Home Gaming Microsoft reaffirms commitment to Xbox

Microsoft reaffirms commitment to Xbox

2 min read
12

Nadella

When Microsoft started going through its management changes last year, There were calls from its investors to separate the Xbox brand from the rest of Microsoft, or kill it off completely. Coupled with the initially dismal public image of the Xbox One, it launched a million rumours that Microsoft was going to kill off the Xbox. Microsoft has now said, again, that it has no plans of getting rid of Xbox – even though it no longer forms part of the company’s core business

In an open letter to employees, Nadella outlined the company’s future, stressing that he wants Microsoft to focus on being on mobile and the magical cloud. It means less of a focus on devices and services. That said, he still believes in the Xbox.

“As a large company, I think it’s critical to define the core, but it’s important to make smart choices on other businesses in which we can have fundamental impact and success. The single biggest digital life category, measured in both time and money spent, in a mobile-first world is gaming,” Nadella elaborated.

“We are fortunate to have Xbox in our family to go after this opportunity with unique and bold innovation. Microsoft will continue to vigorously innovate and delight gamers with Xbox. Xbox is one of the most-revered consumer brands, with a growing online community and service, and a raving fan base.

“We also benefit from many technologies flowing from our gaming efforts into our productivity efforts – core graphics and NUI in Windows, speech recognition in Skype, camera technology in Kinect for Windows, Azure cloud enhancements for GPU simulation and many more. Bottom line, we will continue to innovate and grow our fan base with Xbox while also creating additive business value for Microsoft,” Nadella said.

That should put an end to all of the speculation about the end of Xbox, or whether Microsoft would jettison the brand – for now. It does make one wonder about the long-term future of the Xbox though, and the company remains somewhat rudderless when it comes to games. If Nadella and Microsoft are going to remain committed to games on the Xbox and beyond (that means PC, guys!), it’ll take more than an open letter to prove it.

Last Updated: July 11, 2014

12 Comments

  1. Rince&pop

    July 11, 2014 at 07:39

    Thank goodness they have come out and said this. One can now rest easy that there is nothing under the sky that could change their minds, make them backtrack, make them think again, ponder a change, consider their options, choose a new course…

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      July 11, 2014 at 08:05

      Look on the bright side, at least they don’t go through protracted debate about it. Geddit? PROTRACTED!

      Reply

    • Jonah Cash

      July 11, 2014 at 08:11

      Hahahahaha!!! Well played!!!!

      Reply

    • DrKiller

      July 11, 2014 at 12:10

      You mean “under the CLOUD”… Please stay with us!

      Reply

      • Rince&pop

        July 11, 2014 at 12:32

        Doh! Missed opportunity!

        Reply

  2. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    July 11, 2014 at 07:45

    What’s interesting is that Nadella didn’t “reaffirm his commitment” to the boner, but rather hinted that xbox as a brand will embrace mobile gaming. I have a feeling Microsoft might just throw their windows phones and tablets under the xbox banner, and give the boner the shaft in the not too distant future…

    Reply

  3. Sir Rants A Lot Llew

    July 11, 2014 at 07:53

    ” in a mobile-first world is gaming,”
    “with a growing online community and service, and a raving fan base.”
    ” speech recognition in Skype, camera technology in Kinect for Windows, Azure cloud enhancements for GPU simulation”

    All I hear is online mobile games. That bugs me

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      July 11, 2014 at 08:08

      Whenever I hear someone described as “raving” two thing immediately spring to mind:

      Reply

      • Sir Rants A Lot Llew

        July 11, 2014 at 08:57

        loooooooool

        Reply

  4. Alien Emperor Trevor

    July 11, 2014 at 08:03

    I’ll give it an hour.

    “The comments today were inaccurate. We remain committed to ensuring the best possible solutions for shareholders and investors to create value from the Xbox division. We will share more details at a later date.”

    Reply

  5. Alien Emperor Trevor

    July 11, 2014 at 08:16

    Yes well said. You need to define the core of your business. Just one quick question… isn’t that something you already know? Also don’t forget you’re still committed to PC gaming, what with Excel being such a major part of that mythical core.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Xbox Series X Restock Update Today: Track on Twitter, Walmart, Best Buy and More

New consoles are on the horizon, and while Sony and Microsoft have spoken plenty about wha…