Since Microsoft snapped up Activision-Blizzard along with a slew of other development studios, it’s emerged as the biggest third-party game publisher ever. So, when Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, mentioned in a chat with Gamertag Radio that upcoming Xbox games would be available on other platforms like Nintendo and PlayStation, it stirred quite a bit of buzz—but honestly, it makes perfect sense.
In his conversation, Spencer expressed a vision for Xbox games and services to reach as many devices as possible. Speaking with Danny Peña and Parris of Gamertag Radio on their YouTube podcast, he pointed out their continued enthusiasm for the Xbox’s native experience on its own hardware. This engaging twenty-six-minute interview was rich in industry insights and fond memories, touching on classic periods of Xbox history, such as the days of the original Xbox and the Xbox 360.
Let’s take a brief detour into console history to understand why Spencer’s remarks have grabbed attention. Remember Sonic the Hedgehog? Yes, the movie character! Sonic’s origins are in a series of video games, which, up until Sonic Adventure 2 appeared on GameCube, were exclusive to Sega consoles. Sega exited the home console market after the Dreamcast, unable to compete against Sony’s powerhouse PlayStation 2. This retreat marked Sega’s shift to a third-party developer role, a position Microsoft’s Xbox stepped into.
At the birth of what was initially dubbed the “DirectX Box,” which evolved into the Xbox, there was tentative backward compatibility with Sega’s Dreamcast titles (helped by Dreamcast running Windows CE). Although this feature didn’t make it into the final product, Xbox still hosted exclusive sequels from that era, like Jet Set Radio Future.
While Spencer’s comments might seem reminiscent of a company on its last legs, Microsoft’s position is quite the opposite. With Xbox holding the crown as the largest third-party game publisher, the aim now is to sell games widely, beyond the constraint of just Xbox consoles.
Spencer elaborated further, indicating a desire for Xbox titles to reach various platforms, including PlayStation, highlighting their strong collaborations with Nintendo and Valve on Steam. This approach underscores Xbox’s evolution from a hardware focus to a service-based strategy.
So, is Xbox on a path similar to Sega’s now-defunct console business? Certainly not—Microsoft’s deep pockets ensure it’s far from that. Nonetheless, the upcoming Xbox console generation has its work cut out for it, needing to distinguish itself in a market where hardware power and exclusive games decide the winners, especially against likely competition like “Switch 3” and the inevitable PlayStation 6.
Still, there’s a cautionary note: if Xbox isn’t seen as a hardware platform but merely as a suite of games and services, it risks losing individual identity in the gaming landscape. As they say, “When everybody’s on Xbox, no one will be.”
