Microsoft Game Studios admits its not the industry leader it should be.
With the recent release of Halo: Reach and the upcoming launch of Kinect, it seems that PC gamers are pushed aside in favor of their console comrades. Even worse, Microsoft's Windows OS dominates the PC sector, yet Games for Windows - LIVE isn't exactly the thriving community Xbox 360 gamers have enjoyed for years--subscription or not. Microsoft Game Studios sees the perceived prejudice and plans to do something about it.
"There’s been a fair bit of criticism aimed at Microsoft that we were spending a lot of our focus on console, and we need to be putting resources behind PC as well," Microsoft Game Studios’ general manager Dave Luehmann said in an interview. "Other companies should look to Microsoft for leadership, but I’m not sure they do. It is our job to lead the way on PC. And in some ways we are doing that and in other ways we are not. So we need to step up."
The studio's renewed focus will start with three big titles--Fable III, Age of Empires Online and Microsoft Flight--which will use Games for Windows - LIVE. Luehmann reassured PC gamers that more big titles were on the way, however the studio plans to test new ideas. After all, it's Microsoft's job to experiment with new business models that will inspire 3rd-party publishers worldwide.
"I think it is the responsibility of first parties to push the business models into new directions," he said. "We will test some ideas--some will work and some won’t."
What Microsoft needs is a new, genre-defining game like Halo for the PC, something so mind-blowing addictive that console gamers will drop their controllers and buy new PC gaming rigs with Windows 7 pre-installed.
Tom's Hardware
Glad to see MS plans to improve the PC market.
With the recent release of Halo: Reach and the upcoming launch of Kinect, it seems that PC gamers are pushed aside in favor of their console comrades. Even worse, Microsoft's Windows OS dominates the PC sector, yet Games for Windows - LIVE isn't exactly the thriving community Xbox 360 gamers have enjoyed for years--subscription or not. Microsoft Game Studios sees the perceived prejudice and plans to do something about it.
"There’s been a fair bit of criticism aimed at Microsoft that we were spending a lot of our focus on console, and we need to be putting resources behind PC as well," Microsoft Game Studios’ general manager Dave Luehmann said in an interview. "Other companies should look to Microsoft for leadership, but I’m not sure they do. It is our job to lead the way on PC. And in some ways we are doing that and in other ways we are not. So we need to step up."
The studio's renewed focus will start with three big titles--Fable III, Age of Empires Online and Microsoft Flight--which will use Games for Windows - LIVE. Luehmann reassured PC gamers that more big titles were on the way, however the studio plans to test new ideas. After all, it's Microsoft's job to experiment with new business models that will inspire 3rd-party publishers worldwide.
"I think it is the responsibility of first parties to push the business models into new directions," he said. "We will test some ideas--some will work and some won’t."
What Microsoft needs is a new, genre-defining game like Halo for the PC, something so mind-blowing addictive that console gamers will drop their controllers and buy new PC gaming rigs with Windows 7 pre-installed.
Tom's Hardware
Glad to see MS plans to improve the PC market.
