Microsoft is expanding its Xbox Research division to include game developers and is looking to hear feedback from more studios outside the company.
In a new blog post, the company said that the objective for the expansion is to listen to partners in the Xbox ecosystem “to bring forward insights and data that could help improve future tools and services,” as well as “address pain points”.
“By directly engaging with game creators, Xbox aims to get the data that’ll help address pain points and enhance the experience of partners across the spectrum of disciplines involved in bringing games to market,” Microsoft explained.
The company said it is also welcoming input from developers and studios who aren’t currently making games for Xbox consoles.
“If you are making video games, we’re interested in hearing from you. If you aren’t on Xbox, we’d love to know why,” said Dr. Deborah Hendersen, principal user researcher for Xbox. “And honestly, if you are using our competitor’s products, you probably have a great perspective we could learn from!”
This will allow Microsoft to gain a “fresh perspective” and avoid becoming an “echo chamber” as the Xbox Research division – which has been active for 20 years – expands.
“We want to hear from everyone who works on games or helps support game studios because if we can make your life easier, it makes gaming better,” Hendersen added.
“It’s a bit like testing players who play games like yours – they are your target audience and you want to hear fresh perspectives because their expectations may differ from folks who are deep in your community.”
This new program will employ methodologies for developers that will mirror those used in player-focused studies, like interviews, usability, playtesting, surveys, and flighting.
“It’s the same sort of studies we perform when testing games, just on tools and services,” Henderson explained, adding that the program will also offer flexibility and thoroughness for the recruitment process.
Studios based in the US can now sign up to the Xbox Research team, but Microsoft says it’s actively working to expand recruitment to more countries.
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