Getting a grasp of the game industry and getting an elevated view of what's happening at any given time takes a lot of work. Ed Fries, founder of 1Up Ventures, has put in that work. He built Microsoft's gaming business, starting with Microsoft Flight Simulator, and, as head of Microsoft Game Studios, he helped it launch the original Xbox back in 2001. He was responsible for Xbox hits Bungie's Halo and Project Gotham Racing, as well as Age of Empires on the PC. Then he retired from Microsoft in 2004. He took time off, built an Atari 2400 game based on Halo, and began advising a lot of game entrepreneurs. In 2019, he started investing in games after founding 1Up Ventures. Since that time, he has seen momentous changes in the core PC and console business, the sprouting of many indie game studios, and then retrenchment as times got tougher again. Throughout this time, Fries has developed a unique perspective. We'll probe Fries’ perspective as we talk to him about his career, the state of gaming, the opportunities in game investing, and his own views on AI and games.
Featured Speaker: Ed Fries, General Partner, 1UP Ventures
Moderated by Dean Takahashi, Editorial Director, GamesBeat
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