For Xbox fans, things might never be the same again.
That's because the heads of Microsoft’s behemoth gaming division will today announce a change that could represent the biggest shift in strategy since the arrival of the original Xbox console over 20 years ago, sources claim.
According to reports, including on The Verge, Microsoft will today confirm long-rumoured plans to bring its Xbox games to rival consoles like Sony PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
Blockbuster games previously thought to be exclusive to Xbox could be released on other consoles, like the award-winning Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves — a popular multiplayer title from British team Rare, and The Elder Scrolls veteran developer Todd Howard’s new epic Starfield.
Some rumours have even pointed to Indiana Jones And The Great Circle coming to PlayStation ― a game that was only revealed as an Xbox exclusive last month.
Gaming is big business for Microsoft, with its Xbox division now contributing more revenue to its bottom line than the Windows operating system. Its Xbox Game Pass subscription, which includes all titles from first-party studios owned by Microsoft and a rotating catalogue of third-party games, costs £12.99 per month.
At the last official count, Game Pass had over 25 million players signed up.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is an upcoming first-person action game that sees the iconic Harrison Ford character set out on another globe-trotting adventure in search of an ancient relic
BETHESDA GAME STUDIOS | XBOX
Game Pass is already available on desktop PCs and laptops as well as Xbox consoles. Certain games can also be streamed to other devices, including Samsung Smart TVs, iPads, Android phones, and even a Meta Quest VR headset, to name just a few options.
However, the decision to release games developed by in-house studios at Xbox on rival consoles is incredibly controversial amongst some players. Furious fans have argued the shake-up removes the need to own a console from Microsoft — since buying a PlayStation 5 would theoretically unlock access to exclusive games from Sony as well as those on Xbox.
As there’s currently no sign of Game Pass coming to PlayStation, players would have to spend £70 on each game, rather than subscribing for £12.99 a month to start playing.
But without headline-grabbing games not available anywhere else ...access to this subscription (plus the hardware and software features of the Xbox console itself) would be the only reason to pick Xbox over the PS5 and Switch.
Frustrated fans flooded social media to complain about the rumoured shift in strategy, with one describing the upcoming news as the "biggest change in Xbox history".
“Why is there Xbox consoles? No one wants that when PlayStation 5 plays both Xbox and PlayStation exclusives,” one player tweeted in response to the official Xbox account.
“If there aren't any permanent exclusives, I'm gone. I'll keep my Xbox for games I've already purchased but I won't be spending anymore money in the Xbox ecosystem. I say this as someone that has 700 games on the platform,” another posted.
Another prominent social media account posted a photo of a receipt after claiming to purchase a brand-new PS5, with a discount applied after trading in their Xbox Series X console and games.
Annnnnnd it’s done, bye bye Series X.
— Yung Kiryu (@yungkiryu) February 5, 2024
They don’t accept the storage device at GameStop sadly so I have a literal paperweight now, but I got UFC 5 for my PS5 and $300 worth of steam cards. So long Xbox, it was a good run pic.twitter.com/reXKdH8eua
Why is there Xbox consoles? No one wants that when Playstation 5 plays both Xbox and Playstation exclusives
— WarhammerDave (@dave_warhammer) February 14, 2024
If there aren't any permanent exclusives, I'm gone. I'll keep my Xbox for games I've already purchased but I won't be spending anymore money in the Xbox ecosystem. I say this as someone that has 700 games on the platform pic.twitter.com/puV4O63BSZ
— Crazy Kazzy (@CrazyKazzy93) February 13, 2024
To quell the growing disquiet, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer tweeted: “We're listening and we hear you. We've been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.”
And now that day has arrived.
Xbox will reveal exactly what it has planned for players with a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast, which is available anywhere you download podcast episodes, and a YouTube livestream at 8pm GMT tonight (Thursday February 15, 2024).
The broadcast will include Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Xbox President Sarah Bond, and Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty. Beyond teasing “updates on the Xbox business”, little else is known. However, this seems to be “the event” that Phil Spencer referenced in his tweet last week.
Microsoft completed its behemoth $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, the company behind games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush, late last year following a series of regulatory hurdles, including from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
As a condition of the final acquisition deal, Microsoft agreed to keep several blockbuster titles from its newly expanded portfolio ― like Call of Duty ― available on rival consoles. This may have led to a discussion inside Microsoft about the best approach to maximise revenue from the games produced by its 40 studios and roughly 20,100 game developers.
We're listening and we hear you. We've been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 5, 2024
Sales of the latest generation of Xbox consoles, the £250 Xbox Series S and £480 Xbox Series X, have struggled compared to competition from Sony and Nintendo. According to some estimates, the PlayStation 5 is outselling both iterations of the Xbox by a margin two-to-one.
Amazon hasn’t sold the flagship Xbox Series X console at its full RRP at all this year, with the console enjoying a generous £50 discount in an effort to drive up sales.
