Games are key to Microsoft's 'broader vision for Windows,' says CEO

Today, a company-wide email from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella obtained by Geekwire suggests that the company sees games as a way to sell its Windows platforms to more people.

His email sheds light on how the company at large views games and the role of its Xbox division going forward; back at GDC in March, Xbox chief Phil Spencer pitched the company's upcoming Windows 10 operating system as a "unified platform for video games" that would allow people to "play their games on any device they own." 

"We will pursue our gaming ambition as part of this broader vision for Windows and increase its appeal to consumers," wrote Nadella. "We will bring Xbox Live and our first-party gaming efforts across PC, console, mobile and new categories like HoloLens into one integrated play."

The company leaned heavily on hyping "core" Xbox One games and its HoloLens prototype headset at E3 last week, but recent moves lend credence to the idea that Microsoft sees games chiefly as a useful commodity for selling its Windows ecosystem. 

Spencer appeared at a special sponsored PC Gaming E3 event to admit that Microsoft had "lost its way" in the PC game market and will be porting Killer Instinct to Windows 10; he also appeared at a pre-E3 Oculus VR press conference the week prior to announce a nebulous Microsoft partnership with Oculus VR that will see every Oculus Rift shipping with an Xbox One gamepad, even as Windows 10's Xbox One game streaming capabilities are expanded to support the Rift.