Microsoft’s New Leadership ‘Extremely Committed’ to Xbox

Despite persistent calls on Microsoft to spin-off the Xbox division of the company, Redmond's new leadership remains dedicated to the brand according to Microsoft Game Studios' Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer who said the firm is "extremely committed" to Xbox.

Speaking to Polygon, Spencer commented on the appointment of CEO Satya Nadella as well as the fact that former Nokia boss Stephen Elop has been charged with overseeing Microsoft's Devices and Services Group, which includes Xbox and Surface. 

"In terms of Microsoft's commitment in the space, I know both Satya and Elop, I know them well. I've had explicit conversations with them about Microsoft's commitment to Xbox – they're extremely committed to Xbox.

"Xbox is a really critical brand for us as a company as Microsoft; when you think about consumers, what they love about our company, Xbox is one of the most beloved brands that the company has. We're in the middle of a good, competitive battle in the console space with PlayStation, which is great for the industry.

"And they remain extremely committed to us succeeding with Xbox which is nice to hear, right? It's something that resonates well inside the walls when you're talking to the teams, or when I stand in front of Xbox fans, I want to make sure that they understand we are extremely committed to this product."

Microsoft has yet to update the Xbox One's sales figures since early January when they revealed that three million Xbox One systems had been sold by the end of 2013. Sony last week announced PS4 sales of six million to date.