In a recent interview with CNN, gaming icon and SimCity creator Will Wright stated that Microsoft's 180 on their Xbox DRM policy was "very impressive."
"Gaming has had a long history of piracy, but you can't use DRM at the expense of the customers," he said, echoing the concerns of much of the fan base. "To see a company like Microsoft actually sit back, listen, and understand the fans and respond to them is impressive. For a company that size to be that responsive is great. These companies are the ones that obviously keep us in business and allow us to make games."
He also applauded the outspoken gaming community for standing up for their concerns, saying that level of feedback is "really valuable."
"That part I think is great because that's something that I've always believed in, getting the players very involved not just after the game ships, but even before and try to listen to them," he added.
He concluded by stating that this was a great development for both companies and fans.
"Not only is this good for companies, but fan involvement to this degree makes the users more than just a customer," Wright said. "I tend to think of the fan base, especially the hardcore fan base, as co-developers. These people with a passion for your project are going to go out and sell your game to other people and pull other people in. The more they feel like they have some ownership over the process and they're not just kind of customers, the better."
It's good to see that developers are also siding with the player base in regards to DRM restrictions. The Xbox One's used games policy was undoubtedly pretty restraining, but it was great to see Microsoft listen to its fans, and make sure it was delivering a product that they wanted.
The Xbox One will be released in November of this year, with a launch price of $499.
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