In an interview with the BBC, Xbox head Phil Spencer explains that sales figures for the Xbox Series X are not a priority for them. Other things are more important. He also understands any family that does not want to spend money on a new console in 2020 due to the difficult economic situation.
Where does the information come from? The BBC spoke with Xbox head Phil Spencer about the Xbox Series X. You can read the entire interview directly on the BBC (in English).
What did Spencer say? Spencer explained in the interview with the BBC that the pure sales figures of the Xbox are not that important.
[But] at the center of our strategy is the player, not the device. If this is not the year a family wants to decide to buy a new Xbox, that’s okay. Our strategy is not about how many Xbox consoles I sell this year.
Phil Spencer, Xbox head, in an interview with BBC.
Layoffs, Short-time work – this is tough
That’s why Spencer understands hesitant customers: Even in light of the current Corona epidemic, he finds it understandable if players hesitate to buy the new console. According to Spencer, it seems that we are moving towards a time of massive economic uncertainty. People are being laid off or put on short-time work:
It seems we are entering a time of massive economic uncertainty. (…) We see the effects of layoffs and cutbacks. That’s tough.
And we are a leisure activity. We are not a basic need. We are not food. We are not a roof over your head.
Phil Spencer, Xbox head, in an interview with BBC.
An Xbox is just a “leisure activity” and not a basic need. Spencer can understand people who are not willing to invest money in a new device.
And if people would rather stay with the old Xbox One, that is also not a problem: “And if now is not the time to buy a new console,” he says, “and you want to stick with the console you have, we will continue to support that console.”
Smart Delivery should make the decision easier: Games are especially important during Corona and many new friendships have been formed over Xbox Live.
With Smart Delivery , people can still play new games without a new console and later consider buying a new console. And the games are playable on NextGen without an extra charge:
Through technologies like Smart Delivery, you can buy your games and know that when you purchase the next console, your games come with you, allowing consumers to make the right choice for them.
Phil Spencer, Xbox head, in an interview with BBC.
And previously, Spencer had said that he was confident about the price of the Xbox Series X.
Xbox Series X: Three things are more important than sales figures
What is currently more important for Microsoft? Currently, three things are more important for Microsoft than just selling consoles. These are:
- Xbox Game Pass
- Backward compatibility with old consoles
- Smart Delivery
The Xbox head explains this in more detail during the conversation and elaborates on the individual points. He says in the interview:
We focus on delivering services through Xbox Game Pass, which allows people to build their library for a monthly fee. Backward compatibility means that the console they own can play thousands of games. Smart Delivery means when they [the players] switch to the next generation, the games come with them.
Phil Spencer, Xbox head, in an interview with BBC.
Also, Sony had hinted at similar things with the Playstation 5: Online services could also play a significantly larger role than just selling consoles:
The Xbox Game Pass is very successful for Microsoft
What do the numbers look like? In April 2020, there were concrete numbers regarding Microsoft’s gaming services on Twitter. Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, wrote via Twitter that….
- Xbox Live currently has around 90 million active users and
- Xbox Game Pass has just over 10 million subscribers.
These are strong numbers from users who are regularly willing to pay for certain services.
By the way, our community voted on the 10 best games in the Xbox Game Pass. We will tell you which games the MeinMMO community chose and why the Xbox Game Pass is worth it.
