After Microsoft gradually moved away from the idea of the Xbox One device in recent years, and with a growing ambition to reach millions of gamers across computers, mobile devices and more, it has now officially announced the launch of four Xbox exclusive games on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch platforms as part of the “X” initiative. Box Everywhere.”

It seems that the company's renewed slogan “Xbox Everywhere” has started to materialize, albeit gradually, which was highlighted by a journalist close to the company. Tom Warren In an exclusive interview with the president of the gaming room Phil Spencer Through the website The Verge, in an attempt to get some answers and discuss the company's vision for the future of the brand, in which it showed that it is looking at competitors to enhance the future of the brand. Written by journalist.

Xbox is expected to see more games coming to competitors’ devices, as this step is a major strategic shift that the company is publicly scaling back. Releasing a small number of Xbox exclusives on competing devices seems like the natural next step in Microsoft’s grand plan, but it’s a risky move. With risks… so how so?

In addition to the Xbox exclusive games that will be released on the PS5 and Switch platforms, he hinted Spencer Also on the subject of the upcoming “unique” next-generation Xbox consoles, he was also asked about all the news and publications about the portable Xbox device, and also touched on the regulatory measures against Apple that could affect the platform’s business, and what Xbox means for Microsoft now.

This change could affect sales of Xbox consoles that support the Xbox Game Pass subscription service and the platform's ecosystem, forcing Microsoft to become a gaming company that works across all platforms and programs like Sega and others, but Spencer He's acutely aware of the risks and sees this as an opportunity to make more money from competitors' hardware to support Microsoft's game creation and ultimately make games available to more players.

Why is publishing more games on multiple platforms essential to Xbox's long-term success?

Touched Spencer In the interview, he highlighted two main reasons behind this shift and publishing more Xbox games on multiple platforms:

The first one is: The growth of the gaming business, as Spencer confirms that the gaming sector itself is easier to expand and grow compared to devices, and that by making games available on multiple platforms, it increases the possibility of finding more players, which will create opportunities to invest in developing them and increasing their revenues, as Game Pass and traditional retail are examples of various business models that support this trend.

Second: Reach a wider audience, as publishing games on multiple platforms offers a tremendous opportunity to reach millions of gamers around the world, and reaches Spencer One example is the game Palworld, which was very popular on Xbox and PC despite being initially released on one platform and therefore hopes to repeat this success with other games to strengthen its position in the gaming world.

Why only 4 games and not more?

Confirm Phil Spencer It is necessary to collect data and evaluate the results of this experimental stage before publishing more games on other platforms, and this despite Microsoft being one of the largest game publishers on different devices, but what is different this time and for the first time is the experience of publishing its exclusive games on competing platforms and, therefore, the company seeks to understand the level of reception of these games by the player communities on the new platforms and the impact this has on the Xbox community.

Will Starfield and Indiana Jones be released on PS5 in the future?

He didn't deny it Spencer There's definitely a possibility that major games like Starfield and Indiana Jones could launch on PS5 in the future, but he clarified several important points, including the current focus on the four announced games, as was the case in the last podcast, as Microsoft is currently focused on collecting data and evaluating the results of publishing the four announced games (Cuphead, Psychonauts 2, Minecraft Dungeon, Minecraft Legends) on PS5 and Switch.

Of course there are no guarantees for the future, since he abstained Spencer He made no promises of any future steps regarding the release of other exclusive games on competing platforms, including Starfield and Indiana Jones, which he made clear in his recent podcast, and is keen to avoid creating unrealistic expectations and giving PS5 fans and others false hope that more Xbox exclusives will arrive in the near future.

In other words, Microsoft will currently evaluate the success of the current experience and the extent of its impact on its business before making any decisions regarding expanding the strategy of publishing exclusive games on other platforms.

Calming Xbox Gamers' Fears

The head of gaming calmed the concerns of Xbox fans about the potential negative impact of this change on the digital content library and the future of their favorite platform, and acknowledged their concerns, while stressing that the opinions and concerns of passionate fans are taken seriously.

He also highlighted that the highest rate of interaction with the Xbox platform ever recorded was achieved last December, and this shows the public's trust in the brand. At the same time, he denied the common belief that the launch of an exclusive game leads to a significant increase in sales of the device and confirmed that this does not apply to the current reality of the industry.

He also emphasized the company's commitment to preserving and enhancing the library of games that players own on Xbox, pointing to the company's history of supporting "pre-compatibility," cross-platform play, and digital library support as priorities for future devices. Its development plans and commitment to preserving digital libraries compared to other competing companies, and citing initiatives such as FPS Boost and Auto HDR that contribute to improving the performance of older games.

Why is Microsoft allowing Xbox games to be published on PS5 despite Sony's competition and attempts to scale it?

He replied Spencer The goal of this experiment is to understand the impact of publishing Xbox games on other platforms, reaching a new audience of PS5 players and increasing Microsoft’s revenue. However, support for other platforms may be reconsidered if collaboration with them would hinder Xbox’s growth.

Measuring the success of the platform from its focus on the Game Pass service to revenue from content and services has also been discussed in the past, as the main focus of measuring Xbox's success has been based on the number of Game Pass subscribers, even down to the level of financial incentives for executives.

But as the service has grown into a sustainable business, the measurement method has shifted to include total revenue from content and services, including revenue from games on other platforms, such as PlayStation. This represents an expansion of the measurement scope to include all forms of platform growth and player enjoyment, whether through subscriptions, game purchases or in-game purchases, emphasizing the importance of Game Pass’ continued success within this broader measurement.

When asked about the updated device models leaked from the Federal Trade Commission documents, Spicer responded with a laugh, emphasizing that he knew nothing about any leaks: “I have no information on that.”

I've interacted a lot with tweets about mobile devices. Does that include a mobile device?

He replied Spencer He joked that he's a big fan of handheld gaming, but doesn't have any announcements at the moment, adding that when he looks at Xbox as a platform and asks what's the measure of success, he looks at player numbers and hours played, and that's a good indicator of how we're doing in terms of hours played per month. On Xbox, whether it's in the cloud, on your computer, or on your primary device, and he continued, saying:

There’s also the issue of access to the games they want to play. We’ve learned from Nintendo’s success with the Switch over the years, they’ve been great at that. So when I look at the Steam Deck, the ROG, and the Legion Go, I like that category of hardware. We’ve got some work to do.

One of the weak points of the ROG or Lenovo [Legion Go] experience is Windows. And how does the system work with just control inputs on a screen with such a high pixel density and on a smaller eight- or seven-inch screen? It's a real design point that our team is working on with the system to make sure that the experience is improved even further.

What does Xbox mean for Microsoft in light of publishing more games on PS5 and Switch?

Confirm Phil Spencer However, Xbox is the company's flagship gaming and content platform and Microsoft's third-largest business sector, and the platform is an important foundational element based on technical innovation and content creativity, and relies on cooperation with global partners and developers.

He expressed Spencer In conclusion, he expressed his great enthusiasm for the future of the Xbox brand, praising the team, new games, cloud infrastructure, and the success of the PC and cloud platforms together, as well as hardware development plans. Emphasizing its role in leading the growth of the global gaming industry by attracting new players and developers.