A latest report mentioned Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was at one level mulling the potential of shuttering the Xbox division. Earlier than this, Microsoft’s personal co-founder Paul Allen’s funding firm known as for Microsoft to dump Xbox and spin it off as a separate enterprise. That by no means occurred, and now Nadella is talking as much as categorical Microsoft’s dedication to gaming. He instructed Dwarkesh Patel that it is not true that Microsoft’s investments in gaming is a part of some sort of “means to another finish.”
Microsoft has a protracted historical past of supporting gaming, Nadella identified, referencing how Microsoft Flight Simulator was a Microsoft product earlier than the corporate even made the primary model of Home windows.
“So, gaming has obtained a protracted historical past on the firm, and we need to be in gaming for gaming’s sake. I all the time begin by saying I hate to be in companies the place they’re means to another finish. They must be ends unto themselves,” he mentioned.
Nadella’s feedback got here in response to a query about if Nadella had some sort of “premonition” about how gaming may assist contribute to Microsoft’s push into the factitious intelligence house through the use of video games to coach its fashions.
“We’re an organization the place we’ve to deliver all these belongings collectively and be higher homeowners by including worth. For instance, cloud gaming is a pure factor for us to spend money on as a result of that can simply develop the TAM [Total Addressable Market] and develop the flexibility for folks to play video games in all places,” he mentioned.
Nadella went on to say that Microsoft’s new investments into gaming-focused AI with its Muse know-how may be useful to permit Microsoft’s recreation group to make video games quicker and extra effectively.
“As the largest, world’s largest writer, this can be useful. However on the similar time, we have got to supply great-quality video games. I imply, you may’t be a gaming writer with out, form of, at the beginning being targeted on that,” he mentioned.
Microsoft’s new Muse know-how is what the corporate claims is the world’s first “world and human motion mannequin” that’s educated proper now on Ninja Principle’s deserted recreation Bleeding Edge. Ninja Principle has mentioned Muse will not be use to make video games, however as a substitute to assist empower people to work quicker.
“I take into consideration gaming information as maybe, you understand, what YouTube is probably to Google, gaming information is to Microsoft. And so due to this fact I am enthusiastic about that,” Nadella mentioned.
AI is a controversial know-how throughout the gaming house and throughout quite a few different companies. A latest GDC research discovered that almost all of recreation studios worldwide use generative AI already, regardless of issues concerning the know-how. Microsoft itself has gone on file saying developments to AI will result in job losses within the brief time period however might result in extra alternatives in the long run. Microsoft laid off greater than 2,500 folks up to now yr in gaming roles, although whether or not or not the discount had something to do with AI is unknown. Online game voice actors have additionally gone on strike as a result of issues about AI.
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