Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has reaffirmed his plan for Xbox going forward is to allow players to “enjoy Xbox on all devices.”
In recent years,Microsofthas pivoted from competing directly on the console front to focusing on different strands such asXboxCloud Streaming.
Recently, the company introduced a new marketing campaign titled“This is an Xbox,”in which it highlighted that Xbox’s strategy moving forward is making Xbox games available on virtually all entertainment devices via the cloud.
While this caused concern among some console owners, who worried that this strategy would take focus away from its traditional offerings, Microsoft has since doubled down on the plans.
As spotted byGame File,Microsoft addressed the future plans of its gaming business during last week’s annual shareholder meeting.
“Shareholders are also interested in our gaming business,” said Brett Iverson, Microsoft’s vice president of investor relations. “Our acquisition ofActivision BlizzardKing. Satya, how are you feeling about the early return on that investment and the progress on our overall gaming strategy over the last year?”
Microsoft CEOSatya Nadellareplied, “I’m feeling very, very good about where we are in gaming. In fact, right now, this is, like, the peak season in gaming, obviously with Black Ops and the new Call of Duty. It’s just been fantastic to see the launch and the marketing around it, the buzz around it and the love for gaming.”
Call of Duty Black Ops 6, the first to launch directly into Game Pass,enjoyed a hugely successful debut.
“If I think about it right, we chose the secular growth category in entertainment, which we think is gaming and said, ‘Let’s double down on it’,” Nadella expanded.
“And so we said, ‘Let’s take that joy of gaming everywhere.’ And that’s why, even these ads with Xbox now, where we are redefining what it means to be an Xbox fan, it’s about being able to enjoy Xbox on all your devices.
“And, more importantly, I think in [the] long-term, as a company, we can bring the best of the AI innovation, cloud innovation, console innovation,PCinnovation to build the best games that can be enjoyed by gamers everywhere.”
Xbox first announced in February plans to bring a wave of games toPlayStationandNintendo Switch, in what appeared to be a significant change of strategy, starting withPentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves and Grounded.
Later,Microsoft announced Doom: The Dark AgesforXbox Series X/S, PC, andPS5and confirmed thata PS5 version of its Indiana Jones gamewill be released next year.
