Ed Fries Races The Beam

In this episode of The Fourth Curtain, Alex and Aaron sit down with Ed Fries, a pivotal figure in the gaming industry and former VP at Microsoft, where he helped launch the Xbox. Ed shares stories from his early days at Microsoft, including how he made the leap from working on Office products to heading up the game division. He dives into the creation of the original Xbox, the challenges the team faced, and the infamous "Valentine’s Day Massacre" meeting where Xbox's future hung in the balance.

Ed also talks about his passion for game development, stretching back to his teenage years programming for Atari, and his ongoing support for indie game developers through his venture fund, 1UP Ventures. Throughout the conversation, Ed’s storytelling shines as he reflects on the impact of the Xbox, Halo, and his own entrepreneurial journey in the gaming world.

For listeners interested in the deeper technical side of gaming history, we recommend reading Racing the Beam, a book that explores the development of the Atari 2600, the platform that first captured Ed’s imagination as a developer.

Timestamped Highlights:

• [00:01:00] – Alex and Aaron introduce Ed Fries and reminisce about the early Xbox days.
• [00:07:00] – Ed shares his background in game programming for the Atari 800.
• [00:13:00] – The origin of the first-ever screensaver, developed by Ed at Microsoft.
• [00:23:00] – Ed's thoughts on the evolving game industry and his passion for supporting indie developers.
• [00:29:00] – How Ed transitioned from the Office team to leading Microsoft’s game division.
• [00:34:00] – Behind the scenes of the Xbox’s early development, including the "Valentine’s Day Massacre" meeting with Bill Gates.
• [00:45:00] – The crucial role Halo played in the success of the Xbox launch.
• [01:00:00] – Reflections on the challenges Microsoft faced with hardware and pricing during the Xbox’s lifecycle.
• [01:05:00] – Ed’s post-Microsoft career, including Halo 2600 and the founding of 1UP Ventures.

Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!
Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin
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Featuring the music track Liberation by 505