XAML Wonderland

It’s taken 10 years, but Microsoft is finally getting serious about phone development. 

They’ve thrown out the old model and embraced the multi-touch smart systems that Android and iPhone have popularized.   They’re thinking hard about the social aspects of the device.  They hired a ton of design and UX people and are working to make the phone useful for enterprise users.  This last point, the business/enterprise market is a touchy one.  This first release of the phone is blasted by some as not ready for business market, and I tend to agree.  However, that is a subject for later. Today,  I’d rather talk about gaming.

New Game division at Microsoft

Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw this job posting today on the Microsoft careers site.

Job Category: Software Engineering: Development
Location: United States, WA, Redmond
Job ID: 721053 17405
Division: Entertainment & Devices Division

Microsoft Games Studios is establishing a new Studio – MGS Mobile Gaming – focused on bringing games and entertainment to the mobile life that people lead. Our vision is to deliver games and entertainment so good that people will want them always with them, on a service that makes them social, connected and relevant anywhere their life goes. The Mobile Gaming team is building industry leading products that showcase our Windows Phone platform as well as emerging mobile platforms, and will help realize Microsoft’s connected entertainment vision. The Mobile Gaming studio will be the hub for MGS franchises and titles on mobile devices and a center of excellence for mobile games.
MGS Mobile Gaming will support first party development, evangelize mobile gaming across MGS, and drive technical platform and service requests back to the parent organization and other business units in phone development. In addition, as the Center of Excellence for Mobile Games, the studio will develop showcase internal mobile games and entertainment experiences, while acting as the technical hub and spearhead for mobile game technology.
Are you passionate about games? Excited by the mobile computing revolution and highly-connected entertainment? Want to build games for our new Windows Phone devices?
Microsoft Games Studios is looking for a strong development leader to help build a world class mobile development group. Your focus will be on services for our mobile gaming and entertainment titles.
Qualifications
Successful candidates will have 6+ years of development experience and 2+ years of experience with web services. Strong coding skills are a must, and experience with Xbox Live, C#, and cloud computing frameworks is highly desired. The position may also involve working with some external development partners, so good cross-group skills and occasional travel are also required.

This means that there will be serious development work done at Microsoft to create fun game titles the work on the Windows Phone.  Think about the titles that Microsoft Game Studio (MGS) has overseen for the XBOX.  Here’s a few from the current MGS catalog.

If Microsoft can duplicate their success with the XBOX and make it work on the phone we are heading for some fun times.

Driving platform adoption

I’ve argued for years that the way to get platform adoption is to provide compelling applications for users.  Do you want Silverlight to be installed without a second thought by the user?   Make it a condition to using a gambling site.  People that want to gamble at that website will install Java, Flash, whatever, just to start having fun.  The same is true for porn sites, game sites and video sites.

I think this is true for the phone market too.  There are complications of course, since the wireless carriers and the hardware manufactures also play their part. But for a smart phone, you need to have more than just a phone.  Otherwise, why are you paying extra money for the device?  That means the phone needs a decent “phone OS” (something Microsoft has neglected until recently).  The phone also has to have the basic daily tools available; I’m thinking email, calendar, internet etc.  It needs to have a thriving third party market where I can go and upgrade my experience with interesting applications.  Apple is a shining example of getting this point right.  And for some users, having fun games available is a key factor.  No, I don’t think Solitaire qualifies here. 

So to get serious in the phone market, Microsoft turns to the game development community and says “Help us”.  Ironic, isn’t it?