Microsoft Dedicated to PC Gaming

Over the past few years, PC gaming has seen tremendous growth due in large part to the stagnant nature of this last protracted console cycle. In fact, many games were labeled as "best on the PC" for their sharp visuals and consistent frame rate. However, now that console gaming has, in some regards, caught back up with PC gaming, there are numerous questions as to whether or not the PC market might soon see the same neglect it did a few years ago.

While every publisher's stance is going to be different, one company that plans to continue, or even increase, their focus on PC gaming is Microsoft. It's unclear in what form that PC support might appear, but Microsoft Partner Creative Director Ken Lobb apparently wants PC gamers to know they will not get lost in the shuffle.

Speaking with Rock Paper Shotgun, Lobb wouldn't commit to anything regarding the PC market, but he did stress his love for the PC and his hope that Microsoft can craft some unique experiences for those gamers. Obviously, the Xbox One is a major focus for Microsoft right now, and PC gaming has taken a back seat in the past, but Lobb makes it seem like the company has learned their lesson.

"Now we’re one [unified] Microsoft. I don’t see this as pressure. I see it as an opportunity. We have more support internally to support PC more. That’s great! My only expectation would be, please let us continue to do that over a five-year period so we can have real impact. That’s how it feels right now. We’re getting very strong support internally. So we’re really going after PC."

Unfortunately, for as much as Lobb's comments will create some enthusiasm with respect to PC gaming, he also had a few troubling things to say, specifically regarding ancillary experiences.

"It’s my belief that the goal of a development team should be to make the best thing for each particular platform. So I think it makes sense to take Game A, maybe it’s exclusive on one of the platforms, but maybe you do some support games on the side platforms. Like, “Hey, I’ll do a big game here, and then I’ll do a tablet game or a smaller web thing, etc...Ubisoft did a great job last year. I played Kenway’s fleet on an iPad and I played Assassin’s Creed IV on an Xbox."

Lobb was quick to correct himself though, and explained that he envisions said scenario as mutually beneficial. As he explains, the PC platform would get the exclusive, while Xbox Live or mobile platforms handle the secondary experience.

While talk of PC support is reassuring, as was mentioned this is not the first time we have heard this from Microsoft. We know that there is purportedly a PC-exclusive title based on a beloved franchise on the way from Microsoft, but we have yet to hear anything about said game aside from rumors. In other words, PC support might sound good, but we'll believe it when we see it.

Do you believe that Microsoft will rededicate themselves to the PC market? What would you like to see from Microsoft as far as PC games?

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Source: Rock Paper Shotgun