It's Time To Stop Giving Xbox Boss Phil Spencer A Pass (Opinion) (kotaku.com)
from Hdcase@beehaw.org to gaming@beehaw.org on 07 May 2024 19:11
https://beehaw.org/post/13653722

#gaming

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FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today on 07 May 2024 19:43 next collapse

Idk, Kotaku isn’t exactly a good source for ethics in this industry. They list something that every single large game company does: buy studios, move talent around, close the old studios. They also talk about how he claims to champion preservation and emulation, something we all agree with.

I vote he stays.

scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech on 07 May 2024 19:50 next collapse

Yeah their head editors just left saying that they were being forced to write lower quality stories and things with agendas. I wouldn’t trust Kotaku much anymore.

Hdcase@beehaw.org on 07 May 2024 22:34 collapse

No one’s asking you to trust them.

scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech on 07 May 2024 22:57 collapse

Just as a heads up, when you post an article, unless otherwise stated, you are telling people that the source can be trusted. So, yes in a way you are asking us to trust them

regul@lemm.ee on 08 May 2024 00:27 collapse

It’s an opinion piece. This isn’t reporting. It says “Commentary” up at the top of the article.

I think you can “trust” when someone tells you that their opinion is actually their opinion. That’s the only question of “trust” here.

There’s an op-ed in the NYT right now titled At the Met Gala, Celebrities Are Nearly Nude. Are We Not Aroused? Do you trust that?

dsemy@lemm.ee on 07 May 2024 23:35 next collapse

They list something that every single large game company does: buy studios, move talent around, close the old studios.

Not every large game company acts this way. This is also not what he did at all - he didn’t restructure the studios after buying them, he closed them and laid off their employees.

They also talk about how he claims to champion preservation and emulation, something we all agree with.

He’s a known liar (just a year ago he claimed Arkane will continue to polish Redfall, now Arkane Austin has closed before giving people DLC they already paid for)

Phil Spencer has been the head of Xbox for a decade, a decade where Xbox consistently got worse. The only smart decision they made this entire time is Game Pass IMO.

FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today on 07 May 2024 23:45 next collapse

Not every large game company acts this way.

I’d like you to name a large game company that hasn’t done this, I’m not aware of a single one.

This is also not what he did at all - he didn’t restructure the studios after buying them, he closed them and laid off their employees.

Incorrect, employees are being moved to different studios. I’m unaware how many, if any, are being laid off. For example, Roundhouse is being assigned to Zenimax who run Elder Scrolls Online which is admittedly actually a pretty cool game.

He’s a known liar (just a year ago he claimed Arkane will continue to polish Redfall, now Arkane Austin has closed before giving people DLC they already paid for)

A corporate hack who is in touch with what gamers want is still better than some other out of touch corporate shill, as the state of gaming exemplifies every single day. On the subject of Redfall, it’s no surprise that studio got shut down after the incredible failures at launch, they clearly were never qualified to work on the title anyways, and that’s hardly Phil Spencer’s fault.

Why are we quoting each other? I remember the comment before yours. I made it. Idiot.

dsemy@lemm.ee on 07 May 2024 23:58 next collapse

Why are we quoting each other? I remember the comment before yours. I made it. Idiot.

Grow up

Here is a response without any quotes, I’m sure their ommision makes this comment much clearer:

Valve hasn’t done this.

At the end of January, Xbox fired 1900 employees:

theverge.com/…/microsoft-activision-blizzard-layo…

It’s Phil Spencer’s fault that they released Redfall at 70$. It is his fault that he promised the game will be polished. It is his fault people who paid for the DLC will never get it.

He also closed Tango, which made a critically acclaimed game.

FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today on 08 May 2024 02:48 collapse

Valve has also published 8 games in 10 years. They did acquire Campo Santo studios between 2016 and 2018 which lead to the delayment of Valley of the Gods because Valve put the studio’s members on other projects including Steam, Dota Underlords, and Half Life: Alyx.

dsemy@lemm.ee on 08 May 2024 10:37 next collapse

They didn’t close Campo Sango though, and haven’t closed other studios they bought historically (like Turtle Rock, which eventually became independent of Valve again and released Back 4 Blood).

ulkesh@beehaw.org on 08 May 2024 23:25 collapse

You asked for an example, he gave you one. Then you try to discredit it with a red herring illogical argument.

You should take your temporary ban and reflect on what is truly important in your life. Because you clearly need some help.

UngodlyAudrey@beehaw.org on 08 May 2024 01:16 next collapse

Why are we quoting each other? I remember the comment before yours. I made it. Idiot.

This is a beehaw community you’re posting on. We expect you to bee nice here.

FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today on 08 May 2024 02:43 collapse

I’m sorry. You’re right. Feel free to eat my ass.

Gaywallet@beehaw.org on 08 May 2024 04:54 collapse

I’ve given you a 7 day temporary ban to reflect on how you might better engage with the community in the future. Bee better

Echinoderm@aussie.zone on 08 May 2024 03:03 next collapse

Why are we quoting each other? I remember the comment before yours. I made it. Idiot.

Because quoting in a response provides structure to the response that improves readability.

Also, you are posting on a publicly accessible forum, not having a one-on-one conversation. In that context, that fact that you may remember what you said doesn’t mean that it’s not beneficial to repeat it for others.

The “idiot” comment was unnecessarily rude where someone was engaging in what appeared to be a good faith response, and only brings down the tone of your entire post.

FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today on 08 May 2024 03:13 collapse

It feels like people do it so commonly while making such weak arguments that it might be a bot trying to parse the prior comment. Feels like it doesn’t have use in any other circuimstance.

ulkesh@beehaw.org on 08 May 2024 23:21 next collapse

while making such weak arguments

Perhaps…

Idiot.

Vodulas@beehaw.org on 09 May 2024 03:39 collapse

I know you’re banned, but for when you come back, there are several reasons.

  1. It let’s people make a response to specific parts of what you said.
  2. It helps outside folks see the train if thought
  3. For me personally, it helps organize ideas and see the comment response closer together
thesmokingman@programming.dev on 08 May 2024 13:01 collapse

Multiple teams are being cut, at least at Arkane Austin. I don’t know the total heads rolling. Many of my friends are now out of a job. The severance isn’t terrible, at least for some of the engineers. That’s not better than a job, though.

angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com on 10 May 2024 17:46 collapse

Game Pass is a profoundly stupid decision. It doesn’t make it’s money back and now Xbox users are used to not paying for games. And from a consumer perspective, enshittification always eventually happens with subscriptions.

t3rmit3@beehaw.org on 08 May 2024 06:34 collapse

I vote he stays.

The article didn’t say he needs to go, they said people need to stop treating him as though he is actually on the side of consumers and employees, rather than investors.

The literal last line of the article is

I hope moving forward Xbox fans and the media hold Spencer more accountable for future mistakes, cuts, and failures.

t3rmit3@beehaw.org on 08 May 2024 04:21 collapse

As someone who used to really like Phil, I agree with this. He’s clearly banking on his popularity as a “celebrity” within the gaming community to put a smiling spin on what is a clearly horrible business record.

The question here is not whether Microsoft does the same things that all businesses do (i.e. be evil Capitalist monstrosities that run people’s livelihoods over in the name of investor greed)- that much is obvious.

The question is whether Phil Spencer is actively enabling this behavior and also covering for it- which he is.

And that is why, as the article suggests, people need to stop treating him as anything other than a corporate representative who wants to extract as much value as he can before it all runs into the ground.