ShaiKhulud1989
Gold Member
They won't send you the Xbox socks cuz the shill program is dissolved, just so you're know.
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[The Verge] Inside Microsoft’s big Xbox leadership shake-up
- Thread starter Topher
- Start date
FIREKNIGHT2029
Member
^ ^ This.
The whole article is pure garbage. I don't believe for one second that Phil and Satya sat on their butts and let Sarah make decisions that were unpopular and they didn't like. This is a classic case of scapegoating by shills in the gaming media like Tom Warren. "Everything is an Xbox" and the decision to bring their games to all platforms were cosigned by Satya himself in multiple interviews. The idea that it was Sarah Bond's idea solely and now that she's gone MS is going to go back to Xbox exclusives is pure copium and doesn't align with the multiple interviews we've had from Phil and especially Satya.
digoutyoursoul
Member
My issue is with both him and the media to be honest. I'm tired of this circus, it hasn't done the brand any favours at all which is the most disappointing thing and it doesn't look like it's changing either from a media perspective at least.
Kacho
Gold Member
I mean, I personally don't believe we'll see a huge shift in their focus. They might make the console the focus in their marketing, but I'm not expecting them to abandon multiplatform releases, Game Pass, xCloud, or their shift to PC gaming.
Just doesn't make sense that they would torch their console business to chase a new strategy and then undo all that to fight for scraps in the console market again.
Just doesn't make sense that they would torch their console business to chase a new strategy and then undo all that to fight for scraps in the console market again.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
It's my biggest problem with MS to be honest. The industry does nothing but talk about Xbox. I really cant wrap my head around it. It's like every day theres new articles about the company thats in a distant third?
Who gives a shit! - I really don't understand it.
If Xbox is irrelevant, why won't they stop talking about it?
Astray
Member
This might be the most obvious hit piece I've seen in my life. They aren't being subtle at all rofl.
It's the exact same playbook as what happened with Don lmao.
Was very obvious from the moment they elevated her that they planned to use her as a scapegoat in case things went more wrong than they already are.
It's true; every single person who says anything you disagree with online is secretly being paid to say it by a massive corporation.
This is a very healthy way to think about the concept of other people having different opinions.
IntentionalPun
Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
Ok catching up on the article.
Here is Satya back in 2019 talking about the "Netflix of games." He's been babbling about "hundreds of millions" or even "1 billion" gamers since even before that, clearly talking about the dumbass thought that mobile phone gamers will pay for a gaming sub to stream games:
www.businessinsider.com
Sarah Bond may have lead the charge on some specific marketing campaign and she certainly would have been in the position to suggest changes to strategy, but to act like MS hadn't been essentially going in that direction for 7-8 years is fucking stupid.
Here is Satya back in 2019 talking about the "Netflix of games." He's been babbling about "hundreds of millions" or even "1 billion" gamers since even before that, clearly talking about the dumbass thought that mobile phone gamers will pay for a gaming sub to stream games:
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella just laid out the company's vision for its 'Netflix for games'
Microsoft is building a "Netflix for games" right now, and it's called Project xCloud.
www.businessinsider.com
Sarah Bond may have lead the charge on some specific marketing campaign and she certainly would have been in the position to suggest changes to strategy, but to act like MS hadn't been essentially going in that direction for 7-8 years is fucking stupid.
Dr. Samuel Hayden
Member
People saying this is false and she's being "scapegoated" are insane. MS and their corporate mouthpieces would never in a trillion years throw a celebrated black woman under the bus to protect an old white guy like Spencer. Have you just not been paying attention the last decade?
Phil sucks ass, but this is most likely true.
Phil sucks ass, but this is most likely true.
Baemono
Gold Member
I was responding to « she didn't try to cut off the infected arms and legs », she used Ozempic on them
xanaum
Member
Phil Spencer was already failing before Nadella even became his boss. He rose from Xbox VP to president around the same time Nadella took over and was rewarded with more power over time.
Nadella trusted Spencer with the most expensive acquisition spree in gaming history, which so far looks like a disaster, and still kept him in charge even while he continued delivering negative results almost every year.
Yes, Nadella deserves a major share of the blame. As CEO, he kept backing Phil Spencer despite repeated failures. He trusted the prince of bluff who sold him big promises and illusions that never materialized.
Nadella should've fired Phil Spencer right after the end of the Xbox One generation. Instead, he doubled down, and a division that already didn't please investors is now more at risk about its future than ever.
GHG
Member
It's coordinated as well BTW:
Lets see how much longer Jez stats loyal to her with her funding his monthly supply of baked beans:
Topher
Identifies as young
Which means Microsoft flat out lied when they said last year that he wasn't retiring any time soon. Or they are lying now. Pick one.
PropellerEar
Member
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Obvious? come the fuck on! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE thought Bond was taking over.
Why would the Verge write a hit piece or are we saying this is a paid article by MS?
2023 when they tried releasing exclusives like Forza Motorsport, hifi rush, Redfall and Starfield in that year they failed miserably. That's when Phil came out and said making exclusive games isn't going to move the needle. Then xbox and its shills championed multiplatform for 3 years and how proconsumer it is. Now they put the blame on Sarah? I don't buy it. They were clearly trying to save the studios they had acquired, not a piece of plastic called xbox, because the exclusive strategy wasn't working for those studios not selling enough games.
GHG
Member
Just play game dev tycoon, it holds all the answers:
Probably where he got the idea to tell Warren and the rest if his cronies in the media to blame Sarah.
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
This is classic Microsoft PR speak and I guess most Xbox fans are just too young to recognize it from the Windows playbook used as far back as the 1990s: "Yes, the latest version of our OS is shit, even worse than the previous version which it was supposed to fix, but wait until you see what the upcoming version looks like - we have something really special cooking!"
(For those old enough: remember the years of hype for Longhorn? Or Live Search Folders? None of which ever materialized)
Microsoft finally had to stop recycling this excuse on PC, and in order to do that they moved to an even stricter, more broken service with mandatory subscriptions to updates that continue breaking it further with each new iteration.
They'll do the same for Xbox if that's what it takes. Only it seems this time they've learned their lesson from Windows - Xbox will be ubiquitous and inescapable across devices before it devolves into a broken mandatory service.
(For those old enough: remember the years of hype for Longhorn? Or Live Search Folders? None of which ever materialized)
Microsoft finally had to stop recycling this excuse on PC, and in order to do that they moved to an even stricter, more broken service with mandatory subscriptions to updates that continue breaking it further with each new iteration.
They'll do the same for Xbox if that's what it takes. Only it seems this time they've learned their lesson from Windows - Xbox will be ubiquitous and inescapable across devices before it devolves into a broken mandatory service.
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FalsettoVibe
Member
Sure....blame it all on the black chick...smh.
Meanwhile nepotism is running wild.
Meanwhile nepotism is running wild.
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Topher
Identifies as young
Every bit of this is likely fed to Tom Warren from people inside Microsoft. That doesn't mean it is paid. This type of article pays for itself.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Of course they lied. Thats what businesses do in this situation, you protect your business. if someone hands their notice in and you dont have a competent replacement. There was obviously shit going down internally, they had two big people leave and then you want them to announce that big Philly cheesesteak is leaving too?
Come on, we all have experience as adults and I hope many have experience with dealing with these kinds of moves. Guess what, businesses lie about things that could affect them negatively. They control the message to the best of their ability. That's what this is and was.
Are you surprised MS lied about Phil leaving?
Jaybe
Member
The Bond defense force is hilarious. She was a huge failure. Things she was in charge of:
- This is an Xbox campaign (awful and tanked the brand)
- Getting Xbox experience in PC/Xbox Ally (panned by all critics in reviews)
- Put CoD day one on Game Pass, tanking CoD sales
- Goofing up in basic numbers like, 34 million subs will get Diablo 4, but wait, that number includes Live/Core, so actually it's a lot less
- Key long time leaders left quickly under her including backwards compatibility head
- Failed to launch mobile phone store after repeated announcements
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Well of course it's from his sources inside Microsoft. He repeatedly refers to such sources. Did you read the article?
How else is he meant to get such info? Hacking into MS servers? Crawling around the air vents at Redmond HQ with a microphone?
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Ok, cool! are you saying the article is clearly a lie and none of this is true?
Astray
Member
I haven't seen anyone defending her, we're just saying she wasn't the only retard in the house of green.
ChuckeRearmed
Member
The first problem that has to be addressed is to stop targeting "demographics" but instead start making normal games. Not a single game has become successful by targeting a certain demographics. Get rid of all that woke garbage. Fable has not become "girl's game" because it target female gamers in the first place. Neither WoW. All franchises were growing naturally without "targeting all demographics". Make the games for people who actually play them. Do you trust the current Obsidian to make a proper New Vegas 2? I doubt anybody trusts them.
Second is get rid of all the middle management pushing woke garbage, "green policies" and "inclusive environment". Nobody cares.
Second is get rid of all the middle management pushing woke garbage, "green policies" and "inclusive environment". Nobody cares.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
Good Lord I hope you're getting payed for these takes
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If this information is true... the change is certainly good news for the Xbox console, which they supposedly want to re-establish as the core of Xbox. It's another thing entirely if the news has a real basis but the underlying message is not.
I was shocked by the part where it suggests that S. Bond eliminated anyone who questioned his "This is also an Xbox" strategy or who argued that he couldn't ignore or downplay the importance of the Xbox console, which is where the majority of the division's revenue currently lies... Was she the one who decided everything? I don't think so.
Anyway, the story behind it is surely worthy of a movie...
I suppose that, if what the article indicates is true, signs or steps that showing a plan to reinforce and prioritize the Xbox console again should come soon. The GDC and Xbox Showcase might be the right moments to assess how true this is.
I was shocked by the part where it suggests that S. Bond eliminated anyone who questioned his "This is also an Xbox" strategy or who argued that he couldn't ignore or downplay the importance of the Xbox console, which is where the majority of the division's revenue currently lies... Was she the one who decided everything? I don't think so.
Anyway, the story behind it is surely worthy of a movie...
I suppose that, if what the article indicates is true, signs or steps that showing a plan to reinforce and prioritize the Xbox console again should come soon. The GDC and Xbox Showcase might be the right moments to assess how true this is.
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FalconPunch
Member
Stop this nonsense. Xbox was garbage before Bond showed up. She in no way made it worse at all. What put the final nail in the coffin was Satya's and Phil's push to buy Activision Blizzard. Bond was brought in as a patsy. I called it day one.
Seriously, the phrase a sucker is born everyday is proven out by your post. Asha will also be used as a patsy soon enough once she's used to finish cleaning house. Meanwhile Matt Booty and Aaron Greenberg escape unscathed.
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Cyberpunkd
Banned
Sounds like any top level exec. These people can take opinions, but in the end it's they that decide and stake their careers on it.
Buddy, I wish.
Topher
Identifies as young
No, not surprised. However, I'm not going to suggest they may be lying until I have reason. Now I have reason. You've already decided they are telling the truth to Tom Warren since you've proclaimed Greg Miller wrong in the other thread. That makes no sense though. We still don't know what is truth and what is the lie.
viveks86
Member
Yeah we can agree on that. As much as what happened behind the scenes is an intriguing topic worthy of scrutiny, "Microsoft lied!!!!" is not. No shit. This is par for the course for any corporation when it comes to PR
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
We have multiple sources saying it was known since August and then you have Greg miller say live on stream that he got a message that Phil was fired.
Yeah, Im deffo stupid to trust the multiple sources ive seen that mention August last year vs Greg live on a stream from a "Trust me bro" source.
You believe what you want, mate. Im not going to believe Greg miller. The guy is a douche and betrayed one of his closest friends. Fucking snake.
Insanemaelstrom
Member
This was your response from another well connected media personality posting using his "sources"
Wonder what's the difference? How predictable, right?
Topher
Identifies as young
No shit? Almost like that's what I was just saying, isn't it?
I didn't say anything about the story. I'm talking about GAF's reaction to it.
Also, no, these claims aren't vague. These is little equivalence in this written detailed reporting and a single incredibly vague off-hand verbal remark from Jez.
who's defending Bond? Most people agree that she was a failure. It's just that people find it convenient that everything is blamed on her and not Spencer/Booty/Nadella. Almost every single decision she made would have to be run by higher ups.
You said it was likely fed. There's no likely about it, he literally says this is from his sources multiple times in the article. Did you read it before posting it?
On one hand both Bond and Spencer were a failure. On the other hand blaming this all on Bond is kind of ridiculous.
And finally, getting a random young exec who job hopped like crazy, was at MS for a short time, and lacking credentials to do anything with the industry or scale to lead a 20,000+ people team at Xbox is crazy.
A shit show all around and I am getting some popcorn.
Which leads me to a more fundamental question: if you place that level of responsibility on someone (and I genuinely wish her success), what leadership and structural decisions led to that point in the first place?
"Everything is an Xbox" is not just divisional slogan. It reflects a broader corporate philosophy: platformization, ecosystem expansion, recurring revenue, device-agnostic reach. That logic is fully consistent with Microsoft's playbook under Nadella as we've seen with "AI everywhere" and Copilot as a horizontal layer across products. And before that with Cloud Services and so on.
But Xbox an entertainment brand. It operates on identity, community, exclusivity, and cultural positioning. When you apply enterprise platform logic to a culturally charged brand, you risk dilution.
The real issue isn't whether Phil Spencer alone "failed" or how much influence Sarah Bond had. Structural shifts of this scale do not originate from a single executive. And never ever without the corporate CEO, Nadella.
I agree with the common theory that there are far too few gamers with influence left at the executive level at Microsoft. The connection to the essence of video games has been lost. And that is more of a feeling than a "fact," but it is one that many people share and which suggests serious identity issues on top notch strategic level.
Ironically, this tension hasn't necessarily been reflected in game lineups themselves. In many respects the recent lineup has been strong. The challenge appears less creative and more strategic: shifting narratives, mixed signals, and 180°s that dilute focus.
The bottom line is that the impact of Game Pass has probably been severely miscalculated.
That level of strategic bet ultimately sits with the CEO. But such decisions are informed and shaped by advisory structures and board-level guidance, and the people responsible for this wide mismanagement are still there.
I don't expect any change under the new CEO because the structures remain questionable.
Zacfoldor
Gold Member
I'll outline what I expect:
1. All games all available platforms day 1, still a priority
2. Gamepass unification(no more PC and console gamepass)
3. AI will be incorporated into all game development
4. Studio closures and layoffs
5. Rush current IP/projects out the door(ie Fable) or if needed cancel them and make new announcements under her banner
In a situation like this the new leadership won't want to usher in the old leadership's baby. They will try to clear the pipeline and announce new stuff ASAP.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
Okay, so this is basically (and assuming there is anywhere near an "actual" return to older Xbox business strategy i.e OG, 360 etc.) what I think MS could actually end up doing, and I talked about it a long time back.
Most of that I was speculating back when rumors of new Xbox hardware started circulating, but as other leaks came out (especially the Gestridens stuff), I shifted away from it as most of the concept is still framed in a traditional console business model, which it seemed MS were shifting away from. If they genuinely are shifting back towards it (and not just BS'ing with empty words), then this is how I think they'd do it as it still gives them some unique points of differentiation against PlayStation and Nintendo.
And, naturally, it'd also mean them scaling back ports to PlayStation in particular; I don't see games like COD or Sea of Thieves ever going away, or things like TES Online for that matter. But stuff like Gears, DOOM, Indiana Jones etc? Yeah, I could see those going away. And maybe they do push timed exclusive content in games like COD & TES Online to prioritize Xbox; can also see them scaling back releases on Steam to just the "big" games, with other games coming later similar to what SIE's been doing with PC in general for years now.
Even so, I give the odds of ANY of this happening at best 5 - 10%. It's such a longshot of ever being a thing that it's almost laughable to suggest it occurring. But in the extremely rare case it DOES....well, that could make things very interesting for Sony in particular in how they adjust (or if they adjust, if they can).
-They might shift back to a traditional-lite model for Xbox hardware and subsidize Magnus
-They will probably have OEMs manufacture devices, but more in the capacity of Sony using, say, Asus, to manufacture some of the PS5 units in America
-They will find a way to integrate the Microsoft Store and Copilot into the next Xbox's OS and UI
-Through the Microsoft Store, people can download and run Windows applications on the next Xbox as they are basically "whitelisted" by being in the store
-Alternative storefronts like Steam and GOG will likely still be accessible on the next Xbox BUT...
-...they will require having a Game Pass subscription. This is how they shift away putting games Day 1 in Game Pass but still retain value to the service
-You can either buy the subsidized SKU for console-like pricing but with a locked-in 2/3-year Game Pass subscription, or buy the non-subsidized model at a much higher price to basically access other storefronts like on a PC from Day 1
-For legal reasons, and to not step on toes of OEM PC devices, Microsoft will probably keep "PC-style" functionality locked down to accessing what's available on the Microsoft Store and tying alternative storefront access to Game Pass locked-in subscriptions (or offering a non-subsidized model at much higher price i.e $1200 - $1500). Device upgradability limited to expanding the SSD capacity; no upgrading the RAM or GPU like in actual PC devices.
-They will probably still find a way to get rid of paid online and convert offerings for that at the cheapest tier into something else
-They will probably still lend OEMs the right to use Magnus APUs (or a variant of them removing whatever hardware enables Xbox console BC) in non-subsidized Xbox devices running some version of Windows with the FSE on it, and allowing things like upgrading the RAM capacity and overclocking the APU, and having more PC-like expansion options (PCIe ports, for example). But these will probably cost even more than the unsubsidized Magnus Microsoft provides (which will probably be low-volume anyway if they want to get people through the subsidized + 2-year (or however-long) Game Pass version)
-They'll probably cut/reimburse current Game Pass subscribers who got in years earlier at super-cheap prices and stacked up their subs 'till 2030 (maybe they've already started doing this?)
-They will probably have OEMs manufacture devices, but more in the capacity of Sony using, say, Asus, to manufacture some of the PS5 units in America
-They will find a way to integrate the Microsoft Store and Copilot into the next Xbox's OS and UI
-Through the Microsoft Store, people can download and run Windows applications on the next Xbox as they are basically "whitelisted" by being in the store
-Alternative storefronts like Steam and GOG will likely still be accessible on the next Xbox BUT...
-...they will require having a Game Pass subscription. This is how they shift away putting games Day 1 in Game Pass but still retain value to the service
-You can either buy the subsidized SKU for console-like pricing but with a locked-in 2/3-year Game Pass subscription, or buy the non-subsidized model at a much higher price to basically access other storefronts like on a PC from Day 1
-For legal reasons, and to not step on toes of OEM PC devices, Microsoft will probably keep "PC-style" functionality locked down to accessing what's available on the Microsoft Store and tying alternative storefront access to Game Pass locked-in subscriptions (or offering a non-subsidized model at much higher price i.e $1200 - $1500). Device upgradability limited to expanding the SSD capacity; no upgrading the RAM or GPU like in actual PC devices.
-They will probably still find a way to get rid of paid online and convert offerings for that at the cheapest tier into something else
-They will probably still lend OEMs the right to use Magnus APUs (or a variant of them removing whatever hardware enables Xbox console BC) in non-subsidized Xbox devices running some version of Windows with the FSE on it, and allowing things like upgrading the RAM capacity and overclocking the APU, and having more PC-like expansion options (PCIe ports, for example). But these will probably cost even more than the unsubsidized Magnus Microsoft provides (which will probably be low-volume anyway if they want to get people through the subsidized + 2-year (or however-long) Game Pass version)
-They'll probably cut/reimburse current Game Pass subscribers who got in years earlier at super-cheap prices and stacked up their subs 'till 2030 (maybe they've already started doing this?)
Most of that I was speculating back when rumors of new Xbox hardware started circulating, but as other leaks came out (especially the Gestridens stuff), I shifted away from it as most of the concept is still framed in a traditional console business model, which it seemed MS were shifting away from. If they genuinely are shifting back towards it (and not just BS'ing with empty words), then this is how I think they'd do it as it still gives them some unique points of differentiation against PlayStation and Nintendo.
And, naturally, it'd also mean them scaling back ports to PlayStation in particular; I don't see games like COD or Sea of Thieves ever going away, or things like TES Online for that matter. But stuff like Gears, DOOM, Indiana Jones etc? Yeah, I could see those going away. And maybe they do push timed exclusive content in games like COD & TES Online to prioritize Xbox; can also see them scaling back releases on Steam to just the "big" games, with other games coming later similar to what SIE's been doing with PC in general for years now.
Even so, I give the odds of ANY of this happening at best 5 - 10%. It's such a longshot of ever being a thing that it's almost laughable to suggest it occurring. But in the extremely rare case it DOES....well, that could make things very interesting for Sony in particular in how they adjust (or if they adjust, if they can).
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Kacho
Gold Member
Yep. The blame game only works internally. The public isn't beholden to workplace politics.
vaibhavpisal
Member
Article clearly states that at some point marketing started reporting to Bond. Thats when "everything is xbox" meme was born in her head.
It was a bold move but didn't pan out.
Never does it mention that she was responsible for going multiplatform. That was inevitable. The way they launched their games (Redfall, Starfield), it was obvious they were going multiplatform.
What am I reading here?
It was a bold move but didn't pan out.
Never does it mention that she was responsible for going multiplatform. That was inevitable. The way they launched their games (Redfall, Starfield), it was obvious they were going multiplatform.
What am I reading here?
Insanemaelstrom
Member
You clearly said the story is fake because there is no evidence.
Where is the evidence for this one? Sources? The exact same evidence the previous story had?
Tell me why one sources are "bad" but the other is "good". Detailed reporting my ass.
I didn't say it was clearly fake at all. Please go and find the post where I said. I won't respond to anything else from you until you do.
Best of luck.