“The other competitive platforms are not really interested in having a complete Xbox experience on their hardware,” he added. “But for us, we want to be where the players want to be and that is the path we are on.”
This last quote is interesting, as it suggests that Microsoft may have already had conversations with other platform owners to gauge interest in providing the “full Xbox experience” on their hardware. Earlier last year, rumors began to emerge suggesting that Xbox Games Pass would be available on the Nintendo Switch, a more credible story due to the fact that Microsoft games like Minecraft and Hellblade are available on the console.
A few months later, Xbox Head of Game Services Ben Decker told GameReactor that “we would like to see Game Pass on all platforms ultimately and I think that’s a long-term goal.”
But reading Spencer’s last words, it could be that Microsoft has had conversations with other platform holders and has finally not come to an agreement on the kind of experience they could offer Game Pass subscribers. Or perhaps Microsoft has simply decided internally that it does not want to pursue this ambition in the way that it had previously suggested.
While Xbox’s cross-platform dream may be less likely now, we still believe that Xbox Game Pass on Switch would benefit Microsoft, Nintendo, and gamers.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK news and entertainment writer.
