Without MS, Sony wouldn't be what they are, and vice versa.

[Silly gameAr]

Well, yeah. MS taught nintendo how important PR is, and how to do low risk, high reward better.

[MrDead]

Yeah banning systems and gamers from a multiplatform publisher has really made the industry better. Am I meant to celebrate MS adding value to their system by taking from others?

[Terry_B]

Well..you don't need their system..just a PC to play the big majority of their games anyway and basically degrade them to a third party developer like so many others via steam. ^^

PC & Switch or Playstation is a great combo

[Neonridr]

all 3 keeps you covered.

[Terry_B]

Lol nope @Neonridr since the xbox does not have exclusives..you don't miss anything without the console if you have a PC

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@Neonridr,

You can easily skip Xbox if you have a PC and only miss out on one or two games at the worst, skipping Nintendo or Playstation would be more problematic if you wanted to be able to play everything.

[porkChop]

You can still play those games with a PC or a smartphone. Their games are still accessible to nearly anyone. If you don't play them it's because you choose not to, not because you can't.

[Teflon02]

That's dumb. The point is they take away from others to make it look better for them. It being available on PC doesn't matter if you were playing on Nintendo or Playstation and don't have a gaming PC. Personally I got a gaming PC and it doesnt matter for me. I'll just play on it. But thats not everyone's situation

[anast]

They pushed live services hard and now everyone defends their subscription services, I would say they have done enough damage.

[ColtPSSX]

This pretty much goes for all the companies. This is about Xbox so of course he is only going to bring up Xbox.

If you think one company is what Makes the gaming industry better then your a fanboy

[ElvisHuxley]

Better for corporations, as there is more money to be made in the service industry. Better for gamers? Not so sure.

[Ethereal]

Of course they have. Competition in the industry fuels innovation and keep the companies on their toes.

[mastershredder]

Better a$ in when it helped we$ternize and corporatize the indu$try as a whole. Definitely helped $ecure position$ for profit focu$ed individual$ like Reggie. Make no mistake, his loyalty goes as far as his NDA/s expiration date/s.

[justadelusion]

Microsoft has never been good for any competition or industries.

[NickN]

Why is this comment getting thumbs down?

This is historical ever since the Netscape days. Look up "Embrace, extend, and extinguish" and then you'll get a better idea of what they're trying to do with the gaming industry.

[Terry_B]

I guess the same 5-10 people are giving every comment a thumbs down that is not clearly something "pro xbox" or "pro microsoft" ..no matter if someone was stating a fact.

[NickN]

@Terry_B

And all the information given is verifiable via, an internet search.

[NickN]

From the video comments...

"20 years...20 mishaps.

1. Originally wanting to make Xbox kill the PS2 (Linux based)–because Gates was worried about his Windows money being threatened...
2. Having AMD make the CPU for the original Xbox and then ditching them for Intel–at the last minute...
3. Abandoning the original Xbox quickly because they didn't want to renegotiate contracts with nVidia...
4. Essentially having Sony fund the R&D for the 360s CPU (repurposed Cell) with IBM...
5. Putting online multiplayer, behind a paywall...
6. Console with the highest failure rate in history (Xbox 360)–which contributed to the inflated market share...
7. No longer releasing sales figures for their console after the 360 era (hmm)...
8. Promoting "TV, TV, TV, watercooler" for Xbox One instead of what mattered–gaming...
9. Always online console that couldn't function for gameplay–without internet...
10. A camera they claimed couldn't be disabled by "flipping a switch"...
11. DRM-locked software to consoles so you couldn't share used games...
12. Claiming Xbox One could be 4x more powerful with the "Power of the Cloud"...
13. Paying for one year exclusivity to Rise of the Tomb Raider to keep it off PS4...
14. Paying YouTubers to promote Xbox One with no negative coverage ("XB1M13")...
15. Adam Orth telling customers to "deal with it" concerning always online XBO...
16. Mattrick (Spencer was in the same boardroom) telling customers to "get an Xbox 360"–if they didn't have internet
17. Buying Havok physics/Minecraft to keep off console they claim is "not their competition"...
18. Buying ZeniMax to keep multiplatform games since the SNES era (Doom), off of competing platforms...
19. Buying ZeniMax to nullify Bethesda/ID Software using Vulkan over DirectX 12...
20. Incentivizing IP with Gamepass to ultimately cheapen gaming at unsustainable levels (as EA described Steam)– so they can buy it out.

When M$FT finishes their "Embrace, extend, and extinguish" method with the gaming industry, the customers who bought into it–deserve it."

[NickN]

@ps360owner09

You didn't counter anything that I typed so where's the lie? Call me a fanboy but you're the one emotional over my comment.

[NickN]

@ps360owner09

If you say so. The fact my opinion made you type this long-winded comment says something more about you than me.

[Hofstaderman]

If Microsoft can't win conventionally they employ scorched earth tactics. Gamepass embodies this and people are saying they being consumer friendly. Well it will be a bleak day if they get their way; no focus on single player AAA games, GaaS becoming the norm and no risk taken on new IPs. They essentially banking on the younger mass crowd and trying to sell services as a norm in the hope that it will take root. Thank God we have Sony and Nintendo.

[darkrider]

You forget one of the biggest. Having a huge moron saying lies year after year. Always spinning stuff, doing 180...

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

They keep Sony and Nintendo honest. Before Xbox, these companies could rely on loyalty from a lack of competition.

[dumahim]

Do they really keep Nintendo honest? I don't think they care what the other two do.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I agree, Nintendo just doesn't follow or worry about the other two and still manages to sell like hot cakes.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Game Pass will be a competitor one day. Imo that’s really why the XsS exists. I’ll get my kids Nintendo because I’ll love them, but I know alotta other cheap and heartless parents.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Yeah, to be fair, Xbox doesn’t set that high of a bar. Hopefully Infinite motivates Sony to make a few MP franchises, too.

[dbcoops]

If only someone could keep MS honest.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Lol like the fans?

[rlow1]

Congrats to Xbox for turning 20.

[Traecy]

LOL! Really?

[Lexreborn2]

This dude don't turn a paycheck down for nothing from gamestop to this

[sourOG]

The comments are hilarious. Some of you act like the console wars are actual wars lmao. The anger is seething through your conspiracy text. It was just a dude saying nice words on an anniversary, it’s no more complicated than that.

[Terry_B]

*paid dude

[sourOG]

I doubt it. Are devs paid to congratulate each other for going gold or is it common courtesy? Are these comments paid to hate so hard or is it just common butthurt?

[goldwyncq]

I guess Sony had to pay Phil Spencer every time he praises one of their exclusives huh?

[ocelot07]

I'll agree that they helped make what online gaming is today. Like I can't remember is PS2 online or Xbox live came first. But Xbox live was much better (but cost money). Same with 360 it was a bit better than PSN but it cost money. Can't really compare the services anymore. But Microsoft was deffinetly the ones to help shape the way onljne gaming is today.

But when it comes to games. They have not really been all that good at it not terrible but not good when you compare them to Sony and Nintendo.

[meganick]

What if Reggie becomes head of Xbox? That would be nuts.

[Terry_B]

Wouldnt be surprised.

[Petebloodyonion]

Of course MS has been a good thing for gaming much like the majority of companies that work in the industry
I believe that MS biggest contribution to the gaming industry was the gaming store as we know it.
Before the xbox 360 marketplace there was no Steam, Epic Games, PSN, etc.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

I think Sega was better in my opinion.

[Zeref]

Is that why they're dead?

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Oh haha that's funny nii San. I'll be the bigger mate and say this Sega did a lot of good for the Industry at the time.

[Mad3inbrazil]

.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

While I don't think Microsoft has really added that much to gaming in recent years or been overly relevant lately, if anything, at least they more or less perfected online service compared to Sony or Nintendo (at least Sony caught up in the PS3/360 generation), now if only LAN gaming was still a thing like it was with the original Xbox.

[FGHFGHFGH]

When the ps2 released, cable and dsl wasn't available. Microsoft of course knew it would be coming since they had to work with these companies for drivers and such for windows. The ps2 slim had a built in ethernet port because it released after cable internet came out. They didn't really do anything to push online gaming forward. Hell SONY probably pushed online gaming more. They had one of the first big mmorpg (Everquest) and they had planetside, which was like 1000 players multiplayer

[BrainSyphoned]

Nintendo is a nothing burger so without Xbox around Sony might have gotten lazy.

[GameZenith]

Where was console online gaming before Xbox Live?

Say what you want about MS or Xbox but they did (through Xbox Live) solidify consoles as a viable market for online games. Especially with their push to only work on broadband and not 56k which was a big deal back in 2002.

So yeah, Xbox has had a huge legacy in the gaming industry.

[rlow1]

First console to do:
Broadband
Hard drive
Gamer score
Xbox live
Arcade
Lan connection (done right)

Halo: first successful first person
shooter done right on a console.

First console to have cross saves across multiple devices

They’ve have had a huge impact on gaming.

[Phoenix76]

Wrong on a few points there.
A quick Google search will show that the ps2 not only had ethernet connection built in, but the ps2 hdd add on released several months before the Xbox did.

[masterfox]

lol

[JustSomeGuy94]

What exactly is wrong with this? Variety is what makes gaming great, nothing wrong with Reggie appreciating what others can bring to the table.

[Zeref]

Of course it is. Only Sony fanboys will try to argue that it's not.

[TheHan]

Of course Xbox did, they made Sony sweat 😥, especially with how fun online is with friends. Yet if they didn’t like online so much than why try for exclusive timed content with COD games. Cause they wanted in on what Xbox was doing.

[LoveSpuds]

I think a lot of the functionality they had on 360 would have happened anyway in respect of the online functionality but all the same, the early days of 360 were pretty good and the achievement stuff was a fantastic, and I think, completely novel addition. I think you have to give MS credit fir standardising a lot of the online stuff on consoles.

Of course, you have to balance that acknowledgement with an appreciation that the hardware was diabolical in respect of reliability and that importantly, MS knew ahead of release that there were design flaws but pressed on anyway.

Personally I would have preferred an alternate reality where Sega still made hardware and MS stuck with operating systems, but there we go 😄

[blacktiger]

I think Nintendo realize how mcuh they shared their IP to Nintendo and that did not look good. No wonder Nintendo stopped any arrangement with Microsoft. Their value didn't look as they were before, which is always exclusive to Nintendo.

[46player]

Nintendo 2021 🤦🏻

Nothing new, playing remastered WiiU games. Meanwhile competition is heating up between Sony and MS.

[Abear21]

They have created some great games, but after 20 years, a different product SKU every 6 months, RROD, cloud hype promises that missed, leading the charge to pay for online, batteries in controllers, and the same 3 exclusives over and over I still consider them the third best option.

[FanboysKiller]

So many dump people in the comment section, they'd rather want you to have no money than use it to benefit the community, where did this logic come from ?! , I don't get it, anything involve money is a bad thing and useless to them no matter how much it deserve credential , nope it's a bad thing by default.