Microsoft CEO Insists They’ll ‘Always Invest’ in Gaming at Xbox Q&A

In recent weeks, the Xbox brand has come under fire after some major changes shook the brand’s leadership team. The next-generation Xbox device was unveiled with a new code name, and many believe it could be the last piece of Xbox hardware we ever get. That naturally rolls into expectations around gaming as a whole.

However, in a recent internal Q&A at Xbox, the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, revealed that the team is still bullish about gaming and will always invest in the ecosystem for as long as it’s able to.

‘I’m Long On It’

In an exclusive report shared by Windows Central, we see a transcript of a behind-closed-doors Q&A at Xbox. The firm’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, hosted Satya Nadella for an access-all session, and he went deep on the future of gaming under the tech titan’s expansive umbrella.

One segment saw Nadella talk about the proposed longevity of Microsoft in the gaming space, fuelled by the 25-year-old power of the Xbox brand:

That’s why I’m long on it. Phil, he’s always talked to me about how gaming is the largest entertainment category — what is gaming in its most expansive form going forward?

This doesn’t mean we walk away from people are doing today — when we think about a AAA game on a console. The question is about where else can we go to extend that.

For me, we’re long on gaming. We’ll continue to invest, and we’ll always do so. It’s up to this team to show an excellence in execution, and creativity. Software always carries risk, but this is software with lots of creation risk. It’s way different. But yet, we have to be the best-in-class at it.

He suggested that everything the Xbox brand does is about getting down to the core of why people love video games. Later in the conversation, Nadella pointed to the changing trends in our digital world, suggesting how attention spans are waning, and consumers are perhaps losing touch with the active engagement model of video games in some capacity.

He said:

I look at the reports. The level of hijacking of our attention that’s going on … I want us to reverse that. Joy in coding, joy in gaming, that’s all I want us to live in. If we can bring that back, I think the world would be a better place for it.

If you’re worried about the legs on the Xboc brand, perhaps Nadella’s words have set you at ease. In his eyes, at least to his staff, his ambitions revolve around constantly making gaming a better, more accessible concept for everyone.

Let us know what you think about Nadella’s statements on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

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Grant’s adoration for gaming started on the Amstrad CPC in 1996. Now, he’s a multi-platform expert gamer with a deep love for the industry, a passion for esports, and more…

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