After the cancellation of E3 in Los Angeles this year, Gamescom, whose 2023 edition opens today in Cologne, can now claim the title of the most anticipated video game trade show. In the spans of the Kölnmesse, not yet crowded because reserved for a day for professionals in the sector, it is difficult to escape the posters or the circular logo of Starfield from Bethesda studios (owned by Microsoft since 2020), whose release is scheduled for September 6 on PC and Xbox.
The ambitious space adventure is momentous for Microsoft and its “video game” division. Phil Spencer, the boss of the latter, has also made the trip to participate in the preview presentations to the press.
I appreciate this connection. It goes a bit against my personality, because I am quite an introverted person. But I know very well that they are above all passionate people. I greatly respect their commitment to our products and their investment in our games.
I don’t really care about being the face of Xbox, even though that’s kind of part of the job. But we have more than 10,000 employees, I only do a very small part of the job. One of the crucial aspects of my business is that these teams feel motivated and have confidence in their leaders. Players, on the other hand, want to have confidence in the platform. I feel like being a player myself helps build that connection.
I never watch television. So in the evening, I play with my friends. I become a simple player again, under the identifier “P3”, and I am not surrounded by colleagues. I have always wanted my work in this industry not to spoil my passion, I am looking for a certain balance.
Usually I don’t like to play our games early. When I started Starfield last November, I was doing it during the day and writing feedback to teams. But I didn’t finish it because I want to finish it as Phil the gamer and not as Phil the Xbox manager. But I played it a lot because it is a very special game.
Making sure our business is growing and profitable is my number one responsibility. Not just to Microsoft, but also to our players and creators. Because if business is good, we will last and that is what matters. And, from time to time, you have to make big investments to have a big impact. Betting on a team like Todd Howard and Bethesda Studios, who have incredible games [Skyrim, Fallout 4], was ultimately an easy investment. And postponing the Starfield date was the way to give them time to make the game that fits their vision.
Candy Crush [owned by Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft announced the acquisition in 2022] is installed on my phone. I didn’t spend a lot of time there, a little less than Diablo Immortal, which is more to my taste. Smartphone gaming is the biggest industry in gaming, and learning how to create and grow communities of mobile gamers is very important for our future. It also doesn’t mean we’re going away from consoles or PC. This acquisition helps us add experts in this field to our existing teams.
I feel like most regulators were taking an interest in the video game industry for the first time. It was therefore necessary to do a lot of pedagogy, explain the sector and how it is different from cinema, music and television. But it is not wasted time for us because governments have an important role in regulating consumption. This allowed us to build a relationship of trust with them and to make them better understand that this industry, which generates more than 200 billion dollars in turnover per year, is massive. This may slow down the acquisition, but it is a good investment in the long term.
When you are in this position, you have to let go of an idea: that of satisfying everyone with one thing. I rather think that the communities of players are very varied and that their tastes are too. This is why we also have to do different things. Some will love Flight Simulator, Microsoft’s oldest franchise – which is even older than Windows. Others will be more drawn to the all-new Starfield.
There is no question of replacing individuals, human creativity will always be present in this process. So I look at these tools and wonder, “How can they help teams?” Many of today’s games are so vast and expansive that it’s very difficult to have them thoroughly tested by humans before they launch. And sometimes there is more work to do than employees in a studio. I hope this will help find solutions, anticipate deadlines, whether to set a release date or fine-tune development.
