Avalanche boss defends Xbox One reveal

Avalanche Studios founder and chief creative officer Christofer Sundberg has come out to defend Microsoft's Xbox One reveal, which faced criticism after it focused primarily on the system's non-gaming applications and services.

Speaking with Edge, Sundberg said Microsoft's approach was a smart one because by focusing on the platform's "all in one" ideals, it attracted the mainstream press. This way, Microsoft's showing at E3 next month can be--as the company has promised--all about games.

"Microsoft has said that it wants to make the Xbox One an entertainment center," Sundberg said. "If it was dubbed the ultimate gaming machine at this point, Microsoft would lose the attention of general media. This way, they are grabbing mainstream attention first and can focus entirely on gamers at E3. After that they'll have both in their grasp. The Xbox is and has always been a gaming platform, and I don't see that changing with the Xbox One."

Sundberg was also eager to praise the next-generation Kinect sensor that will ship with every Xbox One. He said the technology opens up loads of possibilities, especially in the children's game market.

"I see Kinect as one of many possibilities to make gaming experiences on the Xbox One better," Sundberg said. "I have dreamt of making an open-world/sandbox game for kids for many years and in that case I can see a strong support for the Kinect enhancing the experience, while I have a hard time making a perfect fit with some of our games in development at the moment."

The Xbox One launches later this year. Microsoft will ship 15 exclusive titles for the platform during its first 12 months. Eight of these games will be all-new franchises. For more, check out GameSpot's Xbox One news hub.