Microsoft Studios’ Phil Spencer recently came out with some kind words for Sony and Nintendo.
When I think of competition between consoles my mind tends to wander to the things like “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” or Crash Bandicoot yelling at a building through a blow horn. That being the case, besides some early sniping, the competition between the Xbox One and PS4 has arguably been kind of cordial. Sony described Microsoft as being “smart”, the Xbox team congratulated Sony on the successful launch of the PS4; it almost feels like we’re just a few compliments short of a bonfire-lit Kumbaya session.
That said, Phil Spencer, the corporate vice-president for Microsoft Studios, has come out with yet more inter-console praise. “I really respect [Sony’s] focus on investing in new things and creative things, what they’ve done with David Cage and Quantic Dream around Beyond [Two Souls] and Heavy Rain; they stay committed to franchises even if they don’t sell 10 million units, they’ll stay committed to things,” he said. He also offered praise to his competitors for the way they handled the reveal and launch of the PS4. “When I think about their announcement, their clear focus on a customer, leading with the value proposition of what they’re trying to do, staying true to a vision, I think they’ve done a nice job in how they defined the PS4.”
Spencer’s commendations weren’t just limited to Sony however, he also had some kind words for Nintendo. “Their first-party is such an amazing asset,” he said. “Their first party studios and IP can lead what they do as a company and the platforms are almost in service to the IP – not in a bad way.” While we can’t pretend to say what’s driving this wave of warm-and-fuzzy dealings between the big game hardware makers, we will say that we like it and hope it continues. Maybe if we’re lucky the fans will follow suit.
Source: OXM
