Microsoft Game Studios’ former creative director, Peter Molyneux, recently spoke with Edge about his beliefs on where Microsoft should focus their attention with the Xbox 720.
Molyneux’s close ties to Microsoft certainly offer him some form of insider information in regards to the company’s vision for the future of the Xbox brand. The reality of the situation however, is that he is very much speculating the same way we are. Microsoft’s plans have inevitably changed since his departure from the company, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been observing how they plan to handle the highly anticipated next-generation of consoles.
“I’m going to be absolutely fascinated to see what they finally come out with, because I kind of knew a lot when I was at Microsoft about what their plans were, and plans change and aspirations change. I’m sure they’ll have put a lot of time and thought and rehearsal into that press briefing, but I’m going to be fascinated to see what the hardware is, and how it will fit into this new world that we’re in now – this new world of hyper-connectivity, of super-portability. Or whether they’ll double-down and say ‘you know what? We are the games console, and that’s what we define ourselves as’ and say [they] don’t really care about hyper-connectivity or hyper-portability. It’ll be fascinating which way they jump.”
This leap that Microsoft will have to take seems to already be aimed at entertainment. Rumors that the next Xbox will require a constant internet connection suggest Microsoft is already gearing up to launch Xbox 720 as a true entertainment platform by offering a highly-connected social experience hub. Simply observing the progression of Xbox LIVE on the 360 reflects a strong desire evolve the console into a singular entertainment device.
Observing the evolution of the dashboard reflects a clear progression from a basic gaming experience hub into a complex entertainment device. It would seem counter productive for the company to simply ignore advancing the progress that they have already made towards their dream of achieving a truly “connected entertainment” experience.
Molyneux goes on to elaborate on what his vision for the Xbox 720 should be, and his logical reasons for simply wanting Microsoft to place their chips all on gaming. Check it out below
“What I would do is double-down on what this console is for: it’s for playing games. It’s for playing console games for this massive, incredibly loyal audience of gamers out there. When they start to mix all this other stuff in there I’m kind of slightly like: ‘look, I don’t want another way of looking at Facebook. You know, I’ve got all the ways of looking at Facebook. I don’t want another way of looking at Netflix. Just give me what I’ve paid my £299 for, and that is to play amazing, incredible computer games. There’s always this talk about making consoles ‘input one’ on the TV. It’s the fight over moving from it being your Sky box to your Xbox or PlayStation 4, and for me, as a gamer, I don’t want that. I want my ‘input two’ to be my games console, and I just think all that stuff tends to confuse it.”
What are your thoughts on the future of the Xbox 720? Do you care whether it’s an entertainment hub? Should it only focus on games? Is Molyneux on the money? Let us know what you think in the comments below!