In less than three months in charge of XBOX – yes, all capitals now – Asha Sharma has ripped up the platforms playbook, making positive change that has reinvigorated XBOX players and drawn praise from the wider gaming community.
Reducing the price of XBOX Game Pass (which in truth was only part-righting a wrong), launching a new green-first brand that takes players back to the platforms origins and making changes to the antiquated XBOX achievement system have all been welcome changes. With a pledge of “Core before more”, it has started to feel that XBOX players are once again valued by the brand after years of Microsoft-first decision making.
Continuing the aim to drive goodwill among fans and evidence they are listening, XBOX have introduced their Player Voice programme. Player Voice is a “simpler way to share feedback” through an all-new portal.
Announced via the XBOX Wire, the Player Voice portal allows gamers to submit their suggestions on what direction the platform should take. Suggestions don’t just get cast into a feedback ether either, you can see when your suggestions have been reviewed and what XBOX are doing with them.
The portal has been open for less than a day and there’s already almost 3,000 suggestions. At the time of writing, the highest community upvoted suggestions are:
- Bringing back exclusivity to XBOX games
- Return of the Backwards Compatibility programme for XBOX 360 and XBOX games, which hasn’t been updated since the 20th anniversary of XBOX in November 2021
- Making online multiplayer free
- Achievement system developments including separated lists for DLC
- An XBOX Game Pass family plan
All of the above, if implemented, would be big for XBOX. Though I think its important that expectations are managed here. For example, walking back the multiplatform approach or making XBOX free-to-play online would be financially damaging, decisions they’re unlikely to make – at least in haste.
There are many other great, more viable suggestions in the portal including a HDR dashboard and changing playtime to be hours rather than days + hours. But the one that caught my eye is the ability to use XBOX physical discs on Project Helix, XBOX’s next-generation PC / console hybrid, one can dream.
If you’re looking to give XBOX some direction on where they can go from here, be sure to submit your own suggestions.
What suggestions of your own do you have for XBOX? Do you think they will return to exclusive games? Come and join the active and friendly Gamer Social Club Discord to chat about all your other favourite XBOX games.
