460°

Episode #358 – Exclusive Podcast interview with Christa Charter aka Trixie360

Gamertag Radio interviews Trixie, an ex-Xbox employee about her new novel, the reason why she left Microsoft and much more.

*"Xbox is run by mostly middle managers with no gaming experience"
*"Xbox left J Allard"
*Xbox Community
*Xbox Live Gold member vs ads
*The reason why Inside Xbox failed

Xbox conversation starts at 25:04.

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gamertagradio.com
dedicatedtogamers4246d ago

Unfortunately, this is becoming true for a LOT of companies, not just Microsoft's Xbox division. Notice how many "social media" integrations are being added into consoles these days? That isn't gamers saying "this is how we make our games better". That would be middle managers saying "hurr hurr wouldn't Twitter be a good thing to add to our system guize?"

I miss the old days of developers (and console makers) being die-hard gamers, from the entry-level guy all the way up to the boss.

Knight_Crawler4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

I agree and as much as I wish things could go back to the good old days, I have accepted that as technology progresses things have to change.

Game consoles are no longer dedicated gaming machines like they were in the past and gaming consoles are your one stop social media hub and the next gen consoles will take social media even futher...heck I expect the 720 and PS4 to be 20% console and 80% PC.

With this said its not hard to see why Sony and MS are hiring experts of all sorts that dont have a back ground on gaming...Sega was made up of people who were hardcore gamers but lacked the business mentality and the Dream cast ended up sinking them.

Sure my gamer instinct is pissed about how gaming is no longer just gaming but from a business perspective this make sense and in these times you can not just rely on games and have to offer a variety of things with your gaming service.

Nintendo is now feeling the pressure because they lacked so many things that MS and Sony offered and are now playing catchup...the Wii U online can either break or make Nintendo.

Edit: My point was that the gaming business has become more than just games and experts from other fields are needed in order for the company to make a profit and survive.

knowyourstuff4246d ago

It has been thought of by companies that didn't start up as gaming companies (like Microsoft) that businesses are just machines designed to make money, and you don't need a game developer who specializes in coding to run the business, the marketing, the supply chain, etc. Quite frankly, this is true, however some industry knowledge is still required. You do need to know what people are playing, and someone who can analyze current and emerging markets. I don't need to play videogames all day to understand markets and how to do proper project management, but if you have someone who really doesn't care about games because they don't play them, that's a serious problem. You do need to care about the product you're putting out, because without that you get rushed games that release full of bugs.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

If ps4 & 720 were 110% pc they would still have hardcore tactical shooter & true horror games left.

lol now if wiiU takes off the tablet crazy will be part of everyday console gaming.

One of the big companies already bought into cloud gaming so yikes.. Console gaming so popular it is killing it as a hardcore platform.

After looking at splinter cell the only stealth game left is MGS. Kojima stands alone.

forestfrog4246d ago

I disagreed with you, im not saying you are wrong, I just don't like what your saying.

miyamoto4246d ago

LOL What are u peeps talking about?
Nintendo's longtime president Yamauchi prides himself as the emperor who never played a single video game on any Nintendo console since they started doing games in the 1980s. Bitter irony eh?

Of course they are all about the money.

But the question is who among them are doing their homework about nurturing the industry and making it grow up.

My point is by this time if you are really passionate about legit video games you should be able to discern for yourself who is are REAL DEAL from the PHONY POSERS.

Who continues to make the effort to move games forward and who holds it back and who brings it backwards? who brings new stuff to gaming . who abuse it & just in it for money only?

EVILDEAD3604245d ago

The music industry isnt run by Musicians...
The Sports Industry isnt run by Sports Atheletes
The Game industry isnt run by gamers

The Xbox is a platform for games and entertainment, just as any console is at this point.

Just because we all love and play games doesnt necessarily make us all qualified to manage a business.

MS made some great business decisions this gen that has put the Xbox brand in a great position.

But at the end of the day, like Sony and Nintendo, not all of those decisions are perfect.

Evil

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4245d ago
PirateThom4246d ago

Sadly, the days of gamers making games is almost at an end.

It's too big a business now. While I have no doubt some of the middle managers do enjoy games, I am under no illusion it's in the same sense a lot of people enjoy games; casually, on their phone, the yearly COD/Madden/FIFA release.

Problem is, even the ones who play games, like Shuhei Yoshida are still in charge of a company/part of a company and the bottom line is all that matters.

3GenGames4246d ago

Apparently you haven't heard about Homebrew for older consoles. Or Indie games for PC and such.

extermin8or4246d ago

tbh there are still great games being released, rarely in an industry is the person in charge the best person for the job purely because he like the stuff he's in charge of, you need someone to make practical unbiased decisions so you survive as a compnay; as long as they aren't stifling the developers too much and allow them creative decsions or at least take their advice then gaming will be fine; it's the actual main development workforce that needs to have a passion for what they are creating (sorry about typo's my pcs dying and theres a30sec lag between me pressing a key and it typing so i cba to fix issues)

lastdual4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

And yet a lot of those social media features may end up not mattering when Smart TVs become the norm in a few years.

Once your TV has all the functionality of a tablet computer built into it from the start, your console connecting to services such as Facebook will just be redundant. At that point, it becomes all about the games once again.

In fact, TVs may eventually give the consoles direct competition if they come with game-streaming platforms such as OnLive pre-installed. The execs at companies such as MS are going to be in for a hard time if they think their current stategy will continue to work in the future.

Knight_Crawler4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

Thats a really weak argument...have you tried browsing the net on one of those smart TV's or watch a youtube video? slow as hell and maybe 1 or 2 tv have descent speed - it wont be till another 3 years until we see a TV with PC capabilities.

The next gen consoles will be more PC than gaming consoles and if this true then this will kill 2 birds with one stone...sure they wont replace PC's but what if gaming consoles can do 80% of what a PC can do.

mcstorm4246d ago

The biggest problem with the digital age is there is no default format from videos, music, websites ect. Plus here in the uk to get netflixwe need a game consles as our smart tvs dont support it they tend to go for love film and sky player is only aavailable on thr 360 so because of this people will still use consoles for this access but i dont think any of this is the reason why people buy a games console.

The 1st reason is games and type of games they want depends on which console they buy and if it then works with a service they have they will use there consoles to access there service.

lastdual4246d ago

@Knight_Crawler

Obviously Smart TVs are still in their infancy, but looking forward, there's no doubt that the tech and user experience will improve.

What tablets can do now, TVs will be able to do within a few years - the point being that the "console as an internet/social media hub" model isn't really the future.

chasegarcia4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

Sony boss is a gamer / just saying.

nukeitall4246d ago

He is still middle aged, and probably doesn't have time to game much while earning his millions.

G20WLY4246d ago

@nukeitall, so you have to be young and play all day long to be a gamer? I both disagree and resent that :|

showtimefolks4246d ago

they did hire phil harrison so hopefullt that will help

Bigpappy4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

If any of these companies don't put gaming ahead of all else, they will loose their console business. Gaming is what sells consoles and keep them relavant. All that social stuff, music, sports, movies, ... is available else where. Consoles are sold because of games, all the other crap is just nice to have.

I am still mad at M$ for not working something out with Jay Allard though. I am surprise that Apple our Google didn't give him an offer he can refuse. He was the brain that made Xbox a viable alternative to what was already on the market. He created Xbox Live (Voice chat; maket place; XBLA; Achievements; ...). He is a gamer and gets excited about things that make gaming more enjoyable and promotes growth.

These new guy are more focused on how to make more money with the Xbox. I understand that side too, but they have to know that gaming has to be the main focus or it will all blow-up in thier faces. Halo4 show that someone there still understands that Xbox will only allows other areas to grow if the gaming side remains very strong.

Cueil4246d ago

J Allard left the Xbox brand long before he left Microsoft... his other projects were mostly failures or got cut as a device and later partially used in other devices

pain777pas4246d ago

This was not suprising and I have been saying this for so long. 2005 to 2007 Mass effect release was 360 in its prime. Really great system and shocking Japanese support with exclusive games. I have not been on live in years so knowing now that Trixie is gone is so sad. Her and Major N were my peeps at a time. I remember the good old days of watching the first trailers for Assasins Creed lonely souls (best trailer in my opinion of all time)and Ace combat (didn't buy it though). The Halo 3 build up vidocs about the brutes. Mass effect trailers and build up. Lost odessey, Blue dragon.... I loved it especially when it was the only system on the market at the time till MGS4 and RROD pushed me over edge back home. This was a depressing interview but we still have Sony which only overpriced their system really because the 60gig PS3 is the best disc based console ever made. 360 I loved you for Oblivion, seeing Gears(played it but it was a long tech demo to start really), Bioshock, Halo 3, Mass Effect and RR6 (don't laugh the community in the early days were amazing mature gamers who loved the game to master it and have fun).

ChickeyCantor4246d ago

It's because these people talk business. And good business is money.

meetajhu4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

This is the reason Console gaming should die. The PC gaming is so much better and mature. 3rd rated mong heads who have no flipping clue about gaming, run console business eg:Major Nelson.

RustInPeace4245d ago (Edited 4245d ago )

If PC gaming is so "mature" (in the sense of the players, not the tech being newer/better/"mature" ; ), then why can't I play ONE legit game of BF3 (or any competitive game, really) without someone blatantly using hacks for the sake of being an as*hOle and tarnishing the experience? Given, it does happen on consoles, but its almost a lifestyle for PC players when its skill VS skill.

rezzah4246d ago

I think we may always miss the old days because companies are heading to were the money is. They want to popularize their product with the social media. Some to a greater extent than others.

If any company reflect the idea of more gaming dedication over another company, I think we would head over to that console. But there are other factors that I'm sure I don't see right now.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4245d ago
Bumpmapping4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

She looks like the gremlin chick from Gremlins 2.

MikeMyers4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

This is why many are pleased with what Steam has done, is doing, and will be doing in the future. You can tell it's not run by a bunch of managers with little or no experience.

When you have a company as large as Microsoft, the innovation, the hunger, the eagerness to prove themselves gets lost along the way. Plus the Xbox brand was created with more than just gaming. That division is there to work within all of Microsoft's vested interests.

TekoIie4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

You kind of missed the point -_-

Steam doesnt fit the comparison in this subject. On top of that MS didnt start out in the gaming industry and so when they went to make the move into that industry the reasoning was simple: to make money with a new product.

Valve on the other hand was created because people wanted to make games for a living.

MikeMyers4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

Not sure how I missed the point when a company like Sony also didn't start out with gaming under their portfolio. However they did manage to run the Playstation brand quite well early on.

I feel there is a disconnect between those who run the Xbox division and the consumers, and that could be allocated to what this article is suggesting. If we agree to disagree that's fine but I don't feel I missed the point at all. If you get involved with something you should have people running it that have an interest and either have experience or gain experience while being there.

@nukeitall

I don't believe their budget was all that limited. This is Microsoft we are talking about and their initial investment with the Xbox back in 2001 was by no means small. Sony also seen Nintendo and Sega as competition and they managed to provide a product consumers wanted while not appearing as though it was run by a bunch of managers with no gaming experience.

Microsoft also bought Rare for $375 million dollars. That's not something a start-up company with a limited budget does. Look at Rare today and it's obvious they are nothing like they used to be.

sadday4246d ago

Mike, I tend to agree with nuke here.

Almost no one can enter the console business without heavy investments unless you want to be like ouya. Only way to be taken serious is to make serious investment.

To the gaming industry, that is a start up.

The beginnings of Xbox is detailed in a book called The Xbox 360 uncloaked. It is a great read.

I wonder if nuke read it.

Cueil4246d ago

even steam is starting to move away from being a totally gaming platform

nukeitall4246d ago

I don't think a large company has necessary lost the eagerness to prove themselves. It is more the culture set at the outset.

From the start, the Xbox division had to prove itself and had very limited budget. In almost all ways, it was almost like a startup company.

MS perceived Sony's dominance as threat, and so the battle began.

wastedcells4246d ago

This is why I always end up supporting the console who seems to be geared towards games and the people playing them.

neogeo4246d ago

So you are a big Wii supporter?

majiebeast4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

Frank Gibeau from EA

That man is responsible for all the social aspects of deadspace 3,simcity and generals 2 among others. He is responsible for destroying those franchises to get the casual gamer with social media aspects like implementing twitter and facebook in games.

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150°

Microsoft to Add Copilot AI to Video Games

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to incorporate Copilot directly into video games, with Minecraft being the first showcased example.

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xpgained.co.uk
Fishy Fingers2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

F*** AI

"Hey Copilot, what's a good meme to prove I dislike AI".... https://giphy.com/clips/sou...

Einhander19722d ago

Two trillion dollar company that just can't wait to put as many people possible out of work as fast as possible.

It feels like every single thing they do is making gaming worse and destroying the industry.

2d ago
2d ago
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darthv721d 16h ago

....you know it takes people to program the AI.... right? It isnt like it is sentient. We haven't reach skynet level of situation or anywhere close to the matrix just yet.

That's next Thursday.

Einhander19721d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

It takes a people to program the AI then that AI is used for who knows how many games eliminating countless jobs which only grows as AI is used for more and more game creation functions.

What you're saying is so ridiculously short sighted and truly larking any kind of understanding and foresight.

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CaptainFaisal2d ago

Why all the hate? Im actually excited about this! Always wanted this kind of immersion, and an AI companion with me all the time helping me out knowing the status of my skills/inventory/progress and giving me tips on the best approach or how to craft something specific is game changing for the industry.

Hate all you want about AI, but this is just the start and I can see the potential already. You wont be complaining in the next 5-10 years about this, but rather complain if a game hasn’t implemented it.

MrDead2d ago

Yes we can't wait for the work of others to be used without the need to pay them so that MS can profit even more from the people they fire.

I_am_Batman2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

There is no chance I'd ever use something like this, especially if it's not part of the core game design, but a layer on top of it. It's way too much handholding. Many games already feel like busy work, because they don't let the player figure things out on their own. Having a real-time interactive guide defeats the purpose of playing the game in the first place in my opinion.

If this were to become the standard like you predict, we'll see more and more video games get away with bad design, because people will just be used to ask for help from the AI companion anyway.

Number1TailzFan2d ago

Well Nintendo don't need this with some of their games these days, with invincible characters, items, easy bosses etc.. they do the hand holding built in

helicoptergirl2d ago

Takes "hand holding" in games to a whole new level.

BlackDoomAx19h ago

Because human nature xD Almost every new technology had these kind of comments.

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70°

Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP

Microsoft's Activision subsidiary announced today that it is opening a new game development studio to take advantage of the huge talent pool growing in Poland. It'll be the second Activision studio based in the region, joining Infinity Ward Krakow, although this studio is, in fact, not working on Call of Duty.

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windowscentral.com
Psychonaut855d ago

They’re not working on Call of Duty? Give it time.

380°

Microsoft's quest for short-term $$$ is doing long-term damage to Windows, Surface, Xbox, and beyond

Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation, and it all revolves around Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood's plans to increase every department's margins.

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windowscentral.com
Brazz7d ago

"The plan to move Xbox games to other platforms is codenamed "Latitude" internally, and I know there's debate and unease at Microsoft about whether or not this is a good idea. More upcoming Microsoft-owned games slated for PlayStation are already being developed. At least for now, they're potentially obvious games you'd most likely expect. And yes, while it's true Microsoft is a prolific publisher on PlayStation already, it has typically revolved around specific franchises like Minecraft. From what I've heard, Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation, and it all revolves around Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood's mandate to increase every department's margins. "

Yeah, they are going to kill Xbox hardware.

Xeofate7d ago

"Yeah, they are going to kill Xbox hardware."

It's for the best.

Quit stringing along xbox fans and screwing over PlayStation owners.

crazyCoconuts7d ago

Take good care of those Xboxes if you have 'em ...

outsider16247d ago

An Xbox game on a Playstation. Never in my years of gaming did i ever thought this was gonna happen.

jznrpg7d ago

It is dying anyway so doesn’t make much of a difference

VersusDMC7d ago

No way can they get rid of the hardware as probably 90% of game pass subscribers are hardware users.

Highly doubtful those users will move to PC or Cloud to subscribe there and the competition (Sony and Nin) will never have gamepass on their system.

If they want to keep the current subscribers, they need to keep releasing new hardware.

PSPSA7d ago

I'm not convinced, why then announce that they're actually working on the next-generation Xbox with “the largest technical leap”, and also looking into handhelds now?

Rols7d ago

Not like MS don’t drop things a hot potato if it is not performing. Look at MS history to see products or platforms discontinued. Xbox is not a charity for MS, it needs to make money and the ABK was the last roll of the dice for Xbox.

purple1016d ago

Xbox hardware team members have been incorporated into surface team

This perhaps shows they are not expecting big things from Xbox as a separate entity

Abear216d ago

Seems like they are planning to win next gen. All the acquisitions were this generation and nobody except Xbox fans expect games from the acquisitions any time soon.

I’m sure Microsoft can afford to lose money on the short term, pretty sure they do risk assessment when acquiring many companies and spending billions, they’ll be fine lol.

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gold_drake7d ago

i think it will kill off the xbox brand. windows will be fine.

but there is and would be a chance that xbox might be killed off in the future. if they fail to make the money they put in. imo.

S2Killinit7d ago

They wont kill it, but they will go fully PC while keeping xbox as a brand, and go multiplatform for the most part. They will also work tirelessly to diminish console gaming’s importance.

PRIMORDUS7d ago

It would be best if Xbox goes the way of Sega, just make and publish games. I know I myself will not support them at all with buying games from them, you all can. 🙃

ChasterMies7d ago

The Xbox brand will live for the games. I don’t expect Microsoft to entirely drop out of gaming hardware. They make Surface tablets and laptops. They’ll make Xbox branded hardware for those that want it.

shadowT7d ago

"Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation"

Forza and Starfield next?

Skuletor7d ago

Starfield would be no surprise and there's the rumor that it will come to Playstation after the Shattered Space DLC, Forza (along with Halo and Gears of War) I find less likely but I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually end up on PlayStation too, especially if Xbox give up on hardware and go the Sega route.

shinoff21837d ago

Not to worried about forza. I'd rather see others like what inxile and obsidian are working on. Starfield sounds like it needs more time in the oven so let it cook first imo. If starfield and it's a small if does release on ps it'll be in the fall around the time for dlc or right at the dlc and come packaged with it.

-Foxtrot7d ago

In the words of Phil Spencer when he was talking about Nintendo last year

“It's just taking a long time for Microsoft to see that their future exists off of their own hardware"

S2Killinit7d ago

Yup. MS are a cancer to console gaming.

Aloymetal7d ago

100%!!
I wonder what happened to that dude that was always here posting those court articles with cartoons about MS spending all those billions in studios. He suddenly disappeared, I guess he doesn't like bad news when the green brand is in trouble. No new articles from him as of late...

PRIMORDUS7d ago

Yup, and it's only going to keep spreading.

Outside_ofthe_Box7d ago

Phil Spencer's words always comes back to bite him lol

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