- Former Microsoft executive Peter Moore has said that if Xbox hadn’t spent so much time and money repairing Xbox 360 consoles, “I’m not sure the Xbox brand would be around today”
- Moore called it a “defining moment” for the company
- He also believes that if Xbox did fall, the games industry would have suffered
Former Microsoft lead Peter Moore believes the Xbox brand might not be around today if the company hadn’t focused on repairing countless Xbox 360 consoles.
In an interview with The Game Business, Moore suggested that the company was in hot water trying to figure out how to fix the Xbox 360’s “red ring of death”, but determined that spending the $1.15 billion on repairs is what ultimately saved its future.
“It took us a while to figure out what was going on,” Moore said (thanks, GamesRadar). “Were the fans in the right place? […] Trying to figure out whether, you know, […] wrapping the towel around it would create more heat, which would rejoin some of the issues of the cracks in some of the units. All of this was going on, and it was stressful. But the one thing I will always say is, you know, this was, for us, a defining moment.
“If we hadn’t done what we did, I’m not sure the Xbox brand would be around today.”
Moore continued, saying, “We felt that that was money well spent to hang on to a brand that we built, that we felt had huge viability going forward – and of course it does,” he said. “And doing good by the gamers.”
However, Moore believes that if Xbox had fallen, the game industry as a whole would have suffered.
“Rising tide lifts all ships. Microsoft’s entry into the market created a massive rising tide,” he said. “They put billions of dollars into marketing, advertising, R&D, and I don’t think the industry would be anywhere close to what it is today if Microsoft wasn’t involved.”
In other news, Microsoft recently made significant cuts to its gaming division, laying off an estimated 9,000 staff members, and canceling multiple projects such as the Perfect Dark reboot, Everwild, and an unannounced MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online developer.
