E3 2017: Xbox Boss Reiterates That Console Wars Aren't Productive

Phil Spencer has been outspoken in the past about his dislike of "console wars," and today he reiterated that stance. Speaking on GameSpot's stage show, Spencer said that online fighting between fans is unproductive and that the industry isn't a zero-sum game.

Spencer was asked a question about where he sees the video game industry going in the future with regard to the competition now that there are new systems, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. In response, he said that he views the industry as more healthy when people don't take sides, and that he believes that a stronger industry in general--including Sony--is better for Microsoft.

"I think the infighting that I feel both on the internet and I'm sure what you see on your message boards, it doesn't feel like an investment in what does it mean for gaming to grow," he told us. "We don't have to see another company fail for us to succeed. It's not part of the math for running a business."

He also talked about the state of gaming in general and about how the survival of console gaming in light of the rise of mobile gaming shows how the games industry is better with more companies involved.

"Five years ago, when I was here, it was all, 'the death of consoles, everybody's going to play on their iPads, why don't you guys go home?'" he said. "Those were the questions. And now... Sony's doing really well, we're doing really well, the Switch has come out of the gate incredibly strong. So that feels good.

"I see a vibrancy in games that are here across all platforms. I watched [the] Sony [press conference] yesterday, I thought Spider-Man looked great... It's a great time to be in this industry, and for people to try to make this industry about fighting with each other, opposed to growing the industry itself, I just don't think is a long-term view on an activity I love, which is playing games."

Phil Spencer also talked to us about the possibility that Xbox One X is potentially being held back by PS4 Pro, which you can read about here. Be sure to also check out our news roundup from Microsoft's press conference on Sunday and keep an eye on our hub for more news both from our interview with Spencer and from everything else at E3 2017.