Microsoft CEO Talks About Owning Both Xbox and PC Gaming, Transition to Ability to Game Anywhere

Giuseppe Nelva February 26, 2018 3:47 PM EST

Satya Nadella talks about a future in which Xbox and PC are "super-important" but is ultimately about "people and their ability to game anywhere."

Today Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella provided more color on the company’s gaming business and outlook during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco.

Nadella explained that the company is building a gaming service in which the console is going to be important, as it continues to be the place where the heaviest gamers are, while PC as a gaming device is increasing in popularity. On top of that, there is Microsoft’s ability to build Xbox Live as a network with subscription services. That is a “huge opportunity” for the company.

Asked to elaborate further, Nadella mentioned that Microsoft is “very happy” about the core gaming asset that the company has. That asset was built on with the beloved Xbox brand, as well as PC gaming.

“One of the things that most people have not recognized is that we’re the owners of both of those”

This has really helped growing engagement on Xbox Live, and the Xbox Game Pass subscription service is the beginning of what Nadella feels is going to be a transition where the console and PC are going to be “super-important,” but ultimately it’s about “people and their ability to game anywhere.”

“That’s where we’re going, whether it is with our subscription offerings with Game Pass, whether it’s with Mixer, which is growing very rapidly, in terms of streaming, or eSports franchises around our first-party games. So I think we have many, many leverages there. But fundamentally, it comes from that heritage of having been in the gaming business for multiple decades at this point and built up that capability in a world where we now have the ability to take that and have it service a much broader marketplace than ever before.”

Speaking of Game Pass, today Microsoft announced a new batch of games that will be added to the service and released a rather funny commercial.