Kinect games developed in close collaboration with marketers

Microsoft Games Studios general manager Kudo Tsunoda has said the input of marketers was essential to the success of Kinect, despite their traditional rivalry with development staff.

"Marketing was a very big part in creating the whole experience," Tsunoda said at the MI6 conference in San Francisco, as reported by Gamasutra.

"As developers, we had spent years creating core games, making awesome blood come out of someone's face. We knew how to design stuff, figure stuff out and make it awesome."

But with Kinect, Microsoft Games Studios weren't out to make core games with motion control tacked on. It needed to design new experiences.

"We got outside our heads and our meetings and got out there to see how people played and what they wanted," Tsunoda continued.

"Suddenly, design wasn't about the designers. It was about the data. And when you're all looking at the very clear results that the data brings in, really, what is the difference between a designer and a marketer?"

"I give props to marketing," he added. "They didn't just give us the data and move on. They worked with us to generate ideas about what the customers wanted."

Kinect has sold ten million units and is considered the fastest-selling gadget of all time. Microsoft Games Studios was responsible for Kinect Joy Ride, Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, and Kinect Adventures.