Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has clarified Microsoft’s strategy for next-gen and, as soon as once more, burdened that Microsoft doesn’t essentially have to promote the Xbox Series X to be successful.
Speaking to GameReactor, Spencer says the company is focused on attracting new prospects to the Xbox ecosystem, whether or not that’s via PC, Nintendo Switch, Android or Xbox.
“Our high-level aim inside of our workforce, of how we measure ourselves, is how many individuals are enjoying on Xbox,” Spencer mentioned. “And once we say ‘enjoying on Xbox’ it does not imply an Xbox console. It means any individual who’s logging in and enjoying part of our ecosystem, whether or not first-party or third-party. And it could be on an Android phone. It could possibly be on a Swap. It could possibly be on a PC. That is how we think about it.”
This strategy is a stark distinction to Sony’s strategy, which is laser-focused on creating distinctive and unique experiences that only exist on PlayStation {hardware} like PS5 – although the corporate has began to port older PS4 exclusives to PC like Horizon: Zero Dawn, whereas Dying Stranding was allowed a PC release, too.
Whereas Microsoft’s vision might seem to be an early declaration of defeat, the company is banking on Xbox Game Move to supply a daily and recurring income stream. Over 15 million folks subscribe to the “Netflix for games” model service, and it’s clear that Spencer needs to continue to put money into new studios to assist bolster Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft recently spent $7.5 billion to accumulate ZeniMax, the holding firm of Bethesda.
“Teams that can build new franchises, tell new stories, those are always sought after. That is why I am enthusiastic about initiatives like Starfield and the next Compulsion game because I like groups that think about new creations,” Spencer mentioned. “And frankly, as Game Move continues to develop, we have to proceed to feed that subscription. So, with the expansion that we’re seeing, I count on we’ll continuously be in this mode of bringing more creators into the fold.”
Xbox Game Pass anytime, anywhere
Spencer also hinted that Xbox Game Move could increase to extra platforms in the future, particularly Chromebooks and FireTV via cloud streaming, and that iOS consumers will finally have the ability to play Xbox games on their gadgets.
“I think for us it is all about priority, and reaching extra players. So we went to PC first after Xbox, as a result of there’s simply so many players there, globally, that do not personal an Xbox, that we might go attain,” Spencer defined. “We went to cell next as a result of there is a billion Android phones on the planet. It is considerably bigger than any console player base.
“We still have iOS to go after, we’ll come to iOS at some point. We’re nonetheless engaged on a few of our know-how on PC for larger screens by way of streaming, and attending to iOS, and I feel once we get through that, we take a look at what the opposite choices are.
“There’s smart TV’s out there, there are Chromebooks on the market, there’s FireTV out there, there’s loads of discussions we’d have, we’d prioritize it based on the place we’d discover the most new players, that we might naturally bring content to.”
Xbox Series X pre-orders proceed to be bought out as launch day approaches on November 10, so it’s clear Microsoft could have some new users on Xbox {hardware}, despite its differing strategy to Sony.