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You might imagine that game developers decide what the future of gaming looks like for themselves, while platform holders like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are just there to host their work, but in my experience that's not really true. There's an art to building a successful console dynasty, and it depends on more than just business brawn; you also need a set of core beliefs about what gaming represents that resonates beyond individual systems. Now that the next generation is taking shape, it feels like a good opportunity to take stock of who believes what and why it matters.I've argued recently that Microsoft's first priority is success as a business and that it hasn't found the right balance with the artistic side of game-making, but it was clear at E3 that there is a firm creative direction running through the Xbox One platform, even if that direction is taking things a little too far too fast.
"You saw a big focus from a lot of teams on immersive, connected worlds," Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer noted when he spoke to us. "Creators are definitely thinking about, what does it mean when you can take a tried-and-true genre and think about it in a more connected space?" When he spoke to Kotaku, he went further: "The features and, frankly, the content that is created is expecting an internet connection," he said. "That's where the creators are taking this."
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