During the newest episode of Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb’s Podcast  Microsoft’s Xbox Division head Phil Spencer had something quite interesting to share about the Holiday season 2015:

http://cdn3.dualshockers.com/wp-content/themes/dualshockers2/images/blockquote_icon.gif) 20px 0px no-repeat transparent;">Looking at production schedules and how things are lining up next fall is just crazy. I mean, this fall from first party and third party standpoint is great.Next fall, I honestly… It’s not hype at all… I Honestly don’t know that we can ship all the stuff that we’re trying to ship next fall. It just might be too crowded and we might purposely try to move something out to spread it.

Spencer also mentioned that it’s good that game releases are spreading out through the year, as it’s positive and more healthy for the industry if publishers and first parties find success at different times instead of shipping too many titles in a crowded period.

He also explained that gamers always have an appetite for news, asking when they’re going to see more about games like Phantom Dust or Quantum Break, which is why he talks a bit about the future. He also joked with Hryb about the “not so small” contingency of customers asking about Shenmue.

He then talked about the Holiday price cuts for the Xbox One:

http://cdn3.dualshockers.com/wp-content/themes/dualshockers2/images/blockquote_icon.gif) 20px 0px no-repeat transparent;">I think the pricing that’s going to run through the holidays is a big move from us. I think it’s a good time for us to go in and compete. One thing I’m learning in the job is you plan this stuff months in advance. You gotta make sure you have the units there so people go into the store and actually can find the consoles at the right prices. Do all the inventory planning, do all the pricing, but I feel good about the bundles.

http://cdn3.dualshockers.com/wp-content/themes/dualshockers2/images/blockquote_icon.gif) 20px 0px no-repeat transparent;">You’ve got Assassin’s Creed Unity, you’ve got the Sunset Overdrive bundle, you’ve got the great Call of Duty with one terabyte hard drive… I think the diversity of what we’re bundling and the different consoles that are there… Getting to reduce the price by fifty dollars across all the different consoles, I think it’s a great opportunity, and it’s a good time. It’s a good time to be a gamer. I think the opportunity there to get something of value for you is gonna be all over the place. This holidays’ black Friday will be crazy. People run their own deal on top of that, and we want to support that.

It’ll definitely be interesting to see if Microsoft will manage to improve the competitive situation with the Holiday price cuts. As a personal note, while Spencer and Hryb were definitely joking about Shenmue, it’s quite interesting to see how often the name comes up from both the Microsoft and the Sony sides…