Microsoft outlines the future of Xbox Live

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 26 August, 2010

"We are still squarely focused on the core."

Microsoft has reassured gamers that it remains committed to the hardcore as it broadens the appeal of the Xbox Live online platform.

The hardcore are "the best advocate" of the Xbox 360's movie, telly and music features, Xbox Live Studios boss Jerry Johnson told an audience at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival.

"I know there's a lot of controversy over, are you turning your back on the core gamer? Are you just focused on the Wii bunch? My answer to that is an emphatic no," he said.

"The reason I say that is because I realise that Live was built on the back of the core gamer. It was built to benefit the core gamer, and it was built solely focused on the core gamer when it was originally launched.

"We also know that is our best advocate to continue to grow our user base and grow the engagement with Live."

Johnson used the Sky Player, launched last year, as an example of how core gamers are helping casual gamers discover content on the Xbox 360.

"My wife never let me have an Xbox in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Sky launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring the Xbox in the bedroom. It's okay because I can watch movies on them.

"My wife probably would have never found out about Sky or wouldn't have known about it or wouldn't have even entertained the idea unless I had been there and shown her some of these things.

"We see this time and time again. Those are the people who are reaching out and sharing this with others.

"So, we are still squarely focused on the core, and building mechanics that appeal to the core. But also realising that is a path to actually reach up to the broader audience."

Xbox Live, launched on the original Xbox in November 2002, now enjoys around 25 million active members.

Microsoft will update all the applications currently running on the service around the time of the November launch of motion sensing add-on Kinect.

"Kinect, we believe, introduces the ability to interact with content in a way people haven't even imagined yet," Johnson said.

"There are a lot of different things you'll see that one might expect from Kinect, but some of the magic is going to come from the things that people don't expect."

At gamescom last week Microsoft announced that 60 Windows 7 phone games will be Live enabled and have access to Gamerscore, Achievements and Avatars.

Johnson said Xbox Live will continue to evolve beyond the Xbox 360.

"Expanding into other devices is key to what we're doing. Continuing to take Live broader than the console has always been part of the core concept."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (55) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Bleemo #1 2 years ago

    How many times can one man say core in an interview? core fluff core fluff fluff core

  • Arcadiian #2 2 years ago

    Well, 'core' gamers are what he was talking about... I thought he was pretty straightforward and honest.

  • Dolly #3 2 years ago

    rotten to the...

  • MiniAmin #4 2 years ago

    I feel old... I've witnessed the old "My girlfriend" meme evolve into "My Wife".

  • Phantom_Dynamite #5 2 years ago

    With all the Kinect stuff and no big announcements the core are feeling slightly neglected by MS at the moment.

  • kinky_mong #6 2 years ago

    My wife never let me have an Xbox in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Sky launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring the Xbox in the bedroom

    Oh the potential for bawdy misquoting!

  • Peew971 #7 2 years ago

    Xbox Live is great but core games would be better.

  • Arcadiian #8 2 years ago

    Why all the panic about the 'core' gamer being forgotten? Halo: Reach is out in a few weeks, and people are throwing a hissy fit over Kinect? Microsoft (and Nintendo, Sony, etc) are trying to grow the industry. If they didn't experiment with new ideas (or new versions of Nintendo's ideas) the industry would stagnate. That's how it's always been. And I don't recall a lack of 'core' games recently...

  • LHH #9 2 years ago

    "My wife probably would have never found out about Sky..."

    Did he just imply that his wife has never heard of Sky?

  • MiniAmin #10 2 years ago

    I'd really like a new IP. Kinect doesn't appeal to me. I'm excited for Halo Reach but i'm tired of sequels (the next big "core" exclusives for 360 will be Reach, Fable 3 and Gears). As a 'core' gamer, i'm interested in reasonably challenging games with high production values. That's far more exciting to me than Kinect or added features on Live.
    Edited by MiniAmin at 26/08/10 @ 16:26

  • Bremenacht #11 2 years ago

    Smacks of damage control.

    Why couldn't they include some form of Kinept functionality in the likes of Reach of Gears3? Are they that scared of offending the Holy Core of Live?

  • patch #12 2 years ago

    It's a tough call. Do you go the Wii route and have huge initial sales but risk low attach rates and stagnant hardware sales later on, or stick on the path 360 and ps3 have with slower to build sales, but a more loyal base and hopefully higher overall sales?

    Edit: Also, anyone else see it as weird that Microsoft are pushing Kinect (a "non hardcore" tech) and keeping quiet on their 3D support, while Sony are pushing 3D (a more "core appeal" tech) and not pushing Move as much?
    Edited by patch at 26/08/10 @ 16:32

  • CaptainQuint #13 2 years ago

    Hey man, I got five kids to feed!

  • Pikmins #14 2 years ago

    Why everyone chooses the wife as an example to justify everything?

  • arcam #15 2 years ago

    Wives are the new target consumers.

  • darkmorgado #16 2 years ago

    My wife never let me have an Xbox in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Sky launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring the Xbox in the bedroom

    Stealth "I'm attractive to the opposite sex!" comment.

  • RedSparrows #17 2 years ago

    :D

  • jag10 #18 2 years ago

    'Microsoft has reassured gamers that it remains committed to the hardcore'

    only because of PS3. if the PS3 wasn't still around providing 'core' entertainment it would just be one big kinect fuck fest now.

  • patch #19 2 years ago

    My wife never let me have an Xbox in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Sky launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring the Xbox in the bedroom

    A fun game for Thursday afternoon, replace the words Xbox and Sky with two of your choice. Go!

  • sneetch #20 2 years ago

    So they're focused on the "core"? Glad to hear it. Doesn't that mean they aren't focused on "casual" then? I mean, if I were to try to focus on two things at once I'd get a headache.

    Unless they were right beside one another, I suppose.

  • darkmorgado #21 2 years ago

    only because of PS3. if the PS3 wasn't still around providing 'core' entertainment it would just be one big kinect fuck fest now.

    You mean that it's not currently one big Kinect fuck fest? Jeez, I honestly can't think of how they could actually ram more Kinect down our throats short of plastering it on every bus in the country and updating the XBox dash so that instead of the logo on startup, you get a big picture of Kinect with someone screaming "BUY IT NOW OR THE KITTEN GETS IT!"

  • schnide #22 2 years ago

    My wife never let me have a sex toy in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Move launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring a sex toy in the bedroom!

  • Lebowski #23 2 years ago

    Buy Kinect, Buy Sky Player, Buy a new Windows 7 phone, but just keep spending.

    Love M$,

  • patch #24 2 years ago

    You know the quote the other day on voice in Kinect:

    "Only on Xbox 360 will you be able to navigate the Kinect Hub using your voice to control your movies, TV shows and music. We do not have additional details to share about local voice availability at this time."

    This may be a silly question, but does that mean voice control will work on the xbox dashboard? Is the Kinect Hub something different?

  • kangarootoo #25 2 years ago

    "My wife probably would have never found out about Sky or wouldn't have known about it or wouldn't have even entertained the idea unless I had been there and shown her some of these things."

    Yeah, you wait till your wife runs off with your Sky TV service and leaves with you a screaming baby and a stack of bills up to your belly button. Then you won't be so pleased about introducing her to it will you, eh mister "I bring people together", EH?

  • Spydy #26 2 years ago

    "There are a lot of different things you'll see that one might expect from Kinect, but some of the magic is going to come from the things that people don't expect."

    Fail. The magic drained when I saw the price tag, lag and general shittyness of the games. Honestly, Kinect will be looked back on as one of the worst peripheral releases ever. I'm having 360 HD-DVD add-on flashbacks...
    Edited by Spydy at 26/08/10 @ 17:11

  • woodnotes #27 2 years ago

    If they want to prove their commitment to "the core", all they need to do is make some awesome first party "core" games. But they seem to make less and less every year.

    Sony, on the other hand, seem to be making more and more.
    Edited by woodnotes at 26/08/10 @ 17:12

  • miiiguel #28 2 years ago

    I'm excited for Halo Reach but i'm tired of sequels

    Good news news for you Mini: Reach is a prequel ;)

  • kangarootoo #29 2 years ago

    "but some of the magic is going to come from the things that people don't expect"

    And then I woke up the next day and realised I'd spent £130 on a white water rafting game that pauses the TV everytime I shout through to the kitchen. I only popped into town for a plug and a copy of Zoo. I've got no f*cking idea what happened, it had to be magic or something.

  • Power_n_Glory #30 2 years ago

    What first party games have Sony got coming out?

    This Christmas is looking dull for gaming. I'll get Halo Reach in September and will probably get GT5 for the PS3 but that's about it. I know Killzone 3 is coming out, but I'm not really a fan of Killzone.

    The rest of the good games are multi-platform. Both sides seem to be focused on this motion sensor crap.

  • The-Bodybuilder #31 2 years ago

    If your wife is begging you to bring in an entertainment console into the bedroom, then quite frankly, it means you're not making her happy and "putting down your business" in the bedroom. ;P

    You best man up, son. Man up and bring that booty on lock. :D

    /has no idea why I'm saying these things.

  • stepneg #32 2 years ago

    I would prefer it if MS invested in Live by using dedicated servers and adding more clan support, organised gaming tourny's etc.. for popular games like Gears, better that than waste time on poxy crap like Sky player or facebook integration, how is that supposed to catering to the 'core'?

    My Live expired recently and I won't be renewing it unless there is value for money and at the moment the free alternatives are as good or better at most of it.

  • kangarootoo #33 2 years ago

    "/has no idea why I'm saying these things."

    Haaahahaha, man that made me chuckle.

  • kangarootoo #34 2 years ago

    @stepneg

    "I would prefer it if MS invested in Live by using dedicated servers and adding more clan support"

    Valuable as those things undoubtedly are, it would take a wizard to make them sound appealing in a TV advert... which is unfortunately the way these things go :)

  • Bleemo #35 2 years ago

    "What first party games have Sony got coming out?"

    In less than a year....

    Gran Tourismo 5
    Killzone 3
    Little Big Planet 2
    Kung Fu Rider
    Dead Nation
    Socom: Special Forces
    Motorstorm the Apocalpyse
    Sorcery
    Ratchet and Clank: All 4 one
    Infamous 2
    Twisted metal

    ...and I don't even own a PS3...yet.

  • riceNpea #36 2 years ago

    my wife doesnt allow ME in the bedroom let alone a console

  • lavalant #37 2 years ago

    He didn't mention any future "core" titles though did he? Surely Fable 3 is aimed at casual gamers.

  • RogueHALLINAN #38 2 years ago

    give me the clan tab on the dashboard that was promised at launch to arrive shortly after launch and ill be happy .

  • TheLittlestHobo #39 2 years ago

    My wife never let me have a vampire in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Twilight launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring a vampire in the bedroom.

  • mrboshingles #40 2 years ago

    Core(t) with his pants down

  • dsmx #41 2 years ago

    If microsoft is committed to the hardcore audience where are the games for kinect that appeal to that audience?

  • makeamazing #42 2 years ago

    Dont know why anyone is concerned, MS have already said they are concentrating on the Core with River Rafting, that big red ball game, and kinectimals......oh... dear me.

    On a serious note, It seems MS PR is in a bit of a mess right now, one minute it says one thing, the internet goes crazy, and then they quickly say something else (its nearly becoming a daily occurrence). But they really do need to start thinking about getting some more 1st party developers, because at the moment they are being pummelled.

  • Fab4 #43 2 years ago

    I wonder if they could make it so that bringing up the dashboard doesnt require so much fucking time. I'd rather improvements like that than fucking avatars.

  • TOOTR #44 2 years ago

    'At gamescom last week Microsoft announced that 60 Windows 7 phone games will be Live enabled and have access to Gamerscore, Achievements and Avatars. '

    Can one of them be Defense Grid please?

  • Power_n_Glory #45 2 years ago

    @Bleemo

    You should get one. SOCOM and GT5 are looking decent.

  • harshahorizon #46 2 years ago

    shut up and release a new console MS.This box is now belong to the Jurassic age......lol

  • harshahorizon #47 2 years ago

    MS is trying to turn their xbox360 into a their own wii version.

  • Phishfood #48 2 years ago

    They need to evolve it in a way I can use real money to buy stuff. Not just games on demand.

  • Evil_Supremacy #49 2 years ago

    My wife never let me have an Xbox in the bedroom. Probably not a bad rule, but that was the rule. When Sky launched all of a sudden she was like, you can bring the Xbox in the bedroom. It's okay because I can watch movies on them.

    'God damn it! Get off my xbox already, shouldn't you be cooking or cleaning or something...'

    Hey all this casual crap will be eating into MY valuable xbox time, I want to shoot something not jump around the room like a pansy trying to catch coins, do I look like an Italian plumber with a big bushy moustache... No! I've already got skyplayer and now with this kinetic crap coming I'm going to have to lock the wife out of the bedroom just to get a go grrr!
    Edited by Evil_Supremacy at 26/08/10 @ 22:01

  • Bleemo #50 2 years ago

    @Power_n_Glory

    That I may Power, that I may.

  • TelexStar #51 2 years ago

    Girls? What is "girls" and is it available for the 360?

  • ronuds #52 2 years ago

    It'd be nice if they announced some of their lineup for 2011. That could possibly ease my fears!

  • Xboxfanuk #53 2 years ago

    Microsoft has been building this concept into all of it's online experiences. Microsoft introduced Windows Live which takes Hotmail, Messenger, Photos, Sky Drive and now Office and brings it together into a social network. Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live, Windows Live, Windows Phone 7 all have a single login with LIVE ID (formally Passport).

    I think they are serious about merging these online services into one cloud based service.

  • robthehermit #54 2 years ago

    The future of Xbox Live is shit.

    They should adopt the Playstation model, and give you some free games etc. They don't even have to be great games, just something back would be nice. Joyride was going to be a step in the right direction, until someone said 'fuck it, lets charge them for it, it's been so long since it was announced they've probably forgotten we'd said it was going to be free'

    There is no real incentive to pay an annual sub, especially if games companies are going to start charging for online play as an added extra. I've got a gold sub, and last.fm is pretty much the only use it gets. Sky player, I'd have to pay for and I expect that any other 'Added Value' stuff they come up with will have a cost attached. The only people who have any real use for Sky Player are those who already have a sky subscription, and even then it's just an alternative to firing up the laptop or pc.

    Microsoft are banging on about what a success skyplayer has been and how it would be in the top 5 if it was a game. Bollocks. The only reason it's been so successful is because for the last 3 months you've been able to get a media remote, 3 months Gold subs and 1 month of sky for less than £15.

    Sorry for the rant.

  • geoneo123 #55 2 years ago

    My wife never let me play in the bedroom. Probably a bad rule, but that was the rule. When I started playing kinect naked in the living room, she soon changes her mind after receiving complaints from the neighbours.