To say that Microsoft Gaming’s latest strategic and pricing decisions have angered gamers is a gross understatement. So much so that former figures from the brand are openly criticizing these decisions.
In a video posted on her YouTube channel, Laura Fryer, one of the founders of Xbox, looked back on the events of the last few days. Suffice to say, she didn’t mince her words. In her view, the manufacturer’s executives are living in “a bubble” and don’t understand what made Xbox so successful over the years.
“The ‘yes’ culture that took over in 2008 has only gotten worse, and this is the result. A crazy price increase for their fans, after announcing that Game Pass had brought in $5 billion. With these price increases, it feels like a betrayal. As if the lure of profit has taken precedence over gaming.”
Fryer goes further by saying that Xbox has lost its identity and, above all, its notion of “true partnership” that existed at the time with developers.
“Xbox wasn’t created to sell consoles. It was about creating a closed loop in which Xbox built a relationship of trust with customers and developers. It was more than just a product.
The slogan “This is an Xbox” is destroying all the brand value that has been built up over the years. It was meant to be an inclusive message welcoming everyone, but it ended up emptying the brand of its substance, because if everything is an Xbox, then nothing really is. “
Finally, while Laura Fryer says she understands certain decisions, such as moving away from consoles to focus on Game Pass, she still believes that Xbox’s leadership no longer understands gamers and studios.
“I can’t say for sure where this is going to take us. It seems that Xbox is moving towards cloud gaming and away from hardware. But it could also be that they’re just incompetent, don’t understand what they’re doing, and are just trying things out.”
