For years Microsoft has been in the video game industry. It’s a staple company at this point for the industry but it wasn’t always that way. Every company had to get its start somewhere and for years prior to the Xbox console, Microsoft was known simply for the Windows operating system. That’s all and convincing higher-ups to completely take a risk on something new like a video game console was not going to happen. That’s when the original Xbox creator had to think a bit outside of the box and deliver a few fibs along with a couple of Jedi mind tricks.
Recently Edge Magazine spoke with the original creator behind the Xbox and how the mastermind was able to convince Microsoft into crafting up this project, to begin with. It wasn’t easy as Jonathan Seamus Blackley recalls. Blackley remembered that at the time, there was no way to convince the higher-ups from Microsoft to make a video game console. So instead, what he had to do was lie and take a risk that would appeal towards Bill Gates. The biggest way to convince Bill Gates was that the Xbox console would be running off of Windows and through this operating system, fans would get more than just a video game platform.
However, Blackley was telling lies as he knew that gamers had no interest in the operating system. Instead, it allowed him to bide some time as he crafted up the console and prepared for its reveal. According to the original creator, the whole thing went over perfectly as higher-ups at Microsoft began to tell him that Xbox didn’t need a focus on Windows operating system and that it’s perfect as is.
Of course, Blackley planned for this all along but at the time he had to let those in charge take the credit as that’s exactly how Jedi mind tricks work. At the end of the day, Microsoft is not only a powerhouse for its Windows operating system, but it’s also proven to be a popular video game console manufacturer as well. Without some lies and a bit of initiative, we may not have an Xbox brand from Microsoft. Of course, I was never a fan of the oversized duke controllers.
