Microsoft doesn't know how to evaluate their studios and IPs

[Johnic]

The recent leaks have been an excellent info dump but one thing that hasn't been discussed is the thread title.

One of the Xbox heads asked Phil how they're gonna evaluate studios and IPs, considering GP doesn't provide sales. Phil outright said :"To tell you the truth, I don't know."

Imagine working your ass off and your work not getting recognized because MS doesn't know which metric to use to evaluate your work.

A very dangetous proposition to anything that isn't a huge IP. And even then, GP users don't tell a good story.

 

[anonpuffs]

The recent leaks have been an excellent info dump but one thing that hasn't been discussed is the thread title.

One of the Xbox heads asked Phil how they're gonna evaluate studios and IPs, considering GP doesn't provide sales. Phil outright said :"To tell you the truth, I don't know."

Imagine working your ass off and your work not getting recognized because MS doesn't know which metric to use to evaluate your work.

A very dangetous proposition to anything that isn't a huge IP. And even then, GP users don't tell a good story.

And yet the board of directors and Satya are asleep at the wheel

 

[Old Gamer]

One of the Xbox heads asked Phil how they're gonna evaluate studios and IPs, considering GP doesn't provide sales. Phil outright said :"To tell you the truth, I don't know."

It's as if they are making it up as they go along. "We've got new plans! Can't wait to tell you."

 

[Box]

Phil Spencer is worse then Don Matrrick, the Guy is a walking talking PR machine like the Rock

 

[Johnic]

Phil Spencer is worse then Don Matrrick, the Guy is a walking talking PR machine like the Rock

Mattric had games, at least. The One launched with some pretty decent stuff, compared to the Series.

 

[Kokoloko]

And yet the board of directors and Satya are asleep at the wheel

They are a multi trillion dollar company. They are probably riding the waves of MS’s presence making most of the trillions they have. They probably have zero skills or innovation

 

[Vertigo]

I don’t know who to blame. I assume it’s institutional.

Because even while we hear that Phil gives his studios agency over their game concepts, etc…. Outside of Forza Horizon and Motorsport they seem to completley incapable of making a succesful piece of software. I assume most upper management employed by Xbox are do-nothing jerk offs like Phil and Bonnie Ross.

And now what? They’ve already destroyed their existing slate of internal studios and anyone who buys that stuff like Fable is anything but faked game footage you’re kidding yourself.

Bethesda is legitimately carrying the entire Xbox brand and games division. They were a decent publisher but Bethesda cannot carry a platform.

Then there’s gamepass. The destroyer of profits and revenue streams. Do you think devs are happy having to accept whatever MS thinks their game will make? $12 for Starfield and 600 other games sharing that sub fee. You’ll be left with IP and no money for wages left to make any more games.

And on top of that… this genius fucking plan of Phil Spencer isn’t even moving hardware or subs anywhere near where it would need to be. In fact, they’re getting steamrolled worse than ever before. 75% of hardware aren’t even competitive next gen machines, etc…

I’m still surprised Phil hasn’t been axed. I guess it all depends on the Activision deal.

 

[ethomaz]

Phil Spencer is worse then Don Matrrick, the Guy is a walking talking PR machine like the Rock

Mattrick was a scape goat.

 

[Yurinka]

I'd say they could evaluate and rank them by units sold, revenue generated, consumer interest (amount of Google / Youtube searches), relevance in social media, monthly active users, etc.

 

[Johnic]

I'd say they could evaluate and rank them by units sold, revenue generated, consumer interest (amount of Google / Youtube searches), relevance in social media, monthly active users, etc.

Relevance in social media, consumer interest and monthly active users don't translate into income. It's just a small minority of the overall user base, the more hardcore one.

And they can't use sales because of GP.

 

[Yurinka]

Relevance in social media, consumer interest and monthly active users don't translate into income. It's just a small minority of the overall user base, the more hardcore one.

And they can't use sales because of GP.

They don't translate automatically into revenue, but they show there's an userbase interested on that product.

So if the company makes their job, take note of these metrics (plus other more) and feedback they'll know in which IPs the people is more interested, so will help know where it's better to invest and how to offer an appealing product/service to them.

Meaning, they can translate these metrics into revenue as the top performers do.

 

[Zzero]

Mattrick was a scape goat.

He really wasn't. Everything he's touched after founding EA Vancouver has turned to shit. His time at the top of EA resulted in them losing first place to Activision, largely on the back of his efforts to diversify away from their core franchises (a fine idea but he did a poor job picking race horses compared to Kotick's string of winners.) He was responsible for the Kinect push, which not only was an anchor around the One but also ate up the majority of Xbox's first party attention in the second half of the 360's lifespan. And he got to shape the One how he wanted in terms of features and branding and did miserably at it. After leaving there he joined a sinking ship in Zynga and, well, that wasn't his fault but either he or Zynga didn't like how things were going and he was out after two years. He's been a venture capitalist for the past 8 years so I guess he's doing okay at that? Its also possible that he failed at it and just hasn't updated his LinkedIn.

 

[Darth Vader]

He really wasn't. Everything he's touched after founding EA Vancouver has turned to shit. His time at the top of EA resulted in them losing first place to Activision, largely on the back of his efforts to diversify away from their core franchises (a fine idea but he did a poor job picking race horses compared to Kotick's string of winners.) He was responsible for the Kinect push, which not only was an anchor around the One but also ate up the majority of Xbox's first party attention in the second half of the 360's lifespan. And he got to shape the One how he wanted in terms of features and branding and did miserably at it. After leaving there he joined a sinking ship in Zynga and, well, that wasn't his fault but either he or Zynga didn't like how things were going and he was out after two years. He's been a venture capitalist for the past 8 years so I guess he's doing okay at that? Its also possible that he failed at it and just hasn't updated his LinkedIn.

Once you get to CStaff level you only fail upwards. Unless you're a very public criminal, shitty CEO's always get a new job that will pay them in stock + golden parachutes, so they're set for life.

Don, Phil, etc, are just examples of people that are clearly incompetent to guide a company but have managed to get there and will always fail to another company if they want to.

 

[toadsage44]

It's as if they are making it up as they go along. "We've got new plans! Can't wait to tell you."

https://media.tenor.com/Lu2cy7bG-KgAAAAC/plan-dutch.gif

 

[ethomaz]

He really wasn't. Everything he's touched after founding EA Vancouver has turned to shit. His time at the top of EA resulted in them losing first place to Activision, largely on the back of his efforts to diversify away from their core franchises (a fine idea but he did a poor job picking race horses compared to Kotick's string of winners.) He was responsible for the Kinect push, which not only was an anchor around the One but also ate up the majority of Xbox's first party attention in the second half of the 360's lifespan. And he got to shape the One how he wanted in terms of features and branding and did miserably at it. After leaving there he joined a sinking ship in Zynga and, well, that wasn't his fault but either he or Zynga didn't like how things were going and he was out after two years. He's been a venture capitalist for the past 8 years so I guess he's doing okay at that? Its also possible that he failed at it and just hasn't updated his LinkedIn.

He was.
He was blamed for something that was not his only responsibility or even worst his only delivery.
He was one of the responsible... yes... but not everything that happened was his fault.
He at end was used as scapegoat to blind the whole incompetency of the executives of the Xbox division (including the so famous Uncle Phil that have the hands in all the failures and issues of Xbox at time and got PROMOTED).

They burned a single man and his career to cover the incompetency of a whole team.

And that is not defending Dom Mattrick in any way because I believe he was mediocre even so he at least was good at delivering.
He was used as scapegoat and that is unrelated with his skills or my like/dislike of him.

What happened there is still strong on Xbox (same execs, same teams, same ideals) and that is why the keep doing the same mistakes.
Are yourself Mattrick left made Xbox better?

 

[Zzero]

Are yourself Mattrick left made Xbox better?

Its certainly part of the "turn around." At least Phil stopped the studio bleeding, because under Mattrick's leadership Bungie left, Lionhead was closed and the only "new" studios were cobbled together messes to handle Halo and Gears. They're still paying for the mess that is 343industries today.

 

[ethomaz]

Its certainly part of the "turn around." At least Phil stopped the studio bleeding, because under Mattrick's leadership Bungie left, Lionhead was closed and the only "new" studios were cobbled together messes to handle Halo and Gears. They're still paying for the mess that is 343industries today.

Xbox didn't have any turn around... you are believing Uncle Phil lies.
It is probably even in a worst state than it was at Xbox One... sales shows that too.

It is weird you talk about 343i because until Halo 5 they are amazing for Xbox fans.... and while there are flaws Halo 4 and Halo 5 were good in different ways.
Halo Infinite destroyed that.

You guys still blame Matrrick for something happening today... a decade past he leat... do you know how dumb that is?
Because Uncle Phil is good and did nothing wrong since 2008

Mattrick left and the issues are even worst than before... don't you understand why? Hint... the same execs that choose the Xbox path, put Mattrick down, and "delivered" the today Xbox are the same since 2008... it is a cancer.

 

[Killer_Sakoman]

Mattric had games, at least. The One launched with some pretty decent stuff, compared to the Series.

Don was all about bringing big games to xbox. He actually was very good.
kinect TV TV was big mistake, but he could've learned from it and corrected it

 

[Perrott]

Don was all about bringing big games to xbox. He actually was very good.
kinect TV TV was big mistake, but he could've learned from it and corrected it

I agree, after all, it was under his leadership that Xbox got the Final Fantasy XIII port, that they had Kojima on stage to promote Metal Gear Solid: Rising and then Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, secured console exclusivity for Valve's Left 4 Dead series, CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 2 and Respawn's Titanfall, etc.

People's complains around the lack of hardcore first-party games towards the final years of the X360 should be aimed at the head of Microsoft Studios around that time: Phil Spencer.

 

[Nimrota]

It is weird you talk about 343i because until Halo 5 they are amazing for Xbox fans.... and while there are flaws Halo 4 and Halo 5 were good in different ways.
Halo Infinite destroyed that.

Well "until" Halo 5 they had released one Halo game, not a lot of room to go wrong. Even then 4's story was terrible, and there were a lot of controversial changes to MP gameplay. 4's MP was still serviceable, I had fun, but it coasted on the inertia of the Halo franchise. I don't think 5 was good in any way whatsoever. The MP was a radical change from Halo's core gameplay loop, the story was a radical departure from previous Halo titles. Absolutely zero good in it imo.