Microsoft will provide more details on its gaming plans on February 15th amid rampant rumours of the company bringing Xbox games to rival platforms.
On Xbox’s official X (Twitter) account, the company said a special edition of its Official Xbox Podcast will drop on Thursday at 3pm ET/12pm PT in which it will “share updates on the Xbox business.” The podcast will feature the three major Xbox leaders: Phil Spencer (Microsoft Gaming CEO), Sarah Bond (president of Xbox) and Matt Booty (head of Xbox Game Studios).
On February 5th, Spencer confirmed a “business update event” for this week in which the company would detail its “vision for the future of Xbox.” Now, we know when that will be held.
All of this comes amid a flurry of rumours and speculation surrounding Xbox’s reported plans to bring many of its games to PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Earlier this year, this started with credible sources indicating that select titles like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves would make their way to the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
Please join us for a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast.
Hear from Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty as they share updates on the Xbox business. pic.twitter.com/TxwWJVUbgx
— Xbox (@Xbox) February 12, 2024
However, these rumblings have since expanded to include mention of everything from Gears of War to even Starfield potentially coming to PS5, although the latter was reportedly said in error. All the while, there’s been silence from Xbox leaders until Spencer’s February 5th comment about clarity finally coming this week.
Naturally, these reports have led to all kinds of discussions. On the one hand, some Xbox faithful believe that bringing these Xbox console exclusives to other platforms would devalue the brand, while others have argued that opening up the company’s catalogue to more players only helps the company as a whole mitigate the costs associated with game development.
What we do know, however, is that Xbox adopting a more multiplatform strategy would be an expansion of its existing gaming approach in which it doesn’t rely on a single piece of hardware. Since the Xbox One era, the company has been bringing all of its games to PC day and date with console, and with the Series X and S, it’s also opened up these titles to mobile and smart TVs through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
That said, reporter Shannon Liao said last week that Spencer told employees in a townhall that the company has no plans to stop making consoles. “Xboxes would continue to be part of a strategy that involves multiple kinds of devices,” she said.
Nonetheless, clarity is needed with Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox brand, so hopefully, the February 15th podcast will answer the big questions.
Source: @Xbox
