Xbox boss Phil Spencer thinks that it’s time for the games industry to reconsider the preorder model.
Spencer made his remarks to The Verge in reference to the ongoing preorder fiasco involving the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pandemic and supply woes aside, reports of scalpers snagging thousands of consoles and creating an unnecessary shortage have infuriated consumers and sparked discussions about what Spencer calls “very old world thinking,” where buyers preorder and then gather on a specific day to pick up products.
“I do think this business is going through, both for us and Sony — Jim Ryan, I have a lot of respect for him, we both have lamented how these preorders have gone and what problem are we really solving when we seem to still have as many upset customers as we have, because they can’t get our product,” said Spencer. “I do think it’s going to push us to think about new models.”
Spencer revealed that Microsoft is already working on this, and floated ideas like establishing direct contact with customers and having retailers fulfil orders as opposed to reselling stock.
Elsewhere in the interview, Spencer criticized “tribalism” plaguing the gaming community and said that people need to let go of the idea that one company has to perform poorly in the market for the other to succeed. “I’ve said before, that I find it distasteful, but maybe that is too light. I just really despise it,” he added. “I don’t think we have to see others fail in order for us to achieve the goals.”
Both Sony and Microsoft have said that their new consoles have had the best launch in their respective history.
[Source: The Verge]