With Microsoft’s takeover of Activision-Blizzard and its vast array of development teams, the company, and by extension, Xbox, has risen to become the biggest third-party game publisher in history. This context makes recent statements by Xbox chief Phil Spencer intriguing. In an interview with Gamertag Radio, Spencer hinted that future Xbox games might also find homes on other platforms like Nintendo and PlayStation, a move that’s creating quite the buzz but also seems logical.
Spencer’s remarks, such as wanting players to experience Xbox games and services on as many devices as possible and praising the unique experience Xbox platforms offer, were shared during a conversation on Danny Peña’s Podcast Interviews on YouTube. Together with Parris of Gamertag Radio, they delved into the future of Xbox, sprinkling in a touch of nostalgia by reminiscing about the good old days of the original Xbox and 360.
To understand why these revelations are stirring the pot, a quick flashback into console history helps. Remember Sonic The Hedgehog, the video game icon turned movie star? Well, Sonic sprung from a rich history of video games—some loved, some not so much—that were once exclusive to Sega consoles. Sega conquered in its heydays until Sonic Adventure 2 made its way to the GameCube, marking a shift. When the more powerful PlayStation 2 emerged, it overshadowed Sega’s Dreamcast, forcing Sega out of the console business and into the realm of third-party development—a vacuum soon filled by Microsoft’s Xbox.
Early in the journey of the “DirectX Box,” which later evolved into the first Xbox, backward compatibility with Sega Dreamcast titles was initially a feature (thanks to Dreamcast’s compatibility with Windows CE). Although the final Xbox design didn’t retain this feature, some sequels from the Dreamcast era, like Jet Set Radio Future, were made exclusive to Xbox.
These strategic comments from Spencer might seem like the swan song of a beleaguered console maker, but Microsoft, as a whole, is far from struggling. Now that Xbox holds the title of the largest third-party game publisher ever, its focus has shifted toward maximizing game sales, liberating gamers from the need to remain tethered to Xbox hardware.
Spencer elaborated, “We want everybody to be able to play on Xbox, and that means getting more of our games onto more platforms, not just PlayStation. We have great collaborations with Nintendo and with Valve on Steam, and we’ll keep building on those.”
Is Xbox headed down the same road Sega traveled? In no way. Microsoft’s deep pockets have ensured it stays on solid ground. Nonetheless, the upcoming Xbox consoles need to draw gamers, not just with superior hardware specs but in light of likely challengers like a new hybrid Switch model and a presumably more potent PlayStation 6, both enticing consumers with their exclusive games, which are the lifeblood of the console market.
Yet, Microsoft must tread carefully with the concept of Xbox not just as a hardware offering but as a suite of games and services. If everyone is in the Xbox ecosystem, the uniqueness of being there could diminish.
