"I learned a lot from my failures in Japan" Interview with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer

--Thank you for agreeing to do an exclusive interview. On behalf of Japanese Xbox fans and game fans, I would like to ask a lot of questions about the Japanese Xbox business.

Phil Spencer: Go ahead and ask me anything.

――First, I would like to ask you about the content of your presentation at X019. At the press briefing on the first day, it was announced that popular Japanese series such as the "Final Fantasy" series, "Kingdom Hearts" and "Yakuza" would be added to the Xbox Game Pass. As you know, the Xbox Game Pass itself hasn't started yet in Japan, but is it okay to understand that this is finally ready?

Spencer: So far, we've been delaying the launch of the service because we didn't have enough content to satisfy Japanese game fans. This time, I think we finally have content that will please everyone in Japan, so we plan to start offering it soon.

――What was impressive in the announcement was the name of Mr. Yoshida ("FFXIV" producer and director Naoki Yoshida) about "Final Fantasy XIV", which was the only leaked "FF" series. I was talking about that feeling while repeating it. Basically, is it okay to think that "FFXIV" will be playable on Xbox in the future?

Spencer: We can't officially announce when it will be available yet, but you can expect that. Until now, Xbox has not been able to offer "FFXIV", but after discussions with Mr. Yoshida, we have been preparing to release "FFXIV" for Xbox fans around the world. I have found a solution to the problem, so I can't say the date yet, but please look forward to the day of the official announcement.

-And about the cloud service Project xCloud, the Japan service was announced, which was great news for Japanese game fans. What do you think about Japanese service?

Spencer: You can play anytime, anywhere. We believe that giving gamers more options will lead to greater success in the medium to long term. In the world, it is common to play games at home, including PC, but in Japan, mobile games are extremely successful. At the same time there is a long history of console games. Since this fits the customer image of Project xCloud that we think of, we would like to expand it in Japan and get a lot of feedback.

-- Google Stadia finally launches this month. Are they rivals for Xbox?

Spencer: If you think about it at the level of Microsoft and Google, you know they're competing in many ways. However, in the gaming arena, while there are competitors, there are also many cooperative relationships. The same is true for promotion using YouTube, and the same is true for the sale of "Minecraft" on the Google Play Store. Even in the area of ​​cloud gaming, I think there are some competing, some cooperating, and both. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing them start a cloud gaming business.

-- Among the titles exhibited at X019, "Flight Simulator" was the most impressive. I would like to hear about the history of the revival of "Flight Simulator".

Spencer: Beautiful title (laughs). The story behind Flight Simulator's revival is that it's blessed with a great team. Asobo studio has put a lot of passion into reviving the franchise, with Azure cloud technology, Microsoft Research research, and petabyte-class geographic map data from Bing, visuals like never before. was able to realize With Xbox Game Pass support, we can't wait to see millions of subscribing gamers experience the latest installment of the historic flight sim and become new fans. I'm here

- This year was a disappointing year with no new "Forza". I would love to hear the latest information on what Tune 10 is doing and what they are preparing for.

Spencer: Yes, you were a Forza fan (laughs). We can't announce anything about the new Forza just yet, but the folks at Turn 10 Studios, the best racing game development studios, have been busy. I'm looking forward to the timing of the new announcement, which I think will be in a few months.

--I reviewed the "Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2" (reference article), and it was a great game controller. Now that Microsoft is developing Project Scarlett, what will the next-gen game controller look like?

Spencer: I love the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and I think it's the best so far. You can of course continue to use this controller with Project Scarlett, or you can use the new and innovative controller we are currently developing for Project Scarlett.