A former Xbox executive firmly believes that if given the choice, Microsoft would stop making consoles altogether. “I think the acquisition of Activision Blizzard changed things at Microsoft,” says Peter Moore.

The Xbox brand has been going through a phase of transformation and adaptation in recent years. Five years ago, few would have predicted Microsoft’s aggressive expansion into cloud gaming and AI-driven gaming experiences. While Xbox Game Pass continues to grow steadily, hardware sales for the Xbox Series X|S are not at their peak. However, that doesn’t mean Microsoft is ready to abandon console manufacturing—at least not yet, despite what some former executives may think.

Over a year ago, Microsoft confirmed that they are working on next-gen Xbox hardware. Yet, former Xbox executive Peter Moore believes that if Microsoft had the opportunity, they would already have shifted away from making consoles. In a recent interview on Danny Peña’s channel, Moore discussed his thoughts, suggesting that Microsoft would prefer to move away from hardware and focus entirely on digital content distribution.

“If Microsoft could choose, would they build hardware? No. Would they prefer to be a multi-billion-dollar content distributor that streams games directly to your TV or monitor of choice? Absolutely.” Moore compares this vision to the Netflix model but applied to gaming—an ecosystem where there’s no latency or physical barriers between a controller and the player’s screen. However, he acknowledges that dedicated gaming hardware remains beloved by players. “Consoles, as we’ve seen with Nintendo, are devices that people love.”

The Activision Blizzard Acquisition Has Reshaped Xbox

Moore argues that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has fundamentally altered the company’s approach. “We’re no longer in the old days of console wars, where companies fought to steal customers and gain market share. This is much bigger than that,” he explains. In his view, Microsoft’s ambitions go far beyond hardware sales—they aim to dominate game content, services, and the way players access their favorite games.

Source: 3djuegos