With Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard finally complete, the company controls a larger than ever share of the game industry. According to CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft now plans to double down on game publishing and development.
Microsoft expanding game publishing and development
Microsoft’s CEO recently sat down for an interview with Business Insider. The conversation touched on a variety of topics, most of them unrelated to the gaming side of Microsoft’s business. However, the interview also asked about the Activision Blizzard deal, pointing out the hefty $65 billion price tag.
Nadella acknowledged the expense but pointed out that gaming has been a big part of Microsoft for a long time. “When I think about Microsoft, I think of perhaps developer tools, proprietary software, and gaming,” the executive said. Those are three things that we’ve done from the very beginning.” Nadella isn’t wrong, with the company publishing its first game in 1979.
The CEO went on to explain how he believes gaming is one area where the company can have a major impact. He also described how Microsoft sees the industry continuing to evolve and briefly acknowledged the company’s changing approach to it.
“The way games are made, the way the games are delivered, is changing radically. Whether it’s mobile, or consoles, or PCs, or even the cloud. So, we’re looking forward to really doubling down both as a game producer and a publisher,” he said.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Xbox is going away, as Nadella says Microsoft will continue building gaming platforms. However, his statements mirror the games-first approach that Xbox head Phil Spencer has talked about for some time.
