'Women are the new core,' says Microsoft narrative designer

"Our audience is leaving us behind," Abernathy said. "The world is changing, it has already changed, and we have not been doing a very good job of keeping up with it."

"Women are not a small, special market on the fringe of the core," Abernathy said. "Women are the new core."

[-Superman-]

"Our audience is leaving us behind," Abernathy said.
(HE MEANS XBOX 360 AUDIENCE, HARDCORE)

"Women are not a small, special market on the fringe of the core," Abernathy said. "Women are the new core."
(HE MEANS FOCUS IS MORE CASUAL GAMING, KINECT 2)

Looks like Microsoft focus more new core, casual, just like last 3 E3s was all about Kinect.

Nintendo tried re-creat Wii, what is not that good.

Sony goes back to basic, this what gamers love.

[-Superman-]

Also, all the leaks(95% true, same source was right about PS4) says that Xbox 720 will come with Kinect 2.0
Kinect 2.0 is built in.
Well, yeah, sure, who likes casual gaming and stuff like Kinect games then those people will buy, but all those who bought Xbox 360 for Halo, and some FPS games, are going over the PS4.

[iGAM3R-VIII]

Well we still should wait until E3 or May (May is supposed to be the reveal of the 720) and then see what Ms plans are but I think that all of these rumours are true about leaving core gamers. Ms will need all the hope in the world if they think they can sell consoles like that

[Gazondaily]

Yeah the common sense approach is to wait till the reveal to make up your mind before prematurely making a decision on a console that hasn't even been announced yet and one we know very little about other than rumours of a speculative nature.

But there appears to be a lot of consensus that Microsoft is going for the more mass market approach with its next console. If this turns out to be true then it will truly be a shame because this gen, they showed how they can put up a fight against the best of them and provide us with amazing gaming experiences.

The true core will always comprise of those gamers who the original Xbox and 360 were targeted at anyway. Funnily enough, the PS3 appeared more mass market than the 360, the latter of which catered more for shooter centric PC gamers. If MS relinquishes its link with us, it needs to realise that it won't ever regain that trust. Whilst it's MS' decision to go in whatever direction it wants, us gamers will relinquish all ties with a company that used the console business to insert its Trojan Horse into our living rooms.

Time will tell though. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt because I recognise that I spend a lot of time on N4G and it can be quite easy to get swept up in the agenda of the mob. We shall see. Here's hoping that MS do get their act together. If not, the PS4 will become the primary gaming device of the true core gamers.

[fsfsxii]

You mean all the people that jumped ship to the X360 from PS2??

[MikeMyers]

-Superman-,
"Women are not a small special market on the fringe of the core," Abernathy said. "Women are the new core."

He isn't just talking about the Xbox 360 audience but gaming in general. It is true that more women are playing games than ever before. It is a market that is growing and of course Microsoft wants to be a part of it.

Sony also brought social gaming into Playstation Home:

http://venturebeat.com/2011...

They have also talked a lot on the new PS4 and the share button and also Facebook. Plus a new camera. Do you really think Sony isn't also trying to attract more casual and women gamers? The social integration on the PS4 is being heavily marketed. They know the world around them is changing as well. They know people love to post on Facebook and upload videos to their friends. They know chatting and texting and video conferencing is popular. They also know woman are part of that as well.

Nintendo also came out with Miiverse. What remains to be seen is just how much focus Microsoft will put into casual gaming and trying to attract women into gaming. Gaming as a whole needs to evolve. We need to get past the stereotypes. What I want to see from Microsoft is a commitment to creating new IP's and not ignoring the gamers that got them here in the first place. The ones that bought the original Halo, Mechassault and Crackdown. So they either need to create more studios to handle all of these various gamers or partner themselves like they did with Epic and Nintendo is doing with Platinum. The Xbox 360 suffered because resources were shifted. You can still attract casual gamers but it shouldn't be at the cost of hardcore gaming.

[amiga-man]

I know this is just a rumour but everyone of the rumours concerning the next-box 720 have been negative, by the sounds of it M$ are not even trying to compete with Sony next gen.

[thechosenone]

And those same sources that pegged the PS4 hardware months/weeks before they were made official are now saying that the PS4 will be 40-50% more powerful than the xbox720...discussion starts at post #3044

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

[DragonKnight]

I'm all for women getting more into gaming, but I'm sorry to say they are not the "new" core. This is an attempt to change the definition of the core gamer. If we're talking gaming habits, games haven't changed significantly to where you can say that there are more games geared towards women (and in all honesty, what could you really call a game geared towards women?). If we're talking numbers, men still outnumber women. So if there are more games geared towards the male audience, and there are more male core gamers, exactly how is it that women are the "new" core?

I would say that more women are becoming core gamers and as such development may shift towards a more egalitarian (ideally, but not likely. It'll more likely have more of a feminist lean if anything) design philosophy, but to suggest that women are overtaking men as gamers isn't backed up by numbers.

[thechosenone]

Why not cater to both? Why does it have to be either one or the other?

[MikeMyers]

"Why not cater to both? Why does it have to be either one or the other?"

It doesn't. Which is why Nintendo is trying to distance itself from the Wii being aimed at casual only gamers. It also begs the question post-Kinect on the Xbox 360 how Microsoft will market the new Xbox. They need to have more balance. You don't shift resources from one to the other just because the market is changing. What you do is expand so that you serve not only the core gamers from the beginning but also attract new gamers. It was clear Microsoft shifted resources to help drive Kinect sales.

[SolidStoner]

@ fsfsxii

that's impossible 360 gamers didnt even got born when PS2 was launched :) no offence for mature gamers but part of that is true....

[MaxXAttaxX]

After all, why would he talk about it. He speaks for his company.

[sikbeta]

As long as third party and "7th gen core" first+second party games arrive to the console and it's not flooded with shovelware like the wii, everything is OK...

[Gaming101]

Here's the thing, Microsoft thinks it has tapped out its current hardcore gaming audience, but it needs to grow its audience for the purpose of appeasing shareholders like the typical Western company that Microsoft is.

To do this, instead of trying to steal more hardcore gamers away from Sony, it is reaching out to all the other corners of the market, those that are currently growing at a fast pace, and Microsoft thinks this includes female gamers.

What Microsoft has failed to realize is that although females are reportedly increasing in numbers in terms of the gaming population, what these studies fail to realize is that those females are not necessarily console gamers. They are just gamers - which means if you play games on your phone, or on facebook, you're still a gamer according to studies.

Given the explosion of popularity of smart phones, and internet gaming on facebook, a lot of the people playing these games are women. This is the cause of the increasing of the "female gaming population" of recent years. If Microsoft was selling Smart phones it would benefit from targeting that audience, however that audience is not growing in the CONSOLE market. Microsoft will never sell more consoles by targeting that group of people.

If you want to know who Microsoft is competing with, company spokespeople have already indicated they are not just in competition with Sony, but also Apple, Samsung, and Google. Translation: Microsoft is going to try and steal market share from those companies by marketing to the same audiences that those companies market to IE. women, casual gamers, anything other than hardcore gamers. Microsoft thinks it can be everything to everyone, and it will dilute its product in order to market to all audiences. This will be its downfall, if anything.

Get it now? Good.

[YodaCracker]

Yes Gaming101, I'm sure you have done more research into this than all of Microsoft. /s

[AsimLeonheart]

Oh well, have fun next-gen playing Adventures of Barbie and the Pink Pony with the girls Xbox fans. :-/

[1nsaint]

If we bought the 360 for halo, then why should we switch to ps4? They don't have halo..

No matter what console you're on, I think nobody with a big library of games would want to switch, losing their physical and digital games, and ofc you're account with all your achievements/trophies, dlc and your friend list.

[IronFistChinMi]

You realise he was talking about the industry as a whole and not just Microsoft, right? He was speaking on a panel at GDC.

[Alos88]

He can only speak for his company, and their perceived market changes. This is simply them stating what I've been concerned about for awhile now; that MS is no longer interested in pursuing the traditional gamer's interests.

[Mike134nl]

He was talking about the industry as a whole, gamespot just wrote a sensationalised article.

"GI.biz reports that Abernathy recalled his own experience of gender equality in games and expressed his frustration when trying to find games for his daughter that let her play as a female character. He would often end up empty-handed.

He added that while America now has a black president and that same-sex marriage has been approved in many states, that the games industry is yet to take such significant strides.

The female gamerbase is swelling, with adult feales making up 30% of the American gamer population, according to numbers from the Entertainment Software Association and research conducted by PopCap games. The so-called ‘core demographic of males under 18 now makes up just 18% of the nation’s players."

[SDF Repellent]

As expected. The ps3 fanboys are all over this piece and won't read the entire artice, which is a guy talking about female gamers in general and has nothing pertaining to the nextbox, but yet, they can turn this one into the same old " oh, MS has abandoned core gamers!"

What is even worst is the person that submitted this piece, superman, post the first 2 posts to spread propaganda that is just plain wrong from the original source. This ps3 fanboy is just sad. Smh

[kenshiro100]

Maybe you should do something called 'reading' yourself. He's mainly speaking from HIS company's perspective.

Relax, no one is attacking your precious 'can do no wrong whatsoever' Microsoft.

[nukeitall]

It doesn't matter what is posted on n4g, because time and time again, the market has shown that it doesn't align with the viewpoints of rabbid fanboys on n4g or the hardcore gaming community.

A perfect example of this is how the PS Vita was praised to high heavens and the price was celebrated, while the 3DS was derided as a casual device.

Fast forward, and look what happened! PS Vita is dead in the water, and 3DS is marching on like nothing ever happened!

Further proof? You got your superbly core device focusing on games and games only with PS Vita, but where are the supporters? You know, third party quality games?

Ultimately it is about adoption, and then the games and whatever greatness will come with it.

It's a good thing that these companies steer their company based on hard data and not rabbid and loud fanboys.

[DragonKnight]

@nukeitall: "Fast forward, and look what happened! PS Vita is dead in the water, and 3DS is marching on like nothing ever happened!"

http://cdn.memegenerator.ne...

[MysticStrummer]

@ Any and all MS defenders -

http://n4g.com/news/1217918...

Read what this developer has to say about Sony and PS4. He says it will be interesting to see what MS fires back with at E3, but given what he says about MS having a different outlook, how can you believe 720 won't be largely going in a different direction that's away from core gaming? Reading between the lines isn't even necessary when you have quotes like these.

[Eyeco]

You're name, it was this awesome Manga I used to read as a kid,

[IronFistChinMi]

@Eyeco Yes, I read them as well, that's where I took it from!

[IronFistChinMi]

@Mystic Strummer

Durango will still have core games will it not? Will an owner not be able to play BF4, Watch Dogs, Destiny, Halo, New IP from Black Tusk Studios, PGR 5, AW2, Fable etc?

Yes, they are going to do things differently than Sony, but that doesn't mean there won't be as many core games on Durango than the PS4.

[nukeitall]

@DragonKnight:

Is that the best response you got? Do I make you angry speaking the truth and therefore you have no real response, but try to insult?

Game over. Insert coin, try again!

[DragonKnight]

@nukeitall: You didn't speak the truth, you said something retarded when you said the Vita is dead in the water. Clearly you've been blind for the past few months so I said something contextually accurate to the retarded post you made. Maybe when you decide to say something relevant and intelligent people can take you seriously, but for now the link speaks the point perfectly well.

[Ezz2013]

by doing this ...it seems like MS themself are living in the same dream land
@greenpowerz lives in

sony didn't only won last gen and this gen
it seems that they will win next gen too

[whoyouwit04]

And just how did sony when this gen who did they out sell.

[Ezz2013]

@whoyouwit04

no they didn't
it got outsold by ps3 even with the year head start
you comments are soo uninformed and wrong ...i don't know why i even bother

[LordHiggens]

@whoyouwit04

Ezz2013 is right, Sony did win this generation...not counting the Wii because well..it's a Wii not a real gaming machine.

Total PS3 Worldwide sales are greater than that of the 360...the only place that has more 360s than PS3s is America.

[Knight_Crawler]

Or maybe the 720 will be what the PS2 was...the perfect console which caters for every age, gender and demographics.

I know some of you people want this rumors of leaked documents to be real and watch MS burn but will you really be happy to see MS and leave and some some other giant like Apple replace MS?

Do you really want MS to leave so that Sony can go back to their arrogant and pretentious ways like they were when the PS3 launched at $600 and them tell people to get two jobs to afford one or saying that next gen does not start until they say so.

[dedicatedtogamers]

Actually, I would like to see MS leave. They haven't really brought anything into the industry. They've just slapped their brand on other people's ideas (nothing new for Microsoft). Instead of Microsoft, I would like to see other companies enter the console market, especially a Western company like Valve Corp or (dare I say it?) Activision.

[Jack of Death]

I agree with you Knight Crawler. How can anyone think it would be good to not have MS. PSN is free and has improved 10 fold since it launched. If there was not competition you would be paying for everything. Sony has improved this gen even though they had the worst console launch ever. Bring prices down and everyone wins.

[Mike134nl]

A competitive gaming market is always good for the market. At least for dedicated gamers, as this means companies will need to focus on exclusive games and innovation; in order to differentiate themselves from the competition.

[Why o why]

I'm with jack, knight and mike on this one. Ms needs to be in the industry whether we like their methods or not as they have brought balance to the industry. I believe without them Sony wouldn't be fighting so hard now. Their services like psn and ps plus may not have been where they're at if there wasn't strong competition. There will be negative aspects but I think the positive ones far outweigh those.

[stuna1]

The game industry was doing just fine before Microsoft entered the console market! If anything they instituted a lot of things that gamers could have done without! For starters a paid online service on consoles.

Then not being able to access the online portion of $60 games you spent your hard earned money on without first paying for said online service.

Making you pay for access to services that you would automatically have access to anywhere else for free.

[NastyLeftHook0]

actually i would.

[kickerz]

@ stuna - well the game industry was doing just fine before Sony came along. Sega, Nintendo and pc were the good old days. Sony fanboys are just annoying, just reading half the comments in this thread I'm like WTF did you even read the article. If you love your playstation that's fine, but why come here and bag Microsoft when we know hardly anything about their next console. It's an article about girl gamers, nothing more nothing less.

[rainslacker]

@Kickerz

Actually the market was becoming stagnant before Sony came along. Sega was struggling big time, and Nintendo wasn't pushing technology fast enough to keep up with the changes in game design that came along with the advent of 3D rendering technologies. Nintendo itself had become complacent with it's place in the market, much like Sony did during the launch of the PS3.

The market wasn't expanding fast enough to keep up with increases in game development budgets...maybe that sounds familiar...if it does it's because it's exactly what is happening right now. On top of that production costs of physical media was sky high because memory prices were more than triple what they were before the mainstream use of CD media.

Sony brought a lot of changes to the entire industry with it's PS1. They opened up developer relations and moved away from the overly draconian Nintendo methods that developers had to deal with because it's what Nintendo did(same thing that made Sega so appealing to publishers). They implemented a standard optical media drive which circumvented memory price fluctuations. And they produced and heavily marketed a console that was considered to be the must have gaming console for 2 generations in a row. On top of that they made a console that people wanted. They expanded the market, and helped publishers cater to a wide variety of gamers, which eventually helped bring more into the fold.

Had Sony not come along(or someone else for that matter) then the gaming industry was on the road to another crash. It was just stopped much earlier than people realized, so everyone assumes that everything was fine and good.

[kickerz]

@ rainslacker thanks for the informative response.
I guess when you put it like that Sony are important to the industry.My main issue I have though is all the negativity towards microsoft/nintendo/pc here in general. If you like nintendo thats fine, if you like sony its fine and if you like xbox its fine.Just enjoy the games. N4G is a good site but I feel if your not a sony fanboy here you just get hammered.

[ALLWRONG]

Only on N4G can they turn women into a negative.

[Tito08]

And only on N4G they know why you're always wrong, just like your username.

[SilentNegotiator]

How is N4G "turning women into a negative"? By pointing out that women being the core of the gaming industry is obviously false? By being unhappy that Microsoft also made a bunch of OTHER comments that lead to the idea of a groan-worthy direction for their next Xbox?

No, you just gulped up some Microsoft comments and created a logic-free argument that makes people disagreeing with your favorite company look like misogynists.

[Bathyj]

If women are negative, then two negatives make a positive.

[MariaHelFutura]

And boom goes the dynamite!!!

[showtimefolks]

Ok MS you have worked hard to make Xbox a very good brand now you gonna mess it up, this time there is no one year ahead start so better get your act together otherwise it's gonna get real ugly real fast

Core audience is still here, the only difference is you haven't done crap for last 3 years besides the usual halo,gears and forza. Lat 3 E3's were tough to watch when it came to ms conference and I don't think it's gonna get better this year either

Ps4 already has a lot of hype behind it by sny announcing it 1st so either step your game or and get left behind

[Thirty3Three]

Can I haz sum bubblez? :D

[abzdine]

you make my wife choose between playing kinect or sit watch me play infamous or heavy rain she'll for sure choose the second option.

[xursz]

Or the third option, you sit back and watch your wife hoola hoop kinect style. Ehhhh?

Honestly I know a total of 0 people interested in a new kinect. I guess it could catch on with teenage girls? But ask Nintendo how long those fads last.

[Xelestial]

What about the fourth option, where your wife plays Infamous or Heavy Rain? Dunno about your household but in mine, we all take turns watching or playing co-op...

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

Looks like me as a gamer won't be focused on by Microsoft. I in turn won't be getting the next box if this proves to be the case.
Nevertheless, I'll wait and see.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

Sony loyalist I am not. I couldn't care less about them in fact. I buy their consoles to play games. That's it.
I use my hard earned money to buy said consoles so SONY don't deserve my loyalty because it isn't like they donated the console to me. Same goes for Microsoft, I don't like them, I like their console and games. Also bought with money so they can suck it in the loyalty department.
I buy and play games. I don't worship companies. I clearly stated that IF it's true then I won't buy the next xbox. Then I said I'd WAIT AND SEE.
Do you have trouble reading and comprehending or did you just see what you wanted to see?
I really don't know how I could have worded that any better to get my point across.

[DigitalRaptor]

@ edonus

What makes this quite funny, is that Good_Guy_Jamal is no Sony loyalist, but you have already pre-determined where his preferences lie. And we all know where your preferences lie so there's no surprise you're always looking on the bright side of Microsoft, even if they're doing the gamer, who built up their presence in this industry, a disservice. The fact remains is that not all of us are so blind to what is considered a poor direction for a GAMING console. Maybe this guy was talking about redefining standards for female characters, but a statement like "women are the new core"? How does that correlate with creating more diverse characters?

lol @ the backpedalling. Sure you didn't mean HE was a loyalist. Suuuure. ;)

[Why o why]

typical edonus
jamal is definitely not a sony loyalist. Not everybody who says something honest against anybody is a loyalist of the other.

[3-4-5]

Women also LOVE Trends and what is " hot ".

Women are the causal ios gamers.....

That doesn't count..

Yea there are some that play other games but I wouldn't shift an entire market towards that viewpoint.

It's phase for some women gamers and if they didn't have their phone most wouldn't even be gaming.

Now that doesn't take into account the millions of women that play normal games.

[Xelestial]

I think I can speak for all women everywhere when I say we'd just prefer that games take both genders into account. You know, just like real life.

And I don't know what having a penis or a vagina has to do with whether or not you can have fun playing a game anyway.

[SDF Repellent]

@shadowgeist00
"He's mainly speaking from HIS company's perspective. "

LOL, like I said earlier, PS3 fanboys are only programed to read the headlines (doesn't matter if it is true or false) and not the actual piece to get the facts. Thanks for your Cooperation. I rest my case. :)

[xursz]

Why are you even still allowed to post? It would be a waste of time to bother talking sense to you.

[Crystallis]

PS3 fanboy this, PS3 fanboy that. Dont you ever get tired of saying the same old things?

"" I rest my case. :)""

you don't rest anything, you spew the same nonsense over and over again.

[kenshiro100]

Wah, wah, teh mean Sony fanboys!
For crying outloud...

[Morgue]

Maybe you should douse yourself with that repellent.

[saint_seya]

I could say "as you are a lil girl u will be covered by MS, so stop your rage against sony supporters", but i dont need to be down to your level to reply you. So im going to do this as an adult #hope u can understand that concept#.

If u want to be heard (i know is hard becouse all the nonsense u talk 24/7 makes it hard to even start to read your comments), try at least, of hearing other peoples thoughs, and come to them with a reply without calling ps3 fanboys. Reply one by one, because not everyone in this site is a ps3 fanboy, and even some are actually 360 owners that are not happy with MS aproach.

In top of that if you keep saying "LOL" at the beggining of all, and having points #that you only think are valid#, you look like an angry child that cant have a real talk, and will be ignored or just downvoted.

PD: By the way, u can call me ps3 fanboy, yet once i said to you i was agree with what u said, u can check in your old posts, because was something that i though was ok. People will hear you, if u have something worth to be heard. Keep that in mind.

PD2: Now on topic, i believe that rumors are just that, im a big fan of sony, as everyone here may know, yet i believe that MS rumors are just that, and their system wont have all the bad things people is saying on those leaks. If theres a reason why im interested in ps4 over next Xbox its just because im a big fun of sony games. People just should wait and see, and not judge by rumors.

[Irishguy95]

No microsoft, your audience didn't leave you behind, you left them behind.

[majedx9]

thy want the "PUSSY" XD

[ichimaru]

did you read the article?

"Nobody in the room admits to being against making characters female or nonwhite," he added. "But they're scared because they don't know how to defend that choice to their bosses."

it literally had nothing to do with ms or the nextbox's approach at E3

[sak500]

@superman

If they damn did what you have said then i'd jump ship and get PS4.. This from 2006 (4 xboxs) fan..

[Dj7FairyTail]

best to wait before calling out PS4 basic.

[Bobby Kotex]

This seems like a dumb move, but I thought Kinect would fail, but it was a huge success due to all the casuals picking up an Xbox. The next Xbox could be huge, but from the leaks/rumors it just won't be for gamers.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

MS says Farcry story narrative is broken and now this. I sense a story driven core game with a female lead in MS future.

[xxLuckyStrike]

Kinect is/was a Band Aid of sorts for the X360. The masses flocked and it now has it's own place. Over 10 Million people adopted Kinect so of course you could expect more NEXT GEN. That still leaves 60-70 Million others who like games.

-SUPERMAN-

Sony went back to basics alright!!. They Ditched everything PlayStation built on for years!!

*Ditched The cell processor
*Canned the XMB
*Added a Kinect looking type camera
*Changed up the DS controller
*Social Apps
*Charging for services next gen.
*Using MS software for developing PS4 games

Sony starting to look a lot like MS right about now. But clearly MS has the Ball

[_-EDMIX-_]

? This is classic Playstation at its core. New ips, along with old ips. This is actually quite normal.

The whole "cell" and "XMB" thing is so stupid, its not even funny. Um....no Playstation system had teh same OS as the last. No PS contorller stayed 100% the same. I'm not sure what you mean "basics'

Sony has already said online will still be free.

Sony is looking NOTHING like MS right now. They have a crap load of studios, are making new IPs and done't have over a dozen studios working on 100% Move games.

Did you ever stop to think MS added a "PS eye" type camera for Kinect? Sony is doing nothing more then adding on to the PS Eye, which is WAY, WAY older then anything MS or Nintendo has done with Motion.

Sony was the first. PS3 has Social apps. I think you need to really look back at your post.

and its 25 million Kinect owners NOT 10.

[TheTwelve]

Oh. Wow. Sony has always made their consoles with grown men primarily in mind. I will trip if Microsoft really begins to shoot for the estrogen market.

12

[Tito08]

I imagine a gaming generation with chicks as the main core, Microsoft could have female only games as exclusive, such ass Ass is Creed, Girls Of War, Metal Girl Solid, Ass Effect, Call of Duty: Bitch Ops, Final Fat-Ass, Bitch For Speed, lol.

[NastyLeftHook0]

I guess its...

Xbox 720 for the girls

PS4 for the men

[S2Killinit]

Yes Fsfsxii the ones that seem to have made a mistake if this article is any indication. But honestly OMG i cant believe this. Although I do want to mention that this guy is probably not an official spokesman for Xbox. But still the fact that they would come out and Say they are going to cater to casuals, it pretty much indicates the general direction they will take the xbox. But I still believe that when they come out with the Xbox they will present it as an "all of the above" consul. In other words, they will claim that it will cater to both hardcore And casual (to do otherwise would be suicide IMO) and yet, the comments are telling of the true intentions of MS as a whole. Someone here mentioned that Sony will also be going after the casual market and I believe that this is true, but I believe that Sony's approach is to cater mainly, to those who are considered core gamers. This is the field that Sony is familiar with, this is the field that Sony is more in tune with and they will want to play to their strengths.

[TheFamous1]

360 was cool for me this gen, but I'm pretty damn convinced Sony is where I'll be at next-gen - and I am excited.

[user7693958]

WII U vs XBOX kinect?
PS4 vs high end Pc's?

[_-EDMIX-_]

LMFAO! Hey MS fan's.....they still rumors now? So, it took Bungie leaving, more then 10 kinect studios being formed, 25 million Kinects sold, numerous rumors by 100% credible sources for you guys to see that MS's going casual?

I knew this tidbit in 2007 when MS just randomly began axing studios left and right.

Nothing in business is done on accident. MS had no plans to renew contracts with a lot of the teams they let go or the ones that "choose" to leave very much knew MS wasn't keeping em.

[LackTrue4K]

i came here to read all the joke/troll comments!!!
lol...

[rainslacker]

The core is still around. The core will always be around. The core is not about race, gender, or ethnicity. The core is about people who play a lot of games and love to do so.

All that being said, I don't believe women make up a large percentage of the core. I say this based on anecdotal evidence of the fact that I rarely see more than 1 female at a midnight release, and hardly ever see them on launch day for any game. I know the core female gamer exists, but they are far from prevalent.

Just because a company decides that another group is more profitable or worth marketing to(which honestly they are), doesn't make them core gamers. It just means that the company wants to focus on a new market segment. That in itself is fine...it worked great for Nintendo...but you can't just change the definition of the word(admittedly ambiguous to begin with) to suit your own needs.

[Bathyj]

Women are not a small niche in gaming anymore. And more good women characters should be in games. Men would enjoy that too.

But they are still a minority. They are NOT the new core.

Anyone who would say they are is just showing how out of touch they are with core gamers.

[dangerousjo33]

i dont know if i agree totally with that. hard core gamers mostly at this point are males but if it well change from males to females oneday we well see. i personally cant wait to see the kinect 2.0 b/c i believe it can help hard core gamers be even more into the game their playing .just think your in a horror game and your about to walk into a house/room and you call out is their anyone there with your real words with the power of the kinect 2.0 or if your about to pick a lock on a game and you do it with your real hands on the screen with the power of kinect 2.o or lets say your playing GTA v and your at a club and they push you on stage stage and your have to really sing and read the words off the screen to keep while singing and you have to make sure to sing all words right inorder to keep the crowd from booing you to past that level. also you can have somthing for kids life story time and as your read to them you both watch in in action on the screen i dont know about you but i think thats next gen to me also might i add with the leaked specs of the next xbox makes it already 10 times more powerful then the xbox360 so the next xbox well most likely be on par with the ps4 so the next xbox well look beautiful.

[Jakens]

I think you will buy a 720. Hence, the Power of Halo.

[KOIMOJO]

I feel like Microsoft going casual may be best for gaming in general. Microsoft will still have a huge market with all the Motion gaming, Sony will have more hardcore players buying the core games, which will in turn give them more support to make more great exclusives. If these companies differentiate which markets they are going for, we will even have less fanboy wars... hopefully... That small percentage of people who really love the xbox ecosystem will be losing out i suppose, but I welcome you guys to playstation once again. Missed ya.

[shoddy]

Sound like next xbox is for girls.
It come standard in pink.

[Jakens]

OK, OK, MS has big plans (for Kinect and such) right? Plans that will come to light within about 30 years. They have started to sell Kinect as a seed to that 30 year goal. What you mentioned is cool but also 30 years off of be worth while.

[majiebeast]

Goodluck with that direction Microsoft. Also weird ass job title.

[Gazondaily]

Sounds like a job title worthy for Morgan Freeman

[Drekken]

MS has their own idea of what they want. Sony obviously owns the hardcore gaming industry. The Ps4 is just going to lock it down like the PS2 did... MS knows this and is going a different route. They started this expedition when Kinect released and there is no looking back.

I am not knocking them for this, but it is not something I choose to be a part of. Good luck to them... hopefully it all works out.

[-Superman-]

Kinect sold more than original Xbox console.
Also, Microsoft got big profit from Kinect, then of cause they are going to casual. They want same what Nintendo got with Wii.
It´s all about money.

[rezzah]

Always is about money, but what matters is what they do to make money.

[MariaHelFutura]

I've been saying this for months.

[Why o why]

Years

Its just cheaper to produce games that dont need new or very technical graphics engines. Kinect is that. Simpler games more money bigger audiece the casuals

[roshi1987]

MS will take the wii casuals, though not in such numbers. Just remember that a big portion of wii gamers have grown up and want something new.

[Dj7FairyTail]

too late now
Nintendo is about to release two casual big name games of theirs.

Wii Fit U
Game & Wario = Game n Watch + WarioWare Franchise

The original Wii Fit sold over 30m
WarioWare games sells over 1m and Game n Watch is classic success.

[Chaostar]

He's right that women make up a large percentage of the core market these days but I get the impression he means it in more of a 'business' sense. Like the fact there are millions of women playing games like farmville so that will become their target audience.

However when I said women make up a lot of the core I meant women who are just as likely to play the next COD and Assassins Creed as the stereotypical 10-25 year old boy.

Hopefully MS realises this too, before they turn their next console into a platform for online bingo and dress up games.

Most likely he's just playing up for the 'hot topic' of women in games at the moment. If they were really serious about changing the image of women in gaming they should do a Nintendo (metroid) and uncover master chief as a woman ;P

[whamlollypop7]

Well I'm going to call it, Sony has won this gen, the previous gen, and the next gen. If I'm wrong hold me accountable, but I'm not.

[DarkZane]

Microsoft took a lot of Sony's market with the 360. Too bad they will not be able to keep it next-gen.

Sony with all the recent news are doing everything to win it and I think they will.

[DigitalSmoke]

Wow, "The new core" ?
Are you shitting me Microsoft?

Listen I'm a Playstation gamer,now and if they stay on course will always be so i enjoy the little back and forwards with the Xbox fanbase.
But never did i expect them getting this abused, not in a million years.
I honestly feel bad for em and that is not meant to be condisending.

The Core isn't "them" Microsoft says, its Females now... Holy shit would i be pissed off as a Halo/Forza/Gears freak.

[rezzah]

Fans of those popular series might end up having to play kinect versions. Yet we still have to directly see the path MS takes during the big reveal.

[_-EDMIX-_]

So....what Edge and other sites are saying are false in terms of the rumors? I...I mean....they weren't about Wii U or PS4's specs...not sure why MS will be any different. Its all but confirmed in my eyes, no system has ever been announced under sure secrecy

[rezzah]

No need to "stutter".

Logically it would make sense to believe the rumors as true, yet it is foolish to think of it as 100% truth.

Also you fail to see that what is revealed is not likely be the entire truth. Meaning, MS likely to have more than what is leaked to be shown.

I am saying we haven't seen everything until we have seen everything.

[DigitalRaptor]

Looks like Microsoft are riding on the "white knight", pro-feminist train, to falsify that they actually care, rather they just want money from that sector of the market. How ever you look at it, that looks to be a casual cash grab tactic , just like with Kinect.

Core gamers are the HUMAN BEINGS that care about meaningful and consistent gaming experiences,the ones with substance. Whether they're male or female is unimportant.

Seriously, is it just me or has every single bit of info released about the 720 and MS's next gen direction been negative? even the ones that are related to Sony bring about negative insinuation: www.destructoid.com/blacklight -dev-sony-is-really-in-to-win-t his-one--249729.phtml

[ichimaru]

so I take it you too didnt read the article -_-

"Nobody in the room admits to being against making characters female or nonwhite," he added. "But they're scared because they don't know how to defend that choice to their bosses."
had nothing to do with ms. just someone who works there comments kn the gaming industry.

[Hicken]

The problem with you picking out that one line is that other quotes- such as the ones that preview the article- hint at more than that.

"Women are the new core."

That, ALONE, speaks volumes about what he thinks. It isn't JUST about main characters. It's about his flawed perception of the WHOLE industry's makeup.

The first paragraph tells you he works for Microsoft, which means WHEN HE SPEAKS, HE SPEAKS FOR MICROSOFT. If they didn't agree with what he was saying, they wouldn't let him speak. And that disproves your claim rather handily. Unless, of course, the site is wrong and he no longer works for them. If he doesn't, then blame the site for getting it wrong.

As it stands, you're flat-out wrong.

Edit: If he still works for Microsoft, and gives a view on the industry, that view then becomes Microsoft's view, unless they disavow it. He didn't say it was his opinion on the industry, and him including lines like "afraid of their bosses" isn't exactly something he could get away with saying unless his own bosses were of an accord with his "opinion."

It makes PERFECT sense, if you've the brains to grasp it.

[ichimaru]

"The first paragraph tells you he works for Microsoft, which means WHEN HE SPEAKS, HE SPEAKS FOR MICROSOFT"
that literally made no sense. that means he works for Microsoft as an employer and is speaking on the industry. no where in the article did he even state" we at Microsoft, or ms or even we. so adding to something complete

[IronFistChinMi]

Can people look beyond the title and read the article? He was talking about the industry as a whole, not just Microsoft.

Check the original articles Gamespot took their quotes from;

http://www.gamesindustry.bi...

http://www.polygon.com/2013...

Notice the difference?

[Donnieboi]

REAL female gamers like REAL games. They might play excercise/motion games too, but when time comes for a real, challenging, narrative-based game, they go to hardcore games. Like my wife: The games she loves the most are some of the toughest, most REWARDING experiences, not easy crap:

Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Mass Effect Trilogy, Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, Monster Hunter PSP, Castlevania SOTN, Valkyria Chronicles 1 & 2, Persona 3 & 4, Tokyo Jungle, Okami, The Walking Dead, Beyond Good & Evil HD, Sly cooper 2 (I think it's part 2), Echo-chrome ps and Zelda Collection (gamecube) and Zelda seasons and ages.

Those games are hard. And hard-core. But rewarding, instead of insulting her intelligence by being overly simplistic.

Why doesn't M$ just make games that women can enjoy, without automatically assuming that it must abandon the core gamer (of either gender)? Casual doesn't have to always = Women.

[contradictory]

i agree with you 100%

[katie_x]

Agree entirely with you! I've played a lot of the games you listed along with God of War, Infamous, Skyrim and Bioshock. Saying women only play simplified 'childish' games is ridiculous and I don't think that was what this article was getting at at all.

[kenshiro100]

I agree 100% as well. Not sure where they're going with that comment.

[roshi1987]

Except a vast number of females prefer casual dancing Kinect to "real" games. That is what he meant by the new core.

Every girl wants to dance with Kinect.

Gamer girls are marginal at best.

[Xelestial]

Can you explain how having an extra X chromosome means girls want to dance with Kinect?

[aLiEnViSiToR]

The brain is what it matters, gamers are unique group and can be ANYONE... even aliens :]

[Xelestial]

And this is why you have a wife.

My husband and I might enjoy games for different reasons, but it doesn't mean we can't enjoy the same games.

[zbg31610]

Games should implement women more into them, however sometimes it's understandable why they aren't. Games are just like movies, and more sepecifically they are mostly like action movies, In action movies, 90% of the big stars are men while in slower or more intimate movies, women are more commonly used than they are in action movies.

And they had articles on women in battlefield yesterday. I'm sorry but you cant play as a woman in the game, well because it is very unrealistic. It isn't common for women to be on the frontlines or in combat.

Society is changing, but we shouldn't overcompensate for the change.

[PS4isKing_82]

This right here tells you a lot about their next gen plans and why they've been so quiet lately.
Women are the new "core"? Sorry Microsoft, I think you just lost half of your userbase with that statement.

No wonder all the devs are going gaga for ps4, they probably know the route Microsoft is going and want no part of it.

[zbg31610]

I agree that it is quite a sweeping statement on their part, but people are making it into things that it isnt. The article says a lot of women are playing games now, and then it says that developers need to start including female characters and implementing them. The guy never says about making games dumb and childish for women, that is simply people connecting dots and making speculation about the whole Kinect focus and everything.

At least if you are going to trash Microsoft, do it for the right reason (like everything you have to pay for, the new always on feature, the always connected to Kinect feature, the lack of exclusives, the supposedly weak specs), not for them pushing for female characters to make it into some games.

[fsfsxii]

Goodluck with that M$
All the casuals are having a smart phone and playing Angry birds or whatever.
If the cablebox720 is really like this, the PS4 will dominate the next gen

[R_aVe_N]

"cablebox720" LMAO that cracks me up a little XD. It kinda sounds fitting by the rumors everywhere. Oh well guess we will wait and see.

[Donnieboi]

Dude! I'm totally calling it CableBox720 from here on out! Brilliant!

[kenshiro100]

I lol'd.

[blackyeti]

Being a gamer, I find it hard to see what's funny about cable box 720. Fanboys of Xbox could've easily called the ps3 a playBluRay3 but that's wouldn't have been funny either. Either become more creative or stop talking down a company that made your favorite company get their heads out their asses

[G20WLY]

^blackyeti, you're partially correct, "playBluRay3" isn't funny...

[CEOSteveBallmer]

So if women are the new core? What games are they planning to release? Well Goodluck to MS...

[katie_x]

Funnily enough, women actually do play the same games as guys do! :) Also, I know many males who play angry birds and other iphone 'casual' games. It works both ways, you can't generalize.

[Jakens]

Goddess of Peacetime!! Comming soon.

[JasonKCK]

women hold the majority in this world. it would be stupid for ms not to capture some of that market. women spend and shop more than men. this is a smart move by ms, something nintendo and apple has exploited for years.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

Yes women are more in numbers than men but you cannot deny still I can say 60% "Hardcore" gamers are male. Gaming is for everyone but you cannot also deny that its more of a male thing just like cars, techs and stuff but women are very very welcome to join in. One good example is you. Are you not a male gamer??

[IronFistChinMi]

You can say 60% of hardcore gamers are male and be correct, however, hardcore gamers are a minority in gaming. Take the Wii for example, or The Walking Dead: SI, who made that game a success? Casuals who don't pay attention to gaming sites of conferences, that's who.

[HailSithis]

Sure, attracting to woman is an added selling point. But let's not forget the fact that most woman, and even core gamers, aren't going to fork over the amount of money that is a next-gen console. It's usually just something they'd like to have, not need. Only the hardcore gamers, the vast majority of us, will gladly pay the price of a next-gen console.
I don't know how microsolft will succeed at launch if their main focus is apps and kinect, and not actual gaming. If this is their main focus, the console will have to be much cheaper than the PS4 to gain any kind of sales. I play on the 360, and I sure hope they announce their console soon, becuase even the rumors are dissapointing, and the PS4 is looking really good. All I know is, Sony is doing it right, let's hope microsoft goes back to their roots, and focus's on actual gaming and exclusives.

[jizzyjones]

Maybe MS goin for the housewives, CableBox 720

[Wizziokid]

If they focus on Kinect I'm out.

[e-p-ayeaH]

Microsoft is really starting to get delusional with this sorta thing.

Maybe american woman/girls might approve their new "console" but im sure i wont.

[LostDjinn]

This is just insulting. The term "Core Gamer" is defined by player habits, not gender.

[cleft5]

I like the fact that they wont to include more women and minorities as main characters. However, if they are only going to be doing that for marketing purposes than they are repeating the same mistakes they are making with mainly using a white male characters.

A character's ethnicity or gender should matter on a much deeper level than simply appealing to the mass market. When it doesn't, people do notice and question what is even the point of the character. A pointless character, be it a white male or a minority/woman, is still a pointless character that simply wont connect with the player on a deeper level.

I am Black, yet a lot of the characters I absolutely love are white. The thing is, when I am thinking about a character that appeals to me I don't look at their skin color, but their actions. My Commander Shepard was the default white male in ME3 and I loved him. I created a Black male Shepard for ME1 and ME2 simply because I could, but I always thought of Shepard as being either the default White Male or White Female.

When Gears 1 came out I hated Coletrain because he felt completely like a pointless token character. Then in Gears 2, they did a lot of character development with Coletrain and I started to like him. In Gears 3 they continue on that path and now Coletrain is my favorite character in the Gears series.

Character development makes a good character, not ethnicity or gender.

[Smootherkuzz]

Women play all games right now but more are jumping on the ride. The women in my house play all types of games even Kinect games.They have their own consoles and I have my own,sometimes we all play each other or co-op.I think MS and Sony,Wii is on the right track.They are not just gaming console for us guys anymore,times are changing.I have been gaming since the beginning of video games and still have Atari,Sega systems(3d),Intellivision,etc. I had to share with the females in family since video games started.If more titles are made for them so be it, that's not saying that the so called core games are gonna stop coming from MS or who ever makes them. A bigger problem is that games is getting stale across the board for all consoles,lack of new in game ideas.Iam a old gamer and I welcome Kinect because it adds something different, is it perfect? No all gaming materal has its flaws. Lets wait and see whats coming.

[InTheLab]

I'm sure a lot of you looked at that picture, which is very deceptive, and read the headline...then came to post. This "interview" is really just a guy saying how the industry needs to be more mindful of who comprises the core and how woman are no different from male gamers.

He does not mention Kinect or casual. In fact, the picture in the story is Elizabeth from Bioshock and the dude being interviewed questions why developers must beg their bosses to do anything that's not white and male.

I'd be a hypocrite if I just bashed you guys for not reading, as I do it all the time. So instead, I'll bash the headline and picture for being misleading.

[Bigkurz85]

ummm...what?

[TheKayle1]

my sister played lineage 2 league of legends aion tera guild wars2 and she was OP at this games..there r a lots of noobs players in the male market..there r a lots of noobs players in the female market...this dont ruin the "core".....

ppl need to grow up ....:) and to find a girl that know how to play videogames

[cyclindk]

Girlfriend's likes:

Sims

Battlefield 3 (but only camping on a platform in the subway tunnel map with a light machine gun and 200 rounds in the clip).

Tiny Zoo (app store)

Hay Day (app store)

My Singing Monsters (app store)

Various card and board games

Jet Pack Joy Ride I think...

[Clarence]

Wow hardcore Xbox fans are in trouble. Kinect excercise games and a cable box is what M$ seems to be offering.

I agree that women are getting into gaming more, but if you notice they are playing the same type of games that we the men are playing. They didn't get into gaming for the casual games.

I'm in school for illustration and every women in my class talks about nothing but action games. The reason is because the want to design these types of games. I have yet to hear anyone of them say anything positive about the casual market.

M$ is assumption that women want casual and excercise games will backfire.

[greenpowerz]

They're after the up for grabs Wii fanbase. I don't think Nintendo will hold on to its Wii base next generation(in 2013 and beyond).

Also this was taken out of context. He was saying women gamers as a whole in the industry. No one said they're dropping support for men and hardcore gamers LMAO As if MSFT can't cater to more than one demographic at once. People attack MSFT for being able to do both so well and suddenly!, when no other company can, smearing and spinning MSFT agenda/success.

This site has gone to hell in a hand bag. xbox gamers being banned for little or nothing & being marked for trolling etc, while PS3 fans run around savagely personally attacking xbox gamers trolling in historic numbers saying the N word etc calling people other names using slander getting *well said*

The MSFT Dude just said women are becoming a big part of gaming and the game content doesn't keep them in mind. Why do you think Nintendo did so well? There content was more universal.

Is there something wrong with some games having toned violence and more cerebral gameplay design and story or simple easy to pick up gameplay?

All developers in the industry on all platforms doing what I said above doesn't mean MSFT will ditch the hardcore(MEN and their violent games LMAO)

One of the things that might be confusing the fanatical PS3 fans in here is that MSFT has a more diverse fanbase. Perhaps PS3 fans are a little stuck in the past considering Sony's base. PS3's fanbase is probably mostly kids, men that lean audiophile/videophile(Blu-ray/ perceived best tech) and people that love Japanese culture that like Anime etc and might not get out much.

[FunkMacNasty]

"He was saying women gamers as a whole in the industry. No one said they're dropping support for men and hardcore gamers"

True, BUT.. 'core' gamers are defined as 'gamers' not men, women, black gamers, white gamers etc.. So that 30% of 'core'female gamers that he talks aboutare still gonna wanna play the Battlefields, Uncharteds, Killzones, Halo's, Halflife's, etc.. not Kinectimals 2.

What he is really alluding to is that he feels that MS should focus on games that attract a female demographic. that makes me think of the games my wife and mother enjoy.. iPhone/tablet games and Kinect games.. in other words "casual" games. Because if a 'core' gamer happens to be a female, I'm thinkning she's not gonna want kinect games and Angry Birds and Bejeweld console games

[Clarence]

Playstation fans aren't stuck in the past. From the start Sony has made games that reach out to all the diverse fans. Casual or hardcore.

M$ is leaving in the past if anything. That casual market that they are trying to win seem to be dying out. It's fine if you want to apeal the casual market but the core market is what made you.

The PS3 fan base has less kids than the M$ fan base. When I was playing gears that's all I heard was little kids online. So don't start that BS

Also if the only Japanese people, and tech people who like blu ray, why it that the PS3 has outsold the 360 in Europe as well as the WW?

Why is it that the PS3 software total continues to increase every year?

Kick rocks troll

[pete007]

so, the glorious ps3 launch with no titles or sub par ones for atleast 2 years, you say they started leter this gen, thats completely sony´s fault and they finally reached MS at the end of the generation, witch to you may mean that it´s now that the fun begins.....
this generation is over two years ago, maxed out, blocking software development, and dont tell me about scripted gameplay games cause back on the days of ps1 ps2 we already had kute games, now that you have some real hardcore visual pre-experience(KZSF, etc,etc) you decide to come out and climb an abandoned throne, that doesn t even belongs to you by rights.
just a side by side
i played gt5 on a g25 and i used to enjoy the eternal loading times and network crashes, the 5 minutes + waiting just to have a 3 min fun,
then i tryed FORZA 4 on a fanatec csr elite setup, an i say FUCK!!! give me a game that feels more real and adrenaline rush than that.
go back to your cave

[pete007]

if there was a word to express the gratitude for this comment i would use it, instead ill use a simple thanks
keep on the good fight, even with a neutral and pacific comment you get lots of disagrees, that says everything,
this site has become a club

[rainslacker]

So close green. You were so close to making a really valid point that was based in reality and not biased towards any one system. It was even a good point. But you just had to bring the console wars into it. Why do you do that?

Anyhow

Whenever any company(MS, Sony, EA, etc) say they're going to bring more games to the non-core crowd, or focus on things like F2P, social, or casual games, they pretty much get hated on by people on all forums and on all sides of the fence. It goes against our overall nature, and it's seen as a simplification of gaming overall in the interest of including more people(something that has been a constant complaint this entire gen). Basically it is the execs deciding that the appropriately defined "core"(those of us who buy a lot of games), are just an after thought because we're likely to buy games anyhow.

There is nothing wrong with trying to cater to more than one market, Sony and Nintendo have done it for years. Even MS supported more than one market, and by all 3 doing so it has increased the market base of gaming overall, making it profitable for more developers and publishers.

The only thing I took issue with is the re-branding of the term core...a term which is ambiguous at best. I also take issue with the fact that to cater to women you have to change something that women may not want changed. If "core" games are changed to appeal to a different demographic, then are they still core games, at least by today's definition.

Every attempt should be made to include more people into the gaming community. core, hardcore, casual, women, men, black, white, whatever. To try and maintain the status quo means everything we like will stagnate.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

By core I think MS means their new core focus rather than talking about hardcore games/gamers.

The phrasing seems intentionally designed to ruffle feathers. This is just getting silly.

[abzdine]

well done MS! Deliver games stop talking!
What are the games that characterize Microsoft?

Gears of War
Halo

Now talk about women is the core!

[Picnic]

Just like all those Wii owners were the core for Nintendo? They haven't upgraded to the WiiU in large numbers yet have they?

A core market is not what comprises a large percentage of your buyers. It's really the percentage who buy more than 1 product of the same kind from you. They're the ones who may stick around when all the rest may fade away to not gaming at all or to trying whatever is regarded as that season's most novel gimmick amongst their not necessarily loyal to a product circle of acquaintances.

I absolutely admire the Kinect and how the Xbox has, actually from the start (although often quietly) catered to family tastes. But you don't have to equate that to 'women's tastes'. It's still the 'more sensitive' males who will account for most of the artsier, less knuckle-headed, games selling, not girls.

[TuxedoMoon]

Just don't make a female character for the sake of making a female character for a game. Have a good intention for them! I'm glad to see that they want more different character instead of your typical white male hero, but I just don't want to see half-baked characters just there to be there.

Did playing as Joanna Dark in Perfect Dark 64 suddenly make more women pick up an n64? Nope! Did Tomb Raider (2013) suddenly make women pick up a console to play this game? NOPE!
I just don't think that a female leads will make girls play games. When anyone sees a game, they see the game and say "That looks cool, I want to jump in and play too." I've never seen someone look at a game and say, "That character is interesting enough to make me play the game."

The first thing you see with a game is either gameplay (action) or the cover. A Casual gamer doesn't go to gaming sites and just look at the cover or see the ads and buy it based off of that. If the game LOOKS cool or the character on the box LOOKS cool, then they'd buy it. We were all like that back in the days of no internets.

[PirateThom]

So, your choices next gen are

"Women are the new core"
Or
"Core gamers are our primary audience.”

Brilliant.

[Exias]

I think Microsoft has truth in their statement that women have expressed more interest in gaming over the past few years. I think the problem is that most women prefer to game on more casual platforms, like mobile and tablets, over consoles. I came across this article a few days ago on that emphasizes this topic.

http://www.bizreport.com/20...

I think women just want something fun to play for short periods of time. It would be tough to convince women to spend $60 on a game that requires extended game play and to commit several hours of gaming in one sitting. I could see small and cheap downloads, like apps, from either virtual store being better suited for women. I'd love to see more women spending more time gaming, I just haven't seen or heard of this happening lately.

[BrianC6234]

My mom and sister are both really into gaming. On iPads. They don't own a console. I agree with you. Console gaming is still mostly guys. Not just but mostly.

[dcbronco]

@Exias

The reality is that if gaming is changing that much, Microsoft is making a smart move. The idea that they are only focused on casual is stupid. It's made by short-sighted fanboys with no business sense. And it's made ignorant of the fact Sony is making some of the same moves.

I think what MS is doing is smart. They are making Xbox gaming a factor in console households and beyond. If the rumors are true of a set-top box with casual gaming and the ability to play Xbox games on all platforms are true. They are establishing the Xbox name across many platforms. Sony plans to use Gaikai in the same way.

Microsoft's approach of using a modular chip that can be placed in many products is just a different way of doing the same thing. And MS will have a streaming service for games also. The MS leak from last year showed TV's cableboxes, phones and the console. By using an AMD APU that will soon be in Tablets and phones(MS makes it own tablet now) they can use their games on all platforms.

There was also a rumor a few years ago about software MS was working on to make a games scale to the power available. That would be perfect for this type of eco-system. Buy one digital copy that will scale across all of those devices.

[Roper316]

the new MS core crowd & the current core 12 year old foul mouth racists crowd should hit it off real well.

[TXIDarkAvenger]

If Xbox doesn't reveal some real "core" ips, then I'm done with Xbox. If they want to go that direction, then fine.

[USMC_POLICE]

And that's the game! Folks Microsoft just handed Sony next generation.

[BrianC6234]

This isn't true if you're talking about console gaming. It might be true if you mean mobile games and things like the iPad. Is Microsoft going to dump console games and switch to devices?

[swice]

If this is true, then next-gen:

Sony is for the Core
Microsoft is for kids
Nintendo is for nostalgia.

...I think I'll have to go with Sony/Nintendo next gen. Halo made me buy both the original Xbox and 360, which I doubt will be the case for Halo V and the 720.

Times are...strange

[ShiftyLookingCow]

Going with Sony(a year or two after launch) and Nintendo(a few years later when there are a bunch of Ninty classics on the system) for the next gen.

I don't really care about MS this time.

[GraveLord]

LOLOLOLOL!

Glad Microsoft finally admits where its focus lies.

[Rikus]

Go home microsoft, you're drunk.

[brighthand]

Some girls are into hardcore gaming; this is actually old news since I currently play BC2 sometimes with a girl, and I know some other girls that like action movies and/or play Skyrim and such. However, that doesn't negate the fact that the majority of core gamers STILL consists primarily of men (which can be attributed to biology- all that testosterone actually has a bearing on how our brain works), which would affirm a developers decision to create games FOR said audience, which results in a "male-centric" medium. -btw, girls who play hardcore games are hot and no less women than women who do not.

Strangely enough, I am noticing an increasing demand on developers to shift focus away from the very audience (majority being male), that buys their games, to the small contingent of females present at the party. It is fine if the developers wanted to do that for whatever reason, but the instant it becomes a constant expectation, we head into quotas and numbers territory: the land of the politically correct and the special interests people. What follows afterwards is a high degree of censorship and a paradoxical reduction of freedom and imagination in a medium whose very heart-beats are ironically driven by just that.

I conclude by saying that women are NOT the "new core." We guys are still here and still playing the games we love to play, that women *typically* do not. Our preferences for games may put us in the minority, as compared to the new spectrum of game-categories in today's world, but we are still here and we are still the core. And that is why most of the characters are men; they are an extension of ourselves -albeit much stronger, faster, harder, better.

one more thing: I'm a male of mixed heritage (indian, African, French, Hispanic, etc.), and I hate political-correctness, "equal opportunity" for non-caucasians, and feminist ideology- their arguments most times discard logic and nature in favor of emotionality and numbers.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

Man everytime MS opens their pie hole it makes me want that PS4 even more. MS do yourself a favor and STFU!!!

[HalfNerdHalfAmazing]

I agree with the current gen I went with the Xbox 360 and with the next gen MS convincing me to buy a PS4

[HalfNerdHalfAmazing]

I don't mean to disrespect females but let be honest here most females gamers are casual gamers

[_FantasmA_]

Not just that but contrary to what feminazis and misandriasts may think, women do play games like Resident Evil and Call of Duty as well as other hardcore games. We don't need to cater to them just for the sake of spreading the feminism disease. Men and women will play a game regardless.

[mcknight8279109]

Men never Grow up, women are there to pull us away from the game when they want that 4th letter, There is no way women are the new core lol. How many moms are gonna sit there and play GTA and COD ALL DAY LONG like a dude would? Like come on its not even feasible. Males will always be the core because almost all games are violent and men are violent beings. It's some psychology in this but im not getting into all of that. Bottom line is that women are NOT the new core and never will be

[Jek_Porkins]

The funny part is that nobody who is trolling this article probably bothered to read it. The guy who is talking is a writer for video games, and is mentioning female characters and how their is a lack of them in gaming.

Since this guy works for Microsoft and we are going to see a new console this year, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a game or two with a female lead. This guy is in no way insinuating that Microsoft is abandoning core gamer's, hell Halo 4 is the quickest Halo to 8 million sold, I highly doubt they are going to stop altogether or disallow third parties from putting their games on the next Xbox, so all you haters need to stop already.

The fact of the matter is the next Xbox will play 90+% of the same exact games as the PS4, Microsoft will have all the usual suspects for core gaming and a lot of nice new ones as well. Will they offer something for families and casuals? If they are smart they certainly will, I mean it looks like Sony is, with that light up controller, camera, and new social network features, and it looks like the Move will be a part of what the PS4 has to offer, I think it's just how things are now days.

Just try and read entire articles and try not to take headlines out of context, this guy also isn't a high executive or anything like that.

[davez82]

It only takes one wrong thing to come out of someones mouth. I don't think we'll see this guy doing any interviews anytime soon, or ever for that matter. His line was taken out of context, but he still said what he said and it was a pretty bold statement.

[Jek_Porkins]

You know what, I forgot the part where this guy (writer for MS Studios) is a big wig head honcho for Microsoft and also speaks for the direction they are going.

This site is so full of it sometimes I cant help but laugh. People read headlines and don't bother to get the context or see who the guy is talking?

Continue being ignorant and thinking the world will bow to Sony, ignore the fact that Microsoft has a strong following and we haven't seen a single damn thing on the next Xbox, just rumors and a bunch of speculation.

[davez82]

Sony approves

[from the beach]

Reading between the lines, I wonder if this suggests a female lead character for Microsoft's next gen game -- Joanna Dark?

[g2gshow]

wooooooooooooooooooooow!!!! naaaaaa they are not that stupid naaaaa ill wait till e3. an they better come hard real hard with the spec's games an free xbox live for long time members something or i'm done .an playstaion will be my new home i'm at the cross road an sony starting to look a lot like the yellow brick road. sure as hell not buying a wii for around the same price as a nextgen console

[pete007]

there is no statement regarding next box, all you guys do is dreaming about next box day and night,
we know nothing about next xbox. and its funny to see how a 94% accurate Rumor can represent the absolute truth.
i do realy have the time of my life here at n4g, remember that x360 has no games cuzz all teams are working on next gen titles long ago, the first job propositions for next gen systems have started 3 years ago, so, if you wanna bash, do it decently with facts, dont whast some inteligent people´s time, cause even if we dont want to read your nonsense, were forced to

[kostchtchie_]

this is great news for Xbox, congratulations..

/snicker

[ironmonkey]

Well sony did say ps4 is a mans console. I guess ms chose to be the girly one.

[AceofStaves]

Whenever I see articles like this talking about the demographic of the 'woman' gamer, I cringe. I'm a woman, and I've been gaming for decades. I started long before females were seen as a demographic to be 'catered' to. I play 'casual' games. I play 'hardcore' games. I play on consoles, handhelds, and PC.

If console developers want to cater to my tastes, all they have to do is release great games with strong narratives and engaging gameplay. Polished sound and visuals are also a plus. In other words, make games for gamers in general, instead of trying to focus on a particular subset of gamers.

[rainslacker]

The thing is edonus, when someone says they are going to cater to a particular demographic, they often do so in the most shallow way possible. The catering is done by a formalistic redesign of a product, and that redesign is done by committee of board members(or group of game developers), that feel they know what it is that a particular demographic wants.

Think about this...what appeals to a huge number of teenage girls nowadays? The answer is Twilight. What about older women...50 shades of grey. Neither is engaging, or really indicative of real women at all. When a committee goes to make something to appeal to them, this is the kind of thing they will believe is what will bring in this burgeoning demographic. Does the prospect really seem that good now?

What Ace is saying is that, as a women, she appreciates games the way they are. There is nothing more to be done to cater to her core gaming habits because they are already doing it with strong narratives and engaging game play. It's the same thing that engages a majority of core male gamers, because in the end, we are the core. Race and sex have nothing to do with it.

[AO1JMM]

HILARIOUS!!!!!

[CoryHG]

Am I the only one that pictures that girl pooping her pants in the picture?

[gano]

everybody has an opinion on what this mean. Their female interpretation as some cats put it here is wrong. ms never offered anything to the gaming world, nothing. some keep saying that competition shyt, how do u compete with someone who doesn't like the same sport as you. ms was never a gaming company. women been awesome in games since parasite eve. Has anyone played secret of mana, oni, tomb raider.
I have a hunch what they on, if u are a ms fan get ready for a vasaline trip.
Unless they know with kinect they plan on spying on single moms, and milfs all day..........Go for it microsoft!

[_FantasmA_]

And Micro$oft is the new Sega!!! RIP soon

[Th3 Chr0nic]

this will work for them to start but when the fad wears off they will regret it as the biggest mistake they ever made

[cheetah]

Uh oh! Sounding more like Nintendo's Wii PR more and more each day. If MS go all casual this gen they are going to be left behind. It may mean quick bucks but it ruins your legacy.

[ShaunCameron]

Exactly. Just like the current music industry. No wonder why I barely acknowledge it.

[Max-Zorin]

Last time I checked, the core come in both genders and all shades. And always will.

[stage88]

Go away Microsoft. Just go away and never come back.
PS, I've seen they've just ruined hotmail with this new metro Outlook crap.

F you Microsoft.

[generalthadeape]

Oh God-- first it was the "old people" (with the Wii) & now it is the "women" (with the Kinect)?!?!

I just might sit this next generation out, if this keeps up.

Microsoft better stop this foolishness with a quickness-- because it's seriously getting out of hand now.

[MadMen]

MS who are you kidding, YOU have abandon the core, which put you in business for ga

You are leaving me with little reason to adopt you come next gen.

[illustratedDEO]

LOL AT THE HEADLINE LMAO WTH MICROSOFT

[UnitSmiley]

We all need to wait to see what Microsoft shows at E3, but seriously. This doesn't sound good. Just sounds like more confirmation of the fears many have been having about Microsoft for the last few years, that their focus has shifted to the casuals.

[devilhunterx]

XB3 will have boobs? Day 1 purchase!

[jakmckratos]

Even if this was true female gamers don't like games that suck. MS needs to stage a comeback.

[memots]

soo ... women are the new core of gaming .. ok ..

[LAWSON72]

Yeah your old fans are leaving you behind because you gave them shit that they dont want. I used to love my 360 but it is just crappier and crappier every year so now i am trying to primarily game on my pc.

[erikthegman]

M$ should release a fridge with an Xbox 720 built in. That way women can play games while making me a sandwich