Rewind the clock nearly a decade ago, Microsoft executed one of its ground-shattering commitments to its users – Xbox Play Anywhere. Although the console market is what shoehorned Xbox into prominence, the effort to now establish roots into PC with its first-party titles simultaneously was where many fans question the sustainability. And, to also be a cross-buy benefit certainly was a surprise to see be implemented.
Now all these years later has become a standard when playing on Xbox. Looking forward, Phil Spencer has even addressed that preserving your library is one of the main pillars for Microsoft’s priorities moving forward. Of course, other aspects includes the integration of AI tools like Copilot which was demonstrated earlier this month.
During the same podcast chat, Microsoft shared that more than one thousand titles for Xbox Play Anywhere is properly supported for the program. Also, that the player engagement is also up by 20 percent with this support option also featured. You can watch the segment of the podcast in the video below:
“Yeah. So the team is really dedicated to providing one of the largest catalogs of games that are really designed around Xbox Play Anywhere. And when we first launched in 2015, it was one of the first steps that we took to really recognize that people are playing across multiple devices. And when you really think about like modern gamers, people that are used to Spotify or Netflix and whatnot, it’s this notion of, I want my library of games to come along with me wherever I go.
“And so when we launched it, this was really that first recognition of player behaviors are changing. And so when you buy the game on, say your console or your PC, the game and the DLC is accessible to you on your console, on your PC, on gaming handhelds where it’s supported. And even as we’re starting to expand more and more into the cloud, I can now stream that game from anywhere. Not only is it about being able to play the game across multiple screens, it’s really about ensuring that my progress moves forward with me.
“There’s nothing more frustrating that maybe you start a game on your console and then you go launch the game on a PC and it’s like, welcome new player,” Xbox Gaming Devices & Ecosystems vice president Jason Ronald says. “I want my game progress to move across screens with me. So whether that’s my game saves, whether that’s leaderboards, that’s achievements, it’s really about making sure that the library moves with me anywhere that I want to go. And not only is it good for players, it’s also good for developers as well.
“Because when we look at data for titles that are Xbox Play Anywhere enabled, these titles get 20% more gameplay because it’s more flexible, because I can play on the go. […] We’re excited to announce that we have more than 1,000 Xbox Play Anywhere games as of today. And there’s many, many more coming. […] And we’re working with the best developers all across the world. And, you know, we’re just seeing a lot of support and momentum behind Xbox Play Anywhere. So even beyond the ones that you mentioned, many more Xbox Play Anywhere titles are being added to the catalog every single month.”
Are you interested in the future for Xbox Play Anywhere?
