Microsoft Says Valve Is Not A Competitor

Microsoft has said that Valve is not a competitor.

Valve is stepping up to the plate in the videogame wars with its new system called Steam Box. After Valve revolutionized online gaming with its Steam network, the company has decided it can compete with the “big dogs” (Nintendo, Sony, Google and Microsoft).

This could mean trouble for Microsoft, whose multi-player videogame servers have been hosted on Valve’s Steam network for some time now. According to The Verge, Microsoft disagrees, saying it does not see Valve as a threat.

This week during Microsoft’s TechForum, Don Mattrick — president of Interactive Entertainment Business — was asked if Valve was considered a competitor. Mattrick gave an adamant “no,” but notes that Valve is rather innovative in their approach.

According to Gamespot, Don Mattrick said:

“The scale of products and things that are being brought to market are probably a little bit richer when I look at Sony, Nintendo, Apple, and Google.”

When asked about the possibility of expanding the Xbox platform more to third-party developers (such as Activision), Don Mattrick said it isn’t likely. Mattrick says he’s satisfied with the way Microsoft is heading for the moment.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Nat Brown (one of the founders of the Xbox) is disappointed with the direction Microsoft has taken the gaming platform for the last five years. Obviously, comments behind the scenes in regards to Microsoft’s future differ greatly.

Don Mattrick says:

“There’s a certain level of technical and production competency that people have to get through because we’re trying to curate great experiences. We’re trying to make sure that what exists upon our service on our system is done to a quality level and has interest for people who are likely to use it.”

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Xbox event unveiling the Xbox 720 is apparently scheduled to happen in April, so we’ll know more about Microsoft’s plans at that point.

How do you feel about Microsoft’s claim that Valve is not a competitor?

Microsoft’s head of Xbox doesn’t see Valve as a competitor, happy with curated apps vrge.co/XQMpuy

— The Verge (@verge) March 5, 2013