At least $1 billion will be invested into next-generation games by Microsoft; core games “always important”.
Microsoft will be investing an unprecedented amount into games for its next-generation console, the Xbox One.
Speaking to Official Xbox Magazine, Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer and president of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick discussed the future of the console and the company’s vision.
At least $1 billion will be invested by Microsoft into next-generation games, a number which may appease fans who scrutinised the company after its Xbox One unveiling focused more on television and entertainment than on games.
Speaking about the console’s core titles, Mattrick acknowledged that they are “always important”.
“We just ran through our script and counted the number of exclusives, and looked at the amount of money that we’re spending and the deals that we have, exclusive windows and [things to create differentiation]. I think, candidly, people are way, way under-indexing how hard we’re punching.” Mattrick said.
On the topic of the Xbox One’s core game market, Mattrick was confident in Microsoft’s ability to succeed.
“We’re going to come out with detail on things, and people are going to go, ‘oh my god’. Like, ‘they were focused, they made this a core goal, core activity’. There are great hits, there’s innovation, and there are world class creators plugged in. There’s a lot of hyperbole about things, but I think we’re going to deliver.”
Microsoft has confirmed 15 exclusive games for release in the Xbox One’s first year of launch, a move that was accompanied by the opening of Microsoft Game Studios offices in London, Washington, and Victoria, British Columbia.
On the topic of the Xbox One as a development platform, Spencer described the new console as an opportunity to engage with a different audience.
“People are playing games on all kinds of devices, and games with different business models, with different engagement time frames. I think when we started Xbox 360, so many of the games were about ‘I’m going to play it for four or five hours, and then I’m going to play online’.
“Today, our creators are really lighting up with the opportunity to build games that can live as full-screen immersive experiences like you’re seeing on shelves today, but also the idea of building device experiences that live in the SmartGlass world that connect to what’s on the screen. The ability to take your mobile away with you and continue to engage on it, engage with the game. The opportunities today–more people are playing games today than, I think, ever before,” he said.
His comments echoed the sentiment of Microsoft senior vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business Yusuf Mehdi, who claimed that the next-generation of console sales could hit one billion units due to deep media opportunities.
“If I want to play a game for two minutes, or I want to play a game for two hours, or I want to play a game with twenty other people, all of those opportunities are available on the platform we’re putting forward,” Spencer added.
For more interviews and news about the Xbox One, check out GameSpot’s Xbox One hub.
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