Microsoft hints major pc game release in interview

yOU CAN READ the RPS interview here

Stumbled across an interesting interview over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun this morning. The site spoke to Ken Lobb, Partner Creative Director for Microsoft Studios, about Microsoft's renewed commitment to PC gaming. I read the whole thing, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it means.

First, a little primer: last August, Microsoft hiredJason Holtman, the former head of Steam business development at Valve. At the time, GamesIndustry International reported that Holtman's mission as a fresh Microsoft hire was to make Windows a "great platform for gaming."

Speaking to Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Lobb very much confirmed that commitment. "[I]n years past we were the Xbox division," he said. "Now we're one [unified] Microsoft. . . . We have more support internally to support PC more." Lobb went as far as to call the PC gaming community "more vibrant than it's ever been before."

But when pressed for specifics, Lobb was much more evasive—and actually a little puzzling. Rock, Paper, Shotgun asked if Microsoft's renewed PC focus would spell the end of Xbox exclusives. Lobb replied that developers ought to make "the best thing for each platform" and perhaps release "support games" for "side platforms." He then clarified that the PC was by no means a "side platform" and that we could "potentially" see a big PC exclusive with an Xbox Live Arcade support title.

Finally, Lobb vaguely hinted at a major upcoming PC release, saying that, although he couldn't announce anything, Microsoft is "very dedicated to that space."

Yeah. I may be naive, but it seems like being "very dedicated" to PC gaming would entail cross-platform releases as a matter of course. All the talk of support titles and side platforms strikes me as a little odd. Perhaps Microsoft wants to encourage folks to game on both the PC and the Xbox One by churning out complementary, non-cross-platform releases. That kind of thing might make good business sense for Microsoft, but I don't think it's necessarily what the "vibrant" PC gaming community is after. With the exception of touch-enabled mobile games and the like, I'd rather just play all my games on the PC.

Well if that's the case they better show us some games in the next few months

Windows 9 GE (Gaming Edition). Watch and learn.

Microsoft delivering more love to its diverse customer base.

Sit back and soak in the awesome!

@Shewgenja:

This and a major pc game

I'll believe it when I seeit

It's probably windows phone game port number 715, like they keep on releasing.

*yawn*

You moved on MS, and so did PC gamers.

This is the last chance Microsoft has to prove themselves so cross your fingers they aren't BSing.

Give us a new AGE OF EMPIRES Microsoft. Make it happen.

The fact that they hired the head of Steam says to me that it will be another platform to purchase games on. I am thinking GFWL, except not crappy and it will be built into Windows. What better way to compete with Steam than to force a hundred million users to download your product?

Unless MS really does plan getting rid of the Xbox division and going head to head with Steam I don't see this happening as it wouldn't make sense as a business stand point.

Yeah, I'm sure people will be open to that.

Especially once they realize that GFWL ending soon will mean it will drag all the games it still has running on the service (Street Fighter, Dark Souls, Dead Rising, Red Faction, GTA, Fable, Gears of War, ...) down with it.

I also loved MS strategy with GFWL: 'What ? You guys don't want to pay for a subscription like Xbox gamers do ?' 'Well then, we'll just stop updating the service and leave it like it is: crap'

Not the first MS has come out with this kind of rhetoric. Only time will tell if they mean it this time.

Halo 3 for Steam!

Please be a new Age of Empires or Mythology!

cant be hyped for ms,

they will usually have a hokey review,

and stab gamers in the back,

if it was age of empires,

guaranteed always online and in app purchases abound

It'll be the rumored Halo 2 remake and to top it off it'll be Windows 8 only, similar to how Halo 2 required Vista (I think).

Yeah, I doubt it...

microsoft looks at anything they dish out as an "major release"..

Calling it: Halo 4 for Windows 8

I hope everyone is ready to get disappointed.

He was probably talking about Titanfall. A big game for PC and Xbox.

@sailor232:

RPS asked if there was a major pc exclusive that they were going to releasing and Lobb said he couldn't make a announcement about it but said they are dedicated on that space.

Maybe they will release the epic game Ryse...

Lol.. Jason Holtman just left Microsoft. Seriously, only an idiot would believe when Microsoft says they have plans to support pc gaming again.

Minesweeper 2