Words are being spread around the internet claiming that Microsoft’s Xbox Music and Xbox Video services are on the verge of being cut. This is not true. Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore took it to Twitter earlier today to reveal that the company has no plans to end these services.
All this began when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella dropped hints that Xbox Music and Video were headed for the chopping block. “With our decision to specifically focus on gaming, we expect to close Xbox Entertainment Studios and streamline our investments in music and video,” Nadella stated during the company’s earnings call July 22nd. “We will invest in our core console gaming in Xbox Live with a view towards the broader PC and mobile opportunity.”
Clearly, it seemed like Microsoft was on the verge of canning Xbox Music and Video. But thankfully, Joe Belfiore took it to Twitter today to clarify a few things. First and foremost, these two services are not going anywhere.
“Don’t worry, no plan to drop Xbox Music/Video– my team builds these key scenarios for tablets, phones, PCs! And Xbox team does on console. In fact, we have one of our bigger/stronger Xbox Music updates just a couple weeks away…you’re gonna like it. Perf, fixes and some features,” Belfiore stated in two back-to-back tweets (see embedded tweets below).
So there you have it. Xbox Music and Video will live on and the company is set to roll out a big update to the Music app in the near future. While Xbox Music and Video are safe, the same cannot be said about Nokia’s MixRadio service — which will become a third party service delivered by a separate company.
Don’t worry, no plan to drop Xbox Music/Video– my team builds these key scenarios for tablets, phones, PCs! And Xbox team does on console.
— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) July 23, 2014
In fact, we have one of our bigger/stronger Xbox Music updates just a couple weeks away…you’re gonna like it. Perf, fixes and some features!
— joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) July 23, 2014
Further reading: Microsoft, Xbox Music, Xbox Video
