NEW YORK (07/19/2000) - Microsoft Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. are forming a new games company, primarily to port Windows-based games to the Macintosh, according to officials here at Macworld Wednesday.
"Apple and Microsoft are going to team up ... to form a new company," said Ed Fries, vice president of games for Microsoft, during the keynote address by Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs. "It will take over, hopefully, our entire line of games to the Mac."
One of the reasons Jobs trotted Microsoft executives onto the stage during his address was to assuage Mac gamers, who according to Microsoft officials make up a significant portion of all Mac users. Users apparently were somewhat taken aback last month when Microsoft acquired Bungie Software Products Corp., which makes Mac games.
"The Mac gaming community was concerned a few weeks ago when they heard Microsoft would be buying Bungie," Jobs said.
The crowd greeted with silence Fries' remark that "the whole reason (for the Bungie acquisition) was to bring Halo to XBox." Halo is Bungie's long-awaited forthcoming action game, and XBox is Microsoft's upcoming gaming system. [See "Microsoft Buys Bungie in Home Gaming Bid," June 20.]However, Fries made a recovery with the crowd, receiving some applause, when he declared that Halo would in fact be brought over to the Mac as well.
Bungie Software can be reached at +1-312-397-0500 or on the Web at http://www.bungie.com/. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, is at +1-425-882-8080 or on the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, can be reached at +1-408-996-1010 or at http://www.apple.com/.