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GameSpot: Phil Spencer Is Exactly Who You Think He Is
- Thread starter ManaByte
- Start date
No, better than it has been; yes, perhaps a low bar, but it's still a positive trend, and we are discussing promises made vs kept, and there is a clear trajectory of improvement. Gamepass on PC is pretty good in my experience. Aside from some still-too-common Windows Store issues, I have played a few games from it with no issue, and used party chat with friends on console, and 'Played Anywhere' also. It's a lot better than it used to be, and has a lot of scope to grow.
A lot of tech companies don't do this well. That's why recognizing companies that do is worthwhile. Change doesn't happen over night and software has always been a boys club, but that's changing.
I mean, this sounds all nice and everything, but to be honest, dont care that much. He can be the best guy in the world, but if they dont make games that are that interesting, then there is no reason to support them.
Loved my 360, hated the one. Let's see what he will do with the next box, and what kind of games we will get, and then we can see, if he was all talk or not.
Loved my 360, hated the one. Let's see what he will do with the next box, and what kind of games we will get, and then we can see, if he was all talk or not.
I think it's preeeeeeeeety off-topic, but since the thread has devolved to a "harrassment at MS" thread, might as well post this.
That's from Nadella himself after all that came to light. It would've been great if someone took the time to see if there really has been no answer to that from the company
Really...
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/inter...l-following-new-sexual-harassment-complaints/
That's from Nadella himself after all that came to light. It would've been great if someone took the time to see if there really has been no answer to that from the company
Really...
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/inter...l-following-new-sexual-harassment-complaints/
Nice, and it's a great idea. But a bunch of free average games littered with the odd rare gem isn't enough.
Xbox peaked four years into the 360 era. They've had such a long time to make it better. That may be happening now but the fruits of those changes are still a good 4-5 years away. I don't care who runs it and I don't need to. I invested in their products but the last ten years had been poor, and I'll only keep my Xbox because I've got titles that I've paid for. I bought each of the three Xbox consoles at launch, but I won't be buying the next.
But at least he's a nice guy. Go Phil !
You must be an incredibly picky gamer if you think Game Pass is filled with average games and only rare gems. There are a lot of very enjoyable games on the service.
My thoughts are that Phil Spencer is so popular with gaming journalists because he makes himself available for interviews, is pretty straight forward in interviews, has never shown thin skin, owns Xbox's mistakes, sends a clear message on how they expect to rectify them, and treats everyone he encounters with respect. That makes him a likable guy.
How are these bad things? I ask that question rhetorically because it isn't bad. I really don't need anyone to confirm that for me.
How are these bad things? I ask that question rhetorically because it isn't bad. I really don't need anyone to confirm that for me.
Sounds about right. But he isn't the boss of my preferred console so screw him! Doug Bowser fo life! Shuhei Yoshida All day everyday!!!!!
They are bad things because he speaks for and represents Microsoft.
Pretty much. 360 was my favorite console and they pissed it all away. Remember when indies were actually featured during the summer? That's where I discovered 'Splosion Man, Trials, Shadow Complex, Harmony of Despair, Limbo, and Braid.
Asking cause I genuinely don't know but how many female studio heads does Sony have?
You're just downplaying some facts.
You're accusing me to saying things i didn't said, like "Do you think not doing well with women in positions of leadership = absolutely no women work there? Or even that no women are happy there? It's actually pretty heartbreaking to see this reaction. You don't have to care about this topic. Dismissive or belittling of the issues."
You ignored a lot of key positions and lead positions on Xbox team, ignored changes in course, the women in gaming initiative. the games for everyone initiative, the accessibility initiative and a lot other facts.
You're saying with your posts the only positions that matter is Head of some Studio.
They're doing a lot of great things and they need to do a lot more, everyone knows that.
But you clearly don't know a lot of them or just don't care.
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No idea, but I'm sure it's also a very low number.
I never said studio heads were the only position that matters, I used studio heads as an example since it's very public how many there are and who they are run by.
You gave a list of 26 women at Xbox in what you consider leadership positions. If you were to make the same list for men, how many people would be on it? That's the relevant question, not the absolute numbers.
I'm not ignoring any efforts being made to improve the situation. I said from my first post these are hard and complicated issues to address. But refusing to admit there is a problem means the problem will never get solved.
Yes, they're hard and complicated to address.
No one is ignoring that.
But downplaying positive changes or ignore some good facts?
This thread needs more positive info's.
Some bits from Inside Xbox ( March 19 ):
I wish Spencer was less Like Me™ and more a guy who didn't let an entire gen go by with the least compelling software library of their competitors.
Spencer's career is pretty exceptional, interesting and deserves to be profiled but there is no figure that gets more positive press for just existing with less to show for it this entire gen than Phil Spencer.
This is the type of article that should be written 2-3 years in to next gen if he has actually succeeded in his vision for MS's future.
Spencer's career is pretty exceptional, interesting and deserves to be profiled but there is no figure that gets more positive press for just existing with less to show for it this entire gen than Phil Spencer.
This is the type of article that should be written 2-3 years in to next gen if he has actually succeeded in his vision for MS's future.
I'm not downplaying or ignoring anything, I'm saying there exists a very real problem with the treatment of women at Xbox. There are some efforts to address it (which is good), and I don't think any one person is to blame, or is even responsible (the issues have been there for over two decades). But the fact that I had a women who works at Xbox describe her job to me as "a living hell" just last month also says a lot.
I'm not attacking Xbox. What I don't like is the efforts to try to rationalize away these problems. Xbox has issues with the treatment of women. So does Playstation, EA, Google, etc. That shouldn't be brushed aside because we like their products. We don't have to always talk about it, but we should never actively suppress these things.
How many African American studio heads in gaming? Inclusion is a problem across all industries period
Ah, you're the guy from the last thread who brushed this article off with claims of "it's hard to manage 100k people stuff like this (sexual harassment) just happens sometimes" when reports stated that HR was actively working to sweep these under the rug. That's not poor management, that's active malice from the org towards women. This was happening as Phil kept preaching for inclusivity in public speeches. I know you'd love for this to go away, you're so desperate to change the subject every time it's brought up (last time you posted a bunch of stuff trying to whatabout Sony, now you're trying to post some random positive news) but this behavior simply shows your complete lack of regard towards the women in Microsoft, especially under Phil, who have been sexually harassed.
Here is where that conversation starts: https://www.resetera.com/threads/mi...e-threadmark-wasnt-aware.132370/post-23248335
We could be calling for Phil to be accountable and make a statement on how he's going to improve the situation under him instead of trying to change the subject every time it's brought up. It's hard for me to read reports like that and then just nod my head and smile when Phil's leadership gets praised and he gets credit for fostering inclusivity while this happens under his watch.
thanks to some of the insightful posters in this thread, I've learned that Microsoft is a company that exists to make money, and Phil's job is to further that goal. burning all my action figures of him as i type, ive never felt so betrayed.
this article is clearly terrible too, as it conveniently skips the xbox one's rocky launch that it still hasn't fully recovered from, and instead talks in detail about the xbox one's rocky launch that it still hasn't fully recovered from.
I thank you all for opening my eyes to the fact that a businessman who is doing an ok job is ACTUALLY just a businessman who is doing an ok job.
this article is clearly terrible too, as it conveniently skips the xbox one's rocky launch that it still hasn't fully recovered from, and instead talks in detail about the xbox one's rocky launch that it still hasn't fully recovered from.
I thank you all for opening my eyes to the fact that a businessman who is doing an ok job is ACTUALLY just a businessman who is doing an ok job.
First off my comment was in resposne to the PC side of things. We are seeing pretty much every Xbox game now coming to PC, yet some still bitch to no end. As far as exclusives of course they need to do better and we should keep questioning Phil and the rest of the team until they can produce 1st party quality games at a steady flow.
As for Nintendo they didn't earn any trust during the Gamecube and Wii U generations so i'm not sure what the heck you're talking about. It's also prime examples how exclusives don't carry a platform alone, there are many other things that go into a successful platform but many like to only talk about exclusives for some reason.
If my memory serves me correctly, neither Gamecube or Wii U had a quality first-party software problem throughout its generation or before that point. Nintendo had already had more than one generation with the aforementioned flow of quality games before either of those 2 consoles arrived on the scene. I think the biggest failures of those 2 consoles were that Nintendo just failed in attracting third-party games which is one of the biggest reasons they didn't gain as much traction. It's all about staying on course really, remaining consistent and not losing sight of what matters.
The point is trust only goes so far. Of course Nintendo makes awesome games but as i said a consoles succcess is not all about exclusives but for some reason that's what some only focus on. If the Xbox sold better than the Gamecube for example what does trust have to do with anything? It's just more pre-empted bullshit before the launch of the next Xbox thinking that if Microsoft happens to have better games at launch Sony still earns more trust.
In my eyes every generation starts from zero. That's why I have owned console systems from all three (actually far more than 3. Sega, Coleco as well), loyalty means shit to me.
One of the most hyped games of the year in Gears 5 is coming to games pass day in 3 weeks, not 4 or 5 years. Thanks for the laugh at "average games with the odd gem". There are TONS of great games on games pass right now
I don't see how it's pre-empted anything of the sort. What you suggest about generations starting from zero is more true for some companies than others. Some are more consistent than others, and facts back that up. It's great that loyalty has no bearing on your purchases but that doesn't change the amount of power/pull certain brands have due to it, especially if they have already been the right track and continue to offer a good product and keep that going for the whole generation.
can you make a separate thread, its very important, & all companies should see this and change, limiting it to only Xbox, seems weird. Lets blow this shit up, you take the helm, and lets change stuff. I with you 100%
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It's a good point. I tend to talk about MS more than other game companies because I myself am much closer to that organization than most others in the game industry, so I see and hear about things going on there more often than other places. Certainly interacting with women who have experienced these issues leaves a more lasting impression. It certainly makes it much harder to just ignore it when I see these problems downplayed. I remember having a similar strong reaction to the Disney-Fox layoffs recently.
A worthy topic of self-examination. Thanks statham!
He's so great that in five years as head of Xbox, he has produced no new IP worth mentioning.
Look, he seems cool, but this perpetual lionizing is pretty tired at this point. I'll take Sony's less hip execs who actually produce top-tier content over a chill dude who wants to sell me Forza again, but in a service this time.
Look, he seems cool, but this perpetual lionizing is pretty tired at this point. I'll take Sony's less hip execs who actually produce top-tier content over a chill dude who wants to sell me Forza again, but in a service this time.
I know I'm be playing the shit out of Gears 5 online and single player in a few weeks, new IPs be damned.
Let's get back on track. The Xbox One had a terrible start, Phil managed to get the hardware side of things under control while being very pro consumer with crossplay, Game Pass, PC support, and backwards compatability. Now they have made a bunch of studio purchases and expanded others plus created a whole new studio. Quality control remains hit and miss but the future looks brighter than ever.
Go Phil!
There's a good vision to Gamepass and BC, but it will never inspire me. It's a sales model. It might push the industry forward, but not the art form.
Nintendo and Sony have suits out the wazoo, but they have pushed the medium of gaming forward more in just the last two years than Microsoft has all gen.
Yes, he's nice. I don't think that deserves the praise he (being honest here) seems to reeeallly enjoy soaking up.
There is 100% a pipeline problem. It's part of the issue. Are you suggesting otherwise? There's a huge amount of work that needs to be done at young ages to encourage and support girls in STEM. There are masses of issues all along the path from there too, from how job ads are written to how interviews are conducted to unconscious bias in a white male dominated industry to retention once recruited, but I think last year of 100+ CVs that crossed my desk for tech jobs (with fairly niche academic requirements) , I had one woman. That's a pipeline problem (and absolutely a talent identification issue because 1%, even for our niche requirements, is still too low by a mile).
I don't disagree with anything here, except that I think he does deserve that praise. He's one of the bigger reasons XBOX is poised to be relevant again next gen. The recent GB E3 interview gives a you a good look at a guy who lays it all out. He doesn't sugarcoat things in a lot of instances. I can respect that.
If by mid next gen there isn't new exciting IPs driving XBOX forward, then these initiatives might not matter. Right now it's stage setting and I'm not minding the direction.Time will tell.
There is going to be a lot of that in the not toooooo distant future.
But we've been saying that long enough not to believe until we see it. No trust from me.
And that's totally fair. I'm just saying I see a light at the end of the tunnel.