Google may have stolen a march on Microsoft by announcing its new Stadia gaming platform at GDC, but the Xbox-maker is adamant the cloud-based service will not go unchallenged.
Microsoft is already rallying the troops ahead of its riposte at E3 2019, in May. In an internal email to staff, Xbox chief Phil Spencer admitted Google “went big” with its keynote address, but said Microsoft will also “go big” in a couple of months time.
The Redmond-based company is widely expected to announce a game streaming service of its own at E3, with the xCloud service. Judging by the tone expressed by Spencer, it will not disappoint. He also said Google’s announcement was “validation of the path we embarked on two years ago.”
Related: 5 Big questions Google Stadia much argue
In the leaked email published by Thurrott, Spencer added: “Today we saw a big tech competitor enter the gaming market, and frame the necessary ingredients for success as Content, Community and Cloud.”
While Spencer claimed little in Google’s Stadia announcement surprised him, he did concede he “was impressed by their leveraging of YouTube, the use of Google Assistant and the new WiFi controller.”
However, said Microsoft will be ready to fight for those two billion gamers and will lay out its proposition in a couple of months at E3.
“Google went big today and we have a couple of months until E3 when we will go big,” he said. “We have to stay agile and continue to build with our customer at the center. We have the content, community, cloud team and strategy, and as I’ve been saying for a while, it’s all about execution. This is even more true today.”
Is it Google vs Microsoft for the future of cloud gaming? Which other players will have a say in the course? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
