Since Microsoft took over Activision-Blizzard along with its expansive lineup of development studios, Microsoft, and consequently Xbox, has emerged as the largest third-party game publisher in history. Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer’s recent remarks on Gamertag Radio, suggesting that upcoming Xbox titles will also make it to other platforms like Nintendo and PlayStation, have stirred quite the discussion. These comments, while surprising to some, actually make a lot of sense.
During an engaging chat on Danny Peña’s Podcast Interviews on YouTube, Phil Spencer shared, “I want people to be able to experience the games that we build, the services that we offer on as many devices as we can,” and added, “We obviously love the native experience that we have on our own platform and our own hardware, and that’s something that will continue for us.” The twenty-six-minute interview, filled with industry insights and a nostalgic nod to Xbox’s earlier days, including those of the original Xbox and Xbox 360, featured a lively conversation with Parris from Gamertag Radio.
For newcomers to console history, these declarations might be a bit perplexing. Remember Sonic the Hedgehog? That iconic blue character actually hails from a series of video games that were once exclusive to Sega consoles. Sega’s final foray into home consoles, the Dreamcast, quickly met its demise due to the far superior PlayStation 2 from Sony, reducing Sega to just a third-party developer. Microsoft’s Xbox then filled Sega’s shoes in the market.
In the early development phase of what was then called the “DirectX Box,” the vision was to have backward compatibility with Sega Dreamcast games, partly because Dreamcast could already run Windows CE. Even though this feature didn’t make it to the final version, Xbox still hosted a variety of Dreamcast-era sequels like Jet Set Radio Future.
These statements from Spencer might sound like those of a struggling console manufacturer, but Microsoft certainly isn’t flailing. With Xbox now the biggest third-party game publisher, the strategy is evidently shifting to maximize game sales rather than confine gamers to the Xbox platform.
Spencer further explained, “We want everybody to be able to play on Xbox and it does mean more of our games shipping on more platforms, not just PlayStation. We love the work that we do with Nintendo, we love what we do with Valve on Steam, and that’s going to continue.”
Does this mean Xbox is headed down the same path as Sega? Definitely not—thanks to Microsoft’s deep pockets. However, the upcoming Xbox consoles will have to lure players based on hardware appeal, as competitors like the possibly hybrid Nintendo “Switch 3” and the undoubtedly more powerful PlayStation 6 will rely heavily on exclusive game titles—a well-established tradition in the console world.
But Microsoft needs to tread carefully. If Xbox becomes seen solely as a collection of games and services, independent of hardware uniqueness, they might risk undermining the Xbox identity: “When everybody’s on Xbox, no one will be.”
