Windows 7 will be "great for games"

Microsoft's VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business for the EMEA region, Chris Lewis, has told GamesIndustry.biz that the corporation's next major PC operating system, Windows 7, will be a positive step over and above Vista with respect to gaming.

"Windows 7 will be great for games, undoubtedly," he said. "It's all good news - it's even more robust, it's quicker relatively, and the early testing cycles are proving very promising overall.

"I think it'll be nothing but good news for PC gamers, but we'll have more to say on that later on this year," he added.

And Lewis also reaffirmed Microsoft's commitment to PC gaming overall, claiming that the Games For Windows campaign would be an ongoing investment.

"We're happy there, and we're very mindful that there's a strong and vibrant PC gaming community out there," he said. "Not all console games lend themselves to the PC - when it is appropriate we bring games to both platforms, when it's not we don't, and that will continue to be the case.

"Ultimately we're a Windows and PC company at heart, and that's not going to change, and the development on both platforms will remain central and important. The business ebbs and flows, and there will be times when we do more on one platform than the other, but they do co-exist very nicely, and as a company we're in a pretty unique position that we have a strong legacy on PC.

"We remain focused on it, you'll see more from us there in the future, and long may that continue."

The third part of the GamesIndustry.biz interview with Chris Lewis, in which he also talks about his stance on Metacritic and second-hand games, is available now.