Microsoft explains why there were no Windows games at E3

[Shawn Knight]

E3 is perhaps the biggest gaming-related trade show in the world. Every year, a bevy of game publishers and accessory manufacturers converge on the Los Angeles Convention Center for nearly a week to showcase their new wares to eager media. It seems like the perfect place to let everyone in on your next big project, right?

Not so, according to Microsoft.

As you may have noticed, Windows PC gaming was a no-show at this year’s conference and according to Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer, that was no accident. In a recent interview with Polygon, Spencer said gaming on Windows has arguably never been healthier in the sense that big franchises like League of Legends and World of Tanks dwarf a lot of what they are doing in the console space in terms of users and monetization.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a show like E3 is a good fit for such titles.

Spencer pointed out that E3 is a retail show, a console show, and it didn’t really feel like the right place for Microsoft to talk about Windows gaming. That’s not to say that Windows games aren’t critical to the company’s success, however.

With E3 off the table, where then should Microsoft peddle PC games? Spencer said e-sports gaming meets, like Intel’s recent Extreme Masters e-sports event that attracted more than 55,000 spectators, could have potential. 

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https://www.techspot.com/news/57120-microsoft-explains-why-there-were-no-windows-games-at-e3.html

 

[Jad Chaar]

Eh, that is BS in my opinion. Any show revolving around gaming is an opportunity. This was just another missed opportunity by MS.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Why would MS advertise a PC platform that can deal with 4K gaming, when they are pushing the XBOne that barely handles 1080P? Talk about stealing the glory from the man at the bottom! MS didn't want to do this to the XBOne. They have enough on their plate competing with PS4.

 

[Guest]

Windows games aren't retail?, well, start given them for free.

 

[Guest]

Recent Extreme Masters?

Or you know, Gamescom. Which have more visitors than E3 and any other gaming conventions.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Meh! That was just an excuse to try peddle their unloved XBone if I ever heard one. Face it MS, Sony's got your number.

 

[davislane1]

BS. E3 is a perfect place to brief the public on their plans for the Windows platform. After watching their spot at this year's conference, I'm convinced that they've missed the mark for the second time in a row (albeit less dramatically). First, they only tried to sell the gaming side of the Xbox One. Considering what they advertised it as last year, I was more than a little disappointed that their only focus point was upcoming games. What happened to all the other stuff XB1 was supposed to do? Second, stating that E3 isn't the place for PC games is like Ford showing up at the Detroit Auto Show without any trucks, because sedans.

Why would MS advertise a PC platform that can deal with 4K gaming, when they are pushing the XBOne that barely handles 1080P? Talk about stealing the glory from the man at the bottom! MS didn't want to do this to the XBOne. They have enough on their plate competing with PS4.

Because they aren't direct competitors. Everybody knows consoles are technologically inferior machines to PCs. As such, only PC gamers (who are already unlikely customers) would be rationally dissuaded from the XBox One on the premise of graphical fidelity.

More importantly, they are functionally different. Consoles have never been marketed as desktop machines like PCs. You plug them up to the TV in your living room (or elsewhere), sit back and play. 4K means nothing here for the simple reason that most people don't have 4k televisions; we're all running 1080p sets.

I suspect this has less to do with Microsoft wanting to keep attention fixated on the Xbox One and more to do with an absence of exciting developments on the Windows side of things.

 

[TomSEA]

Microsoft doing what they've been very good at lately - being stupid.

 

[Guest]

I like where your head is at. I was questioning the move also, but what your are saying makes some sense..

 

[GeforcerFX]

Why would MS advertise a PC platform that can deal with 4K gaming, when they are pushing the XBOne that barely handles 1080P? Talk about stealing the glory from the man at the bottom! MS didn't want to do this to the XBOne. They have enough on their plate competing with PS4.

Well believe it or not most gamers don't really care about graphics, well its not as high on there lists of must haves in a great game other wise there would have been a bigger push for more powerful consoles or a larger group of users would have moved over to enthusiast PC gaming. It always make me sad when I see PC gamers dogging on a game that in every merit is a good game but because the graphics didn't push there eyes and mind into a new dimension it wasn't good. I am a PC gamer more for the price of the games and the flexibility of the platform, but most people just want a fun game that's a simple setup and play, hence consoles popularity.

 

[Guest]

MS isn't talking about PC gaming because we all know, all PC gamers will get are more crap console versions and MS know it. Why talk about a game on more than one platform when they already know not much will change.

Stop giving and allowing console ports should be their focus but we all know that wont happen.

 

[robb213]

Microsoft, especially as a publisher, is notorious for thinking of the PC as a second rate device, and a thorn in their side. This is a widely known thing, and yes, it is that simple.

 

[Guest]

Microsoft, especially as a publisher, is notorious for thinking of the PC as a second rate device, and a thorn in their side. This is a widely known thing, and yes, it is that simple.

Wow... you couldn't be more wrong. The PC is literally responsible for the success of Microsoft (and vice versa, in many ways). To believe otherwise is just willful ignorance.

 

[robb213]

Microsoft, especially as a publisher, is notorious for thinking of the PC as a second rate device, and a thorn in their side. This is a widely known thing, and yes, it is that simple.

Wow... you couldn't be more wrong. The PC is literally responsible for the success of Microsoft (and vice versa, in many ways). To believe otherwise is just willful ignorance.

You're thinking on the broad market; I'm speaking about them as a publisher, hence a video game producer. What company doesn't want all of its users on one closed ecosystem device? Hence they push for the Xbox and barely the PC.

Gaming and productivity are two completely different areas.

 

[Forg0t2]

E3 is "the" event that reaches throughout the entire world. Most other events don't reach outside the U.S.. They believe this is not the best place, they think it a show for consoles? I thought E3 ment something different than just a console show off competition.

I think they are afraid for their own competition. Since PC gaming could kill their console and thus their bussiness strategy. They need a show that focusses mainly on the xbox to sell the damn machine. It's a strategy but I think its a crappy one. It shows you that the console is not a solid part of MS but that they are trying to glue it onto the company...

 

[Guest]

563 Million Windows PC Games/Demos were sold/Downloaded/Pirated/copied/swapped/2nd handed out/jerked over/eaten/spat on/shamed over/married too - this year alone from Steam/Origin/Ubisoft/GOG/ETC etc..... this guy is a RETARD!. So for all the BS - I think the pc is safe.

 

[WangDangDoodle]

Who the hell cares about Windows gaming anymore anyway? With a little luck, the future of PC gaming lies with SteamOS. There may be some doubts about whether or not Valve will be able to pull it off, but at least they're 100% committed to gaming, and SteamOS is free! I don't see how Microsoft will be able to compete with that in the long run, unless they start investing some braincells into gaming. Then again, why would they? They've got the Xbox to consider. They'd be competing against themselves.

Remember when Microsoft was still looking for a new CEO? There was this one guy that wanted to sell off the Xbox department and refocus Microsoft's efforts on Office and such... That man was a genius! Did they hire him? Pfft.

Microsoft seems to be pulling in every direction except PC gaming, like they're confused about something. The imminent death of "Games for Windows Live" is just another nail in the coffin for Windows gaming, and a true testament to how stupid this company has become.

I no longer see PC gaming synonymous with Windows, thanks to Valve's efforts. When SteamOS finally launches, I'm going to abandon Windows completely. I'd suggest every gamer do the same. If we show proper support for SteamOS, it's all the more likely that AAA game developers will jump on the bandwagon. My friends keep saying they're gonna switch to SteamOS if it succeeds, but that's not gonna happen unless we actually start using it when it becomes available. It won't matter how much we want SteamOS to succeed if we're all still using Windows, because then the statistics will say that we still prefer using Windows.

 

[cliffordcooley]

If we show proper support for SteamOS, it's all the more likely that AAA game developers will jump on the bandwagon. My friends keep saying they're gonna switch to SteamOS if it succeeds, but that's not gonna happen unless we actually start using it when it becomes available. It won't matter how much we want SteamOS to succeed if we're all still using Windows, because then the statistics will say that we still prefer using Windows.

That's what I'm saying!

 

[robb213]

Who the hell cares about Windows gaming anymore anyway? With a little luck, the future of PC gaming lies with SteamOS. There may be some doubts about whether or not Valve will be able to pull it off, but at least they're 100% committed to gaming, and SteamOS is free! I don't see how Microsoft will be able to compete with that in the long run, unless they start investing some braincells into gaming. Then again, why would they? They've got the Xbox to consider. They'd be competing against themselves.

Remember when Microsoft was still looking for a new CEO? There was this one guy that wanted to sell off the Xbox department and refocus Microsoft's efforts on Office and such... That man was a genius! Did they hire him? Pfft

SteamOS though has a massive, massive, massive fight ahead to gain traction. Its benefit is it's synonymous with Steam/Valve, but even then I still remain doubtful it will change much. We already have a plethora of free operating systems, especially UNIX based like SteamOS, and they've barely made a dent outside of the server market. Then there's the amount of programs that will be available for it vs Windows, which is most people's determining factor (why I will Dual boot it if I decide to keep using SteamOS), not to mention most people are not tech save enough to do that, and most won't bother to learn either.

Admittedly, that CEO was the Nokia guy; he did cause huge problems for the company and tarnished them badly. I think though Nadella has mentioned the same though with refocusing where needed, which is a good way to go for them.

 

[WangDangDoodle]

SteamOS though has a massive, massive, massive fight ahead to gain traction. Its benefit is it's synonymous with Steam/Valve, but even then I still remain doubtful it will change much. We already have a plethora of free operating systems, especially UNIX based like SteamOS, and they've barely made a dent outside of the server market. Then there's the amount of programs that will be available for it vs Windows, which is most people's determining factor (why I will Dual boot it if I decide to keep using SteamOS), not to mention most people are not tech save enough to do that, and most won't bother to learn either.

Admittedly, that CEO was the Nokia guy; he did cause huge problems for the company and tarnished them badly. I think though Nadella has mentioned the same though with refocusing where needed, which is a good way to go for them.

There are--as you say--a plethora of unix/linux (I dunno the difference) distrubutions out there... but none of them have focused on gaming (as far as I know), and none of them were backed by Valve's resources. Unlike your average linux distro, millions of people know about SteamOS. We're gonna have actual Steam Machines! I passionately hate the Steam Controller, but it's yet another product that helps the movement, I guess. Point being, the 111th linux distro makes a tiny ripple in the open sea, while SteamOS is a tectonic shift! Gamers are sick of paying for new versions of Windows just to keep up with DirectX. We're practically foaming at the mouth for something faster and better, not to mention something free.

I was a bit cautious with my optimism when I first heard of SteamOS. I don't want to lose Skype, VLC (etc.). I checked, though, and all my 3rd party applications are already available for linux as well. The only thing that remains to see is whether or not it's gonna hve enough AAA games. It's already looking up. Metro Redux, for example. I'm way past hoping for it now. I'm gonna help make it happen!

As for that CEO guy, I have no idea what he did to mess up Nokia, but the idea he presented Microsoft was a damned good one. Imagine where Microsoft will be if SteamOS succeeds in taking over as the main PC gaming platform. Their losses will be huge. Games are the only thing keeping most gamers enslaved to windows in the first place. At least that's true for most gamers I know.

 

[Railman]

You're thinking on the broad market; I'm speaking about them as a publisher, hence a video game producer. What company doesn't want all of its users on one closed ecosystem device? Hence they push for the Xbox and barely the PC.

Gaming and productivity are two completely different areas.

I think there is another reason that MS is downplaying PC games. Don't forget that their hardware business now includes the Surface. I dare say that the Surface Pro will play PC based games but it is not the optimum platform for gaming. Why push Windows based games which lead people to buy proper PCs not the Surface or the Xbox 1.

 

[Hexic]

If we show proper support for SteamOS, it's all the more likely that AAA game developers will jump on the bandwagon. My friends keep saying they're gonna switch to SteamOS if it succeeds, but that's not gonna happen unless we actually start using it when it becomes available. It won't matter how much we want SteamOS to succeed if we're all still using Windows, because then the statistics will say that we still prefer using Windows.

That's what I'm saying!

I agree with the stance that if we're all on Windows, it won't matter the statistics for SteamOS because it will render the entire push irrelevant. In my opinion, Valve's ONLY option is to make SteamOS such a raging success that it actually pulls the majority of users out of Windows based platforms, thus dethroning MS as the incumbent. Which has never happened. I'm optimistic for SteamOS, but unless they can really make sh** shine, it's going to be very difficult. The theory is all there, and it looks great. Application is a new book.

As for E3 - it's a really big event. That's about it. As 'Guest' pointed out earlier, it's not the largest in the world by any means. Asia Game Show, Gamescom, and the eSports community (Between Starcraft and LoL alone, there's no comparison) are much larger. E3 just has more advertisements in the western hemisphere because it's in LA.