Phil Spencer seems to be totally focused on the 'three billion players' journey. The head of Xbox has reportedly been talking about how Microsoft can keep expanding towards the gargantuan number - and at the heart of that journey is diversity.
According to an interview with Polygon, Xbox's head of publishing Peter Wyse has been explaining how important the concept of diversity is to the company. As we're in Pride month, the Xbox-published Dontnod game Tell Me Why is currently free on Xbox systems, allowing more players than ever see a story revolving around a transgender lead. In an interview with Polygon, the publishing executive noted how essential these sorts of diverse pushes are to expanding a growing player base.
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Wyse says to Polygon: "We're super proud of [Tell Me Why]. It speaks to our values around LGBTQIA+ representation, mental health awareness, and more." Microsoft has also partnered with initiatives such as Gameheads, which supports low-income youth and young people of diverse backgrounds who have aspirations to join the video game industry.
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Though not involved in the interview directly, Phil Spencer has been involved in the diversity push with the goal of upping the number of gamers on Xbox systems. Wyse adds: "Phil [Spencer] always talks about that journey of getting the three billion players. I do get super excited about the idea of high-fidelity gaming on a phone [...] that's the carrot I keep chasing, for sure."
Microsoft has made a seriously big push to make sure when consumers think of 'Xbox' they're not just thinking of the console anymore. The tech company has expanded into cloud gaming, PC, and Xbox Game Pass as ways of connecting with the maximum number of players around the world. When Spencer says he wants three billion Xbox gamers, he doesn't mean on the Xbox Series X or S, he means on the Xbox family of systems as a whole. We'll just have to wait and see if this dream ever comes true.
Featured Image Credit: Xbox