Jon Blow: Xbox 720 is ‘not strictly about games’

Independent game developer Jonathan Blow has confirmed what we already know: the next Xbox, or Xbox 720 as it's popularly referred to as, is more than just a gaming machine. And he's not so sure that's the best thing to do, business-wise.

Speaking with Edge Online, Blow, who is currently working on a new puzzle game — The Witness — for the PlayStation 4, noted that the Xbox 360 successor is "not strictly about games." This led him to working with the PlayStation 4, instead.

“To me[,] they talk about a console that is not strictly about games. It’s trying to be the [center] of the living room device, which is fine and maybe it’s the right thing for Microsoft to do, business-wise. I don’t know; I actually don’t think it is, but they’ve certainly thought about it more than me!”

Blow's decision for developing on the PlayStation goes well beyond the console itself. He explained that, in the past, he's had a "bad time working with Microsoft."

"Maybe not super bad, but a moderately bad time in terms of business relationships. Other developers who are friends of mine have had a horrible time, so the idea of signing up again with Microsoft isn’t something I’d have ruled out, but there’s a certain amount of dread I have about doing that again.”

Although he doesn't "have that [feeling] with Sony," he acknowledged, "maybe it'll turn out to be just as bad at the end! But I don't think so."

This isn't the first we've heard Blow praise the PS4 over the next Xbox. In February, he admitted his studio liked the PlayStation 4's technical specs and position — more about games — than the next Xbox. Although the The Witness is currently announced only for the PS4, Blow acknowledged that it could come to other platforms eventually due to it being only a timed exclusive.