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Phil has spent a lot of marketing money crafting a public image that is near unimpeachable. Its been his saving grace during his entire tenure at Microsoft. Its an organization that rewards yes men above all. You can stay on as long as you want, fail upwards, as long as you tell them what they wanna hear.

As long as your perception isn't dropping below a certain level, you'll stay there. But once it does, like a few names I won't name but you know exactly who I am talking about, and I am referring to notable studio leadership as well as publishing leadership within Microsoft. And even in those situations, they let you leave with a public-facing cover story so you can go and get a nice E-suite level job elsewhere.

People are dense, I've seen through his facade the whole time.

 

[EDMIX]

It's hilarious that they discontinued the Windows Phone with a single fucking tweet.

Xbox fans are getting let down easy compared to that. Imagine the last few day if they did that. Lol.

lol I'M SAYING!

From Windows Phone to Zune to MS Band to even MS TV lol they have so many things that fail and they move on its not even funny.

What's crazy is I don't give a fuck how much someone cares about a game, this company has such a long history with this type of behavior I'm really not sure why people were even doubting any of this shit they have such a long history of this but it's very strange we have some holdouts that are doubting that they're going to do this.

I mean do we really need to remind people all of The Times this company has fucked over their own phone community?

This would not be the first time Microsoft close something down or changed plans or something like this. I remember all of the years people kept trying to deny them putting games on PC day and date it was always this idea that it would happen much later, And then when it started to happen it was this new goal post that they would not put games on other platforms though.... And now a brand new goal post is being created lol

I don't know how many times such a thing needs to happen with this company for some of you to understand they're not your fucking friends... They do not have your best interest...

 

[Ar¢tos]

How fast after closing the Activision deal did they expect sales to move? Time line on this is weird.

MS acts on the expectation of instant results. That's why Xbox is more committed to buying already made studios that already own IPs than to growing their own studios.

They probably expected a big percentage of Playstation players to sell their consoles and buy Xboxes the moment the deal was done.

 

[Ronin_7]

People still talking about Windows Phone in 2024 is wild

 

[Killjoy-NL]

MS acts on the expectation of instant results. That's why Xbox is more committed to buying already made studios that already own IPs than to growing their own studios.

They probably expected a big percentage of Playstation players to sell their consoles and buy Xboxes the moment the deal was done.

Anyone with a brain knew the ABK acquisition wouldn't lead to a mass exodus from Playstation.

People will just look for something else to play.

 

[damidu]

oh lol is this the first hit piece ordered by spencer.
shots fired.

 

[GHG]

oh lol is this the first hit piece ordered by spencer.
shots fired.

This is an interesting thought actually.

He's likely trying to distance himself from whatever cones next.

 

[I'm nobody]

Jez comes across as an entirely different person when he writes for windows central vs when he is on twitter. Bit of a jeykyll and hyde act I think.

I have six personalities too

The voices in my head I know there not real but they have some fking good ideas ......

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

He fucks hes arse with hes old beloved windows phone and thumbs hes cock into hes xbox diskdrive.

At least he can spell correctly. So yeah....

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

Sums it up

Basic consumer behavior. Happens everywhere and is justified. I also jumped ship 3 months ago. Saw the turmoil from a distance. All GP bullshit, unclear projections for the future etc.

Yeah I'm glad I switched. Fuck u Tom.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

Funny you say that, im from Essex originaly but have lived in Glasgow 2 yrs now .

I knew it! Lol
As a north american living in UK, I've learned to spot regional markers. Haven't been to Essex yet though.

 

[FunkMiller]

oh lol is this the first hit piece ordered by spencer.
shots fired.

Oh... how lovely that would be.

I can picture Phil right now on his couch, playing Diablo 4, and knowing he's about to get the golden fuck off handshake (or has already had it).

Please god let him break NDA when all of this is over

 

[DAHGAMING]

I knew it! Lol
As a north american living in UK, I've learned to spot regional markers. Haven't been to Essex yet though.

I hope the UK is treating you well, its abit fucked but theres still alot of nice places and history. My wife is German and she also notices the differance in humour ect in different places, you only have to travel 30miles in a direction and theres a differance, Glasgow is unique it does stand out lol.

 

[DAHGAMING]

At least he can spell correctly. So yeah....

Blud you done me good, today I have been humbled, fair play to a lyrical badaman.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

Blud you done me good, today I have been humbled, fair play to a lyrical badaman.

It was tongue in cheek, a wee jab at yer spellin' mate.

 

[dotnotbot]

Nadella bad suddenly?

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

As is usual from him, bad take. Just wait to see the news for yourself, this guy’s usually way off. Mostly just an attention whore, tbh

 

[DAHGAMING]

It was tongue in cheek, a wee jab at yer spellin' mate.

To late, already upset now, day ruined, cheerd guv I deserve it though for the shit that comes out of my gob.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

To late, already upset now, day ruined, cheerd guv I deserve it though for the shit that comes out of my gob.

Oi don't be a sore tosser, man up ya cunt!

 

[Astray]

It takes a special kind of idiot to start writing hit pieces on the guy who actually gave a second chance to Xbox despite investors pressuring him to shutter the division. Like say what you want about Phil making an impassioned pitch or whatever, but Satya's the guy signing all the fucking cheques for a decade now.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/02/05/investors-want-microsofts-new-ceo-to-kill-xbox-bing-and-surface/

 

[GHG]

Nadella bad suddenly?

Nadella is about to make sure Xbox has a positive impact for Microsoft shareholders for the first time, which I love.

 

[DAHGAMING]

Oi don't be a sore tosser, man up ya cunt!

Nah fuck this, im off to change my haircolour and signing up to Reeee forum.

 

[GHG]

Jez is a moron

He sees businesses as sports teams.

Everything makes sense now.

 

[SimTourist]

It takes a special kind of idiot to start writing hit pieces on the guy who actually gave a second chance to Xbox despite investors pressuring him to shutter the division. Like say what you want about Phil making an impassioned pitch or whatever, but Satya's the guy signing all the fucking cheques for a decade now.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/02/05/investors-want-microsofts-new-ceo-to-kill-xbox-bing-and-surface/

I think Nadella's patience has finally run out and he's gonna clean house quick. I wouldn't be surprised if Spencer announces his departure soon, the guy already looked tired and completely defeated when he gave an interview last year before Starfield released.

 

[AJUMP23]

The stock market trust him a lot.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

He sees businesses as sports teams.

Everything makes sense now.

He's just another oblivious neckbeard incel. The fact he has an audience doesn't change this.

 

[Astray]

I think Nadella's patience has finally run out and he's gonna clean house quick. I wouldn't be surprised if Spencer announces his departure soon, the guy already looked tired and completely defeated when he gave an interview last year before Starfield released.

That interview was him waving the white flag and basically saying that he played all his cards.

He likely knew back then that momentum was against them and his moment of reckoning with Satya was coming close, and here it is.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Nadella is about to make sure Xbox has a positive impact for Microsoft shareholders for the first time, which I love.

It's too bad MS had to blow $70 billion on ABK first. The industry would have been better off with that company remaining independent

 

[Insane Metal]

Meltdowns. Meltdowns everywhere.

This reminds me of the FF on XBox 360 era. Lol it was hilarious.

 

[HeWhoWalks]

Meltdowns. Meltdowns everywhere.

This reminds me of the FF on XBox 360 era. Lol it was hilarious.

Nah, this is worse. A lot worse! Nothing has even been formally announced and Xbox's zealots have shown far more cult-like behavior.

Imagine if next week proves most of these rumors had weight!

 

[TheGodfather07]

Can’t say I agree.

In fact I’d say he’s made the public image worse.

TV and always online could be turned off in a day. With the right people and planning Xbox could have recovered quickly.

The public image now is of a company that makes endless promises over 10 years but can not execute. This is much harder to come back from, and as we’ve seen with the sales figures collapsing over the last 12 months, it’s proven terminal.

Xbox’s reputation now is worse than it’s ever been IMO.

Yeah this is spot on. The xbox brand is damaged beyond repair now.

 

[Insane Metal]

Nah, this is worse. A lot worse! Nothing has even been formally announced and Xbox's zealots have shown far more cult-like behavior.

Imagine if next week proves most of these rumors had weight!

Good point. It's all rumours for now.

 

[graywolf323]

Disappointing article from Jez I don't know what's up with the Xbox community and not being able to call out Phil and his piss poor tenure as the leader at Xbox. This guy had the full backing of Microsoft and couldn't grow their customer base that alone should be a fireable offense or his evaluation of games before they launch he's always been terrible at that so there's another fireable offense, "but he grew revenue"! Yeah by buying revenue not by actually expanding the consumer base. So we are to believe it's Nadella's Microsoft we shouldn't trust and not the guy in everyone's face doing interviews the last decade representing the Xbox brand the last time I checked investors are extremely happy with the leadership of Nadella it seems as if they just put up with Phil they aren't stupid they can see GamePass hasn't come close to reaching internal metrics you can't have a growth product with stalled growth aaaaand there's another fireable offense....

pretty much, we’re right back to before Phil got made a VP and it was always someone above him who was at fault for Xbox

I will never understand why the fanboys are incapable of blaming Spencer for ANYTHING despite the fact he’s been in charge now for a decade (and it’s not like he wasn’t part of the leadership team during the disasters before he took over in full, he was made head of Xbox Game Studios back in 2008…)

but it’s always been Mattrick’s fault, then the head of the Device group, and now finally it’s all the CEO’s fault but never their darling Phil Spencer

imagine where Xbox would be today if the early leadership never left? Allard and that crew…

 

[benjohn]

Microsoft doesn't care?
Sure they don't.

They have decided their new path and they're not changing it for some fans freaking out.

Don't get me wrong. I understand fan's concerns and think a lot of them are valid

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Loool, it's actually equal parts amazing as it is utterly fucking tragic how these rabid Xbot goons stubbornly insist on refusing to hold Phil Spencer to account over his fuck-up at Xbox.

First, it was Mattrick and Balmer's fault.

Now it's fucking Nadella's fault.

Meanwhile, in that time Spencer has amassed more and more decision-making power and authority within MS over Xbox and the entire MS gaming brand (i.e. including DirectX and GFWL).

Phil Spencer is the 1000lb elephant in the room that Xbox fanboys refuse to acknowledge.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

It's all rumours now but I hate to see MS leave the gaming scene.

I was always the alternative kid growing up. Pepsi instead of Coca Cola, Sega instead of Nintendo etc, etc.
Even when almost everyone I knew was on PS2, I bought an Xbox.

Same with the 360. I adored it. But with the anouncement of the Xbone and Don Mattrick literally told us "Buy us, fuck you" when it came to backwards compatability and physical media trading and such, they lost me.

It seems they are left clueless ever since. Some attempts were amibitious, but all executions of said attempts were rubbish.
They CAN do it. But it seems they keep tacking on poor choice upon poor choice. It's now a bloated business model with no future if they keep this up.

Hell in the 90's Sega surpassed Nintendo and even the big N had to do a complete 180 when it came to target audience and the way they presented themselves.
They got back and then some.

MS can do this too. But not without a COMPLETE overhaul of the Gaming Department. Start fresh. New people, new mindsets and maybe, just maybe they can come back with a vengeance.
But for now it seems like they're sawing off their own legs. There is no momentum left, nothing that makes people say "That's why I chose Xbox".

There is no identity left. Just a big, multi billion dollar colossus that doesn't know why it exists. It's sad. (But fun to watch nonetheless).

 

[Mahavastu]

Either way this Phil presentation goes...the reaction is going to be one for the ages. I'm here for it.

We should start a "what snack will you eat during Phills speech" thread next week

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Phil has spent a lot of marketing money crafting a public image that is near unimpeachable. Its been his saving grace during his entire tenure at Microsoft. Its an organization that rewards yes men above all. You can stay on as long as you want, fail upwards, as long as you tell them what they wanna hear.

As long as your perception isn't dropping below a certain level, you'll stay there. But once it does, like a few names I won't name but you know exactly who I am talking about, and I am referring to notable studio leadership as well as publishing leadership within Microsoft. And even in those situations, they let you leave with a public-facing cover story so you can go and get a nice E-suite level job elsewhere.

You don't even need to be that great of a judge of character to know he's always been full of shit.
I'll never understand how he managed a decade of being "good guy Phil"

 

[Skifi28]

We should start a "what snack will you eat during Phills speech" thread next week

Are tears considered a snack?

 

[Hudo]

Xbox was doomed when Bill Gates made that video in 1995 where he was in E1M1 with a shotgun.

It all went downhill from there.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I blame the zune myself

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

I blame the zune myself

I dont remember what was worse. The Zune itself, or the software needed to transfer shit onto it......

Maybe they were equally trash but I cant remember.

 

[cireza]

 

[SimTourist]

Xbox needed a rebranding on the same level as they rebranded J Allard.
From a balding middle aged dork that no girl would look at

To boom 15 years younger looking suit over a hoodie ballin mofo presenting the 360

By far the biggest achievement of Microsoft's marketing team during their entire existance

 

[lefty1117]

I thought Windows Phone was dope, still think it was functionally better than iOS.

 

[Jigsaah]

nah. Why would they wait a week to deny all these assumptions? It’s already caused major damage to their brand. I would assume there are some hard truths to the rumors and assumptions that have been made so far.

I'm not saying necessarily denying everything. I think we all know something is going down, but it very well may not be as disastrous as everybody is saying. Nothing official has been said...so I would save the dramatics for after Phil has had his say. He could just as easily confirm everything. We just don't know yet.

However, Phil is historically bad at talking about bad news (Redfall anyone?). Very curious to see how he handles this.

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Jez is a moron

I mean he’s a moron but in this instance he’s not wrong.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

I mean he’s a moron but in this instance he’s not wrong.

He is wrong though? Businesses are not sports teams at all?

 

[fart town usa]

I try not to blast people based on appearance but imagine what Jez smells like.

Dude looks like a henchman from a Troma movie.

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

I’m not sure if this is supposed to be phonetic Scottish or what, and but it cracked me up with how unhinged it reads out of nowhere. Felt like I got dropped into a Glasgow pub suddenly.