1) Microsoft Are Still Recovering From Don Mattrick’s Disastrous 2013 Console Reveal
Microsoft’s 2013 E3 reveal can be summed up with three things: TV, Sport and Call of Duty. The MEMEs, the GIFs, the constant tirade of jokes — it was an unequivocal disaster. Adding insult to injury was a mandatory Kinect peripheral bundled in — which few consumers actually wanted — and a price-point that overshot their closest competitor by around 100 bucks. Microsoft should have known better.
Thankfully, Don Mattrick — head boss and public face of the Xbox brand who oversaw the console’s notorious reveal on-stage — departed from the company and fresh blood was injected into the Xbox’s management by virtue of a newly promoted, fresh-faced Phil Spencer.
Over time, he and his team have, against all odds, re-built the Xbox brand and undone much of the damage that was caused during the infamous 2013 console reveal and catapulted the product back on course. Or at least, as much as Spencer could possibly manage following the damage that had already been done by Don Mattrick.
Essentially, Phil Spencer’s helped steady the good ship Xbox, but the company will need momentum to propel themselves forward if they want to go toe-to-toe with Sony and, to a lesser degree, Nintendo.