In brief: It sounds as if Microsoft is preparing to make some of its Xbox console exclusives available for the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Following the completion of the Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said the Redmond firm would be a “good publisher” across all platforms.
Now that it owns Activision Blizzard, it appears that Microsoft wants to be a multi-platform games firm. CEO Nadella spoke about wanting to deliver great titles across all platforms back in December. He reiterated this stance in an interview with Bloomberg this week, noting that with Activision, Microsoft can become a good multi-platform publisher.
“We’ve been at gaming, we love gaming. In fact, Flight Simulator was created before even Windows. But, we were number three, number four. And with Activision, I think we have a chance of being a good publisher–quite frankly–on Sony and Nintendo and PCs and Xbox,” Nadella told Bloomberg. “We are very excited about that acquisition closing and very glad we’ve got it through.”
It’s not just Microsoft’s boss who is dropping hints about the company embracing its rivals’ machines. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said in November that Microsoft Gaming had a “bit of change of strategy,” and that its mission was to bring first-party experiences and its subscription services (Game Pass) to every screen that can play games. While Xbox head Phil Spencer later confirmed there were no plans to introduce Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo, he never denied the company’s intention to bring first-party games to these consoles.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on the future of Xbox. “We think that now we have the ability to do what we always set out to do, which is build great games and deliver them to folks across all platforms, which is Xbox and consoles, PCs, mobile gaming, and cloud gaming” (Dec 2023) pic.twitter.com/T5gVRriNn4
– Tom Warren (@tomwarren) January 17, 2024
Two exclusive games that are heavily rumored to be coming to the Switch and PlayStation 5 are Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush and Rare’s Sea of Thieves, both available on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny these rumors, or whether the upcoming Blade game from its first-party Arkane Lyon studio will be an Xbox exclusive or available across other platforms.
Game exclusivity was one of the big sticking points during Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, especially as it related to the wildly successful, multi-platform Call of Duty. Microsoft repeatedly insisted the franchise would not leave PlayStation, and Sony eventually signed a 10-year deal to keep the games on its platform – though it wasn’t as if Sony had much choice in the matter.
Such plans might be a few years away from fruition, but Microsoft is making its ambitions to become a multi-platform publisher very clear. Unsurprisingly, the threat of losing exclusive games isn’t sitting well with some Xbox console owners.
