Xbox: We wouldn't trade places with anyone

September 11th, 2013, 20:39 Posted By: wraggster

Speaking to Xbox executives is akin to interviewing politicans.
They are highly media trained, capable of spinning every answer into delivering their desired message.
The senior staff at Microsoft have all studied that detailed PR dossier, to make sure they are all reading from the same hymn sheet.
It can be frustrating, but it is also impressive. Xbox is a firm that is so meticulous in its planning that each interview, marketing campaign and press conference are all closely aligned.
Which is why the calamitous Xbox One unveiling was so surprising.
Conflicting interviews, undecided business policies and confused messaging upset gamers. The press turned on them. So Xbox cancelled E3 interviews (this is MCV’s first since Xbox One was announced), it ripped up that PR dossier. And started again.
This is why Gamescom became such a crucial show for Xbox – a show it didn’t even attend last year. With just over two months until launch, the company has finally set out its updated vision for its new console, and has teamed up with FIFA to try and combat the PS4 momentum.
It has tweaked its marketing, too. It has toned down the ‘all-in-one entertainment system’ messaging in favour of gamer-friendly rhetoric. The latest ad reads: ‘If you love gaming, this one’s for you.”
And, best of all, MCV has finally secured its first Xbox One interview with Xbox Europe VP Chris Lewis.

Do you feel that the overhaul you’ve made to Xbox One’s strategy has hurt its momentum?
No. And look, we remain true to our vision that we want to be wherever our consumers want us to be. We think that digital consumption patterns will change and grow over time. We think that the Cloud gives you a level of sophistication, depth and breadth that people can only dream of. And overtime more people will embrace that.
That said, we want to offer consumers choice, including physical discs and being able to do all the things that they want with those physical discs. We want to be available in any format that our consumers are looking for. We’ve always been very committed to consumer choice.

Why not stick with your strategy, and just try and educate consumers better on what it was you were trying to do?
As a business, the minute we don’t listen to our customers attentively, and adapt and react in an appropriate way, then we would be in a dangerous place. I love the fact that we are reactive and agile in that way. We remain true to our vision – digitally and physically – and we are genuinely in an enviable position versus anyone else in being able to deliver that. I wouldn’t trade places with anybody.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/xbox-...anyone/0120873

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