Phil Spencer, now Executive VP of Gaming at Microsoft, has been named among the People of the Year by GamesIndustry. In the accompanying interview, Spencer hinted that Xbox will ‘show up in more ways to gamers on all devices’. He then added that PC is a particular focus in this regard, echoing his previous commitment to improving the Xbox gaming ecosystem on PC, starting with the Microsoft Store.
2019 will be a great year for games. I’m excited for what we have coming including Crackdown 3, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Gears 5 as well as the incredible line-up of games from the industry that will look and play best on Xbox One X. While we continue to advance our position on the console, you’ll see Xbox show up in more ways to gamers on all devices.
For example, and as I’ve said before, we feel we can play a bigger role delivering for PC gamers on Windows. We haven’t always had great focus or consistency with our approach to gamers on the PC. The PC gaming ecosystem is incredibly vibrant and successful so it starts with us asking ourselves what role we can play and what we can add for both gamers and developers.
The Microsoft executive later pointed out that gaming is now a core priority inside the company, and he called the enthusiasm CEO Satya Nadella has for gaming inspiring.
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His enthusiasm for learning about the power and potential of gaming and the freedom he’s given us to chart a path to make a difference, for all gamers, has been inspiring. With the support of Satya, Amy Hood (our Chief Financial Officer) and the broader senior leadership at Microsoft, we’re empowered to apply resources and expertise, from across the company, to deliver incredible gaming experiences for the world’s more than two billion gamers.
Indeed, Microsoft seems to have a lot cooking in the gaming department between the newly acquired studios, the ongoing push to make Xbox Game Pass the Netflix of gaming, the upcoming streaming bid with Project xCloud (which ties to the rumored low-priced streaming Xbox console) and more.
