Microsoft’s CEO say it’s ‘doubling down’ on being a game producer and publisher

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the company is “doubling down” on its games division, following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

In an interview with MSN, the acquisition topic is brought up, and Nadella is asked why it was so important, especially given how big the $65 billion acquisition cost is.

“It is, but we’re really excited about it,” Sadella replied, explaining that games have been one of Microsoft‘s three main arms ever since the company’s early days.

“For us, there are a few things that go all the way back for us as a company,” he explained. “Gaming is one, right? When I think about Microsoft, I think of perhaps developer tools, proprietary software, and gaming. Those are three things that we’ve done from the very beginning.

“And so, to us, gaming is the one place where we think we have a real contribution to make in consumer markets.”

Nadella went on to explain that games are only becoming more popular with each new generation, and that the Activision Blizzard acquisition puts Microsoft in a stronger position to cater to growing demand.

“If I look at it, the amount of time people allocate to gaming is going up and Gen Z is going to do more of that,” he said.

“The way games are made, the way the games are delivered, is changing radically. Whether it’s mobile, or consoles, or PCs, or even the cloud.

“So, we’re looking forward to really doubling down both as a game producer and a publisher. Now we’ll be one of the largest game publishers and also as a company that’s building platforms for it.”

By acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has now become the second-biggest game publisher by revenue, behind only Chinese company Tencent.