Microsoft Gaming Veteran Thinks ‘Xbox Hardware is Dead’

A founding member of the Xbox team has questioned Microsoft’s multiplatform gaming strategy, stating that Xbox hardware is basically “dead.” Fans were left questioning the future of Xbox already with the reveal of the Xbox ROG Ally, a handheld device that basically doubles as a portable PC. Microsoft’s marketing clearly wants players to lean towards the new handheld essentially being an Xbox as well.

Laura Fryer, one of the first employees at Microsoft Gaming Studios and a core member of the original Xbox team, spoke candidly about Xbox’s future in the hardware business in a recently uploaded video. Fryer was responsible for shipping plenty of games, namely the original Gears of War trilogy as well as Halo. She parted ways with Microsoft in the late 2000s to work as a general manager of WB Games Seattle and later, a general manager at Epic Games Seattle.

Fryer’s latest video (below) talks about Microsoft’s cross-platform strategy and its ‘Xbox Anywhere’ marketing, which basically renders owning an Xbox console null and void if Microsoft aims to push Xbox’s software and multiplatform availability first. “Obviously, as one of the founding members of the Xbox team, I’m not pleased with where things are today. I don’t love watching all of the value that I helped create slowly get eroded away,” she stated, adding:

“I’m sad because from my perspective, it looks like Xbox has no desire or literally can’t ship hardware anymore. So this [ROG Ally] partnership is about a slow exit from the hardware business completely. Personally, I think Xbox hardware is dead. The plan appears to be to just drive everybody to Game Pass. And let’s be clear, it has a lot of value. I’m thinking that might be why they decided to charge $80 for Outer Worlds 2… And here’s the thing, maybe it will work.”

Fryer also questioned Xbox’s legacy and the future of the console maker, mainly asking why we’re not seeing as many hits on the platform today as we did several years ago during Xbox’s previous generations. “Xbox has a deep portfolio. The remake of Oblivion was obviously a huge success, and they can continue to outsource that work to external companies and make a lot of money releasing their older games,” she said. “Older games from an era when Xbox knew how to build them.”

“But what is the long-term plan? Where are the new hits? What will make people care about the Xbox 25 years from now? I was excited to see Clockwork Revolution in the showcase, but will something like that be enough? Do they have more?”

You can watch Laura Fryer’s video discussing the matter below:

Source: Laura Fryer