Xbox CEO Phil Spencer confirms that Xbox exclusives are coming to Sony's PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch.
It has been widely discussed in recent weeks, but now it's official: Microsoft is releasing games that were previously only available on Xbox and PC for Sony's PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer provided deeper insights into his stance on the matter on the official Xbox podcast.
"Exclusive Games Are Going To Be A Smaller And Smaller Part Of The Game Industry"
Rumors have been circulating since the beginning of the year that some Xbox exclusive games will soon be available on other platforms. This could include titles like Starfield, Sea of Thieves, and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Now, Microsoft's Phil Spencer has confirmed in the official Xbox Podcast that indeed some games will be coming to PlayStation and Switch.
According to him, four Microsoft games will be released on other consoles. However, he refrains from providing specific names. According to The Verge, though, we can expect Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded.
Spencer further discusses his assessment of the gaming market in the podcast.
I do have a fundamental belief that over the next five or ten years exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry.
With these initial four games being made available to a broader market, Microsoft hopes to gain valuable insights into what the future of multiplatform releases could look like.
In an interview with The Verge, Spencer openly discusses the possibility of further cross-platform launches for games such as Starfield or Indiana Jones.
I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform. We’re focused on these four games and learning from the experience. We don’t have work going on, on other franchises. But for anybody to stand up and say something’s never going to happen, I think it feels like creating more certainty in a world of gaming where you really want to respond to what customers want and what our players and creators are looking for.
Whether we can expect more relaunches of Xbox exclusives is still uncertain, but it surely is within the realm of possibility. However, it also depends on how these first games perform in their new homes, and whether Nintendo and PlayStation players are the right audience for Xbox-branded titles.
With this decision, Microsoft aims to strengthen the Xbox brand in the long run. With this next step, they seek to reach as many players and creators as possible and help its own franchise grow, for the brand not only stands for a console anymore, but for something bigger.
If this approach proves successful, it could mean the end of the perpetual console wars. And who wouldn't want to embrace a future without wars?