Some Xbox games are going multiplatform, but Game Pass will remain exclusive

In the run-up to the latest Xbox Podcast, the rumor mill was going absolutely bananas over the possibility that Microsoft could be going third-party. As we now know, that is not the case, but Microsoft will be bringing some Xbox games to other platforms in the future. Sadly, anyone expecting Game Pass to come to the Switch will be out of luck as CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer confirmed it will remain on Xbox hardware for the foreseeable future.

What is happening to Xbox?

During today’s podcast, the biggest points that Phil and co. clarified were these:

• Four Xbox titles will be coming to other platforms
• In roughly 5-10 years, console-exclusive titles will become a smaller and smaller part of the industry
• Xbox Game Pass will remain on Xbox hardware (and, obviously, PC)

 

With that laid out, which four games are making the jump? Spencer didn’t want to reveal that today as the development teams responsible for these ports have announcements lined up, but he did confirm which games they will not be. Both Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will remain on Xbox hardware and PC.

The only details we were given about these new ports are that two of the games were “community-driven” efforts, and the other two were “smaller games” never meant to be big exclusives anyway. We, essentially, already know that Hi-Fi Rush is heading to other platforms, but some in-depth rumors have stated that Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded will also come to PS5 and Switch. That tracks with how Spencer described the upcoming multiplatform titles.

Will Game Pass Come to Switch?

For years now, it has been rumored that Microsoft would be bringing Xbox Game Pass to Nintendo’s hybrid console. With the company having launched a cloud streaming service and leveraging its catalog for PC, wouldn’t it make sense to bring all of those options to Switch? While I do think that would be outstanding, obviously it isn’t in the cards. Spencer flat-out confirmed Game Pass will remain within the Xbox ecosystem.

Now, this doesn’t mean we will never see Game Pass-developed titles on other consoles. Microsoft is very clearly looking to deliver unique experiences to players of any platform. There needs to be some reason to buy a Microsoft console, however, and Game Pass is one of the best deals you can find.

So what about exclusives?

This is the part of Spencer’s thoughts where we have to use some speculation. As stated at the start of the podcast, Spencer believes that in the next 5-10 years, exclusive games will become a smaller part of the industry overall. With development costs ballooning out of control and with both Microsoft and Sony seeing tremendous success on Steam, it simply doesn’t make sense to keep big games locked to one platform.

Nintendo is unlikely to ever ditch its platform exclusivity, but Microsoft and Sony have gotten to a point where its games are costing too much and taking too long. Bringing those titles to other platforms, be it a key triple-A launch or a smaller indie game, will help recuperate costs and allow fans outside of each respective platform to experience internal projects. You need look no further than last week’s Helldivers 2 to see a ridiculously successful PC launch of a Sony game.

 

So while none of this is all that exciting or the big shake-up that some influencers predicted, it does give us a clear idea of how Microsoft will be moving forward with Xbox. The brand and its consoles will continue to be made, though Microsoft will gradually start to deemphasize exclusive titles. There might come a point when Xbox games are readily available on Nintendo and Sony hardware day-and-date with Xbox consoles, but that won’t be today.

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