One of the founders ofMicrosoft’s console endeavours has shared her criticisms ofXbox’s ongoing strategy. Laura Fryer, who worked at Microsoft from the late 1990s to the late ’00s, says that she is “not pleased” with what is being done to the brand, and believes Xbox’s console business is “dead”.
As spotted byVGC, Fryer made these comments in aYouTube videoabout the future of Xbox. Here, she is critical of Xbox’s hardware plans, particularlythe ROG Xbox Ally handheld, which she calls “style with no substance”.
Fryer opens the video by complaining about the Xbox Anywhere marketing strategy, in which the company showcases all of the various platforms on which you can play its games.
“It’s style, not substance,” says Fryer. “Just because you say something, it doesn’t mean you can do it, and it doesn’t mean that you won’t change your mind. After all, Xbox has been pivoting a lot lately.”
The video then breaks down her concerns with the Xbox Ally joining this Xbox Anywhere campaign, as she feels that there is no unique selling point to the console, like Xbox used to offer through its exclusive games. As for the portable element, she argues that theSteam Deckalready fills the niche better by having more variety and freedom.
“Obviously, as one of the founding members of the Xbox team, I’m not pleased with where things are today,” she continues. “I don’t love watching all of the value that I helped create slowly get eroded away.
“I’m sad because from my perspective, it looks like Xbox has no desire or literally can’t ship hardware anymore. So this partnership [with ROG Ally] is about a slow exit from the hardware business completely,” she continues. “Personally, I think Xbox hardware is dead.”
Fryer is hardly the first person to suggest thatXbox doesn’t have a future in the console market. Many have suspected that Microsoft will stop bringing out Xbox consoles in the future, instead focusing on its software output and Game Pass offerings.Xbox has denied this, and we already know thatthe follow-up to the Xbox Series X/S is in the works.
