Dean Takahashi recently sat down with Microsoft COO Kevin Turner to discuss the company's Xbox strategy in addition to general operational strategies imposed by the world's largest software maker. When asked about Microsoft's $4 billion plus in losses on the first Xbox, Turner had this to say: "It's important for us to have multiple pillars for growth ... Steve [Ballmer, Microsoft CEO] reminds me it took seven, eight, or nine years before Windows was profitable. People forget that ... [the video game industry] is a space we believe in."The suit had this to say when asked if he knew anything about Halo: "At Microsoft, you have to know it's one of the highest-selling video games of all time in the history of the planet. Depending upon the circles you're in, you have to know something about Halo. At a high level, I do."
Takahashi also questioned the COO if the company merely follows where consumer demand is (i.e. where the money is) to which Turner denied the claim. The question made the concept sound inferior, but we don't think there's any denying that Microsoft is arguably the biggest and most profitable second-mover of all-time. Their video game effort obviously moves onward.
