The SimCity creator said it was ”very impressive how responsive” Microsoft was following the backlash to their DRM proposals with Xbox One. It’s the gamers the ultimately ”go out and sell” the product.
Wright cautions against always listening to fan feedback, especially when the loud minority aren’t representing the silent majority - but it’s crucial to recognise when they do.
”From the consumers’ point of view, I can really understand a lot of the backlash to DRM,” said Will Wright
”The fact that if something’s required on the Internet that means they can’t play it on the airplane or if their Internet connection goes down. It was interesting watching the Microsoft thing. I thought it was very impressive how responsive Microsoft was to that.” The armed forces were going to be hit hard by Microsoft’s stringent Internet DRM.
”I tend to think of the fan base, especially the hardcore fan base, as co-developers,” he said, speaking with CNN Money.
”These people with a passion for your project are going to go out and sell your game to other people and pull other people in. The more they feel like they have some ownership over the process and they’re not just kind of customers, the better.”
”To see a company like Microsoft actually sit back, listen, and understand the fans and respond to them is impressive. For a company that size to be that responsive is great. These companies are the ones that obviously keep us in business and allow us to make games.”
Sony capitalised on Microsoft’s PR floundering after the announcement and revelation of 24-hour check-ins and very strict used game policies for Xbox One. Fans rallied around Sony’s approach with the PS4 as being virtually identical to the PS3, except for the bit about now having to pay for multiplayer through PlayStation Network.
Just be careful to sort the helpful loud mouths from the harmful: ”…there are these people that want you to push a franchise in a super hardcore direction, and therefore we’re going to close it off to 95% of the players, so you have to understand what kind of feedback that they’re giving you,” said Wright. ”But when it’s something that’s 5% representing the other 95 that will probably feel the same way, then I think it’s really valuable.”
Microsoft has decided to remove its DRM features from the Xbox One meaning that no mandatory internet connection is required beyond a one-time system set-up. They have also removed the unified system they proposed to restrict the trading of games. There are also no regional restrictions for Xbox One titles.