What Microsoft says it can learn from Sony

Sony's commitment to franchises and developers of "new things and creative things" is an attribute that Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer admires, according to a recent interview with OXM.

Spencer pointed to Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls developer Quantic Dream as an example and praised the company's dedication to franchises that aren't necessarily blockbuster sellers.

"I think that long-term commitment to franchises is important, where it's easy to pull off the Band-Aid and move onto the next thing [if it doesn't sell]," Spencer said. "I respect their 'stick-to-it-iveness'.

"I'll say, they've done a nice job with PS4 [...] When I think about their announcement, their clear focus on a customer, leading with the value proposition of what they're trying to do, staying true to a vision, I think they've done a nice job in how they defined the PS4."

As for Nintendo, Spencer considers the company's first-party content "an amazing asset."

"Their first party studios and IP can lead what they do as a company and the platforms are almost in service to the IP — not in a bad way. They have such iconic stories."