Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime discusses the $300 price and why 1, 2, Switch isn't the bundled software some expected it to be.
The name "Hewson" carries a special weight for anyone who grew up during the golden age of British computing. As the son of Andrew Hewson—the man behind legendary publisher Hewson Consultants—Rob Hewson didn't just grow up playing video games; he learned to spell his name from their title screens. However, Rob didn't just rest on his family's 8-bit laurels. From leading major LEGO franchises at TT Games to tackling the high-stakes world of technical porting at Huey Games, Rob has carved out a unique path in an ever-evolving industry. In this candid interview Rob to discussed the burden and beauty of a family legacy, the technical "scar tissue" left by the ambitious Hydrophobia, and why porting a masterpiece like Inscryption to consoles is far more than a simple copy-paste job.
Former Xbox executive Ed Fries comments on the early days of Xbox, the opinion of Japanese game companies, and more.
Replies(2)I dont think that'll ever happen. But i must say back in the day, they were definitely trying because they were more cash rich than their competitors.
I think MS were and still are the richer company. They tried to acquire Sega back in the day (and considered doing so again more recently), they obviously bought exclusivity to Halo which was originally shown as a Mac title. I don’t think as a company MS can claim the moral high ground here. It’s a wilful lack of self awareness.
Of course Sony would try exactly the same if they had the resources, but when the PS2 dominated the industry was in a much healthier place with an abundance of great third parties.
This has been a depressing generation as far as first party decisions are concerned. The fact we are debating business plans rather than which game is better is a sad reflection of the state of things.
There was Nintendo as well, Sony wouldn't have had a monopoly. In fact, the world would be better today if Xbox never existed in the first place. They pretty much brought all bad practices we have today. We might have gotten all of it either way, but not this early. In term of franchises, I don't think there is anything Microsoft released that would actually be missed if it didn't exist. Even Halo the world wouldn't notice if Halo didn't exist.
I think almost everyone will agree that a monopoly is not good for the industry. But that being said, the competition needs to be smart and strategic with their business. Simply buying up publishers and traditional third-party studios just to keep them out of the other companies reach is not a sustainable practice. That goes for all parties so don't think I'm just referring to Xbox.
I'm no business guru by any stretch of the imagination but I firmly believe that the best way to drive consumers to your software and hardware is to invest smart in your first-party studios. Give them full support and guidance in making unique, fun games that are only available to play in your ecosystem and the gamers will come.
But first party studios aren't enough. They only make up a small portion of the industry. Without 3rd party there would be no industry for Microsoft or sony.Developing games take time and money and sometimes you gotta make moves to stay competitive.
Nah, I never said first-party was enough. I said it’s the ‘best way’ to drive gamers to your platform. 3rd-party is a free-for-all and there’s no guarantee that gamers will use your hardware to play the game. If you want to push your own software and/or hardware you need first-party, or at least exclusive deals with third-party studios.
Then why be so emotional and continue to talk about it. Xbox will never die be ause it stays in so many people's head.
How can you even see him being "emotional" in that comment?
If anything, you're the emotional one, constantly trying to go at anyone that says anything against Microsoft. So when you call him emotional, it comes off as deflection
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Microsoft’s new Xbox chief, Asha Sharma, has signaled that Xbox Game Pass pricing is about to change. In an internal memo to Xbox employees, obtained by The Verge, Sharma admits that “Game Pass has become too expensive for players” and that Microsoft needs “a better value equation.”
Microsoft has been talking about adding commercials to get the cost down. Not in game, but before you start a session. I would just open my game then get all the stuff I need to done, before sitting down to play.
If they cut the price down enough to justify it, I'd do it. Most Sub services are giving the option now. If it's worth it!
Multiple tiers. You decide at what level you want the ads. Obtrusive gives you access to more games. This will allow ads to play during crucial moments of gameplay, almost guaranteeing you fail/die. However you gain access to more games. Unobtrusive only shows ads before/after you play, however you get a fraction of the games. /s
FUK ads ... dont u have enough? MS should just make games and sell them, for indie or AA games get them on GP so to give visibility to small studios. They got into a business model which is not sustainable as it is killing their first party studios. Their fault .. .
You do realize that has been one of the big reasons for the mass exodus of people leaving subscription services. Getting ad's while paying for a service and having the price continually jack up and ad time.
What you said is not what I saw. What I read said at THE START of a session! Why be a jerk? It isn't like, I was intentionally lying, like so many do! Also, commercials will be an OPTION! Just like Netflix, Hulu, Prime, etc, offer them. GP is also aiming for free Cloud gaming with an AD supported tier.
I mean, do you even use GP? If you do and don't want commercials, you can pay not to have them. I in my OG comment said I might go the commercial tier IF it's worth it. No I wouldn't have all my loading screens be an ad like you said.
Have a great day.
I will never understand why people want forced ads in their faces in their games or their console. It's never worth it not even with a lower price tier.
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Microsoft owns a massive collection of iconic IPs, yet somehow they keep proving they have absolutely no idea how to run the video game business.
Its not their job to run the game business. Everyone has a business model. You do what works for you. You react to changes in the market. Thats really all you can do.
No, actually reacting to the market is how Sony threw $400 million (reportedly) at Concord.
Interesting, isn't it?
Halo, Forza, Gears of War, Fable, Minecraft, and now Bethesda games... These should allow them to print money!
But, Microsoft heads set the price in the first place. Don't scapegoat Phil and Sarah on that as I don't think made those calls, and a $650 Series X and $400 Series S is a nonstarter for most.
The cost of the consoles is outside of their control, they aren't going to sell at a loss when they aren't making money off games sales cos xbox players hardly buy any games thanks to games pass, which costs far too much to run and make the first party titles for. The console prices are determined by various global factors effecting hardware atm.
This is actually correct and what made things harder for Phil and Sarah was Amy hood demanding a 20% return on top of that
They'll probably just end up killing off the surviving Xbox users who are left and that are into that model. They won't regain the vast majority they lost either.
Reggie the douche.Nintendo is been greedy and the Switch will flop harder than the Wii U at this price tag.
We will see a Zelda Bundle by June.
They want to be Apple apparently
Surprised they didn't bundle U2's new album with every console.
This used to be an advantage if theirs. With all their cash and the importance of this launch, why wouldn't they bundle a game?
Please cancel, 12switch!