On April 4, 2013, a video game website reported that the next-generation Xbox console—due to be released by Microsoft the following month—would require an always-on Internet connection in order to operate. The new version of the SimCity game that had been released earlier that year with an always-on requirement had been a disaster. Hardcore gamers reacted negatively to the news.
When the Xbox One console was officially revealed on May 21, Microsoft effectively confirmed that it would require an always-on connection for validating digital rights. Predictably, gamers reacted negatively, a response that was exacerbated when Microsoft's president of the interactive entertainment business, Don Mattrick, made dismissive statements about their concerns
After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to:
Address the challenge of marketing a product to multiple adjacent but very different customer segments
Understand the need for a unified vision before going to market
Develop a strategy that addresses the complexity of a world in which the company may no longer own the “loudest voice in the room”
