We’ve been chatting with Microsoft minister of propaganda Aaron Greenberg, wanting to crack open his head like a big beautiful coconut and gorge on the milk inside. Greenberg is a man known for sparking controversy with his statements, and his interviews are often followed by a flurry of fanboy rage. We wanted to see what he thinks about the fanboys that argue over his words, and what it’s like to be such an industry firestarter.
“Well, it’s interesting because when you really think about the reality of it, there are many different media outlets covering the gaming business and each journalist has a specific set of questions they would like answered on a regular basis,” explains Greenberg. “What I try to do is to answer as many of these questions as I can and to be accessible to folks like you. I also don’t want to be the guy that just gives everyone the same standard approved response; I want to engage in a thoughtful dialogue with you and your readers and be as open and direct as I can.
“I realize this candor may at times spark emotions and of course I like it better when the emotions are positive ones, but even when they aren’t, it’s great to be part of the dialog. This industry is full of people who feel passionately about gaming, and being part of that conversation is one of the more interesting parts of my job.”
And what about these so-called console wars that everyone gets so upset about? Hit the jump for Greenberg’s opinion on the long and bitter struggle for fanboy supremacy.
“To me it is just like the passion people have for the favorite sports team, whether you are a fan of the Cowboys or Steelers or ManU or Chelsea, your loyalty runs deep,” explains the Microsoft stallion. “I would also say that I am a competitive person and work for a competitive company, so while I recognize that different people will root for different teams, I would love to win as many games as possible and win over as many Xbox fans as possible.
“I think this competitive nature is reflected in our products, it is what drove us to push for things like the New Xbox Experience, ‘Project Natal’ and even securing franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear and Final Fantasy. At the end of the day, I see this constant focus on always being the best we can and giving our owners new experiences as a positive thing in the long-term.”
I must congratulate Aaron on managing to namedrop Project Natal into nearly all of his answers. This man is good at his job.
