The DeanBeat: The Platform Awakens

When a company launches a new platform, it’s a big undertaking. You have to craft your new technology into a consumer product. Then you have convince developers, who are the canaries in the coal mine, to support it. If the canaries die, big trouble lies ahead. Winning over those developers takes more than money or a good sales pitch. You have to inspire them.

I remember one of the most inspirational moments in gaming history, when Microsoft’s Ed Fries tried to convince developers to support the original Xbox because it would enable games to become a true art form. Back in 2001, he said, “If we focus on making art, not just entertainment, then I think for the first time we’ll deserve to speak to the mass audience, and inherit our rightful place as the future of all entertainment.”