Microsoft can consider E3 2014 a success, given the positive feedback their Xbox One-heavy press conference has received for its clear focus on video games. Titles such as Sunset Overdrive, Project Spark, Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Forza Horizon 2 have bagged a good reputation and Microsoft is happy with how they've promoted the next year for the Xbox One.
There were however, some noticeable absences from Microsoft’s E3 press conference. Interestingly, there was nothing specifically for Windows PC. So why the blackout, exactly, when Microsoft keeps talking about how important the PC market is to their gaming division and promised increase support?
Speaking in an interview with Polygon, Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained why E3 was so Xbox One heavy, with little to nothing to show for Xbox 360 and PC. According to Spencer, E3 is “a retail show, a console show, so it didn’t really feel like the right place for us to talk about Windows.” The Microsoft gaming chief also feels that Xbox should take priority at E3 and gaming expos because of its role as Microsoft’s brand in video games. “We can fill an arena like this, we get millions of people to watch us on TV and we show our games and it’s a brand that people care about,” stated Spencer.
Phil Spencer has been quick to talk up the importance of PC gaming to his — and Microsoft’s — plans, saying that “Windows and gaming on Windows is critical to Microsoft’s success.” He also claims that “Windows has never been more healthy,” thanks to the sheer power of the likes of League of Legends and World of Tanks, and that the big PC franchises “dwarf a lot of what we’re doing in this console space in terms of users and monetization.”
So where is a good place for Microsoft to show that they care about the Windows PC side of their gaming future? “They do these huge world championship events and they fill up arenas,” explained Spencer. “I do think there could be a space there.”
It turns out that Microsoft is not the only company who think that about championship events — or that E3 is for console gaming only. Recently, League of Legends creator Riot Games explained that they feel the same way, and that without a physical product to sell that they had no place at the expo. Not only that, but the developer feels that the E3 demographic does not suit the players that League of Legends has attracted. Riot Games is expected to show at Gamescom this year, which could very well be one of the competitive spaces that Phil Spencer is talking about. That's also where Microsoft is saving Xbox One exclusive Quantum Break for.
What do you think of Microsoft’s strategy, and Phil Spencer’s comments? Do you agree that E3 should be a place for console gaming? Or do you feel that PC gamers deserve a place at the expo? Should the Halo: The Master Chief Collection come out for PC as well? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Polygon