Given the latest Xbox implosion, what would your ask Phil Spencer in a hypothetical tough interview?
- Thread starter Skywalker333
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This question would hit like that Jeff Gerstmann interview years ago about releasing buggy games.
Q: Microsoft went from the XBox 360, where it led the generation in games, highlighted indie games for a mass audience, produced new game IP that lives on and is loved to this day, and proved to the community exactly what online gameplay should be, to a series of missteps and blunders in the following 2 generations. What have you learned from the last 2 generations and how will you use those lessons to make players (and their parents) have a difficult decision when choosing a new console during the next generation?
Follow-up: Why do you continue to use confusing naming conventions for your consoles? It's so confusing that some people couldn't even distinguish between the previous generation console and the new console.
Follow-up: Why do you continue to use confusing naming conventions for your consoles? It's so confusing that some people couldn't even distinguish between the previous generation console and the new console.
"The fuck ya playing at?"
I mean, it wouldn't get answered, but at least I'd get some satisfaction out of it.
I mean, it wouldn't get answered, but at least I'd get some satisfaction out of it.
"Could you at least make Jet Set Radio Future from the original Xbox backwards compatible with your current console?"
Were you seriously considering buying Activision Blizzard before the employee abuse and sexual harassment scandals lowered the share price enough?
"Beyond saying you take responsibility, what does taking responsibility look like in terms of actual action?"
"In 2013 Satoru Iwata took a pay decrease of 50% in order to stave off layoffs. Was this ever a consideration for you? If so, why didn't you, and if not, why not?"
"On the Kinda Funny Xcast you discussed losing the one console generation you couldn't afford to lose. What do you make of Nintendo's success after the Wii U?"
"In 2013 Satoru Iwata took a pay decrease of 50% in order to stave off layoffs. Was this ever a consideration for you? If so, why didn't you, and if not, why not?"
"On the Kinda Funny Xcast you discussed losing the one console generation you couldn't afford to lose. What do you make of Nintendo's success after the Wii U?"
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With the recent closure of several teams and studios plus the huge layoffs inside Activision, what's the positive and negative aspects of having excellent games like Hi-Fi Rush on the catalogue day one?
I would take all of the stuff he has said over the years and bounce it back at him.
How can you come out talking about deals with sega, making persona and yakuza more prominent/marketed for xbox, expanding your japanese presence and then axe your only studio in Japan?
Trust -- What is Xbox good for? Why am I buying into this ecosystem, seeing everything happening? How can a customer hear everything you've been saying, see the complete opposite happen, and then be okay with that? This extends to developers too. How in the hell are you maintaining morale in a creative industry when you just murdered a studio a year after HiFi Rush, the most acclaimed Xbox game in a looooong time? Why would I want to work with you? *insert the shitstorm of CoD development here too*, why would I want to be a part of this?
Phil has said SO MUCH STUFF over the years that I would really just deep dive, rewatch everything and hit him in the unbelievable amount of ways he has just directly contradicted himself. Make him feel smaller in smaller in his chair as it goes on because what in the absolute fuck are you doing.
How can you come out talking about deals with sega, making persona and yakuza more prominent/marketed for xbox, expanding your japanese presence and then axe your only studio in Japan?
Trust -- What is Xbox good for? Why am I buying into this ecosystem, seeing everything happening? How can a customer hear everything you've been saying, see the complete opposite happen, and then be okay with that? This extends to developers too. How in the hell are you maintaining morale in a creative industry when you just murdered a studio a year after HiFi Rush, the most acclaimed Xbox game in a looooong time? Why would I want to work with you? *insert the shitstorm of CoD development here too*, why would I want to be a part of this?
Phil has said SO MUCH STUFF over the years that I would really just deep dive, rewatch everything and hit him in the unbelievable amount of ways he has just directly contradicted himself. Make him feel smaller in smaller in his chair as it goes on because what in the absolute fuck are you doing.
Probably something to the effect of why it's been 10 years and Xbox's game output has not changed at all since then despite numerous expensive acquisitions.
How much more ruin will it take before you admit that Gamepass has been a failure? And why was the mismanagement at 343 allowed to go on so long?
Is the AA game market completely dead?
- If not, why aren't these internal companies shifting towards reviving older franchises doing remakes/smaller experiences?
- If not, why aren't these internal companies shifting towards reviving older franchises doing remakes/smaller experiences?
Hello, I'm a college student actually studying journalism right now. Let me tell you this; if I ever actually decided to break with what the editors (aka your bosses) ask you to do, I would probably immediately be fired and the interview would probably never make it to press. There's a reason why interviews are rarely conducted live. I also wouldn't be surprised that upon asking any of those "hard" questions, Phil simply decides to end the interview immediately, which in turn leads to no more answers. On the other hand, I highly doubt that if I'm told "hey you are going to simply ask these questions that we have approved for you" I would even accept to do that job.
To interview someone, you don't want to just go all in on hard questions, you have to do some softball questions first, get the ball rolling, and then ask some of the harder questions, with those harder questions usually being natural segues to the conversation. That takes time to build up, and with that in mind, I honestly think 30 minutes you mentioned genuinely isn't enough time to actually butter up and get the ball rolling on the harder questions. I would need at least an hour, potentially an hour and a half to actually get to that point.
Your questions are decent but they are not questions in good faith, rather, they are phrased in a way that directly insults the Xbox team and are intended to get a particular answer. A lot of the other replies here also have that same problem. You need to be firm, but ask questions in good faith, otherwise, the interviewee will notice and not give you the stuff you actually want. Let me rewrite them a bit.
I'd honestly have a lot more to ask since there is a lot you can ask Phil (and definitely not enough time within 30 minutes to actually get through everything), but hopefully this helps. And I will say this, I'm sure those that actually have managed to interview Phil are trying their best to play ball and ask those hard questions if possible, but don't want to potentially end up with a interview that gets cut off and nothing more. Building trust and development with your source is important in journalism, and if your source is literally one of the most powerful man in the industry, you absolutely do not want to lose that access.
To interview someone, you don't want to just go all in on hard questions, you have to do some softball questions first, get the ball rolling, and then ask some of the harder questions, with those harder questions usually being natural segues to the conversation. That takes time to build up, and with that in mind, I honestly think 30 minutes you mentioned genuinely isn't enough time to actually butter up and get the ball rolling on the harder questions. I would need at least an hour, potentially an hour and a half to actually get to that point.
Your questions are decent but they are not questions in good faith, rather, they are phrased in a way that directly insults the Xbox team and are intended to get a particular answer. A lot of the other replies here also have that same problem. You need to be firm, but ask questions in good faith, otherwise, the interviewee will notice and not give you the stuff you actually want. Let me rewrite them a bit.
- Many have noticed that communication with media and suppliers has not been as consistent at the local level than prior years. Why has there been a decrease in the emphasis on more local Xbox teams in recent times?
- The way in which the marketing for Xbox games is handled has changed drastically compared to 5-6 years ago. What is the overall goal for marketing Xbox games currently? How has it changed from previous years compared to now? (and then the follow-up, "How much of a role do you think marketing plays in building trust/interest in the Xbox brand? Do you think you need more investment?" and then "If so, why hasn't it come to fruition yet?
- After the shuttering of Tango Gameworks, many were shocked as the game had previously been stated by many in the Xbox team as a success. What measures as a successful title for the Xbox brand? (and then follow-up, "So if Hi-Fi Rush did meet those metrics for success, what factors played into the closure of the studio?")
- The shutdowns of studios by Xbox have historically created a sort of mistrust around Xbox's executive teams both internally and externally. What do you think your management team has to do from here in order to regain the trust of all the people, including your own employees, who have come out against those shutdowns?
- In 2014, Satoru Iwata, the late president of Nintendo, took a 50% salary cut in salary during times of financial hardship for Nintendo, stating and I quote here: "If we reduce the number of employees for better short-term financial results, employee morale will decrease, and I sincerely doubt employees who fear that they may be laid off will be able to develop software titles that could impress people around the world." What do you think of this quote and Iwata's strategy? (Depending on his answer, I would then follow up with probably the more harder question of "Would you, on a personal level, be ever willing to consider a paycut if it meant helping prevent another studio shutdown at Xbox?")
I'd honestly have a lot more to ask since there is a lot you can ask Phil (and definitely not enough time within 30 minutes to actually get through everything), but hopefully this helps. And I will say this, I'm sure those that actually have managed to interview Phil are trying their best to play ball and ask those hard questions if possible, but don't want to potentially end up with a interview that gets cut off and nothing more. Building trust and development with your source is important in journalism, and if your source is literally one of the most powerful man in the industry, you absolutely do not want to lose that access.
How much learning do you need before you actually get good at you job? Also why did you make a self hype video about how you saved Xbox given the current situation with the brand?
In your 10+ years as the boss of Xbox, what is your biggest accomplishment(cause there doesn't seem to be any worth mentioning)
Or or…
How did you turn around xbox, only for it to find itself in the same direction it was when you started.
Or..
How is the best year ever in xbox going.
Or or…
How did you turn around xbox, only for it to find itself in the same direction it was when you started.
Or..
How is the best year ever in xbox going.
I ask "If these people are all in danger of getting laid off for your fuck ups, why are you getting paid? How about you and the higher ups take whatever pay cut out of your salaries + benefits + etc you need to take, as responsibility for YOUR fuck ups, and use that to hit whatever arbitrary target you're aiming for?"
To give actual answers.
I would ask him how the Toys For Bob scenario played out. What were the stipulations and how did it all come about. I would also ask about why it worked differently then Tango and Arkane Austin. What made the difference in allowing Toys For Bob to gain independence (after admitted layoffs) and Tango and AA. From there I would probably get into questions about the layoffs more broadly. Why wait until after ABK went through? Does he feel like ABK was an overreach, did they grow too big too fast. If he says no I'd push back and ask why Booty and Braff stated that specifically as the reason for the closing of the studios. What does it mean for the initial vision that was presented to the public and the studios when the acquisitions started in 2018? How does closing Tango after they gave you the exact kind of creative game that didn't hit send the right message to the rest of the teams about being emboldened to be creative? Where is the cover promised to make those games? Are there more layoffs in the future for studios who follow the vision sold to them if they do all the right things?
Things like that.
I would ask him how the Toys For Bob scenario played out. What were the stipulations and how did it all come about. I would also ask about why it worked differently then Tango and Arkane Austin. What made the difference in allowing Toys For Bob to gain independence (after admitted layoffs) and Tango and AA. From there I would probably get into questions about the layoffs more broadly. Why wait until after ABK went through? Does he feel like ABK was an overreach, did they grow too big too fast. If he says no I'd push back and ask why Booty and Braff stated that specifically as the reason for the closing of the studios. What does it mean for the initial vision that was presented to the public and the studios when the acquisitions started in 2018? How does closing Tango after they gave you the exact kind of creative game that didn't hit send the right message to the rest of the teams about being emboldened to be creative? Where is the cover promised to make those games? Are there more layoffs in the future for studios who follow the vision sold to them if they do all the right things?
Things like that.
When exactly did you realise you could continue your long history of utter incompetence and continue to do damage to the Xbox brand year after year and somehow keep your job while the devs who you happily would snap pics with or use as pawns to score PR brownie points for being "good guy Microsoft" are being laid off and fucked over instead.
The biggest issue right now for Xbox is it's being run by the same clowns who spent over a decade fucking it up but they can't replace them with anyone who could be effective to actually make the brand better because no one in their right mind would want to deal with the shitshow Xbox has become. Xbox as a whole is stuck with these clowns because the only ones who would want to replace any of them at this point are either clowns themselves or have no fucking idea how little they'll be able to actually change after the damage these clowns have done. What an absolutely sad state morale must be inside Xbox right now.
The biggest issue right now for Xbox is it's being run by the same clowns who spent over a decade fucking it up but they can't replace them with anyone who could be effective to actually make the brand better because no one in their right mind would want to deal with the shitshow Xbox has become. Xbox as a whole is stuck with these clowns because the only ones who would want to replace any of them at this point are either clowns themselves or have no fucking idea how little they'll be able to actually change after the damage these clowns have done. What an absolutely sad state morale must be inside Xbox right now.
