Blizzard's Sams: Microsoft Should Put More Emphasis On PC Gaming

Author: by N. Evan Van Zelfden, Staff

Talking to Gamasutra as a follow-up to similar comments made by design SVP Rob Pardo at Paris GDC, Blizzard's COO Paul Sams has reinforced calls for Microsoft to "put more emphasis on the Windows operating system" as it relates to gaming. Blizzard's Pardo sharply commented during an onstage Q&A at Paris GDC that: "With Microsoft, I think they have a bit of lip service with PC gaming. They have their own game system now, so I don’t think it’s really in their best interest to support [PC]." When COO Sams was asked about these comments and what Microsoft should do to further stress PC gaming, he noted: "Well, their gaming focus is very much on the [Xbox] 360. And that makes sense, cause they’re a hardware manufacturer as well as a software developer. And so they’ve got a lot of money and investment tied up in that system. Certainly they have a lot in Windows. And Windows is a system that supports all the business applications as well as games. And I kind of look at it and say to myself, and I think similarly to Rob, is that it would be great if they put more emphasis on the Windows operating system, certainly probably the most prominent operating system in the world. Even more so than console boxes. And they own and operate that system, so having them put more energy and effort against it – and they would say that they are, but I think that there’s more that can be done. It makes sense to me, what they’re doing, they’re putting their energy and focus against the 360. That’s where their huge R&D dollars are that they have to earn out on and that’s where I think their gaming bread and butter is right now." Sams was speaking as part of a longer interview with Gamasutra that will debut on the site in the near future.