There aren’t too many nice guys in the upper echelons of corporate gaming, but Phil Spencer sure seems like he’s one. In a recent interview on The Verge’s Decoder podcast with Nilay Patel, he admitted there’s not much that could convince him to quit his career, but tribalism in gaming just might do it.
The hour-long interview meandered over a wide range of topics, from the recent next-gen console launch to Spencer’s gaming philosophy. At one point, Patel noted that the latest console launches seem to have reignited the console wars, with some Sony fans purchasing an Xbox Series X just to “smash it with a hammer” on social media.
It’s really stupid, and Spencer agrees.
“To be honest, I love the industry I’m in. This is the job I love. My wife will tell me it’s the only job I’m qualified for, but this is definitely the job I love,” said Spencer. “But that tribalism in the industry, if there was anything that would ever drive me out of the industry, it’s actually that, what you’re talking about.”
Spencer went on to say that some people “on both sides” of the console war have taken their tribalism “to a destructive level.”
“I’ve said before, that I find it distasteful, but maybe that is too light. I just really despise it. I don’t think we have to see others fail in order for us to achieve the goals.”
He did admit that the console wars do seem to be getting better, noting that there’s more crossplay between platforms than ever before. It’s also a boom-time for gaming with coronavirus driving sales of pretty much anything game-related to record levels. It might just be social media that’s amplifying the worst offenders, but gaming today has never been more together.
Of his own Xbox Series X, Spencer said that “demand is just incredibly high right now.” Microsoft built more Series Xs than Series Ss in preparation for the holidays, but Spencer sees that trend switching to higher sales of Series Ss in the spring and summer.
For more, head on over to The Verge to read the full transcript or listen to the Decoder podcast.
Source: The Verge
