In what has to be one of the strangest moves in videogames coverage, Microsoft has decided to axe its incredibly popular Inside Xbox service. The US service was dropped last week, with staff being shown the door. The UK version of the show, hosted most often by Dan Maher and Andy Farrant, had an uncertain future at that time.
Today it has been confirmed, via a token update to a week old post on Larry Hryb’s Major Nelson Blog, that the UK team has also been let go and the videos will cease to be made.
There’s the facts out of the way, now here’s my opinion on the move: this is nothing short of bizarre. At a time when the rest of the videogames covering media sees how blindingly obvious it is that the future lies not in corporate regurgitation and faceless news-peppering but in character and personality, Microsoft sheds the only bit of personality it has in the UK.
Not only is the company cutting one of the most likeable broadcast teams outside of Giant Bomb, they chose to announce the news – after a morning meeting with the team and a sanction of silence through today – via their corporate cheerleader in the United States. Quietly and with plenty of meaningless business speak to fill it out:
[Microsoft has] decided to move away from the current first-party produced content model and transition to a third-party content model, which will provide timely and locally-relevant content to users across more of the EMEA markets.Whilst this means that the Inside Xbox brand will effectively be retired in Europe, the focus remains on continuing to provide the Xbox LIVE community with the latest and best in games and entertainment news and information
We’re sure that the guys who worked on the engaging, friendly Inside Xbox videos will land squarely on their feet – they’re too good at what they do to fail – but the loss of the service is going to be a big blow to the legions of fans who, despite Microsoft’s latest dashboard interface, managed to find and enjoy the videos.
There is, at least, some degree of logic to the US dashboard losing its Inside Xbox videos – Microsoft is extending media deals with people like Spike TV to provide the kind of fast-cut overproduced nonsense that they put out. And Major Nelson will probably still pop up to interview people and introduce videos from big shows as and when required.
Sorry, did I say “losing its Inside Xbox videos”? I meant “transitioning from a first party content model to a third party media partnership” or something.
The UK and Europe doesn’t have Spike TV or any real concerted, popular, mainstream video media coverage of videogames (at least in the UK). Even our 360 dashboard industry event videos were hosted by the peerless team at Inside Xbox. So what’s the best we can hope for? Probably more IGN partnership videos and Lynx adverts. Brilliant.
JBoo
I hope SONY don’t drop Access + PLUSE, i love those PSN shows :P I even like ‘The Tester’ when thats on & i normally hate reality shows LoL:D
nemesisND1derboy
LoL :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
LOL.
LOOOOOOOOOOL.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
colmshan1990
The cloying fanboyism is really too much.
I’m not convinced whether JBoo is serious or trolling us at this stage.
Sympo
L to the O to the L.
BIGAL-1992
Colmshan, I don’t know is the honest answer I can give you. If memory serves correct though, Jboo has performed the exact same antics on C&VG before. Unlike here though, almostt everyone told him fuck off after several days, nevermind months.
Sympo
I feel sorry for Jboo, A ban won’t even change things for Jboo, I’m sure he/she will change one day and reflect on what he/she does. Everyone *gulps* deserves a chance even if your just going to allow yourself to be taken the piss off. We’re humans after all and I guess our resident jester needs help.
The Lone Steven
Just ignore him guys.
@symp I think Adam has emailed him serval times about his behaviour and he seems to have disregarded his advice so he has had a lot of chances. Although i doubt he will get banned as he’s not broken any rules. But we can lock him up in Tuffcub’s dungeon. >:)
yiddo
I thought they had dropped Pulse?
If that’s the case, i think Sony should send Veronica Belmont to me. I would definitely give her a new job.
Sympo
Yup they did.
mugsybalone
Nah, Pulse (with Christina Lee) is still going, they pulled the plug on Qore (with Veronica Belmont).
Sympo
ooh yeah Qore, I forgot about that.