On Thursday, Microsoft announced that soon it will release its four video games on competing consoles. Head of Microsoft, Phil Spencer, said “Not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy” regarding the decision in a company video.
n spite of this, the change displays a readiness to generate more income from content that was previously limited to Microsoft’s own gaming devices. In October, Microsoft finalized the purchase of prominent video game publisher Activision Blizzard for over $75 billion.
In the second fiscal quarter, 11% of Microsoft’s revenue, as the most valuable public company in the world, was connected to gaming.
The company reported that its Game Pass service, which offers access to various games, now has 34 million subscribers, an increase from 25 million two years ago.
However, the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, released in 2020, have not been as successful as Sony’s PlayStation 5 or Nintendo’s Switch.
Although Microsoft did not disclose the games in question, Spencer mentioned that they will not include Starfield, a highly anticipated game released in September, or the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
In the video, he also said “We think this is an interesting point in time for us to use what some of the other platforms have right now to help grow our franchises, so we’re going to do that.”
Spencer did reveal that two of the four games are “community-driven,” while the other two are smaller titles that were not intended to be exclusive to Microsoft’s systems.
Last week, The Verge reported that Microsoft was considering releasing the previously announced Indiana Jones game, initially for Xbox and Windows, on Sony’s PlayStation 5 in addition to Microsoft’s console and PC.
The game will be developed by Bethesda Softworks, a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, which Microsoft acquired for $8 billion in 2021.
Many Xbox fans expressed disappointment on social media, speculating that Microsoft may no longer prioritize keeping games exclusive to its console.
They argued that without unique content that can only be played on Xbox, there would be less incentive to invest in Xbox hardware and software.
The day after The Verge article, Spencer addressed the concerns in a post on X, stating, “We’re listening and we hear you. We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.”
Recently, The Verge also reported that games such as Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Sea of Thieves will be available on non-Microsoft consoles.
