With all the streaming services out right now, various companies have been working to get game-streaming up and running in the current landscape. Several companies have made a few entries with Google Stadia and PlayStation Now, and Microsoft isn’t far behind withthe Project xCloud streaming service.
Of course, there have been concerns thatMicrosoft’s streaming service would take priority over game development on consoles and PC. Recently, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke on the matter and said the company will not neglect game development on either platforms while moving forward with the streaming service. He states that the streaming service will help grow gaming for Microsoft beyond both platforms and reach more people.
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Nadella said that xCloud is still in its “early days” and the streaming service won’t negatively impact the company’s endeavors in console and PC gaming. However, he does say that xCloud streaming will be able to increase customer access to the company’s wide catalog of games. Xbox’s Phil Spencer even mentioned the possibility ofbringing xCloud to consoles, and Nadella does point out the company is still focused on console and PC gaming.
With thesuccessful launch of the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft is still invested in console gaming for hardware revenue as it is with streaming. This is especially after the company reached a quarterly revenue of $5 billion due in no small part to the new next-gen consoles. Nadella added that Microsoft is still dedicated to delivering great games for both platforms even as the company expands into cloud gaming with xCloud. If anything, the three overlap with Microsoft’s wider goal of increasing its Xbox Live users and membership.
According to Nadella, the company is working to innovate how games are distributed and played and is expanding cloud gaming on Xbox Game Pass to iOS devices and Windows PCs in the next few months. The company is prioritizing expanding across all its gaming platforms to increase its monthly subscriptions. However, the recentXbox Live Gold controversyand the larger price change may have hurt the company on some part even after it reversed the decision following the immediate backlash.
Even though there was speculation about changes coming to Xbox Live Gold membership, most people were caught off-guard by that decision. While the company is invested inxCloud game-streamingMicrosoft isn’t going to neglect console and PC gaming anytime soon, nor the players on both platforms.
