In recent weeks, a lot of Xbox’s future has been in flux, what with the abrupt retirement of Phil Spencer, the departure of Xbox President Sarah Bond, the hiring of Asha Sharma to take over Spencer’s role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming and the elevation of Matt Booty to Chief Content Officer.
Those moves, coupled with Microsoft’s shift in technique to a more third-party approach, having its once-exclusive titles appear on PlayStation, oftentimes day-and-date, with plans to proceed those efforts, plus subpar hardware sales, have understandably had many questioning if the corporate is committed to gaming altogether.
Nonetheless, CEO Satya Nadella has affirmed that gaming will proceed to be a part of Microsoft’s future. As a part of an internal Q&A, alongside Sharma, Nadella, per Windows Central, doubled down on gaming as a core business pillar for the corporate. Specifically, Nadella called gaming a “core identity” of Microsoft.
He further emphasized the importance of gaming because it pertains to Microsoft’s other offerings, doubling down on the investment within the business.
“For me, we’re long on gaming,” Nadella said. “We’ll proceed to take a position, and we’ll at all times achieve this. It’s as much as this team to indicate an excellence in execution, and creativity. Software at all times carries risk, but that is software with a lot of creation risk. It’s way different. But yet, we now have to be the best-in-class at it.”
Xbox “at its best lifts your complete company,” Nadella added. It “emotionally touches us,” and that aspect of Microsoft should “at all times” exist.
Project Helix Will Proceed Microsoft’s Investment In Gaming
Perhaps most notably, Microsoft did confirm that a next-generation Xbox console is within the works, dubbed Project Helix. It did so through a social media reveal video.
Following its reveal, Sharma confirmed long-standing rumors that the console will find a way to play PC games along with existing Xbox software. In the meanwhile, it’s unclear when the console will release.
That reveal follows one other hardware release in the shape of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, a handheld that may play Xbox titles that was released last yr. Those pieces of tech are supposed to make the most of an expanding Xbox library, one which has gained its footing in recent times with increasingly of Microsoft’s first-party studios finally releasing titles.
Xbox, which is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary this yr, is about to release recent entries in its Halo, Forza Horizon, Gears of War and Fable, all core pillars of a gaggle that wishes to proceed being involved with gaming for the long haul.