MS management style has historically been too strict and now its too lax with studio's that would benefit from more restrictions, yes its shit and problematic to microsoft gaming and people whom don't yet get enough value out of their first party games (personally idgaf cause i spend 90% of my time on 3rd party games and mostly indies). I don't think buying studio's is cause the harm at the likes of 343 or Rare.
Is your argument is that having more studio's is allowing the likes of 343 or Rare upper management to take their foot off the pedal and thats harming the quality of the game?
I think the coalition is fine but their games have never interested me.
You didn't read what i said. Microsoft's "culture" around studios and their outlook/style of how they manage are the issue. If your outlook and approach to a gaming division is dictated and run by Enterprise people and not those in entertainment then this is what you get. Which is inconsistency's with an Entire Division.
It's been their issue since beginning of 360 days after original people who made xbox all left. They were replaced by mostly software enterprise people to run XBox products/Division.
After XBox live took off, Enterprise literally got their hands around what was XBox culture and turned it into what it over time became today. XBox to me doesn't have a true identity and didn't during xbox one, but had somewhat of a identity based mostly on just the technology behind playing online.
Online/services became their focus immediately after Xbox 360 took off. Notice how fast they had a store up and running and had where you could buy DLC/Content/then later arcade titles within first year.
They use to be the new edgy sega back in early xbox days. But that was because of the team behind it. The issue isn't that they are too lax, thats fine when your culture throughout your tenure has been pretty straight forward with how you direct your studios. issues is because of all the changing hands from different parts of the company that were from enterprise and them chasing the next new thing instead of concentrating on games and how you play them.
Which was xbox's MO in early days.
When you have too much inconsistancy's in your higher ups leading a division and changing to extremes over the course of many gens, how do you think that reflects on studios and culture? if the culture was simple like old Xbox's MO with people only worried about making a game people can play instead of thinking how they can utilize the cloud(crackdown 3) utilize net AI, and advanced systems for calculations(RARE), their studios would just be making games and not influenced by big company that adds new delivery system or new Azure servers to make online matchmaking better.
I have zero faith in internal teams Microsoft manages outside of Playground Games.