The debate of whether or not Microsoft should sell off its Bing and Xbox businesses has been going on for years. Regardless, the Redmond-based company has continued to invest in both ventures but with new CEO Satya Nadella at the helm, is now the right time to jettison the loss-making Xbox division?

Microsoft co-founder, former CEO and newly appointed technical advisor Bill Gates weighed in on the matter during a recent interview. While not coming out directly in support of or against the sale of either, Gates suggested selling off the Xbox division isn't as obvious as one might think because they plan to have an overall gaming strategy.

Even still, he added that he was sure Nadella and the team would look at the possibility and that it would ultimately be up to them. If they did decide to sell it, Gates said he would "absolutely" support the decision.

Shortly after, Microsoft's communications chief Frank Shaw reiterated via Twitter that Gates' comments about Xbox reflected support of Satya as CEO. Or in other words, he didn't specifically say he supported selling the Xbox division.

Gates' comments come not long after rumors surfaced that former Nokia CEO and Microsoft CEO candidate Stephen Elop would have pushed for selling off the two divisions if he had won the top job. That didn't pan out, of course, but with Elop now leading the company's hardware business, he could still push the idea.