On how Xbox is building a future of gaming beyond console generations.
On how Xbox is building a future of gaming beyond console generations.
How has gaming changed in the past 5 years and what lessons have the industry learned from it?
Gaming is now a major growth industry, especially in Asia where it is projected to have 1 billion gamers here by 2017. With a new generation of gamers playing games on a variety of platforms including consoles, PCs, mobile phones and tablets, this has revolutionised the gaming industry, and opened up opportunities for for us to cater to the new generation of gamers across platforms and devices.
The growth of e-Sports, is also really exciting as fans are able to watch gamers show their skills at in- person events and online. Recently, we held a Halo 5 Tournament with a prize pool in excess of $2 million.
In addition, we saw how getting gaming fans involved in co-creating games and experiences can lead to tremendous rewards. At Xbox we take an open approach to incorporating their feedback through game previews, beta programmes and feedback channels. When we launched Halo 5, we worked with fans on our multiplayer through a beta program that helped us make the game a better.
What would you say would be Xbox’s biggest challenge in South East Asia, in the face of strong competition?
We strive to ensure we deliver the best experience for Xbox fans around the world and are always looking to improve local offerings whenever we can. This year, we’re bringing the biggest games line-up ever to Xbox One and Windows 10; Xbox Play Anywhere unlocks the ability to buy a game once and play it on both your Windows 10 PC and Xbox One with shared progress, game saves, and achievements, all through Xbox Live, and we’re uniting Xbox Live gamers across devices and networks through new features like Clubs, Looking for Group and Arena on Xbox Live. This is our plan not just in Southeast Asia, but in all regions where we operate.
The Kinect is noticeably missing from the Xbox One S. How does it fit into the Xbox hardware lineup?
Kinect continues to play an important role on the console. (But) with Xbox One S, we wanted to make the console as small as possible. To create the slimmest form factor and include an internal power supply, we made the decision to remove the Kinect port. Kinect for Xbox One will still be compatible with Xbox One S via the Xbox Kinect Adapter and offers the same great experiences with the current console.
Pokémon Go is likely the greatest example today of how a videogame became a catalyst for large scale engagement. Fluke or the future?
We are very excited to see how gaming innovations such as Pokémon Go has generated so much excitement among different communities. Innovation is critical to any industry and in gaming it is important as our fans are asking about it all the time. That is why we are happy to bring the new additions to the Xbox One family that deliver hardware innovation and choice without sacrificing compatibility. In fact, we’re not building the next generation of gaming - we’re building a future of gaming beyond generations.
