Microsoft finally gave its fans an update on the future of its gaming business during the Official Xbox Podcast today. It clarified some of the speculation around its first-party games going multiplatform, explaining that this move only applies to four titles.
“We made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles. Just four games, not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said. “We’re making these decisions for some specific reasons. We make every decision with the long-term health of Xbox in mind, and long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can.”
Phil Spencer refused to name the four games going multiplatform, though, because “the teams that are building those games have announced plans that are not too far away.” Still, he confirmed that Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle aren’t part of that lineup, which will contain a mix of live-service titles and “smaller games that were never really meant to be built as platform exclusives.” Ultimately, his point was that Xbox fans should not take this move “as some signal that everything is coming” to other platforms.
To reinforce the idea it wants to make its games as widely available as possible, even if it’s just on Microsoft-made platforms, Xbox President Sarah Bond confirmed that Microsoft will start bringing Activision Blizzard games to Xbox Game Pass. The first title will be Diablo IV on March 28.
Microsoft has not confirmed the names or release dates of the four first-party titles going multiplatform at this time.
