
With the announcement of Forza Horizon 5 moving over to PS5, Xbox has planted another flag in its new multiplatform landscape, which started to take shape around a year ago. Things are definitely moving forward as we head into 2025 though, which is causing lots of industry folk to chime in on the matter - including former PlayStation exec Adam Boyes.
Indeed, Boyes has been talking to Gamertag Radio host Danny Peña recently - and when asked about Microsoft's new strategy, the former Sony employee had some interesting things to say. Boyes spoke about "the game landscape changing" - and that "they [Microsoft] were Blockbuster" and over time "they became Netflix".
That analogy speaks to Xbox's shift to a more content & services-based platform, although you could argue that with Xbox Live and the focus on digital marketplaces, Microsoft has always leant that way in the gaming world. Boyes also posed the question of "who's the victim" when Microsoft decides to move more games over to other platforms.
"When Phil and his team are putting amazing content on more platforms, who's the victim? I've been asking a lot of people like 'who's the victim?' and there aren't any, except for people who are just like 'well I want it [games] only where I bought it and that's what I expect'."
These are some interesting points here, and it's nice to see a more positive take on the whole shift especially from someone once on the Sony side of things. As traditional console players this is definitely going to take time to adjust to - but more people getting to play more games is surely a good thing for us as consumers. It's on Microsoft to make it work as a business!
Thoughts on this little chat, folks? Throw them down in the comments section below.
Comments 67
If third-parties jump on board for Switch 2, I'll win because MS putting Xbox games there plus that is going to make my exit from the Xbox ecosystem (thus making me a single console owner) very easy.
It's all built up a bit much now can't wait to hear about just games again 😭
They have xbox in a really good place right now. It will be a very exciting future as an xbox fan.
I’m real tired of hearing ‘this hurts no one’ - of course it doesn’t. Doesn’t mean I can’t be miffed at the change in direction from what Xbox promised in 2020 at the Series Launch.
They promised at that time a major first party title every 6 months. Never happened. They promised an awesome return to form for Halo, never happened. They teased Fable, State of decay 3 and more, only for them to start porting the Xbox library to PlayStation and Nintendo before these games Ive waited near 5 years for are even released and are going to be third party anyway.
It also feels at times of late that the Xbox consoles are the lowest thing on their priority. PC, Gamepass, PlayStation seem to be the focus. They don’t even advertise.
They can ship all their games to whoever they like, and I do hope new players on other platforms do enjoy them. I’m not annoyed by that, I’m only annoyed how Microsoft have treated the Series X as an afterthought these past few years.
Ugh rant over.
I think Xbox as a publisher will do extremely well, @BacklogBrad, but these moves will be the death of the Xbox console without a shadow of doubt. I'm 90% certain that we will see the Prime, but after that Microsoft will drop out of the console business, and of that I am 100% certain.
I know people like to say, "... but Game Pass!", but Game Pass will not survive the next generation in its current form. Of that, I am also certain. The best outcome I can see for Game Pass is that it will be a first-party service, much like EA's or Ubisoft, but there is also the possibility that it will cease altogether. Of course, if it does go first-party only, then I can foresee Sony allowing it on the PlayStation.
The problem I have with Xbox dropping out of the console business is that it will give Sony carte blanche to do as they please, meaning we would see more expensive consoles, and probably games too. Your choices would be limited to pay whatever Sony decides to charge you, pay still more to go PC, or drop out of gaming altogether. Of course there would still be Nintendo, but we all know that they do not offer the same type of gaming experience as you get on the PlayStation, Xbox or PC, which for some will be fine, but for others it will be not what they are looking for.
The only other thing that I can foresee Microsoft doing once they decide to quit the console side of things, is to licence out their operating system so that other companies can make their own version of an Xbox console. One that might also have Steam, etc. So there might still be a way of having an Xbox experience, but just not one provided by Microsoft...
"When Phil and his team are putting amazing content on more platforms, who's the victim? I've been asking a lot of people like 'who's the victim?' and there aren't any, except for people who are just like 'well I want it [games] only where I bought it and that's what I expect'."
Could not have said it any better myself. Nail head, meet hammer.
I'm the victim. I cry myself to sleep every night and have to go to therapy twice a week now for trust issues
Whats funny is that Adam Boyes acknowledges the whiplash and confusion Xbox fans are facing after over 20 years of Xbox - but Parris of Gamertag Radio will shoot down anyone who questions the strategy and calls them a fanboy for console warring. So basically any concern shown towards this multiplatform approach is not allowed.
@Fiendish-Beaver i am 100% certain they will not stop making consoles. Bright future ahead for xbox.
Keep in mind, there is a very possible (maybe even likely) future where a plastic box is no longer relevant for any of the big 3 and no one is making one. But xbox will be there as long as consoles are a relevant way to play videogames.
@Fiendish-Beaver but the Xbox console is but one component within the eco system. So as long as the rest of the eco system is healthy via, Xbox app store, Cloud & Games Pass on any device with an internet & Bluetooth connection for controller support. Then 3rd party support will remain if not grow.
@BacklogBrad Agreed. Where money is to be gotten, they will get it. Too much of the Game Pass user base is made up on consoles.
The 'victim', @Kaloudz, is all those people that have built up extensive libraires on the Xbox, because if the next generation (assuming there is one) is the last one, just how long after that are Microsoft going to allow you access to your games? How long will the servers persist?
Yes, the hardcore Xbox fan will quite probably continue with Xbox into the next generation, but anyone new to gaming will not join Xbox. Any salesperson worth their salt will points a new customer towards the PlayStation as it is a stable environment that has everything. Much, much more than Xbox. Xbox will be trounced next generation. It will make the current console sales look like ponies farting rainbows, and something to celebrate.
Xbox as a console will not survive the next generation. Mark my words. As a third-party publisher, it'll be fine, and we will see some great games, though in all probabilities, the best place to play them will be on a PlayStation because you can experience the best that Microsoft can offer as well as the best that Sony has to offer. Why on Earth would anyone new to gaming choose an Xbox...?
As I keep saying, @cragis0001, Xbox as third-party publisher will thrive. It is the console side of things that will die off. We are already witnessing the Xbox console struggling to shift units. That will get considerably worse next generation...
@Isolte Sony is in a weird situation. As Nintendo consoles are traditionally 1st party first. 3rd party is a bonus. PC rejected their games due to PSN. Which they buckled under the pressure. So it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back from that. As for Xbox!!! I think they'll resist due to Games Pass. As if they release game on Xbox. Then Xbox hardware looks attractive due to Xbox first party being $20 on Games Pass or $70 to purchase & PlayStation studios $70. Where on PlayStation hardware its PlayStation & Xbox studios $70
You don’t see Netflix putting Squid Game or Stranger Things on Disney+ tho…
@Fiendish-Beaver people said the same thing about Windows!!!. When Microsoft ported their software on nearly every device under the sun. But I can still buy a Microsoft Windows Surface tablet as it's part of the software eco system. Xbox will be no different. It may be niche. But like a Surface tablet. The Xbox console will be the place to get all Xbox services on one device. So as long as the rest of the eco system is healthy. The Xbox console users still benefits.
@TanaDax
I never trust the advertising. Been in gaming for many, many generations and every single one of the vendors literally lie in their marketing. That is a big problem now-a-days. People trust social media and marketing more then the trust looking for facts and making choices based true facts. That requires research, correlating truth to reality, having trust with verification, and determining what is real.
I have a few rules when it comes to consoles and what I hear:
1) A game is not real until it has at least a release year within the current year (Even then you may see a 6 month delay... aka Avowed).
2) Console marketing is all BS. Best console ever, best performance leap, resolution games will run at, it is all BS. Their statements are for games like Pac-man not the AAA console pushing titles.
3) Until a game releases and it is known to be stable for a few months, I don't buy it. Too many times I have been burned by a release corrupting a save or the game just being a mess on release.
@Fiendish-Beaver Couldn’t have said it better, my only concern around this is my digital game library which I’ve stopped investing in since last year. Not gonna sell my Series X but why would I keep spending on a platform that is doomed to fail?
I really liked listening to the whole info in that discussion.
He also likened Sony to HBO, MS to Netflix, and Nintendo to Disney. That makes sense.
He also said that none of these vendors make their money on the consoles. Again, that is known to be true. It is the content and services where the money is made.
@FatGuyInLilCoat Luxury. I go twice a DAY and have to show the therapist where on my Robot White controller MS touched me.
I said this elsewhere but at the end of it all, MS will still make money and therefore games. With the new approach we all get more games to play, regardless of where you choose to play them. Which is the reason we are all loitering around sites like this, we all like playing games.
I'm all for it, MS is probably the only ones that can do what they're doing out of the big 3. Though they've made it abundantly clear for me that I don't really need their hardware anymore moving forward, I'm pleased with the direction
This was an Xbox now everything is an Xbox.
Long term, if third party developer support drops off for the next Xbox (if it sells less than XSX|S), then I would indeed deem myself a victim. That’s just a hypothetical for now though, only time will tell.
@Isolte so Sony who's putting their games on pc is gonna be left behind but Nintendo who's completely staying exclusive is still up in the air for you? Lol make it make sense 🤣
I see this as a very good thing. With prices going up and the tariff tax going up.
Microsoft will most likely be able to keep console prices lower than the competition because of the extra revenue from bring first party games to other platforms.
Video Games are rumored to bump up in price with GTA6 leading the pack with the base game $100. Gamepass on Xbox console with game share is looking really wallet friendly.
I think Microsoft is being extremely smart and Sony will be forced to follow suit with a similar strategy
I agree with him in THEORY, more people playing great games is only a good thing. BUT up to this point it has primarily been exclusives that sells consoles. If too many gamers decide to go elsewhere to where all the games are then it is Xbox gamers that will suffer. Console platforms are only viable for third parties IF enough units sell.
@Fiendish-Beaver
Why on Earth would anyone new to gaming choose an Xbox...?
I know this is a simplistic view, but allow me to answer your question with a question of my own if Imay:
There will slways be/is a reason why customers choose differently.
Now, of course there's always a chance Microsoft might fully quit the hardware part of gaming, but, until GamePass can be played on the likes of PlayStation and Nintendo, something I can't see happening any time soon than having hardware for future and existing customers (for GamePass) is of vital importance to Microsoft. Just my opinion.
When I go onto an Xbox site and the top three news articles have PS5 in them.
@Romans12
With this recent news isn't it similar on Pushsquare?😉
People stuck with xbox after the red ring nightmare, after the always online nightmare, after the decade long nightmare of no 1st party content.
Sorry if I laugh at the notion that xbox making a ridiculous amount of awesome 1st party content that is also available on other platforms will kill xbox. There has never been a better time to be an xbox fan.
It's car sharing vs ownership. I do want to own my games not rent them. Microsoft does fewer physical releases and with the Japanese competitors they still create more physical products. I get the nobody is a victim argument but Microsoft wants to change the landscape so they can be more profitable and own content, then lease it to us & make purchasing content less favorable. Look at MS Office. You used to be able to buy a key and own it indefinitely for $120. Now MS Office 365 is $99/year! Releasing more games is great but let's not be naive and think Microsoft isn't focused purely on monetization and growth. I like that they release more games elsewhere but then I don't really need an Xbox right? That's the fear from fans, we are indeed used to being in an ecosystem and if other ecosystems offer more I'll go there. PC is likely next for me & I'll buy Sony and Nintendo consoles.
I have not read all these comments so someone may mention what I think but with all the profit Microsoft will make putting their games on Switch 2 and Playstation 5 maybe they can undercut the Playstation 6 with their upcoming next gen console.
@TheEstablishment Xbox isn't a company and Microsoft can take a loss. Phil's trying to get Xbox ownership to transfer to PC as that's their growth market. If they achieve that licensing I'll build a PC and leave the console space on Xbox.
@IOI You can buy them on Blu-ray though.
@Kaloudz right, we're definitely not victims by any means. However, with no reciprocation in place, most people will be leaving the Xbox ecosystem and rightfully so, as there is no incentive to stick with Xbox if you can get everything on playstation, and only some on Xbox.
@MonsterMike See I just don't see it that way. I'm invested in Xbox for more than just "what's available here and there" otherwise I'd be a PC gamer where I can play practically everything (including Xbox and PlayStation games). I'm invested in Xbox for the sheer value (day one GP alone makes it the best in gaming), the ecosystem, my library, and much, much more.
The game market is harsher now than it ever has been - to the point that even third party publishers that have long been platform exclusive are now wholly multiplat. Xbox is the first to do this, but they won't be the last in the years to come. I bet my life on it.
@Kaloudz Game pass is banging this year for me. It would need to stay the same price and offer year over year the quality of 2025 for me to even consider sticking around. I would keep my series x to play my library of course, but if I can get gears, elder scrolls, silent hill and other exclusives all in one place next Gen? Yeah, it jusy doesn't make sense not to. Hopefully things start heading thr other way too and Xbox feeds on Sony stuff before the next Gen because I much prefer the Xbox interface and controller, so I'd rather stay green.
It’s a victimless crime unless Microsoft stops making hardware as an eventual result and then ur gonna have a few million victims with digital libraries and no modern console to play them on.
@MonsterMike but if I can get gears, elder scrolls, silent hill and other exclusives all in one place next Gen? Yeah, it jusy doesn't make sense not to.
Or you could stay green and enjoy all those first party games for a fraction of the price it would cost to buy them at full £70 a whack. There's more than meets the eye to MS' plans going forward. They're not stupid. There's a reason they're one of the world's most successful tech giants. I wouldn't write them out the game just because a three year old game is going MP, and a near ten year old game (which is a compilation of much older games) is rumoured to go MP.
MS have made no secret of removing barriers, and that's something we should be championing. Not hating.
@IronMan30 "If third-parties jump on board for Switch 2"
The Switch 2 in power will be in between a PS4 & PS4 Pro so I wouldn't hold my breath on you playing GTA 6 & Cyberpunk 2 on it 😅 by the time next gen rolls up it will be a potato.
@Kaloudz I guess we will have to wait and see how this plays out. Xbox already has less third party support than Ps, bg3 delayed aka timed exclusivity essentially, wukong, sh2 remake as the first to come to kind that I would play. I fail to see how this strategy will make that any better going forward. Game pass has value, but will it remain as good or as well priced remains to be seen. Barriers going down is great, but as of right now the barriers are only going down for one set of gamers.
Fanboys. They're the"victims ".
How about this? Microsoft and Sony parter in a new initiative where Sony provides the TV with app and Microsoft provides the games and cloud… no console for either…
If people want to buy a PS5,67 whatever and pay $69+ for a game, physical or not, cool - there you go.
If people want to buy an Xbox Whatever and pay $19 a month and just use Game Pass, cool, you have that too.
This whole idea that you're either in the blu-ray or Netflix, digital or physical, PS or Xbox camp is so dated and stupid. The world changed a long time ago - blame Steam if you want to blame anyone. Xbox's biggest crime to date in my mind was still being a decade too early to the inevitable all-digital future with some of the worst messaging ever, way back in 2013. As I sit here and look at my dust-caked PS5, I think "gosh, I'm glad someone somewhere enjoys using these things but I haven't touched mine in ages, and probably won't until Ghosts of Yotei finally comes out." PS is wonderful for those once-a-year PS single player adventure games but that's like 20ish hours of my gaming year. Hanging my hat entirely on that alone ain't gonna happen.
As for Nintendo, we seem to keep forgetting that they've stumbled before (cough, Wii U, cough) and could again. Switch is great I guess, but to be honest, the sheer amount of shovelware on the thing has relegated it to collecting more dust in my house than the Playstation does at this point. I want to play what's next, not yet another Mario side-scroller. Been there, done that.
@Deshalu Microsoft is going this route because it's been forced to due to its hardware failing. Sony are in a much different position, and their position strengthens as it becomes the sole higher-end console purveyor, with Nintendo having most of the hybrid-portable market.
People pretending that GP isn't going to go up in price again are kidding themselves But Xbox put themselves in this situation with the introduction of Kinect and it just snowballed from there.
In the meantime lot's of good games being made so just buy or rent and play them where you want.
@NattyKing "High-end console" is redundant when gaming PC's exist. Consoles are going to be low cost alternatives to a gaming PC.
Believe it or not, I still really enjoy playing my Xbox.
@TheEstablishment In that scenario MS wouldn't care at all and it wouldn't tarnish their reputation in any meaningful way. You are talking about of the bigget publishers around now, who also happen to be practically competition free in the PC space. it would be like apple doing something shady and expecting everyone to suddenly boycott their products.
Less than 5% of the total gaming would be affected and actually care so MS would not even flinch at those numbers.
Fair response. But never knew if we're going to say this or something else.
But I mean players get to choose, more players can play, Microsoft gets more money. End of story. XD Xbox is there for those that prefer to use one. It has its software features for that audience, it exists for that loyal audience, I don't see a problem.
What for console fans to go but but but. It's a business not a sports team. They aren't doing dodgy deals under the table for console bets. They are making money other ways, like getting additional merch money, that's the goal not how many points to make it on the leaderboard.
Also take time for some people....... sure.
Again Microsoft on Gameboy Color, Sega on PC during Saturn or Dreamcast, I can do a search engine search too of old history. XD
Those people can take it however they like. Those of us that understand business or use any platform, get it. Those that don't, don't. I get being loyal but I mean I use consoles for games or gimmicks I don't care about loyalty. I still use all 3 every day. XD
But like Switch in a dock (Switch has console features and price tags for games besides 3DS/Vita differences of handheld account system/solo intended experience, or other details, yes was very noticeable owning them and can tell) and Pocket PCs/PSP aka 2000s era stuff (before GPD and Steam Deck) and Nomad with cables it's like talking to brick walls.
I'll just cast my phone to my TV with a third party app and hook my tablet to my TV from 2015 or older with a HDMI cable.
Gaming only mentality people then tech mentality or old gaming history let alone business/competition of any era, like lol. None of this is hard to research or think broadly about. Or is for some people apparently.
@MonsterMike I think BG3 was more down to the fact that they couldn't get parity for the features, which they've now only just been able to achieve. That's a developer issue mate, not a platform issue. As for SH2 and the few others, that's just the way the cookie has always crumbled with third party exclusives.
Less and less third party publishers and developers are remaining exclusive to one platform. Look at Square Enix. They are notorious for remaining PS only, and even they have come out to say that for sustainability's sake, they're going multiplat. It's all heading in the same direction, MS just so happen to be jumping on the train first. (Well, if you don't include the fact that this has already been kind of a thing since both MS and PS put their games on PC - why own either console when you can own a PC and get everything?)
Nope, they weren't Netlfix in 2017 when the service launched.
Halo 5 was the big debut release on game pass when the service launched in 2017 and it was 110gb.
Xbox and its absolute tone deaf digital focuse console it was trying to push back in 2013 the Xbone, didn't even have the foresight to have an ability to be able to play a game after a small amount of the download was done (seriously and they were trying to be all DRM and digital remember). "Just another Xbox myth in the category that "Xbox were so ahead in 2013", they really really weren't.
So, Halo 5 had to be FULLY downloaded before you could even start it. How is that ANYTHING like how Netflix works??? PlayStation was already there and doing INSTANT cloud gaming since 2014 lol.
And.... they aren't Netflix in 2025. Netflix grew to a 100 million subscribers well before 8 years passed lol.
So please, nip this Xbox and Neflix thing in the bud already, yeah games industry?
@swedetrap All the consoles have shovelware but at least Switch has exclusives still. And it's more than Mario. You've got Zelda, Metroid, Smash, Xenoblade and two Platinum Game franchises with Bayonetta and Astral Chain. There's Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Pokémon etc etc.
Most Nintendo Switch games have been massive hits in both player reviews and financially. If it's collecting dust...well it's literally because like you said, you're waiting only for Mario rather than playing the vast many other franchises available on the platform.
Xbox has had what? Two games out this entire generation anybody cares about? Neither were financially successful though.
With Xbox, I can play all its games on my PC including on PC Game Pass which contains more games than the Xbox Series. So even the one pro of Xbox is better on PC. This also applies to PlayStation since most of its games come to PC eventually. It also has the same problems as Xbox this gen in that it's had a limited number of games out this generation that people care about or have been successful. What's it been? 5 games maybe?
This generation, I have stuck with PC + Switch and I haven't regretted it. All the latest news from Playstation and Xbox just, for me, cements the fact that I made the right choice leaving the Playstation/Xbox market.
These are hilariously bad takes. I'm tired of typing out who the victims are. 3rd parties are already skipping Xbox due to a low install base. When the new normal hits after the salespocalypse, 3rd party support will be non existent. Anything Sony wants to pay for exclusivity for will cost them pennies. Xbox sales will tank further. It's a doom loop.
If you look at that and see no victim, you're probably a fanboy of a certain other console. Or maybe even an exec.
If PC hasn't killed Xbox, Sony's consoles won't. There will be Xbox consoles as long as there are consoles. "Xbox is dead" is an internet meme that is over a decade old now, perpetuated by fans of another system and that never turns true.
Microsoft is dominating the industry. Hardware, not just consoles, is part of their DNA, a part where they excel, while being the most serious and respectful about game libraries. Xbox owners are happy with the hardware, software and service, they just don't spend as much time here.
There's nothing wrong with Xbox. Maybe they have contradicted themselves, but only because plans change and Sony and Nintendo don't talk at all, so they don't get the same backlash when they do weird things. There is no messaging coming from Sony and Nintendo. Sony changes their strategy all the time, nobody sees it coming. Nintendo is silent and unpredictable. Microsoft talks (replies) too much. I don't know if it's worth being nice and honest these days.
Being a multiplatform publisher isn't new and it just reflects their massive importance in the gaming landscape, but still the most important market is PC (mobile for more casual gaming and cloud), with consoles, Xbox specifically, being a massive source of income and part of their ecosystem. With consoles and PCs being similar since the beginning of the last generation, Xbox most of any, you'd need to kill PC to kill Xbox. And that won't happen, because if the console market disappears, it's just because consoles and PCs have become the same and you won't even notice.
All the relevant third parties are supporting Xbox, more than ever before, and PC has become part of the console world. It's nothing new, it started with Xbox One. Console metrics don't mean what they used to. Who would have thought that Sony would follow Microsoft in this respect? Microsoft is just years ahead and is the only one that has committed to gamers' libraries.
I think Microsoft will keep Xbox consoles around as a GamePass access portal in the future, but after their numbers absolutely crater next gen (it's hard to imagine they won't, because we've seen how Xbox sales numbers have already plummeted heavily, and Microsoft is doing nothing to try and reverse that trend), I think their retail presence is going to be a lot more limited, and their pricing is going to focus more on profitability than attempting to appeal to the wider market.
Xbox will still be around, but also dead when it comes to being a competitor in the console space.
@TruestoryYep tbh the presence of shovelware is a good thing insofar as it tends to indicate a high level of interest in the platform. Pretty much all the best console libraries have also been filled with shovelware, because when you're hosting the biggest party in town, everyone wants to join.
Nintendo's issue isn't really shovelware, it's discoverability and lack of filtering options for the eshop. Amazing third party content is there, but you have to dig through five pages of Hentai Puzzle games to get there.
Valve realized this, which is why they have a robust tagging and filtering system to allow people to see the games they'd want to see.
Really hoping Switch 2 comes with a similar overhaul on its eshop.
“Who’s the victim?” That’s a very interesting question.
Another way to phrase the question is “are there any benefits to exclusivity for platform owners?” Because that’s all we are talking about here, the Xbox platform no longer having exclusives. If there are benefits to exclusivity, then the only “victims” there could feasibly be are Xbox platform owners of course.
So, are there any? Possibly.
In my view, first party exclusivity means games can be tailored more to the strengths of the particular hardware. So that’s one plus.
Connected to this - having big games made for the platform that hold consumers to Xbox hardware also means MS could risk more on unique hardware and input devices next gen. Another plus in my opinion.
Also, you can get games out with a much faster cadence if you only have to make a game for one platform rather than 2,3 or even 4. Another plus, especially with how long games take to make these days.
There is also the whole “identity” thing, but I don’t care for that type of fanboy tribalism nonsense, so anyone affected by that I’ll not consider.
So, there could be downsides to losing exclusives for Xbox platform owners. But the majority of players outside of this will benefit.
The only victims are the types of people who feel slighted by other people being able to play the same games as them. The type of fanboy who apply value to games based on whether it’s exclusive or not.
The industry’s changing, like always, and MS are trying something very confusing to those who get their validation from the multinational profit-orientated corporation they’ve chosen to support as if it was a football team.
@BacklogBrad
They won’t stop making Console Hardware any time soon while they have Game Pass. What the industry will look like at the end of next Gen is impossible to predict, it’s 10/11 years away. But from where we are now there’s no reason for them to stop. It feeds Game Pass.
When Zenimax was acquired by Microsoft, Bethesda said something that matches what @thefourfoldroot1 is saying about making more optimised games, focusing on Windows and Xbox, that are basically the same. All third parties port their games to Windows PC, and that also benefits Xbox.
I think that most Xbox games won't be on PS on day one, there is no benefit in that, since these ports are aimed at PS fans that aren't multiplatform players. They either wait for the port or don't play them at all. On top of that, it would delay their first-party output. It's more convenient to make the Windows/Xbox version and ports for PS or Nintendo afterwards. Most importantly, it gives extra value to Game Pass, that it's better value already because you don't need to purchase the game to play it. The perfect example is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, an excellent and polished game on PC, Xbox and Game Pass and, after some time, the PS port for extra revenue. That makes Xbox and Game Pass not just the best deal for playing Xbox games, but also the first place to play them. This is their strategy now and it's the best that they could have.
@Jenkinss it all depends on what the next gen Xbox becomes. As it is rumoured to be a PC hybrid. So if it includes Steam like Phil said he wants then he has removed the 3rd party problem. Microsoft said they are working on making PC gaming on Windows as seem less as being on a console.
@Banjo-
That makes sense, completely, but that doesn’t appear to be what is happening with new games. MS may make exceptions for flagpole titles, and stagger the release as you say, we will see.
There is also the question of getting the most out of the marketing budget for their games though, which can run to the 10s of millions in cost. Doing that twice or three times, for different platforms, may be considered a big waste of money.
Regardless, if they are multiplat, they will be made in such a way that they have to run on everything and so won’t make the best of the Xbox hardware (the same as every third party multiplat game on all platforms). Not that I expect MS to care about that. They are clearly not hardware focused.
Its kinda sad how quickly so many on here have embraced xbox transitioning into a publisher and subscription service. Up until now I've always bought all systems and enjoyed the differences each one brings but it seems most are happy with any 'plastic box' under the telly. Probably an age thing tbf 😀
@thefourfoldroot1 Well, you can optimise Windows games for each PC configuration. It normally demands the user's time, but for a console running Windows, the developer can set the default parameters, like on Xbox One (X), Series S|X and Steam Deck.
There is a Windows version for every new game and, if the next Xbox includes Steam as well (just a possibility), the available libraries would be unrivalled. Since Xbox One and Play Anywhere, Microsoft has been planning this and making the most of being the owner of Windows. It's telling that Phil said that they are focusing on making an optimised Windows interface for gaming PCs and handhelds. For Microsoft, that also makes computers and tablets, making consoles is a no-brainer.
@Banjo-
Indeed. It’s a shame, but they will be restricted to being a mid range PC henceforth. Any thought of unique tech or inputs can be forgotten. Long gone are the days when consoles where much more, but Xbox especially will look to unify with common PC tech.
@Isolte yeah I agree. But only time will tell.
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