Xbox has been the talk of the gaming town after comments about Microsoft wanting to put Game Pass on “every screen that can play games” surfaced. Now, however, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has stepped in and stated there are “no plans” to bring the service to Sony or Nintendo platforms.
On Nov. 30, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart spoke at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit and said a “change of strategy” was happening internally that would see Xbox’s subscription service potentially being pushed to more smart TVs, mobile devices, and other platforms. PlayStation and Nintendo consoles were mentioned in that discussion, leading to the gaming community arguing over how Xbox games being on other major gaming platforms could impact its console and the market.
In a sizable interview with Windows Central, Phil Spencer clarified that he and his team have “no plans to bring Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo.” Currently, Xbox is focused on innovating for “people who’ve made the commitment” to its hardware and how to make that investment worth it for existing and potential customers moving forward. “When I think about investments in things like Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, cross-play, and cross-save, and ID@Xbox, all of these things—I want us to continue to innovate, so people on our console feel like we’re making investments in console that matches their commitment they’re making to us,” Spencer said.
Spencer did not elaborate on the “every screen” comments or what areas the Xbox team is actively looking at when it comes to expansion for Game Pass. However, he did reiterate that the service is “an important part of the Xbox console identity.” Over the last five years, Game Pass has continued to grow and is now on PC and the cloud, but Microsoft is looking at ways to continue innovating the service, but Spencer specifically noted that involves “our game portfolio and our platform.”
While speaking on innovation, Spencer made sure to focus on the potential of the Xbox Cloud, which he and his team think can be utilized “as a way to get onto mobile gaming” while also improving it for console gamers who use it as a way to browse or trial games. The Xbox App and how it enables access to Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere features for PCs of all types.
“I’m traveling right now, I have my Lenovo Legion Go with me, which is fantastic. I think about those handheld PCs, almost extensions of my Xbox console,” Spencer said. “We’ve been pushing for cross-play, cross-save, cross-progression, for so long. To see when I pick up a game, that my progress on my console shows up on this handheld in a native way—it’s not just cloud streaming. And I can play on the airplane and or play when I’m disconnected. I think that’s vitally important to where we’re trying to go.”
Spencer is big on looking at what “gamers are embracing” and trying to build on that information to better all of Xbox’s products, hardware, and services. He teased that there are roadmaps in place now that will implement improvements in all three areas, as well as potential ways the company might move forward with its various IPs on streaming services.
So, while it looks like the dream of having Game Pass on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch is dead—for now—Xbox seems to have plenty of plans for where things are going post-Activision-Blizzard acquisition.
