I know that Xbox is currently in the midst of the largest restructuring in its history.and yes, everything sucks, even if it’s probably a necessary change for the future of the company. However, instead, I want to take you back to times gone by, when the infamous Don Mattrick was in charge.
By all indications, Mattrick inherited a goose that laid the golden eggs in the Xbox 360only to break it into a million pieces with the disastrous reveal of the Xbox One. That moment all but erased the goodwill Xbox had built throughout the Xbox 360 era, effectively handing over the entire console generation to PlayStation, and creating problems that the brand is arguably still dealing with today.
At BlueSkyFormer Halo 4 developer Don Callan talked about a meeting that took place between 343 Industries at that time and Don Mattrick. Callan remembers it this way:
“I have very clear memories of having to demo Halo 4 for Don Mattrick and realizing that these people just live on different planes of reality… I was showing off my mission and when Mantis showed up… he raised his hand and said to the group: ‘Has anyone here played…Diablo 3??’…He then went on to suggest We should copy their idea of a real money auction house for campaign mechanics.…“
Callan went on to explain that while everyone around Mattrick reacted outwardly as if it was a brilliant idea, privately they thought it was beyond stupid, especially considering Halo 4 was already 90% complete. He finally summed up his experience by saying: “Gaming executives are still stupid, uncaring, greedy idiots.“.
I have to admit, as much as I don’t like Halo 4 and its gameplay loop (don’t worry, I enjoyed the campaign), this would have been a really baffling decision, and I’m glad it never came true. It’s also worth remembering that Diablo 3’s real-money auction house was widely criticized at launch and was eventually removed from the game.
Hopefully, Xbox’s new leadership makes more sense than what Mattrick was thinking at the time. With the company still in the midst of a major restructuring, tensions are understandably high both within Xbox and among fans watching from the outside. But let me know your opinion. Would Halo 4 have been even worse with a real money auction house? Leave a comment below and be sure to participate in our survey below:
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