Will the Xbox brand survive as a platform with exclusive games, or will it become like SEGA, transitioning into a third-party publisher ready to provide its games on any platform? Given the current trends, the latter seems more likely. At least, that’s what the big boss – Phil Spencer – has indicated.
On two different occasions, Phil Spencer expressed the same sentiment – Xbox no longer seems interested in locking their first-party games behind exclusivity. This comes after different interviews that Spencer gave, talking about releasing Starfield on PlayStation 5 with Destin Legarie and wanting to see more Xbox games arrive on the Nintendo Switch 2 in the future via an interview with Gamertag Radio.
Speaking about the potential release of Starfield on the PS5, Spencer revealed that he cannot see any reason to build “fences” around video games, restricting them from reaching places where they can be enjoyed by many gamers. After all, success can also be achieved there, and the additional profit is definitely going to help the Xbox brand as well.
As for the Nintendo Switch 2, Spencer even mentioned that he personally congratulated Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa on the announcement. He stated that Xbox is ready to bring its flagship games to Nintendo’s next-generation platform. He sees this as an essential step for the gaming industry as a whole.
“Nintendo, their innovation, and what they mean in this industry… I just always applaud the moves that they make. They did a little flash video, and I know we’ll get more detail over time. I’m really looking forward to supporting them with the games that we have, and I just think they’re a really important part of this industry,” said Spencer.
This path of going full third-party has been in the making for some time now, especially with the brand’s strategy of being on as many devices as possible. But now, it has been made even more crystal clear with Spencer’s latest comments, and this could be the end of the Xbox era as we know it.
