one of the founders xbox The brand is blaming Microsoft for recent price increases on its console and Game Pass Ultimate subscription service, calling it a “careless” business move that doesn't pay attention to what players want. The Xbox brand has been receiving a lot of criticism for its business dealings over the past few weeks, and Laura Fryer has just added her voice to the public in a bold way.
The current economic downturn has been difficult for many gamers, with the cost of tariffs combined with the everyday economic hardships of modern life. There's a lot of uncertainty about the future of gaming, with creators getting fired en masse, big-name studios shutting down, and reports that people aren't buying new games as much anymore, but Fryer calls Xbox's recent deals a betrayal of fans that feels like “greed for games.”
Xbox founder opposes Microsoft's price hikes.
In a new video posted to his personal YouTube channel, Microsoft Game Studios co-founder Fryer criticized Xbox's current leadership, saying he doubts they understand “what makes Xbox great.” After Xbox announced in September that it was raising console prices for all models of the Xbox Series At the same time, she noted that leadership seems clueless in trying to solve problems without first identifying them.
Fryer likewise verbally explained to Xbox executives the recent announcement of a $10 per month price increase for Game Pass Ultimate. This is a 50% increase over the previous price. The announcement came with positive news, including the addition of 48 new games to the subscription service, but Fryer noted that customers were right to criticize the company for its decision and its accompanying promotional video, which promised players more freedom in game selection. “I mean, they gave the fans the freedom to choose, and they did that,” she said. “They left.”
In addition to criticizing the price increase, Fryer brought up other decisions by Xbox executives that confused her. One of the biggest was that the move away from Xbox console-exclusive games led to the brand's lack of identity. She believes this problem is made worse by services and programs that allow players to play Xbox games on PC or portable devices. She believes all of this combined is worsening Xbox's relationship with players and developers and eroding brand loyalty. In her own words, “The brand is hollow because if everything is Xbox, then it's really nothing.”
- brand
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microsoft
- original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- operating system
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Proprietary (Windows-based)
- processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8GHz
- solve
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720p – 4K UHD
Source: wccftech
