Microsoft’s CEO says the company is ‘very, very much focused on gaming’

Microsoft’s CEO told shareholders on Wednesday that the company is “very, very much focused” on growing the Xbox business.

During the firm’s annual shareholder meeting, Satya Nadella was asked what efforts Microsoft is making to “win the console war” with PS5, and to provide an overview of its gaming strategy.

“First thing, we’re very excited about the new console launches in the market,” he said of Xbox Series X/S, which debuted in November and broke Microsoft’s 24-hour launch record of over one million sales, according to the company.

“We always have sort of focused on ensuring that our gamer community that counts on us to produce the best consoles has a new generation of consoles, which are powerful and really great for gameplay. And we are supporting it with the best content with the best community.

“But the broader vision we have is to ensure that the three billion gamers out there are able to play their games, anywhere they want with all the content they want and with whom they want to,” Nadella continued (transcribed by Seeking Alpha). “And that’s really what we are building our strategy around.

“You’ve seen us double our content portfolio with ZeniMax acquisition, you see us make advances in our community efforts and our subscription offers with Game Pass. And that’s what you can expect from us.

“We are absolutely very, very much focused on gaming, and ensuring that all the three billion gamers around the world get the best content, best community and the best cloud services to power their gaming experiences going forward,” Nadella said.

In September Microsoft revealed its intention to acquire ZeniMax Media and its game publisher Bethesda Softworks in a $7.5 billion deal which is expected to close in the first half of calendar 2021.

Following the announcement, Nadella said Microsoft will consider buying more game companies in the future.

Demand for Microsoft’s new consoles is expected to outstrip supply for the foreseeable future, with Xbox head Phil Spencer recently suggesting Xbox Series X/S shortages will continue into spring 2021.

Further reading

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