Microsoft has expanded its Xbox Research initiative to tackle some ongoing issues with the platform. The new initiative now includes deep dives into current and upcoming tools and services as well as engaging directly with game creators.
The company says that the objective behind this Xbox Research initiative is to bring forward insight and data that could help improve the platform across services and tools. Dr. Deborah Hendersen, Principal User Researcher for Xbox says that while Microsoft has offered various ways to collect data and feedback, they have mostly been less formal and resulted in gaps.
Microsoft recently came under fire from a developer over the lack of communication on its new game release. The game in question was Enotria: The Last Song. The studio claimed it had to delay the Xbox Series X/S launch because Microsoft ignored its emails and communication over its store listing. The news went public and caused players to lash at Xbox over the issue.
The company then reached out to Jyamma Games to rectify the issue. However, it was a bad look for the Xbox platform. The game is still not available on Xbox but should launch soon.
The ultimate goal is to address the diverse needs of developers, from large studios to independent creators. As Hendersen puts it, “It’s all about giving game developers what they need to feel empowered and supported by Xbox.” Xbox Research plans to apply its wealth of experience in player-focused research to this new developer-centric initiative. Hendersen explains the transferability of these approaches: “The great thing about our methodologies is that they can be applied to all sorts of products,” she said. “Just as you might watch a player play your game while thinking aloud during a usability study, that same approach can be applied when analyzing the various publishing services that developers use within the Xbox ecosystem.”
Microsoft used to be a leader when it came to uplifting devs and smaller studios but this year, things have been quite rocky. Hopefully, this new initiative changes that.
Source: Xbox