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Phil Spencer "I honestly don't goal the team on how many units Sony sells"
- Thread starter Grimgrillz
- Start date
Dreadx_Jecht
Banned
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Given the current state, this stance is the logical one.That philosophy isn't by choice.
If sales were different then we would likely hear something different.
llAuburnll
Banned
People also have no idea how to create a vision for a team or a business. Selling more than your competitor is not a goal to have when you're building a product. It's something to aim for as a consequence of what you're doing, but it isn't a goal.
A good goal would be having X decrease in customer complaints, providing Y in a certain timeframe to customers, making a new Z game by the end of 20xx. Whatever, you get the point. I think there's a little too much reading into it going on in this thread. Microsoft has a good user base and different ecosystems to focus on. Their goals are to satisfy those customers and provide a quality of service there while attracting new customers. Not selling more units than Sony is really not what matters at this point. I have LOVED second place Microsoft. They are giving customers so much and its great, which is a huge change from what was going on with 360 by the end of last gen.
No one should care with the unattainable, Phil it's right.
But I'm sure he has a goal to beat Sony in North America.
SkylineRKR
Member
Its true that 360 never beat Ps3 in yearly numbers on world wide scale. Difference in EURO and Japan was too big in favor of Sony.
But the Ps3 was still a disappointment as its the follow up to the Ps2.
360 actually did reasonably well in Europe, especially in the early years. And extremely well in the US. They have lost quite a bit of share there with the Xbox One. Instead of trying to gain a bigger foothold on those markets they came up with this tier 2 bullshit.
But the Ps3 was still a disappointment as its the follow up to the Ps2.
360 actually did reasonably well in Europe, especially in the early years. And extremely well in the US. They have lost quite a bit of share there with the Xbox One. Instead of trying to gain a bigger foothold on those markets they came up with this tier 2 bullshit.
TwiztidElf
Member
It doesn't matter what good work Spencer does, the Mattrick damage is too great to overcome.
False. 360 outsold PS3 in 2008 and 2011
Snatch1414
Banned
You can want to "win" against a competing company and not belabor the point to your employees constantly. Why is that so hard to understand?
Revolutionary
Member
Of course. They're too far ahead now.
llAuburnll
Banned
except they won't.
They are already selling well in the US and UK. The places they are selling badly are places 360 was previously outsold by PS3. PS4 is simply doing what playstation branded consoles do in those markets - the apparant difference this time is more down to them launching simultaneously and MS having the launch hiccups around messaging. Everything from here on in might tweak things a little but won't have any meaningful impact on sales
The Jackdog
Member
oh they totally dug their own grave.
but i think ms is changing is business model pretty dramatically regardless, with a focus on getting people in the ecosystem more than anything else.
ecosystem being windows, not xbox
StealthGoblin
Banned
It is realism.
Sony crept back to go past Xbox 360 last gen because of Japan and the EU. This time around they are dominating in those two regions and the Xbox One is not 'winning' in NA or the UK.
Phil is going a good job. Don't focus on unit sales and keep on upgrading the network and giving more features to the users. They easily will outgun Sony in that regard.
Sony crept back to go past Xbox 360 last gen because of Japan and the EU. This time around they are dominating in those two regions and the Xbox One is not 'winning' in NA or the UK.
Phil is going a good job. Don't focus on unit sales and keep on upgrading the network and giving more features to the users. They easily will outgun Sony in that regard.
Off-Kilter
Banned
At E3 they gave fans a smorgasbord of shit they've been clamoring for.
PdotMichael
Banned
That doesn't make sense because Windows or Xbox aren't sharing the same content. So there is no single ecosystem.
In fact it would make the Xbox even redundant if they are really trying this.
It's not redundant, millions of people prefer to play on home consoles.
Sunset Samurai
Member
What does a game being successful have to do with me liking it? COD is one of the most successful games ever and I haven't bought one since black ops. Plus I never said my view = everyone's view
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
Take a drink every time Spencer uses the word "honestly" in his PR answers.
Also, I learned a new bit of business grammar today. Fucking "goal the team." Repulsive.
Also, I learned a new bit of business grammar today. Fucking "goal the team." Repulsive.
Storm Raider
Banned
Wow this is a classic 😂
lmfao
Ban Puncher
Member
They should make an anime called '5 Billion Tsundere Transistors' starring Phil and Cliffy B.
lighthouse777
Member
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...-our-decisions-phil-spencer-on-xboxs-big-year
this is what the article says,
Phil Spencer on Xbox's big year
Next year's line-up is pretty incredible, and we haven't even talked about all the games that are coming next year...Phil Spencer
The importance of exclusives, PC, VR and more.
What a difference one man and 18 months can make. Before Phil Spencer took over at Xbox, the brand was in troubled waters. Questionable policy decisions had shook Xbox and mired the early days of its new console in acrimony, and even though Microsoft wisely chose to listen to concerned consumers it's been working hard to regain the momentum lost ever since. As it heads into a vital fourth quarter of 2015, the momentum has definitely returned: the broadening of the Xbox brand to PC was helped by the relatively smooth roll-out of Windows 10, the Xbox division just turned a neat profit and, while it still falls short in sales to Sony's PlayStation 4, its line-up for the remainder of the year looks significantly stronger than its opposition's.
It was good! It's a strong line-up - I think it's hard to argue there's another console with a more compelling line-up of exclusives this year
Phil Spencer: Is that what you're writing? I like to hear that! You guys are better spokespeople for Xbox than I am.
18 months ago Xbox was in choppy waters - which is great for you, but there's no drama for us - how do you assess those 18 months, and where do you see the next 18 months taking you?
Phil Spencer: I see nothing but opportunity in front of us. The console space is so healthy right now - and that's also not a terminal point you can write about anymore, the death of the console! - it's nice to see Sony doing well, PlayStation 4 and Xbox is selling more than we've ever sold before. That health is great. I really think about us coming, more about putting the gamer at the centre of our decisions over the next 12 months, and less centred on specific ties to any platform that those people want to play on. It's such a huge opportunity. We have a unique position being both the Windows company and the Xbox company, that allows us to go do more.
The thing that causes me the choppy water angst is the amount of things in front that you can go do, and prioritising whether it's about mouse support on the Xbox, or you look at the other side and think when are we going to increase our game portfolio on PC, making sure the Xbox Live ecosystem is full up, we have to finish all the back compete games we want to do. I feel really good about where our team is, but there's so much opportunity in front as we move from a dedicated device focus with Xbox and more about gamers and where they are, and we're going to learn a tonne as we move forward, around business model around creative opportunities and about partnerships. Even something like bringing on Minecraft in the past year - I don't know if anyone really owns Minecraft, it's a living game you participate in and we're the shepherds of it. Growing more properties like that, that have those same sensibilities, will be fantastic for us.
this is what the article says,
Phil Spencer on Xbox's big year
Next year's line-up is pretty incredible, and we haven't even talked about all the games that are coming next year...Phil Spencer
The importance of exclusives, PC, VR and more.
What a difference one man and 18 months can make. Before Phil Spencer took over at Xbox, the brand was in troubled waters. Questionable policy decisions had shook Xbox and mired the early days of its new console in acrimony, and even though Microsoft wisely chose to listen to concerned consumers it's been working hard to regain the momentum lost ever since. As it heads into a vital fourth quarter of 2015, the momentum has definitely returned: the broadening of the Xbox brand to PC was helped by the relatively smooth roll-out of Windows 10, the Xbox division just turned a neat profit and, while it still falls short in sales to Sony's PlayStation 4, its line-up for the remainder of the year looks significantly stronger than its opposition's.
It was good! It's a strong line-up - I think it's hard to argue there's another console with a more compelling line-up of exclusives this year
Phil Spencer: Is that what you're writing? I like to hear that! You guys are better spokespeople for Xbox than I am.
18 months ago Xbox was in choppy waters - which is great for you, but there's no drama for us - how do you assess those 18 months, and where do you see the next 18 months taking you?
Phil Spencer: I see nothing but opportunity in front of us. The console space is so healthy right now - and that's also not a terminal point you can write about anymore, the death of the console! - it's nice to see Sony doing well, PlayStation 4 and Xbox is selling more than we've ever sold before. That health is great. I really think about us coming, more about putting the gamer at the centre of our decisions over the next 12 months, and less centred on specific ties to any platform that those people want to play on. It's such a huge opportunity. We have a unique position being both the Windows company and the Xbox company, that allows us to go do more.
The thing that causes me the choppy water angst is the amount of things in front that you can go do, and prioritising whether it's about mouse support on the Xbox, or you look at the other side and think when are we going to increase our game portfolio on PC, making sure the Xbox Live ecosystem is full up, we have to finish all the back compete games we want to do. I feel really good about where our team is, but there's so much opportunity in front as we move from a dedicated device focus with Xbox and more about gamers and where they are, and we're going to learn a tonne as we move forward, around business model around creative opportunities and about partnerships. Even something like bringing on Minecraft in the past year - I don't know if anyone really owns Minecraft, it's a living game you participate in and we're the shepherds of it. Growing more properties like that, that have those same sensibilities, will be fantastic for us.
PdotMichael
Banned
Yes, and?
When we following the logic that Microsoft wants to push people into their ecosystem through Windows then it makes the Xbox a pointless device.
But in reality Microsoft is still pushing the Xbox so hard as possible with exclusive games and features.
DeadManWalking
Member
Is this some famous post only remade to fit this thread and used as sarcasm?
Pancakes R Us
Member
Of course not, Phil.
Winterblink
Member
I love how the numbers suddenly don't matter when last gen everyone was waving them around like idiots, and this this gen started off with manufacturers making wild predictions about where they will be in a year.
Pretty sure it is. Makes no sense otherwise, especially after E3.
Well of course his dialogue is diffenent. The situation is different.
Previously he was operating under Ballmer with a focus on console and XB1 and he no doubt felt that with strong measures it could be a close game and he wanted to sound bullish.
Now it's clear that, outside a very low statistical probability, worldwide it's already over. Continuing to be bullish about winning when you're 99.9% going to be second simply isn't the right way to address the market. In addition it's obvious that under Nadella the focus is on the broader ecosystem and multilpe devices and growing focus on PC/mobile users hence a switch of focus to that.
It's obvious at this point that the market for home consoles is too fickle for MS to dominate consistently and that, coupled with Nadella at least seeming to get many market changes Ballmer didn't or refused to, is seeing a sea change at MS towards the Xbox consoles, Live and their overall strategy.
At this point I can see MS being perfectly happy to be second on home consoles so long as they have a decently relevant device themselves and plenty of additional customers across PC and other devices.
In short I don't think MS see victory in a console vs console battle anymore as being the business driver for success.
Sure they'd like to be but it seems to be less of a focus plus they surely understand this gen at least they're not going to be anyway.
I don't see this as any kind of back-down, or defeatist attitude or changing his tune. He's simply being upfront about changing nature of the division within MS respective to the market.
Previously he was operating under Ballmer with a focus on console and XB1 and he no doubt felt that with strong measures it could be a close game and he wanted to sound bullish.
Now it's clear that, outside a very low statistical probability, worldwide it's already over. Continuing to be bullish about winning when you're 99.9% going to be second simply isn't the right way to address the market. In addition it's obvious that under Nadella the focus is on the broader ecosystem and multilpe devices and growing focus on PC/mobile users hence a switch of focus to that.
It's obvious at this point that the market for home consoles is too fickle for MS to dominate consistently and that, coupled with Nadella at least seeming to get many market changes Ballmer didn't or refused to, is seeing a sea change at MS towards the Xbox consoles, Live and their overall strategy.
At this point I can see MS being perfectly happy to be second on home consoles so long as they have a decently relevant device themselves and plenty of additional customers across PC and other devices.
In short I don't think MS see victory in a console vs console battle anymore as being the business driver for success.
Sure they'd like to be but it seems to be less of a focus plus they surely understand this gen at least they're not going to be anyway.
I don't see this as any kind of back-down, or defeatist attitude or changing his tune. He's simply being upfront about changing nature of the division within MS respective to the market.
Does it really make much of a difference when the 360 was a massive success?
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
That is actually Sakujou. It's just so funny it's mostly harmless.
They want to push in both fronts, Xbox or Windows, whatever works best for each one.
Windows it's just having increasing attention lately because was pretty much abandoned in the game front.
A bit, but it also goes to show that the Xbox One can't capitalize on that success that well.
Fixed.
PdotMichael
Banned
Windows is Microsoft's core product. Of course they are pushing it but Windows and Xbox aren't one eco system.
To say that any of the current gen consoles arent anything but a success is ridiculous.
dragonelite
Member
The previous management kinda killed pretty much all the momentum the 360 had,
while going into next gen launch.
Snatch1414
Banned
Maybe my sarcasm detector is broken but if you want to get the most out of people as a manager of some sort you don't brow beat your employees to "work work work so we can beat the other guy!". It works if you're a special kind of personality like a Steve Jobs in the '80s, but it doesn't really work now. Any educated person these days will just scoff at that tactic with the attitude that their employer doesn't give a crap about them. It demotivates people more than anything.
They can be one ecosystem for games.
I'll agree completely with you there!
Microsoft aim at this point is just to bring people into Windows and Xbox live, creating a sustainable consumer base, which they're easily on track to achieve.
Being 1st or 2nd at this point doesn't matter, though they'd obviously prefer the former.
Nah, the salt levels are just positively toxic lol
Are you so suuuuuure about that?
Xbox EMEA chief definitely thinks they can win over Europe.
A killer-game for Every Region
We absolutely want to win share in Europe
I'm not serious. I'm just showing you that they're still pushing 'we can win' narrative
Mass_Pincup
Banned
Read the post I've quoted.
Darth Smurf X
Member
The real question is... does he goal the team in Rocket League? Because that's where it really counts.
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