After weeks of rumors, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed which of the company’s first-party games will be going multi-platform. In an appearance on the Official Xbox Podcast, Spencer confirmed that four different Xbox games will all be going multi-platform. Spencer noted that the realities of game development meant that games cost a lot to develop, and from a business standpoint, it makes sense for them to find the largest audience possible. However, this does not mean that all of the company’s first-party games will be getting this treatment. Instead, Microsoft will continue to look at games on a case by case basis.
Which Xbox Games?
While Spencer said in the podcast that the plan is to put four different Xbox games on other platforms, he didn’t specify which ones those would be. The Verge, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that these four games are expected to be Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. Xbox did not specify in the podcast what platforms these games will release on, but The Verge is also saying that the plans are to release games on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch. While not confirmed, all of these games fit in with the description Xbox provided when saying that each of the four games are ones that have been available for Xbox users for awhile now.
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“To ensure long-term success for both Xbox and the industry as a whole, we must continue to evolve,” Xbox said. “Today we announced that we will expand the communities we reach: we are currently in the process of bringing four Xbox games to other platforms. These are titles which have been available to Xbox players for at least a year, including hidden gems that deserve to be experienced more widely, and live service games whose communities will benefit from welcoming even more players. We will share more details on these titles soon.”
Rising Gaming Costs
As Spencer notes, ballooning development costs have played a role in Xbox’s decision to bring more games to opposing platforms. The cost of game development has been steadily increasing over the last console generation, and it’s been a problem across the entire gaming industry. Compounding that problem, margins have been low for publishers when it comes to AAA games. While these titles end up being a major draw for players, they also take years to create, and are a huge risk for companies. Hopefully as Xbox games are brought to additional platforms, it will help to ease the burden, and make some of these games more profitable.ย
Over the last few months, there have been layoffs at several Xbox owned studios, such as Toys for Bob, Bethesda Game Studios, and 343 Industries. These layoffs were cited as an effort to cut costs at Xbox. Hopefully the additional revenue stream for Xbox games will result in greater job security for the company’s developers.ย
Third-Party Concerns
During the podcast, Spencer confirmed that Xbox still plans on supporting its consoles, and has no plans to abandon this element of the business. The Xbox boss reportedly said that same thing in an employee townhall earlier this month, and his comments today would seem to lend that some further credence.ย
All of the Xbox rumors of late have caused concern among the Xbox faithful that the company would go the way of Sega. After years of manufacturing its own platforms, Sega was forced to cease supporting its own hardware in 2001. After the failures of the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, it became evident that the company could no longer compete. Instead, Sega began to release games on platforms like PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox, and the move proved to be a smart one. More than two decades later, Sonic the Hedgehog remains a household name, and several other Sega properties are primed for a comeback. At this time, it doesn’t seem like that’s the way things are going, but Xbox fans can hardly be blamed for being concerned.ย
Are you surprised about these games going multi-platform? Do you think some games make more sense than others? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
