Xbox co-founder Ed Fries, the man who helped build the brand from the very beginning and helping it transition into the mainstream success it is today, has more than a few things to say about the current state of the industry. This is especially so when it comes to the success of the Xbox One, which hasn’t been able to touch the success of the PS4 thus far.
In an AMA session on Yabbly, Fries was asked how the console could be a better deal for consumers over the PS4. He stated that, “They need better exclusive games than PS4. They need to be more open to indie developers. They need to adopt free to play gaming more aggressively. They need to continue to move Xbox Live forward as the leading online service. They need to show people why they included the new Kinect on every machine by demonstrating a compelling use for it.”
As for whether Microsoft will sell the Xbox division – as indicated in recent months’ rumours – if it didn’t garner enough profit, Fries said, “I think it would be foolish for Microsoft to sell off Xbox. It’s the biggest, most successful new brand they have created in the last 15 years. They should learn from the success of Xbox and create more things like it, not sell it off.”
As for the current generation and who will eventually end up the victor, Fries stated that, “I think Microsoft made some mistakes early on and has given Sony a chance to win back some of the share they lost (in the US) during the last console generation. How things go from here on forward really depends on which team executes the best both on delivering great games and on improving the user experience through better system software on the console.”
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Fries or find a few points where your thinking may differ? Let us know in the comments below.