In recent weeks, so much 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 appointment of Matt Booty as Chief Content Officer.
These moves, combined with Microsoft's shift in strategy to a more third-party approach, where its once-exclusive titles appear on PlayStation, often day in and day out, with plans to continue those efforts, plus lackluster hardware sales, have understandably led many to question whether the company is committed to gaming at all.
However, CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed that gaming will continue to be part of Microsoft's future. As part of an internal Q&A, along with Sharma, Nadella, according to Windows Central, doubled down on gaming as a cornerstone of the company. Specifically, Nadella called gaming a “core identity” for Microsoft.
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He further emphasized the importance of gaming as it relates to Microsoft's other offerings, doubling down on investment in the business.
“To me, we're in for the long haul,” Nadella said. “We will continue to invest, and we always will. It's up to this team to demonstrate excellence in execution and creativity. Software always carries risk, but this is software with lots of creator risk. It's completely different. But still, we have to be best in class at it.”
Xbox “at its best elevates the entire company,” Nadella added. It “touches us emotionally”, and that aspect of Microsoft should “always” be there.
Project Helix will continue Microsoft's investment in games
Perhaps most notably, Microsoft confirmed that a next-gen Xbox console is in the works, dubbed Project Helix. It did so through a revealing video on social media.
After the reveal, Sharma confirmed long-standing rumors that the console will be able to play PC games in addition to existing Xbox software. Currently, it is unclear when the console will be released.
That reveal follows another hardware release in the form of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, a handheld capable of playing Xbox titles released last year. These pieces of tech are meant to take advantage of an expanding Xbox library, one that has gained a foothold in recent years with more and more of Microsoft's first-party studios finally releasing titles.
Xbox, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, will release new entries in its Halo, Forza Horizon, Gears of War and Fable, all mainstays of a group that wants to stay involved in gaming for a long time.
- Date founded
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April 4, 1975
- CEO
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Satya Nadella
- Head office
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Redmond, Washington, USA
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