What you need to know
- Xbox lead and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently talked about the company's commitment to multiplatform releases across the Xbox ecosystem in an interview.
- Specifically, Spencer stated that "we want our games playable across as many screens as possible," reaffirming Microsoft's commitment to putting its games on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, cloud, and its upcoming mobile gaming store.
- Three 2024 games from Microsoft that are on PC but not Xbox — Ara: History Untold, Towerborne, and the World of Warcraft expansion The War Within — are currently PC-only because they either were before Microsoft acquired them or because their Xbox versions are in development and/or are coming later.
Multiplatform game releases have been a major part of Microsoft's strategy with its Xbox brand in the last several years, and that's not changing any time soon. In fact, it looks like the company plans to ramp up its multiplatform focus moving forward.
That news comes from a new interview Xbox head and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer did with Game File's Stephen Totilo, in which he responded to an inquiry about PC-only game releases potentially becoming a "new norm" for the firm. The question was asked because three of 2024's nine new Xbox Game Studios releases — Ara: History Untold, Towerborne, and the World of Warcraft expansion The War Within — can only be played on Windows PC right now.
“No. This is historical. There might always be some anomalies, but I look at those three as an anomaly," Spencer commented. “We want our games playable across as many screens as possible. We think about the Xbox platform as the Xbox console, PC and cloud. We want all the games playable across all of those. We want them to be Play Anywhere.”
He went on to say that the World of Warcraft (WoW) DLC is only limited to PC because WoW itself is, while developer Stoic is keeping Towerborne on PC until it leaves Early Access. Spencer also added that Ara: History Untold — a game slated to release on Xbox Series X|S at some point in the future — was a case of "trying to reduce the complexity" of development, before reaffirming Microsoft's commitment to releasing its titles across the Xbox ecosystem.
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“I want the expectation to be that, when we talk about a game, it's available every place our Xbox user is, including with Play Anywhere,” he said. Play Anywhere is referring to Xbox Play Anywhere, a feature that allows fans to also play purchased Xbox games on PC through the Microsoft Store if they use the same Microsoft account on both platforms.
"I could even pick on us and say it's not true that, today, every piece of content you buy across all of those runs on all the platforms. I’m speaking to [Diablo's franchise executive producer] Rod Ferguson specifically about [the Diablo 4 DLC] Vessel of Hatred," Spencer continued. “But we want to get to the point where, when you buy, whether you're buying on cloud — which we're getting ready to introduce — buying on PC and buying on console, you own it across all of the Xbox ecosystem.”
Notably, this interview came shortly after another Spencer did with Bloomberg in which he offered insights into other elements of Microsoft's Xbox strategy. He commented that there are no 'red lines' for what games could come to PlayStation or Nintendo, while also revealing that Microsoft is still in the market for video game acquisitions. Additionally, he confirmed that the long-awaited Xbox mobile game store has been delayed and that an Xbox handheld is coming, but won't arrive for several years.
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Analysis: Microsoft commits to Play Anywhere
Although I never really thought 2024's PC-only game releases from Microsoft were indicative of a wider strategy change, it is nice to see the company emphasize its commitment to launching its games across the entire Xbox ecosystem in no uncertain terms. Features like Xbox Play Anywhere and frequent simultaneous releases on both Xbox and PC have done much to bring extra value to players, and have influenced competitors like Sony to eventually bring PlayStation exclusives such as God of War to Steam, too. This year's co-op shooter hit Helldivers 2 even came to PC day one and has thrived on the platform since.
Of course, it's unlikely that we'll see every Xbox game come to console, Windows, cloud, and Microsoft's upcoming mobile gaming store at the same time; there will always be titles like Towerborne or Ara: History Untold that, at first, benefit from only being developed for a single platform, for example. Still, I appreciate that Xbox Game Studios is making releasing its titles across the full Xbox ecosystem a priority.
