It feels like weeks ago that Microsoft first introduced its DRM-fused, almost-always-online Xbox One, and almost as long since the company turned the whole thing around due to the gaming community’s massive backlash. Even with the reversal of the Xbox One policies we’ve all been complaining about, the feeling on Microsoft isn’t exactly hunky dory across the board. Many consumers still feel some trepidation when it comes to the next-generation Xbox, but legendary game developer Will Wright applauds the company for its user-friendly move.
“That's something that I've always believed in — getting the players very involved not just after the game ships, but even before and try to listen to them,” Wright told CNN. “The kind of games I'm interested in, and actually the way games are going, is they're becoming far more baseline communities of people playing the game and doing a lot of cool stuff peer-to-peer, whether it's content sharing or competition or forming social connections.”
The SimCity creator and Maxis founder doesn’t just see the consumer as someone to just drain money from when a produce launches. To Wright, those who buy games are essentially co-creators.
“To see a company like Microsoft actually sit back, listen, and understand the fans and respond to them is impressive,” he continued. “For a company that size to be that responsive is great. These companies are the ones that obviously keep us in business and allow us to make games.”
It’s a good first step for Microsoft, and yes, the console manufacturer has gained some good will. But it’ll take more than that to win what’s sure to be a competitive console war.
