Chris Novak, the lead Xbox designer who revolutionized console user experiences forever by allowing players to see their cutscenes ruined by pop-up notifications referring to pointless achievements is leaving Xbox after 20 years. Now, even though many vehemently oppose the concept of achievements that are, for the most part, the most artificial way a company could come up with to keep players hooked, the reality is that they work. Even Sony, a company that has historically beaten Microsoft in the console wars usually by not shooting their console in the hypothetical foot with the same precision that Microsoft does, ended up emulating the Achievement system to create their own “Trophy” system.
3D Realms
Novak is also responsible for one of Xbox’s legit big wins, Game Pass, the seriously revolutionary subscription service that grants all players access to most big games in the Xbox catalog. Once again, Sony liked it and is attempting a variation of Novak’s homework. His absence might spell hardship for Microsoft’s console, especially since he’s leaving before the company has unlocked the achievement of killing the Game Pass’ big elephant in the room. The Game Pass rocks, but it’s just too expensive for Microsoft as is. They can afford that with all the money they’re making from their fledgling streaming service, Mixer, sure, but they’re not here to give us games for free. The company needs to find a way to make some profit off of that, and one of the possibilities is by implementing ads that we’ll see during gameplay. No, seriously. Microsoft isn’t just considering that, the company is actively creating technology to better implement in-game ads. No way that’ll turn out poorly.
Square Enix
Top Image: Studio MDHR
Related: When Will Playstation Get Its Version Of Xbox Game Pass
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