While Microsoft – at least for this console generation – is noted for underperforming against Sony’s PlayStation 4 since the inception of the Xbox One’s lifecycle, the firm has been performing well in other sectors: live service. In that, the company integrated Xbox Game Pass which allows users to enjoy a selection of games in similar structure to Netflix for a flat price per month.
Later followed by the integration of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, users can enjoy the service alongside Xbox Live Gold at a discounted price. But after the introduction of Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft moved ahead with another stepping stone onto PC as users can enjoy the service these as well. Then again in September Microsoft also did the same for Android users as well.
But as for other platforms, lead Phil Spencer tells television is on the market. But when pressed about on competing platforms, it is a different story he says. In that, he does acknowledge the success of Nintendo’s and Sony’s systems, but does not see any tangible growth of Xbox Game Pass on the respected platforms.
We’re still working on some of our technology on PC for larger screens in terms of streaming, and getting to iOS, and I think once we get through that, we look at what the other options are. There’s smart TV’s out there, there’s Chromebooks out there, there’s FireTV out there, there’s a lot of discussions we would have, we would prioritize it based on where we would find the most new players, that we could naturally bring content to.
I love the Switch, I love PlayStation, honestly, I think they’ve done an amazing job as being a part of this industry. I’m not sure that those are the next big set of users for us, but we could be open to those discussions.
The conversation while taboo to see a Microsoft service on a separate platform is nothing new. Previously, there did happen to be rumors of Xbox Game Pass at least receiving an application for Nintendo Switch, but that never came to fruition. The claim at the time was as outlandish as conjuring a mobile app – and look at that now.
Spencer also references streaming initiatives such as Chrome and Fire TV which are respected pursuits from competing firms. In a separate interview, Spencer did suggest potentially developing streaming sticks for users to enjoy xCloud without any additional hardware required.
In the same interview, Spencer also disclosed the future of Xbox first-party ambitions. While not spilling the beans namely, he does share that the firm is eager to make more acquisitions for Xbox Game Pass and personally would like to see more single player experiences from Xbox Game Studios. You can read the full report by heading here.
Do you think Xbox Game Pass could perform well on Switch or PlayStation?
Source: GameReactor.eu