It’s been discussed to great length whether or not Microsoft should ditch its Xbox brand. Investors have suggested that they support such a move, and yesterday’s news that Bill Gates would be all for it has caused quite a stir.
This news has circled social media at an alarming extent, prompting some consumers to get the impression that it’s actually going to happen soon. Given Microsoft’s heavy investment in Xbox One, they aren’t very happy about that, and responded when speaking to Eurogamer in an interview:
As Mr Gates noted, Microsoft is committed to gaming across multiple platforms with Xbox as the centrepiece of our gaming strategy. “We remain committed to Xbox and the millions of Xbox fans around the world.”
The Xbox’s past year has been turbulent. The Xbox One was initially poorly received for its DRM, a move that would later be rescinded by Microsoft, but never forgotten by consumers. It now sits over two million units behind the PS4 in sales, with a higher price point and less momentum.
As grim as it all seems, it’s not bad enough that Microsoft should be seriously considering a sell off in the near future. A restructuring? Sure, and that’s likely to happen now that Phil Spencer is the head of the brand.
Could Xbox eventually belong to a different company, even Amazon? It’s possible, but for now Microsoft is primarily concerned with making Xbox successful, and in the immediate future that means performing at E3 2014.
