It is no secret that Microsoft has gone through some major changes since announcing their next-gen console, the Xbox One, and the subsequent backlash from the public. However, the company maintains that the changes doesn’t mean they have lost faith in their product and their long-terms goals remain unchanged.
Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison told GamesIndustry International that their plans for the future remain the same.
“Our long-term vision hasn’t changed at all. We haven’t diluted our long-term vision, which is all of the benefits of a connected ecosystem and what that means for all of the stakeholders–us, developer, publisher, and crucially, the player. None of that has changed.”
He goes on to explain that the changes they have made to the console were based on the consumer expectations.
“What we recognized was when you put a disc slot in the front of a machine certain expectations come with that disc slot. We had to adapt some of our policies and it was best that we did those before we launched, which we’ve done,” he said. “All of that can be handled in the vacuum of the pre-launch activity. And it allows the players to have a choice. They can consume the content through the medium they like the best and fits with their particular situation. I don’t think there’s a negative to that.”
one of the major changes to their upcoming console was the dramatic policy reversal in June for their Family Sharing plan, which was going to allow players to share their games library with up to 10 family members on any Xbox One. Consumers were not silent about their disagreement with the plan and later Microsoft cancelled the option, deciding to instead stick to the disc-based model for now. However, they claim eventually they will make the switch to a plan that supports trading, loaning, and reselling of digital games.
“I think we need to do that. That has to be part of the experience. Right now, we’re focused on launch and we switched the program back to discs, because that’s what customers wanted,” said Xbox director Albert Penello.
The Xbox One launches on November 22 for $500.
