Xbox boss: “I don’t think there’s a first-party out there that has the strength of IP that Nintendo has”
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 40 Comments
Eurogamer recently spoke with Xbox boss Phil Spencer. When the site asked if exclusive games are needed to sell hardware and pointed out the Wii U should be selling more if that’s the case, Spencer responded:
On the Wii U, I think people downplay how many units they’ve sold. I’ve got a Wii U, I think there’s some great games on there. I think Splatoon’s a really nice game and I don’t think there’s a first-party out there that has the strength of IP that Nintendo has. They’re always a beacon to me when I look at what it means to build a first-party portfolio of products, they’ve done a great job.
This isn’t the first time Spencer has praised Nintendo. Back in January 2014, he also spoke about the company’s franchises with high regard.
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Microsoft “completely discounted Nintendo” when releasing the Xbox 360 due to GameCube’s performance
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, News, Wii | 103 Comments
The latest episode of IGN’s Podcast Unlocked features an interview with former Microsoft executive Peter Moore and Xbox boss Phil Spencer. At one point of the podcast, they reflected on the launch of the Xbox 360. Moore noted that Microsoft “completely discounted Nintendo” when bringing out the console due to the performance of the GameCube.
Here’s a roundup of everything that was mentioned:
“I also then remember the E3 when, God bless, Kaz Hirai and Jack Tretton announced $599, and we were all back stage like ‘Woohoo!’ We knew then we had an opportunity to get ahead, drive ahead, get our games out quickly and get that lead. And I always said that the first to 10 million wins.” – Moore
“It was one of the greatest times of my career. You had to build a team, because we were growing then. We had prematurely put the Xbox to sleep, we needed to get ready for this and we knew what we needed to do. We had a three-day meeting at the Sheraton in Bellevue where we wargamed the scenario, and I actually played Ken Kutaragi. And we brought in a consultancy, it was a lot of fun. And the one thing we’d forgotten about, I don’t know if you remember this Phil [Spencer], we completely discounted Nintendo. Because they came off the GameCube and it was a disaster.” – Moore
“…and they destroyed both of us!” – Spencer
“Yes, with the Wii. But we wargamed for three days, what are you going to do, what do the launch titles look like, what are the marketing budgets, what is the positioning? And it was a fascinating experience which I’ll never forget. And this is a decade ago. And I actually played Ken, and my job was to destroy the launch of the Xbox 360.” – Moore
Of course, you can’t really bank on anything these days! Although the GameCube was far from Nintendo’s most-successful console, we all know what happened with Wii.
More: interview, Microsoft, Peter Moore, Phil Spencer
Xbox boss likes the idea of Banjo being included in next Smash Bros. DLC
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 56 Comments
It’s unlikely to happen, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer seems very much open to the idea of Banjo being included in the next round of Smash Bros. DLC.
Spencer told on fan on Twitter today:
@PedroDarkinson I think it would be cool if Banjo was in the next SSB DLC. We've worked with Nintendo on Rare IP before, no issues.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 3, 2015
Let’s just say that Nintendo was also open to featuring Banjo in the upcoming Smash Bros. DLC. Is that something you guys would like to see happen?
Microsoft has talked with Nintendo and others about combating DDoS attacks
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 9 Comments
Last Christmas, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network suffered from DDoS attacks. Such attacks on network services have resulted in conversations between companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer, speaking with Game Informer, discussed how nothing is gained when a rival service goes down.
He said:
All it does is put the fear and distrust from any gamer that’s out there, so I look at all of us together as this is our collective opportunity to share what we can about what we’re learning and how things are growing. Those conversations happen, which I think is great.
Nintendo has been relatively unaffected by network attacks. We can only hope the situation remains the same going forward!
More: Microsoft, Phil Spencer
Microsoft Studios’ Phil Spencer praises Nintendo
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer sounded off positively about Nintendo while speaking with OXM.
Spencer was asked by the magazine what he’s learned from the Big N as well as Sony in its latest issue. Regarding Nintendo, the Microsoft Studios corporate vice-president praised Nintendo’s development teams and strong stable of franchises.
He said:
“Nintendo, I think – and there’s some argument about this – that their first-party is such an amazing asset. 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.
“They have such iconic stories and this will seem somewhat random, but when we go back and do something like Killer Instinct, a little bit of the history of your franchise can actually be important part of people feeling connected. Obviously the history of Killer Instinct isn’t a history on Xbox, but it’s Rare’s history and I think the reaction when we announced it on-stage at E3 showed that playing to the people’s heart, I think Nintendo does that as well as anybody in terms of hitting the franchises and having huge success with them.”
