The jury is still out on whether the about-turn made on Microsoft’s DRM policies for the Xbox One was a good or bad idea – though the self-publishing deal for indie developers has been welcomed – but Xbox project co-founder Ed Fries was suitably impressed by the same.
Speaking to the [a] list daily, Fries stated that, “I was impressed. I was concerned that they wouldn’t change, and I was impressed that they did change, and changed quickly. They clearly are responsive to feedback, and I think that’s great.”
“We all make products for customers, and it’s important that we listen to our customers when they have things to say to us. It’s a lot more true than it was in the old days. If you think about games, we used to spend three years making games and stick them in a box, and people liked them or they didn’t like them.
“Now it’s much more direct feedback from customers. We test things a lot, see what’s working and what isn’t working and the launch is the beginning of the process. I’m talking more about free-to-play games now – you’re basically developing it with your customers. We have a much more interactive relationship with our customers.
“If people aren’t happy they let you know, and they can cause trouble for you. I think it’s important for companies to be customer-focused and be known as companies that listen.”
Be as it may, some have criticized Microsoft for turning their back on what would essentially be Steam for consoles.
