The Verge just published a massive interview with Microsoft's gaming team and there are some very interesting tidbits to be found there.
First of all, any worry of Xbox becoming a mere brand or "app" instead of a proper console in the future should be put rest, as Phil Spencer uttered the following words:
No, I fully expect that you’ll see another console from us […] Our best customers are Xbox console customers, and I want to keep those people engaged both on the Xbox One and anything we might do in the future. I’m 100 percent committed to that.
I don’t want to dilute what the Xbox console customer feels. I want to expand what we’re able to do for more customers. I love that console experience. It’s obviously the core of what Xbox is about, and Xbox One is our most important gaming device inside the company. There’s no doubt about that.
At the same time, Spencer has been vocal about trying to reach all kinds of gamers on Microsoft devices, including WIndows.
We also know there are millions and millions of gamers who access Microsoft [in other ways,] whether it’s Windows, their phone, Skype — it could be many different things every day.
As head of gaming inside of Microsoft, I think about how we make sure that all of those customers feel as supported and engaged as the Xbox fans do who own a game console.
It sounds like Microsoft might do more with the Halo franchise on Windows 10, according to Head of 343 Industries Bonnie Ross.
It’s being deliberate. So yes. We will, of course, play a critical role [on Windows 10], as I think that we’re an important IP for the company. It’s doing the right thing at the right time.
There were the Halo Spartan Strike/Halo Spartan Assault games, of course, but there's also Halo Wars 2 scheduled for PC & Xbox One in late 2016, with cross-play enabled. Hopefully, though, Microsoft will start bringing even mainline Halo entries if the franchise really is to play a critical role on Windows 10.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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