14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Studios is apparently working on a game for Windows 8, part of an established PC franchise, according to a job ad posted on the Redmond studio website.
This is following Microsoft Studios VP Phil Spencer's November statement that the company had not been supporting Windows games in the recent past, and that they have more individual projects in the works now than they've had in the last ten years.
“I think it's fair to say that we've lost our way a bit in supporting Windows games. But we're back,” Phil Spencer admits during an interview with Shacknews.
He goes on to reassure gamers that Microsoft Studios is looking at bigger games, core first-party titles, and not the more casual games available in the Windows Store at the launch of Windows 8.
The job ad states that “Microsoft Game Studios is looking for a senior engineer with services development experience to join our team and help us build a new title based on a beloved franchise for Windows 8.”
The post also mentions that the team is at work developing a “robust and highly scalable cloud service that is central to the game experience.”
The inclusion of cloud support for the upcoming game does little to unveil the mystery surrounding what franchise exactly might be the subject matter here, as there already are a couple of different games making use of Azure cloud features on the Xbox One, as IGN reports.
Keeping in tune with Microsoft's recently stated support for PC gaming, Xbox exclusive titles Titanfall and Project Spark have also been previously confirmed for PC.
This move is likely an attempt to mirror the cross-play paradigm Sony has implemented for its releases, aiming to allow players to enjoy content and share it freely between Xbox, PC and even mobile devices.