Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Don’t expect Microsoft’s Project xCloud to get exclusive games

By
Microsoft Shows Off xCloud Hardware And Talks Streaming Business

Google Stadia is now available to those with the Founder’s Edition and Premiere Edition bundles, and it includes one exclusive at launch: Gylt. With an internal studio working on projects, that number will surely grow over time, but it appears Microsoft will not be taking the same approach with Project xCloud.

Recommended Videos

Speaking to Gamasutra, an Xbox spokesperson said that currently has “no plans for cloud-exclusive content.” This statement was made after xCloud vice president Kareem Choudry previously said that it was in “early talks” with companies regarding exclusives.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Releasing exclusive games on the service would certainly be out of line with the company’s messaging regarding xCloud thus far. Microsoft has positioned the service as a “different form factor” for existing Xbox games, giving players the option to play them on the go with a mobile phone, laptop, or other devices instead of being locked to their console or PC at home. The goal doesn’t appear to be replacing the traditional console, either, as Microsoft is planning to launch its Xbox Scarlett system in 2020.

Project xCloud running on Android phone
Mark Knapp/Digital Trends

Microsoft has moved away from true exclusive games this generation, altogether. With a few exceptions, including Halo 5: Guardians, nearly every Xbox One game is also available to play on PC. This includes Sunset Overdrive, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and many more. The plus-side to this is that many also support cross-buy and cross-save, so you can easily move between console and PC, and enjoy the games with friends who might only own one or the other.

Through streaming, Microsoft is also letting Xbox One owners stream games to their mobile devices with their home console acting as the server. This can be done at no extra charge, and all of the games they own on the Xbox One are eligible for streaming.

There will certainly be plenty to play on Xbox — and xCloud — in the future, as Microsoft has increased its internal development studios with the acquisitions of companies like Ninja Theory, Playground Games, and Obsidian Entertainment. Others, including The Coalition and 343 Industries, continue work on upcoming projects, as well, such as Xbox Scarlett launch title Halo Infinite and the strategy game Gears Tactics.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
For Microsoft, indies aren’t Game Pass extras. They’re the future of Xbox
A list of indie games on Xbox appears in a grid.

Xbox may be about as corporate a brand as you can find, but it’s been a surprisingly vital platform for independent developers. That dates back to the Xbox Live Arcade days of old, when small developers were given a place to easily publish their projects on consoles. Rather than pulling away from those days, Xbox has only doubled down on its relationship to indies in the years since through initiatives like ID@Xbox and a Developer Acceleration Program designed to help underrepresented developers get their games out.

Over the past few months, the brand has been on a global tour to reach small developers directly and court them to Xbox. That effort would take the company to New York City on November 18, where Xbox leadership would speak to local developers and students about how to submit to their programs (the event would also feature a questionably timed speech from New York City Mayor Eric Adams amid an FBI investigation into his campaign funds). It’s clear that Microsoft is investing a lot of time and money into signing deals with small developers, but why make the effort when it could comfortably thrive just by publishing major titles through acquired publishers like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda?

Read more
The best Xbox Series X exclusives
Halo Infinite Last Man Standing promo.

Just like with any other console, if you're looking for the best Xbox Series X games, you start with the exclusives. While Microsoft's consoles have typically been associated with FPS games, you can find games of all types and genres on the Series X. Even when you limit yourself to just the exclusives, there are plenty of multiplayer, co-op, and indie games to satisfy your tastes. And if you're a Game Pass subscriber, they're all available at the touch of a button. At this point in the generation, the issue isn't a lack of games to play but choosing which one to play first. We'll help you narrow down your list.

Halo Infinite

Read more
You don’t need an Xbox Series X to play Starfield. Here’s how
Key art for Starfield.

Starfield is the highest-profile Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S game since Halo Infinite, but the game isn't locked to those two consoles. Thanks to cloud gaming and Microsoft's more open-ended mentality of making its games available on a wide variety of platforms, you don't have to own one of Microsoft's current-gen systems or have the Xbox app installed on your PC.
No, it's not on PS5 or Nintendo Switch, but if you want to play Starfield while it's at the center of the video game industry zeitgeist, here are some places where it's playable other than the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series X, and Xbox PC app.
Steam

The most obvious choice if you want to play Starfield elsewhere is to pick it up on Steam. While Microsoft does have a proprietary PC launcher of its own, Microsoft now consistently releases its own games through Valve's launcher. Bethesda joined Xbox Game Studios in 2021 and has a long history of making its games available on Steam as well, so it's not too surprising that Starfield is available on the platform.
Starfield already proving quite popular on the platform too, having peaked at 266,000 concurrent players, according to SteamDB at the time I'm writing this. If you're looking for a way to play Starfield natively on the hardware you own without using a Microsoft platform or service, this is your best option. It'll run on Steam Deck too, although that's not the only way to experience Starfield on the go.
Xbox Game Pass app on Android

Read more