Today, Microsoft is hosting the opening keynote of its Build developer conference in Seattle, and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella talked about the company’s gaming plans.
Nadella mentioned that gaming has a “very special place” within Microsoft, and the philosophy is to “put the game at the center” but also to “put the game developer at the center” by placing the whole Microsoft game stack at their service.
“We are very committed to creating a tremendous opportunity going forward with gaming, and it starts with the same metaphor that we used for Microsoft 365. That is by putting the gamer at the center, and ensuring that they can play the games of course on the console, on the PC, as well as on mobile. That’s what all of our innovation is centered on. Whether it is what we’re doing with Xbox, what we’re doing with PC gaming, what we’re doing with GamePass, Mixer, it’s to enable that future for gaming.
Now, what that means is even for the game developer: We want to put the game developer at the center and bring the entirety of the Microsoft game stack so that developers can build amazing games. In fact, right on Azure we have tremendous traction for game development. We have people like Rare, Ubisoft, Wizards of the Coast, all building these amazing game experiences using the power of the cloud.”
Nadella talked about Xbox Live with its 63 million users and the value Azure PlayFab that passed one billion player accounts. After mentioning that “gaming is a very rich opportunity,” he showcased a trailer of the Microsoft game stack, which (in case you’re wondering) means all the services and tools Microsoft offers to developers.
After showing the video, Nadella explained that it’s “really exciting to see the developer opportunities in front of us,” mentioned that Microsoft is building the “best, modern technology stack for applications, data and AI, business process automation, communication and productivity, as well as gaming.”
He also added that these platforms are “rich canvases” to enable developers to turn dreams into reality, building “magical experiences” that empower people (among other things) to help others connect, relax, and have fun.
Lastly, we saw a small tease related to a reveal coming to Minecraft on May 17, apparently related to augmented reality.
It’ll be interesting to see how Microsoft’s plans will materialize at E3. According to Spencer himself, the house of Xbox has big things in store.
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