The rumors have been constant over the last few weeks and have finally been confirmed during the Official Xbox Podcast. Microsoft will bring several of its titles to new platforms like Nintendo Switch and PS5 -without even mentioning them-, although the company has reserved an ace up its sleeve, as it has not revealed which titles exactly will be the ones that will make the leap.
Exclusives
Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty have shared a talk of just over 20 minutes in which they have shown the new policy on exclusivity and the vision of hardware in the company. “We have made the decision to bring four games to other consoles“, said the president of Microsoft Gaming, of which we only know that “they have been available to Xbox players for at least a year.”
In addition, some of them have also been classified as “hidden gems that deserve to be experienced more widely” and games as a service that seek to expand their community. In the future, without having confirmed when, more details will be shared, although everything indicates that Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded and Sea of Thieves will be the chosen. Of course, neither Starfield nor Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be part of the quartet, as Spencer has confirmed.
“We make every decision, really, with the long-term health of Xbox in mind. And the long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can. “
Obviously, one of the main arguments for this change of course lies in the economic section, which Microsoft does not deny.
“By bringing these games to more players, we not only expand the reach and impact of those titles, but this will allow us to invest in future versions of these games, or elsewhere in our first-party portfolio. There is no fundamental change in our approach to exclusivity. And I have a fundamental belief that in the next 5 or 10 years, exclusive games, games that are exclusive to a piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the gaming industry.”
To be especially clear, Spencer has indicated that he is not going to promise the arrival of more video games, so “if you are on those other platforms and see these four games on the way, please, don’t take it as a sign that everything is to come. “It is not like that.” He has stressed the objective that this represents learning for the future for Microsoft.
“I’m going to learn about our partnership with other platforms. I’m going to learn about what happens with our players. I think it will benefit the games we put on there and that’s good for us, and if we can use other platforms that have players and maybe some of those players not wanting to play on PC and not wanting to play on Xbox and that can help us grow our business, I think that’s great. If the net result is that other things are punitive to the Xbox platform and try to limit our growth, then “We’ll have to think more carefully about how we support those other platforms.”
Hardware y Xbox Game Pass
No small issue, since there were real fears about the possibility that Microsoft would stop manufacturing new consoles in the future. It seems that this is not the plan that managers have in their hands, far from it, since it is said that “Xbox consoles will continue to provide a flagship experience for players; It’s where you get the best value and convenience“.
Therefore, the key pillar aims to continue being that fusion between the Xbox Game Pass service and the more classic experience provided by a physical system on which to play. So much so that “Game Pass will continue to be available only on Xbox platforms“, a phrase that Matt Booty has emphasized, so the platform will not make the leap to other companies.
Another of the commitments established by the brand is related to the preservation of video games, which they define as “unbreakable.” That’s why the inclusion of “backwards compatibility, cross-play, cross-save progression, convenient cloud play, and more” is guaranteed. This maelstrom of purposes has been seconded and supported by Booty, who wanted to turn the tables and talk about the perspective of a developer.
“When we think about the other side, the developer side, any game developer wants their game to have the widest audience possible. That’s the nature of making a game. You want people to enjoy and engage with what you’ve made. And I think we’re in a unique position to do that because we’re the platform: we make hardware. We have a group of first party games. And then we have a system that ties all of that together that brings together your friends, your progression, your achievements, all of that. And “I think that’s really what has contributed to the momentum behind some of these communities.”
A really interesting piece of information is what Phil Spencer has revealed, as he has finally updated the number of subscribers to Xbox Game Pass. More than two years have passed since Microsoft last offered official data and we now know that of the 25 million in 2022 has made the leap to the current 35 million. A fairly notable increase of 36% that consolidates the service.
As good news for the Xbox Game Pass catalog, it has been revealed that Diablo IV will make the jump to the digital library very soon, so the transition after the Activision Blizzard comparison is beginning to be effective. It will land on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on next March 28.
Xbox store on mobile devices
On the other hand, Spencer has offered an interview with The Verge where he has addressed multiple issues, including those related to opening an Xbox store on Android phones and iPhone. The person in charge ensures that there is a real interest among the company’s internal and external partners in seeing the idea go ahead.
“There is a lot of expectation to see alternative storefronts on mobile devices that offer better economics and are, let’s say, more for gamers, because what we would put there would be an Xbox store. We can attract customers to that store because now we are one of the largest mobile publishers with Candy Crush, Call of Duty Mobile, Diablo Immortal and Minecraft. So we can use those games to attract customers to our store, which can also benefit third parties.”
What seems to be a big hurdle is making your way through Apple’s platform. “We have no room to monetize Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS“says Spencer, who has supported Sarah Bond’s comments recently. The directive pointed out that Apple’s new policy does comply with the regular framework of the European Union Digital Markets Law, but defends that “it is a step in the wrong address.” This is because a commission charge will be imposed on app developers if they link them to third-party payment systems.
Anyway, Spencer has declared himself “a big fan of how Windows works, and you have a Microsoft Store on Windows, you have Steam, you have the Epic Games Store, you have GOG. There are alternatives, and I think alternative ways of buying things are beneficial for consumers and creators. “I think the biggest platform for gamers, which is mobile, should have the same thing.”
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