Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed that while he “wasn’t the biggest fan” of the game plan for the Xbox Series X (opens in new tab) unveiling at The Game Awards, it's paved the way for a “bold” and “different” approach for the next generation of console. A new approach that will help it compete in the market against the Sony PS5.
Reflecting back on the meeting that lead to the idea, which came from one of the marketing leads, Spencer recounted how "she just stood up in the room and said, ‘we should go do something bold, something we’ve never done before.
"'Let’s face it, we’re not in the market position we wanted to be in for this last generation. I don’t think we’re going to disrupt and grow our business by doing what we’ve always done. Let’s go try to do new things.’”
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Looking back on the actual reveal, Spencer said that while it ended up panning out for Microsoft, it easily “could’ve been a disaster.” He attributes the success to the video assets showcased, but stressed that the gamble to do something so drastically different did have him worried.
"It was cool to do it and I think the response has been great,” he said. “But to be completely honest with you, I could be sitting with you today and it could’ve been a disaster. You have to make those decisions and you make them without all the knowledge of how it’s going to play out.”
With the realisation that trying something new can pay off, Spencer is eager to keep up the momentum as we continue on towards the PS5 (opens in new tab) and Xbox Series X release later this year.
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Spencer says he's thrilled with the reception to the Xbox Series X, adding that "every decision" between now and Microsoft's new console launch will see Xbox "trying to think about things in a different way."
He added, "some of them we’ll get right and some of them we won’t, but we’re definitely not going to be meek: we’re going to be bold in what we’re gonna try to do.”
While the new Xbox has been revealed, we're still waiting on the PS5 unveiling, which is set to happen at some point this month (opens in new tab). Meanwhile, the launch of both consoles is at risk of being delayed (opens in new tab) with production potentially being disrupted or halted ahead of their Holiday 2020 release dates, due to the recent coronavirus outbreak. We'll keep you posted as the situation develops.
Source: VGC (opens in new tab)
