Phil Spencer, the Executive Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft appeared as a guest on the online, Animal Crossing talk show Animal Talking yesterday. Among the expected banter about Xbox and Halo, Spencer had a few nuggets to share on his perspective of the games industry as a whole, and gave a few high praises to Nintendo.
Early on in the nearly hour-long interview, Spencer commented on brand loyalty and fanboyism as it pertained to the alleged controversy of him coming on what is essentially a Nintendo-themed show. He shared how he plays games on all platforms, so hopping onto Animal Crossing and being on the show wasn’t a big deal to him. He continued that sentiment later in the interview by saying that he likes the industry and feels that it’s “a better place with a strong Nintendo, strong Sony” and strong third-parties. Going on to say that their success gives more opportunities to create a better gaming environment for all customers and invites more people into the art form of gaming that brings communities together. He ended his statements on the subject by saying the “two may enter, one may leave” mentality when it comes to competition with other console makers is not one that he agrees with.
When asked about the success of the Switch and Animal Crossing, and whether or not he was surprised by it, he said: “It’s hard at this point to be surprised by any success that Nintendo has.” Continuing his statement by bringing up the Wii and Switch, calling the way that they create a complete Nintendo experience is “magical.” He expressed the feeling of playing Animal Crossing on the Switch as one cohesive experience saying that it “is Animal Crossing from the Switch that’s running it, to the game itself, to the way that you go to other people’s islands.”
He then went on to heap even more praise on the Big N saying that they’re “masterful at what they do,” and have “the strongest first-party pedigree out there.” Calling them a “jewel for us in the games industry,” and finished by saying that they should be protected and helped to grow.
Phil Spencer has long been a supporter of the Switch, releasing Xbox Game Studio games like Minecraft and Ori and the Blind Forest on the system, among others. These latest comments, however, shift that support to outright admiration and we love it!
You can watch the full episode of Animal Talking below:
Leave a Comment
Written by Marcus Ramirez
A writer and dreamer who loves all things tropical, bright, colorful, and shiny. Marcus is obsessed with Kingdom Hearts and patiently awaits its triumphant return to Nintendo hardware. He has a (totally real) court order that requires him to always have a 3DS or Switch on his person when leaving the house for more than a few hours.
