Peter Molyneux isn’t very satisfied with how Microsoft has handled its showing of the Xbox One, especially when it comes to the periodic “check ins” and authentication.
Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Molyneux stated that, “I just think it was very unprofessionally done. There was one message from one Phil [Spencer] and then another message from another Phil [Harrison], and they seemed to be kind of shooting from the hip. Always online is simple for me. As a consumer, just show me why I should be always online and I’ll be happy with it.
“At the moment, it just means game sale authentication. I don’t want that. But if there’s some way you can give a huge benefit for the consumer, and make the message super clear, [it would be accepted].
“Right now it’s not very clear; it went from once every 24 hours to not at all to all the time, and I got very confused by it.
Referring to smartphones, Molyneux stated that, “They just need to be very clear, focus on the benefits, and after a while, we’ll be in the same place as this [smartphones]. This has to be always online and we didn’t have to think about it.
“Things like Clash of Clans is always online, and I don’t mind, I don’t care, I just enjoy playing Clash of Clans. So I think it’s a little hiccup in the industry. I think consumers are being spun up by things like Twitter and Facebook.
“We need, as an industry, to be super clear to our consumers, and when you’re at E3 you kind of forget about consumers for a while. It just seems to be all about the show.”
Microsoft has been taking a beating since even before E3, after revealing that its console will require authentication online every 24 hours, feature fees for used games and even require the waiver of class action in its terms of use.