Satya Nadella denies Xbox death rumors, insists Microsoft is "long on gaming"

Something to look forward to: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has pushed back on rumors that the company plans to wind down its gaming business to focus on the more profitable worlds of AI and cloud services. During an internal Q&A, Nadella told employees that Microsoft is "long on gaming" and intends to increase its investment in the division in the years ahead.

Speaking with newly appointed Microsoft Gaming head Asha Sharma, Nadella dismissed speculation that the company might abandon gaming in favor of Windows, Azure, and AI. He described gaming as one of Microsoft's "main identities" over the past couple of decades and said it will remain a core part of the company's business portfolio going forward.

Nadella also emphasized gaming's influence across Microsoft's broader ecosystem, noting that it has acted as an accelerator for the company's cloud and personal computing businesses. At the same ...