What did Microsoft really want to accomplish with its original Xbox One design? In the eyes of the average consumer, the answer is a not-so-user-friendly experience that's only designed to benefit the company. However, Jesse Schell, a game designer, author, and the founder of Schell Games, has spent a great deal of time considering both next-generation consoles’ goals, and he sees Microsoft’s attempted changes as a move toward a Steam-like service. It’s a future we’ll have to reach eventually, even if at this very moment, that drastic a change is too much for the public.
"Your customers want you to stay the same, even if it drives you into the ground. Somehow, Microsoft didn't seem to think that would be a reality, or even a problem,” Schell said in an interview with Game Industry International. "The reality is that they can't do what the customers want. Basically, Microsoft said, 'We're going to be Steam. You like Steam, don't you?' And we all said, 'No, we hate that. We hate you. You're an idiot to do that.'”
Public opinion on Valve and its Steam service couldn’t get much better. Even without Half-Life 3 to prop the company up, the consistent discounts and stable service seems to be everything the average consumer wants. Microsoft still has the opportunity to make it all work, but its biggest mistake was listening to what everyone thought they wanted.
"They came out and said, 'We're gonna do this new thing.' And the customers said, 'No, we don't want that, we hate that' – even though it's what they really want and what they will ultimately buy. So now Microsoft has had to say they won't do all that stuff, but someone will,” he continued. "There's one mistake that they all make, and that mistake is listening to their customers."
