Xbox Boss Says There are “No Plans” to Bring Game Pass to Switch and PS5

Last week, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart made headlines at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit when he stated his desire to bring Game Pass “to every screen that can play games,” specifically listing PlayStation and Nintendo as possibilities. In a new interview with Windows Central, Xbox boss Phil Spencer walked back that statement, outright stating that Microsoft has “no plans” to bring the service to competing gaming platforms. In the interview, Spencer stated that he sees Game Pass as a reason to own an Xbox console, and he’s focused on making sure that buyers feel justified in making that purchase. 

“I’ll start by saying we have no plans to bring Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo. It’s not in our plans. But I think you hit on the right point of ‘what it means to own an Xbox.’ The thing I want to be focused on is how do we continue to innovate for people who’ve made the commitment to our hardware platform? And how do we continue to make sure that they feel great about their investment in what we’ve built,” Spencer told Windows Central. 

Game Pass Exclusivity

Exclusives are the biggest selling point for any video game system, and Game Pass remains one of the most compelling reasons to own an Xbox. The service gives subscribers access to first-party exclusives like Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, and Forza Motorsport, as well as a bunch of third-party games like Gotham Knights, Persona 4 Golden, and Sea of Stars. By putting Game Pass on other platforms, Microsoft could kill one of the biggest selling points for Xbox consoles. That doesn’t even take into consideration the technical hurdles that Xbox would have to clear just to make it happen, especially on Nintendo Switch. 

While there are no plans to bring Game Pass to other systems, Switch and PlayStation users can still expect to see some of Microsoft’s games released. Microsoft signed contracts with Nintendo and Sony to ensure Call of Duty games release on Switch and PlayStation. Microsoft published games like Minecraft have also been made available, and have performed quite well on those platforms. Microsoft’s relationship with Nintendo has also led to Rare developed games like Banjo-Kazooie and Jet Force Gemini releasing on Nintendo Switch Online. 

Xbox Game Pass in December

The month of December is officially here, and for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, that means access to a whole bunch of new games. On December 5th, the service will add Clone Drone in the Danger Zone, Rise of the Tomb Raider, While the Iron’s Hot, and World War Z: Aftermath. Later this month, Goat Simulator 3 (December 7th), Against the Storm (December 8th), Tin Hearts (December 12th), and Far Cry 6 (December 14th) will all be made available. Goat Simulator 3 will not be accessible to Xbox One users (except through cloud gaming), while Against the Storm will only be available through Game Pass for PC. 

Would you like to see Game Pass on Switch or PlayStation? Are you happy that Spencer plans to keep it exclusive to Xbox systems? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!