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Avalanche Studios’ founder Christofer Sundberg has told VideoGamer.com that he believes the negative reaction to Microsoft’s Xbox One stems from the “lack of focus on games… rather than in the console,” and hopes that Microsoft will be able to “turn that around during E3.
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“I understand the disappointment of many fans,” Sundberg told us while discussing the reaction to Xbox One in the days following the console’s reveal, “but I am confident their disappointment is in the lack of focus on games during the reveal, rather than in the console. I hope that Microsoft will turn that around during E3.
“I personally understand the focus on TV and cross-media entertainment at the reveal,” he continued. “If Microsoft had presented the Xbox One as the ‘ultimate gaming console’ they’d [have] quickly lost the attention from mainstream media.”
Sundberg says that Avalanche, which created the Just Cause series, has been “working with the Xbox One for quite some time,” and the company is impressed by its capabilities.
“Our impressions from first sight until the recent public reveal have been positive,” he says. “It’s an impressive piece of hardware, and powerful hardware will obviously help our games look fantastic.”
Microsoft faced harsh criticism from fans following the reveal of Xbox One last week, largely owing to the platform holder’s focus on TV functionality and the ongoing confusion surrounding its policies on pre-owned software support and online requirements.
But once those issues have been clarified, the real battle between Sony and Microsoft “can finally kick off”, Sundberg says.
“Once [Microsoft has] cleared any remaining question marks around touchy subjects like always-on and second-hand sales, they are able to focus on the games and the real console war can finally kick off.”
Avalanche Studios is currently preparing for its “biggest” E3 since 2005, where it’s rumoured to be revealing a next-gen Just Cause title and a game set in the Mad Max universe.
The studio’s chief technical officer also believes that, despite the difference in raw power, the results offered by Xbox One and PS4 will be “very similar in the end”.
Source: VideoGamer.com interview
