Schell: Microsoft should have held its nerve on Xbox One

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Microsoft's submissiveness in the face of public outcry over Xbox One policies was a mistake, according to a prominent and respected games developer.

Jesse Schell, games designer and professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center, believes a firm nerve is necessary in order to reinvent established businesses.

"Your customers want you to stay the same, even if it drives you into the ground," Schell told GamesIndustry International.

"The reality is that companies can't do what the customers want," he said, in reference to Microsoft's extraordinary volte-face on Xbox One's pre-owned and always-online policies.

"Basically, Microsoft said 'we're going to be Steam. You like Steam, don't you?' They said, 'we're gonna do this new thing', and the customers said no we don't want that, we hate that, even though it's what they really want and what they will ultimately buy."

"So now Microsoft has had to say they won't do all that stuff, but someone will. That's how it always goes. This is the lesson of the innovator's dilemma. Why is it that big companies fail when the technology changes? It happens in every industry, so what's the pattern? What are they all doing wrong?

"Everyone says, 'Oh, it's because they're stupid. Big companies are stupid.' They can't be stupid. How did they get that big and stay that big if they're stupid? Microsoft isn't stupid.

"There's one mistake that they all make, and that mistake is listening to their customers.

"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.' When you want to do something really different - the solution to the innovator's dilemma - you can't take your big brand and say it's going to be completely different."

Xbox One pre-orders are said to be roughly double that of the Xbox 360 at launch, according to Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot. The same is said for Sony's PS4, a demand that has led to PlayStation Europe capping its guaranteed launch day pre-orders.

Nevertheless, Schell believes the growing and diversifying competition to games consoles will have a noticeable effect on their market share.

"E3 convinced me that they are going to be struggling," he said.

"I haven't seen anything that made me think, yeah, you're gonna get that market share back. I'm convinced that all [of the consoles] are going to have a gradually eroding market share over the coming years. Because tablets are going to be eating their lunch more and more, and other platforms are going to start to take off and catch fire."

Posted:
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/422580/schell-microsoft-should-have-held-its-nerve-on-xbox-one/

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TomorrowLandPosted:

MoDOT
TeamArianaGrande I Agree With Him. They Should Had Of Kept The DRM And Not Of Caved In Over 12 Year Old's.


The DMR made it where if you just wanted to play the stupid console you had to have internet
That would of been for the best. Gamestop and all of these scamming companies would go broke and new games would be less than $20...

TomorrowLandPosted:

gtapro151 i agree make us spends 60 bucks and restrict us from bring the game over to a friends house
Did you even read the full thing?

gtapro151Posted:

i agree make us spends 60 bucks and restrict us from bring the game over to a friends house

AlbericiPosted:

TeamArianaGrande I Agree With Him. They Should Had Of Kept The DRM And Not Of Caved In Over 12 Year Old's.


The DMR made it where if you just wanted to play the stupid console you had to have internet

HDITeRRoRiZeIPosted:

xSTaTiCBLuEx OMFG why doesn't everyone just shutup about this whole fiasco. The DRM Policy was a BAD idea and anyone with a **** brain cell would realise why it doesn't 100% work.


Do you have no internet connection? NO You have internet connection
There is not a problem with DRM, if you have a internet connection, why complain about it if it doesn't concern you? I don't understand people like you

OasisPosted:

It's easy to say these things with hindsight. I do agree though, big companies are scared of alienating existing customers even if they might gain a new equal (or larger) crowd. Just look at Apples iPhone, whatever you say it's basically been the same phone for how many years now?

I think Microsoft could of got away with the original plan by simply not calling it an Xbox.

xSTaTiCBLuExPosted:

OMFG why doesn't everyone just shutup about this whole fiasco. The DRM Policy was a BAD idea and anyone with a **** brain cell would realise why it doesn't 100% work.

YinPosted:

Don't listen to the consumers? Really? Don't listen to those that were going to buy your product until you included the DRM. Don't listen to those same people that were switching to the competitor's console because of the DRM. That makes absolutely no sense to me. The Xbox One is doing great now after they got rid of the DRM. It was DRM that was driving it into the dirt. I respect the idea of innovation in a console, but some innovations aren't good ones. DRM being one of those. The numbers (preorders) speak for themselves really.

EvoVIIIPosted:

I Agree With Him. They Should Had Of Kept The DRM And Not Of Caved In Over 12 Year Old's.

HDITeRRoRiZeIPosted:

Wagering Yeah, I really wish they wouldn't have caved over 12 year old fan boy opinions..


Yeah that is exactly the problem with asking the public, you don't know if you have the right audience with the right attitude.

+1