Reaction: Moore's departure "a huge loss for Xbox"
- July 18, 2007 08:02 AM PST
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A day after Microsoft's Peter Moore announced his resignation, the video game industry sounds off on the move and if it will affect gamers in any way.
Moore's departure to affect Xbox?
"Ultimately, I don't think who is running the company will help or hurt gamers, but I do believe losing Moore hinders the image of 'hip with the kids' that the Xbox team has pushed since its start," said Game Informer editor Andy McNamara in an interview with USA Today. "Mattrick [incoming president] is very skilled, but I don't think he portrays the same swagger that Moore brought to Microsoft."
Geoff Keighley, a Spike TV host, thinks Microsoft's image will take a hit from losing Moore. "This is a huge loss for Xbox... Gamers will no doubt wonder what this means for the future of the platform. Xbox 360 will be fine. Peter's not the visionary behind the platform, but he was the voice and the soul of that whole division of Microsoft and the public cheerleader. Xbox will continue on without Peter, but I have a feeling that his departure will knock some wind out of the platform," he said.
"It's shocking to see him leave right before Xbox heads into the biggest holiday season ever. He's spent years building up for this fall with a remarkable lineup of games and now he won't be around to 'finish the fight' as they say in Halo 3," added Keighley.
Moore, a former pro soccer player, will soon be the president of EA Sports in a deal worth a reported $1.5 million in signing plus a $550,000 per year guaranteed salary.
Analyst Michael Pachter says that's a good thing for EA. "Mr. Moore has impressive credentials as a CEO and in high profile marketing positions, and we believe he will be able to leverage this experience to cement EA Sports' dominance. We note that the more committed EA is to its sports business, the more likely it is to defend market share, making it tough for competitors like Take-Two Interactive."
I'll reserve judgment on the intensity of Moore's departure upon first hearing Mattrick speak publicly. That said, do you think Xbox 360 will take a hit by Moore's move to EA?
