FOLLOWING rumours and speculations carried by reports across the globe, particularly centred on Xbox potentially stopping its console production and first-party Xbox exclusive games going to other consoles, the company finally addressed everything in its recent episode of the Official Xbox Podcast.
Present during the episode was Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Xbox president Sarah Bond and Xbox Studios head Matt Booty.
The biggest announcement was Spencer confirming earlier rumours that four Xbox exclusive games will be available on competitor platforms. As he wants the developers of the games to make the announcement themselves, the Xbox head did not reveal the titles of the four games or the consoles they will be available on.
However, he confirmed that last year’s Starfield and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are not part of the four. The chosen games were apparently released over a year ago.
Beyond these four, Spencer made no promises the company will do it again.
“So four games, no promise beyond that. If you’re on those other platforms and you see these four games coming, please don’t take it as some signal that everything’s coming. It’s not. And we’re going to learn,” he said.
He also says that the decision to bring the games beyond the Xbox and Microsoft ecosystem is propelled by the goal of keeping the Xbox brand healthy, as he believes that porting the four games to other consoles will help the Xbox brand.
On the Xbox Wire blog, posted after the podcast episode, the company reiterated its stance that Xbox consoles will “continue to provide a flagship experience for players” and that the Game Pass subscription service will “continue to be only available on Xbox platforms”.
The volley of news also finally revealed the impressive numbers Game Pass has accrued in terms of subscribers, which currently sits at 34 million, up from 25 million in January.
During the same podcast, Bond announced that Activision Blizzard games will be arriving on Game Pass, beginning with Diablo IV on March 28.
She also assuaged fears that Xbox was leaving the console business, claiming the company has “exciting stuff coming out in hardware” and that they have invested in a future next-generation roadmap.
“We’re really focused (on) delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players, and better for creators and the visions that they’re building”.
