After keeping mum to the Business Journal about its plans for new office space in Santa Monica, Microsoft confirmed late Monday that it has opened the office to make content for the Xbox game console.

Nancy Tellem, president of entertainment and digital media at Microsoft, said during an interview at the D: Dive Into Media conference that the Redmond, Wash., tech giant has opened a 125-person office in Silicon Beach.

Tellem will head that office, which will be used to develop scripted interactive content that could range from 10 to 90 minutes in length.

Peter Kafka, a reporter for tech blog All Things D, interviewed Tellem as part of the blog’s media conference – this year held in Dana Point. He asked Tellem why Microsoft, known for its office software and Xbox game, is getting into content production.

“Particularly when you are looking at the younger demographic, interactivity is a natural extension of what they do,” Tellem responded.

She added that Microsoft’s original content could be available as early as this year.

The Business Journal reported in the Feb. 11 issue that Microsoft is moving into studio space at 520 Broadway in Santa Monica to develop original content. The company is also relocating a software and sales division from downtown Los Angeles to Playa Vista.

Microsoft declined to comment for the story.

The company is following in the footsteps of other tech giants, namely Google Inc., in establishing significant campuses on the Westside of Los Angeles.