Poll Is this a sign that XBOX is becoming the next Dream Cast? MS studios might games for PS and Switch (52 votes)
One of Xbox's bosses has said there is potential for first-party studios to release games on non-Microsoft platforms.Traditionally when a platform acquires a studio, it buys the rights to publish every future game on its own console. But Xbox seem to be toying with leniency; in an interview with Game Informer, Xbox's first-party studios boss Matt Booty said that Microsoft-owned developers like Double Fine and Obsidian might still be able to create games for rival platforms in the future.
He revealed Xbox would consider allowing studios to continue creating multiplatform games after being acquired, saying "I think that the question is less binary about, ‘should it be on Switch, should it be on PlayStation?’ and more, ‘does it make sense for the franchise?’
Xbox Boss Phil Spencer on Giving Studios More Time for Game Qualityshare“In other words, is it a kind of game where it would benefit from the network effect of being on a bunch of different platforms, or is it a game where we can best support it by putting resources and making sure that our platforms, things like xCloud and Game Pass and Xbox Live, are really leaning in to support the game?"
It's not an unprecedented approach. Microsoft holds the rights to games like Minecraft and Cuphead, which have both been published on platforms other than Xbox. Elsewhere, both The Outer Worlds and Psychonauts 2 will be multiplatform releases, despite developers Obsidian and Double Fine respectively being owned by Microsoft. However, in this case these developers were acquired by Microsoft after development on these games began, and so it remains to be seen if these studios will remain multiplatform for further projects.
“With something like Minecraft, I think it was a no-brainer that we were never going to try and take anything from players that existed on those platforms, and certainly we’ve added platforms since that acquisition," said Booty.“But then obviously we’re going to have our big franchises like Forza, Halo and Sea of Thieves, where those games are designed from the outset to really exist on Xbox, I think that will continue.”
In other words, more Xbox-owned games in the future could launch on PlayStation so long as the head honchos feel it makes sense for that particular franchise to cast a wide net for players.
Xbox seems to be buffing a strategy that offers a lot more choice for gamers. Phil Spencer recently tweeted that a lot more single player games are in the works for the platform. In the meantime, check out August's free Games With Gold.
I would love to see one of my favorite games on the PC (ORI) sequel on the ps4, so that I don't have to buy it for the PC.
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