Microsoft (MSFT) news recap: Valve’s Linux support “lit a fire”, ‘One Microsoft’ reorganisation and more

Microsoft (MSFT) news recap is a weekly feature highlighting the top Microsoft news stories of the past week. Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy the read!

The story of how Valve’s move to Linux “lit a fire” under Microsoft Xbox execs

Steam is a well-known gaming distribution platform for Windows gamers. It provides a wide-ranging collection of games, from AAA to Indie titles. If you ask any Windows PC gamer which store they use, they’ll probably say Steam. Valve, the owning company of Steam, however, pushed early to support Linux, despite Windows being the platform where it gains the most revenue.

Valve developed SteamOS on Linux and pushed for more Linux devices in the form of Steam Boxes. All this “lit a fire” for Microsoft execs, as Windows was the choice platform for gaming, but suddenly a big PC gaming company was trying to change that into Linux.

This pushed the execs to take DirectX and Direct 3D seriously, resulting in continued updates.

Microsoft India gets a new boss, and he talks about his vision for transformation

Microsoft India has a new leader, Anant Maheshwari, who will take over all of Microsoft India’s operations, which includes product, service and support offerings. Responsibilities for Maheshwari will include the continuing transformation of turning Microsoft into a mobile-first, cloud-first company.

Microsoft’s Channel 9 introduces .Game, a new series focused on game development using .NET

Microsoft is adding a new show to its Channel 9 platform. The new show, called .Game, will focus on teaching game development using .NET technologies. The first episode is already available to watch and teaches the basics of Unity:

Microsoft continues to push ‘One Microsoft’ with another reorg affecting sales, partner and services teams

Microsoft is beginning to reorganise its business into its ‘One Microsoft’ vision. It’s already been working on this transformation with its products, namely Windows 10, which shares code with Windows 10 Mobile, Xbox One and other platforms. Now, the company is turning to its workforce.

The reorganisation takes place on February 1st and it’s going to result in the combination of Microsoft’s Enterprise & Partner Group (EPG) and Public Sector, Small and Mid-Market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) businesses. Chris Weber will take charge of the combined businesses.

We’ll see you next week with more Microsoft news!