Even as Xbox drifts away from consoles and exclusives, former exec says the Xbox 360 set Microsoft up for success: "Look at them now, continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse"

We can call it what it is – Xbox is going through an identity crisis. Microsoft keeps trying to convince everyone that everything "is an Xbox," emphasizing on-the-go gaming, while also deciding that exclusive games are "antiquated." But former Microsoft executive Peter Moore, who oversaw the Xbox's and Xbox 360's rollouts, knows Microsoft wouldn't be entirely itself without the Xbox console.

"Look at them now," Moore tells Eurogamer, "continuing to be the powerhouse – the global powerhouse – that they are, powering so many of our work experiences, entertainment experiences, communication experiences. So much that Microsoft does is an everyday part of our life, and I like to think a little bit of that was because of Xbox, as simple as that."

"We were gamer-first," he says about Microsoft's strategy during his tenure, "and this was very much the foundation that we at Microsoft and the Xbox 360 laid down for what you see today."

What you see today is sometimes unrelenting clouds. Experts tell GamesRadar+ that "Xbox console sales have really struggled," and something like Valve's upcoming Steam Machine could make it so "Valve becomes the preferred PC-console hybrid, meaning Xbox games strengthen Steam's ecosystem more than Microsoft's own."

But Moore seems undeterred. "Does there need to be a winner?" he says. "If there's somebody ahead, is the other guy a loser? We're a $200 billion industry this year. If you define somebody as leading and somebody second, that company in second place is probably doing billions of dollars worth of business. [...] Go look at Microsoft's stock price."

As of writing, Microsoft stock is down to $484, a 6% drop from last month.

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