All First-Party Xbox Series X Games Are Coming To PC
Microsoft is further blurring the lines between console and PC as Phil Spencer has confirmed all the upcoming first-party Xbox Series X games will be heading over to PC. The Head of Xbox is getting ready to usher in the next generation of consoles with the Xbox Series X and Series S, but with Microsoft originally being known for its PC power, Spencer is keen to keep the company's other big hitter in on the gaming scene.
The war of the next-gen consoles is hotting up as both Sony and Microsoft prepare to unveil their offerings. While the PlayStation 5 has huge titles like Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and God of War: Ragnarok, Microsoft has Fable, Forza Motorsport, and State of Decay 3. In fact, the sheer fact the Xbox Series X and S will hold host to the delayed Halo Infinite is enough to make some gamers pick Xbox over PlayStation.
Does the Xbox Series X support cross-platform play?
Speaking to GameReactor about cross-platform play, Spencer promised that we'd see more of this as the industry grows. Discussing his plans for PC, Spencer explained, "There is this expectation from customers like there is now on PC, where people don't really question—there might be some timing things, on when certain things happen—but if we are shipping a first-party game it's coming to PC.
"If we are shipping a first-party game on PC it's coming to Steam and our own store. Like we built an expectation from our customers. I feel good about the games that we are building, and I feel good about that on PC".
Expanding on how things have progressed, Spencer joked that he would've got an "eye roll" five years ago if he'd spoken about a commitment to PC. Although he admitted Microsoft wasn't doing enough at the time, he thinks things have changed:
"I think now when you look at what our standing is on Steam and Game Pass on PC, we have shown that our commitment over time has paid off. PC customers may or may not love what we do, but they know that when we are shipping things, we're gonna do our best effort on PC as well as on Xbox".
Is this the end of the traditional Xbox?
Click to enlargeIt's great news for PC players, however, note Spencer's comments about timing. By the sounds of it, there will still be a case of consoles getting the game first before they're sent over to PC. It also raises the question of why anyone would buy a traditional Xbox if they can just boot up their PC. This is clearly an issue that's been raised to Spencer, but as usual, he has the answer.
Concluding about what he means by Xbox, Spencer admitted, "The fact that we sell our games on PC does undermine one of the value propositions in that it doesn't force somebody to go buy our console. Our high-level goal inside of our team, of how we measure ourselves, is how many people are playing on Xbox.
"And when we say 'playing on Xbox' it doesn't mean an Xbox console. It means somebody who is logging in and playing a part of our ecosystem, whether first-party or third-party. And it could be on an Android phone. It could be on a Switch. It could be on a PC. That's how we think about it".
Now that the word Xbox no longer refers to the physical box of the console, it further pushes us into the idea that digital-only gaming is the way forward. For now, the Xbox is still holding on for dear life and preparing to lock horns with the PS5. Still, the idea of a universal Microsoft PC x Xbox world shows how both sides can work together.
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