That's a bit different, because he's selling finished products. He can just check all the boxes from star wars over dnd to collectible card games and order the value pack from a middle man and then it's all about the location of the shop and the competition in the area.

You don't have to understand why a specific product works if what you're doing is essentially providing a mixed physical storefront for a bunch of corporations.

But this lady is now going to have to make important strategic decisions, about which games to give funding, which ones to cancel, what kind of hardware to even envision.

Compare it to valve, who sat down and build their own controller and handheld, because they looked at 20 years of market and product development and thought they could do better and delivered. You have to know a lot about why you want hardware for what purpose and what makes it better or worse for that purpose to do that.

XBOX, theoretically, same as any other big name in media, could be the place where a new media franchise is born that dominates the next 50 years of pop culture. THAT is the kind of position this is.

That they won't because they can't "build the next skyrim / WoW" is kind of the problem.

Wait wait but what if we made fps games like casinos?

It sucks to say, but I'd actually wager there's more game developers and designers that don't play games regularly than ones that do. The time and mental investment necessary to create games doesn't tend to leave much room for enjoying them.

But probably really should at least consider yourself a fan of games in the industry, even if you can't keep up playing the latest and greatest.

I'd go further and compare this to actors who many times will never watch the finished product. IIRC, John de Lancie voiced Discord in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic but never watched any of the episodes until the fandom really took off. He was surprised this small role he forgot he even did gained such popularity! I'm sure he's seen a number of episodes by now, especially since he later reprised his role

He also had honor and dignity. Rare attributes in company leadership these days.