Microsoft dedication to the Xbox platform has not changed, the company reassured during a SXSW Gaming panel. According to Microsoft Game Studios’ Phil Spencer, Microsoft is still ‘extremely committed’ to the Xbox platform. The company also has improvements planed for the Games with Gold program.
Although there have been leadership changes within Microsoft, the company wants us to know that they are still committed to the Xbox platform. In fact, according to Spencer, both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who is now in charge of the Xbox division, are extremely committed to the platform.
“Xbox is a really critical brand for us as a company as Microsoft; when you think about consumers, what they love about our company, Xbox is one of the most beloved brands that the company has. We’re in the middle of a good, competitive battle in the console space with PlayStation, which is great for the industry. And they remain extremely committed to us succeeding with Xbox, which is nice to hear, right? It’s something that resonates well inside the walls when you’re talking to the teams, or when I stand in front of Xbox fans, I want to make sure that they understand we are extremely committed to this product,” Spencer stated.
Spencer also stated during his interview that the popular Games with Gold program will see an improvement. Games with Gold is a program that offers two free games a month to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Spencer reassured everyone that the program will be “more true” to what consumers want, but no details were given as to exactly what this may be.
Games that are offered via the program are typically months or years old, in comparison to Sony’s PlayStation Plus program, which tends to offer brand new titles. Spencer, while not being in charge of the program, will be actively selecting the titles that appear as part of the program on a monthly basis. “I think you’ll see at least something that feels, at least, more true to what I think Games with Gold should look like,” he adds.
