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Microsoft Executive Vice President of Gaming and Xbox Chief Phil Spencer said the coronavirus will not affect when Microsoft releases its next-gen gaming console. Instead, the outbreak may affect new games that are supposed to be released in the coming months.
“Overall, I think we’re in line with what we thought we would be,” he said as he discussed the new Xbox X-Series on Thursday during CNBC’s “Squawk Alley”. “I would say the biggest unknown is probably game production,” he added. “Game production is a large-scale entertainment activity now, there are hundreds of people coming together, creating assets, working through creativity.”
Spencer said he is still confident in the current state of development of the game, but that the safety of his teams is the top priority. Microsoft won’t “push when things just aren’t ready,” he said.
Microsoft’s next gaming console is called the Xbox Series X. It will compete with Sony’s PlayStation 5. In recent weeks, there were concerns that supply disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak could delay the launch of next-gen game consoles.
Much of those concerns have shifted to corporate gaming lines as publishers have begun to delay the release dates of some of the most anticipated games of the year. With developers in-house, some game releases have already been delayed.
Sony, for example, revealed earlier this month that it was delaying the release of “The Last of Us 2” to an undetermined date as the virus has pressured the production and distribution of games. It is one of the most important titles to be released in 2020.
The next installment in the infamous Halo series, Halo Infinite, will launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 to go with the upcoming Xbox Series X. So far, that has not been delayed.
The game is shooting right now
Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox Series X console.
Microsoft
Engagement with games has increased as consumers distance themselves socially and stay at home, and Verizon reported in March that video game use in the United States had soared 75% since the restrictions were imposed.
Xbox has been one of the direct benefactors of that increase. Microsoft said in its earnings on Tuesday that Xbox Live now has 90 million monthly users and Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription video game service, has exceeded 10 million subscribers.
While there may be some moderation as states begin to reopen and stay-at-home orders begin to dwindle, Spencer pointed to the strength of the industry before the pandemic as a sign that consumers will continue to play.
“It really is becoming a strong social fabric in the home in a time of need,” he said.
