Microsoft owns the personal computer operating system market. That is a simple fact, and allows them tremendous leverage in marketing and selling other products. Not that they need to, mind you, since they make tens of billions from one piece of software every year.
They are powerful and use the Washington Lobby to perfection in a perfect dance allowing them to maintain their monopoly, crush any challengers, and still keep an appearance of being benevolent.
Microsoft was slow to move to the Internet. However, once they realized its potential, owning that market and controlling what goes on their OS has made them the software gatekeeper of our times. The demise of Netscape, which had the killer application of the Internet revolution should be proof of MS' ability to have its way on personal computers.
When it comes to games, however, the MS brass do not get it. Sure, they have a few hits like Dungeon Siege or Age of Empires. That said, you look at the next generation MMORPG games, and Microsoft is as far behind now as they were in 1996 with the Internet.
Asherons Call 2 was a disaster and despite heavy marketing and money, sold poorly. Mythica was cancelled after years and millions funding it. Microsoft's rival Sony owns the market with Everquest, and with Everquest2 and Worlds of Warcraft both being released this year, MS will continue to fall behind.
Micrsoft, in typical fashion, is trying to buy its way in, hiring the Everquest Architect Brad Mcquad to attempt to stop the bleeding and to get in on this market. Will it work? Time will tell as it seems Sigil's game won't be out for a while. However, if Microsoft insists on using it's technology, then I predict the same result that occured when they tried to migrate hotmail from Solaris to NT.
MMOs will be a multi billion dollar industry soon. I wonder how many of those billions will be revenue from Windows inserted into the gaming domain to try to crush the MMO equivalent of Netscape.
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