Xbox One fans who were worried that Microsoft might sell or spin-off the Xbox business should worry no longer, as CEO Satya Nadella has crushed all rumors and is standing firm behind the Xbox business.
Satya Nadella made his intentions public when he spoke at the Code Conference this week, which takes place in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. When asked about selling or spinning off the Xbox business, Satya Nadella made the following comment on the matter:
"I have no intent to do anything different with Xbox than we are doing today," says Nadella in an interview with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg.
The Xbox brand is Microsoft's most successful in the entertainment business, and is the company's most successful hardware. Selling the brand would see Microsoft taking a huge step behind its rivals, who are also planning to release entertainment hubs for the living room that also acts as a gaming console.
We've seen similar devices from Amazon in the form of the Fire TV, and even Google is working on improving its failed Google TV initiative, which could transform into Android TV.
For those who believe Microsoft needs to sell its search engine 'Bing,' Nadella also shot down any plans to sell it, since it is deeply integrated with Windows. We've long known this was the reason why Microsoft is still holding tight to the Bing business, as it is not turning a profit.
With Bing now having a central part of Windows 8 and Microsoft's new voice assistance, Cortana, it is clear that Bing is also here to stay for the long haul. Furthermore, Bing has 30 percent of the search market, as per Nadella, and it is so far the only search engine that is growing at a rapid pace.
Both Xbox and Bing are important to Microsoft going forward. At the moment, these services are not bringing in big profits, but Microsoft must put profit on the back burner for a while, and think about the bigger picture.
In the coming years, fans should expect the predecessor to the Xbox One, because the Xbox brand is going nowhere, not for a long time.
