Since Phil Spencer took the wheel and started to steer the good ship Xbox, there has been a tangible change in how the company communicates with its audience. Simply put, it seems to be a much more consumer-focused company these days, and this commitment to the customer has manifested itself in some interesting ways.
As highlighted in a recent interview on GameInformer, Spencer explained the shift by referencing Play Anywhere (when players can play games on PC and Xbox with just one purchase) and Backward Compatibility (where Xbox and Xbox 360 games are playable on Xbox One) as initiatives that were driven by feedback from customers.
However, in the same interview, Spencer admitted an interesting little detail, telling the magazine that during leadership meetings, the team keeps one chair open to symbolically represent the customer, as a means of constantly reminding them who they're making games for.
While the Xbox chief does admit that it's a little bit cheesy, it is at least another sign that the company is listening to its community, a stark turnaround after the dark days surrounding the launch of Xbox One, where a number of PR fumbles put Sony and PlayStation 4 in the driving seat for this console generation.
"The gamers don't buy things because we need them to buy it; they don't do things because we need them to go do them," he told the site. "They do things because it matches what they need, and sometimes, frankly, what gamers want in the near term isn't always the best business decision for us. But being inside Microsoft, I think because it's a big company, we take a long-term perspective on things."
Microsoft recently unveiled its next console, the Xbox Series X, and you can read more about it right here.