07.24.07
so long, peter moore
Peter Moore resigned from Microsoft last week. He’s not leaving the games industry - he’s off to San Francisco to work as head of EA Sports - but he’s dropping out of the platform holder game, and I can’t help feeling a little sad about that fact.
For a start, it brings an end to an extraordinary era when the top guys at two of the three platform holders were British. Moore doesn’t sound it (unless he really tries), but he’s actually from somewhere in that odd little corner of Britain where north Wales melts into Merseyside. (Sony boss Howard Stringer, of course, is Welsh, and one of PlayStation’s most high profile figures, Phil Harrison, cut his teeth working at the former Psygnosis, latterly SCEE Liverpool, studio.) That was cool while it lasted, just from a “what are the chances, eh?” point of view.
On a more personal note, though, I think Peter Moore is probably the executive I’ve enjoyed the most in the last few years. I interviewed him several times at Microsoft, and he was challenging, interesting and prepared to cross swords and actually argue properly, unlike many other console executives who will spout a marketing line with glassy eyes until the cows come home. You walked into an interview with Peter without knowing in advance exactly what all his answers were going to be, which for a journalist used to far less confident executives who only act from a prepared script was a godsend.
It was also a wonderful challenge. Peter was prepared to depart from the script because he was certain that he was sufficiently in control of any interview to be able to do so. Mostly, he was right. Sparks flew a couple of times when I interviewed him, which is a great credit to him, because most executives clamp up at the first sign of sparks - but his answers always remained intelligent and composed.
In negative terms, I guess I’d call him a tricky, slippery customer. In the real world, I know full well that it’s his job to be a tricky, slippery customer, while pretending to be everyone’s friendly, favourite uncle. He did his job admirably, and all my interactions with him as a journalist were great fun as a result.
I wrote a somewhat less personally focused profile of his departure for GamesIndustry.biz last week;
In political terms, if Moore joined Microsoft a mere politician, he leaves with the air of a statesman. In more practical business terms, Moore’s tenure has seen the Xbox take important steps forward.
Peter actually dropped me an email after the article was published, thanking me for writing something that just looked at the facts of his departure rather than indulging in the wild conspiracy theories currently doing the rounds - none of which, as far as I can gather, are remotely true.
I often regard praise from executives for anything I’ve written with deep suspicion, since it probably means I haven’t been remotely harsh enough in my assessment - but on this occasion, I’m taking it in the spirit in which it was intended. Although, I suppose it’s a sad indictment of the state of online games journalism when my piece is singled out as being good simply because it’s not full of crackpot, tin-foil-hat theories postulated by writers whose actual understanding of corporations and business practice is almost nil. Kotaku and its ilk have a lot to answer for.
So farewell, then, Peter Moore. I’ll be interested to see how his replacement, former EA development supremo Don Mattrick, fares in his place - especially on the international front.
(I’ll also, incidentally, be interested to see when my Xbox 360 actually gets back to me. Currently about three weeks since it was sent off for repair, and still waiting. I guess that 25 working day estimate might not have been far off…)
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Peter Moore, Xbox, videogames, Xbox 360
Keith Andrew said,
July 25, 2007 at 5:23 am
When I rang up Xbox Support to ask why my 360 was back, she told me to add another 15 days. She said this after calling me “Mr Keit” for 15 minutes.
In the end, it was about a week after I called that it turned up. I had an e mail from Microsoft said it was leaving wherever the hell they’d sent it to get fixed. When I checked the tracking code on UMD’s website a few days later, however, it said they were still awaiting payment from Microsoft.
Next morning it turns up. Without warning. Lucky I was up. Hope he didn’t mind the morning glory.
So, the moral of the story is, beware!
Keith Andrew said,
July 25, 2007 at 5:24 am
Oh christ. It’s late.
UMD = UPS, and said = saying.
I really must sleep now.