Jez Corden has pushed back on a report that Sarah Bond was the sole person who was responsible for the idea of bringing Xbox everywhere.
Over the weekend, a report from Tom Warren claimed that Xbox President Sarah Bond staked her reputation on Microsoft’s plan to bring Xbox everywhere. Multiple fan accounts spread the word on this rumor, creating the impression that these plans came from her.
On the latest episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Jez Corden has debunked the rumor. In his words:
“I hate to contradict Tom, but I know for a fact that it wasn’t Sarah’s idea. And I know for a fact that it wasn’t a single person pushing for this. It’s just the sort of collaborative reaction to the reality of the current landscape. I don’t know why Tom’s sources suggested that it was all Sarah Bond’s fault, because that’s just completely wrong.
And there has been pushback, internally. I know there’s been arguments internally, about whether or not it’s a good idea, about the things we literally just talked about. For example, about PlayStation using the money to hurt Xbox more, which is what Phil himself said. And that sentiment persists.
…I think there is nuance to this story… I don’t want to contradict Tom, because I don’t know if that’s what he said. But I am going to contradict the narrative that this is all Sarah Bond’s fault, because that’s just not true.”
If Xbox gamers want Microsoft to stop bringing their games to rival platforms, this is the exact opposite way to do it. While we won’t speculate on the motives of fans who are spreading this narrative, whether it was done in good faith or malice, the result will be the same – Xbox employees and fans will end up in a low trust environment, where neither side can believe the other.
Xbox can lose loyal fans over the perception they will no longer take care of them. Subsequently, Xbox team can decide certain fans are not to be trusted over their doubtful motives. But Xbox gamers need to be the ones to change in this situation.
As Nadella recently revealed, Call of Duty Black Ops 6 told Microsoft that this plan to bring Xbox everywhere is working. The evidence seems to tell them, and us, that Microsoft can find gamers to increase their revenue. And they didn’t just bring that game to PlayStation, but they leveraged Game Pass, on top of offering it on their own Xbox console platform.
The evidence seems to tell them, and us, that hardcore Xbox loyalists who demand the company act a certain way can be replaced. The craziest part is I may be speculating on this myself, but Microsoft themselves would know for sure. And they’re keeping that information to themselves, which fans should recognize as a sign that they already lost the company’s trust on some level.
