Phil Spencer has spearheaded the growth of Xbox for the last few years and has steered the company in a specific direction that others may find concerning, however, what is more concerning are his views of the state of video games and the entertainment industry.
Spencer is a businessman deep beneath his core, and his perception of gaming as an organism that generates money has been called pure hypocrisy. He seemingly blames capitalism as the bane of growth.
While Xbox is not doing so well in general in terms of console gaming, Spencer shifted his focus to a different and far more experimental strategy that relies on cloud gaming. Microsoft’s impressive budget was also utilized accordingly given Spencer’s aggressive acquisition spree of various game developers with the potential to help grow the brand and maybe improve the industry.
Xbox Head Phil Spencer Blames Capitalism For The State Of The Industry
The game industry is facing layoffs and the community that primarily consumes its products is left unsatisfied. Spencer claims that the lack of growth is the real reason for the sorry state of the industry and needs to be remedied as soon as possible. Xbox is on a path of ending the era of exclusivity and sharing various first-party titles across rival platforms, but fans are still unclear about Spencer’s game plan and vision.
Fans are quick to call out Spencer, rather than manning up and taking charge as one of the most powerful people in the video game industry, he chooses to blame something else entirely.
While there are valid sentiments to his previous comment, it is quite upsetting to see a once beloved industry fumble in a significant proportion. Gaming may not be what it used to be due to the high expectations, work culture, and other reasons, the mighty have fallen, but with enough time and creativity, it will grow into something bigger.
Being an executive grants a person a much broader point of view, but Spencer’s claims can be seen as oblivious and rather arrogant among gaming community members. Xbox first-party games like Halo, and, Gears of War have a particular target audience that devotedly consumes their content, however, it is not growing in the way Spencer describes.
Phil Spencer Believes Innovation And Creativity Can Save The Gaming Industry
It is easy to remember how Xbox is lacking in quality content despite its aggressive acquisitions. PlayStation is doing quite well in terms of hardware sales and software, especially with its exclusive deals with third-party publishers like Square Enix.
This has frustrated the Xbox community by not giving them access to the latest and probably biggest game of the year: Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth.
Phil Spencer seems to be a man who views gaming as a goldmine that requires growth for longevity, he is not wrong but the way he views the industry is.
Do you agree with Phil Spencer’s point of view? Let us know in the comments section below!
