The Xbox One is not in the best position in the video game world right now. Because even though it’s sold 40 million consoles, it’s paling in comparison to the PS4, and even the new console the Nintendo Switch is hot on its tail, and could even pass it up by this time next year! To their credit though, Microsoft is working hard to ensure that their console, and their next console bounces back. And to help with that, they’ve rebranded themselves Xbox Game Studios.
Previously, they were just calling their gaming branch Microsoft Studios. But by refering to themselves as this, they’re showing their intent to focus on being an Xbox developer. A statement from Vice President Matt Booty noted:
“At Xbox, we believe when everyone plays, we all win,” Booty said. “It’s why we’re passionate about building a portfolio of games for players across console, PC and mobile. As we’ve expanded our focus beyond the console, the Xbox brand has also evolved from its original roots. Today, Xbox is our gaming brand across all devices, no matter how or where you want to play, or who you want to play with. In that spirit, I’m pleased to share that we are changing the name of our game development organization from Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios.”
As part of their desire to expand their platform, they’re focusing heavily on things like the Xbox Game Pass, as well as going to bring the Xbox Live to the Nintendo Switch, and of course, buying up many studios to help bolster their 1st party lineup.
“Xbox, for us, is our home base. It is the root of our origins, a place where we built out a strong community of gamers. As we look around the world and we think about the bigger collection of gamers on the planet, that goes beyond a console.”
We’ll have to see how this all works out for them.
