Steam and Epic Games Store could come to Xbox, says Phil Spencer

After a long period of heated negotiations, Microsoft was finally able to acquire Activision Blizzard in one of the biggest transactions in entertainment history. However, it appears there are still more ideas to continue expanding the company’s reach, including launching stores like Steam and Epic Store on Xbox.

In an interview with Polygon During the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, spoke about his dissatisfaction with the closed console ecosystem. He suggested that he would like to see PC platforms, such as Epic Games and Itch.io, selling their games on Xbox. While Steam was not mentioned by name, it is worth noting that the store is simply the largest and most popular platform on computers today.

Asked if he really sees a future where there are platforms like Epic Games and Itch.io selling their games on Xbox, Spencer responds: “yes.” “[Considere] our history as a Windows company. No one would blink twice if I said, ‘Hey, when you’re using a PC, you decide what kind of experience you’re going to have. [neste caso, ele se refere sobre a possibilidade de comprar jogos onde quiser]’. There is real value in this”, explained the executive.

Subsidizing consoles in 2024 is challenging

Spencer also does not seem in favor of the current console subsidy model — where players buy from official stores (such as the PS Store and Microsoft Store) to help recoup production costs. According to the executive, the business model is largely challenging.

“[Subsidiar o hardware] It’s something that’s more challenging in today’s world,” Spencer said. “That might seem too altruistic, I don’t know if that’s growing the industry. So I think, what are the barriers? What are the things that create friction in today’s world for creators and players? And how can we be part of opening up this model?” he asked.

The decision to take Xbox exclusives to the PS5 and Nintendo Switch reinforces this executive’s position — who also mentioned Sea of Thieves for example.

Sea of ​​Thieves arrives on April 30th on PS5.Fonte:  Sea of Thieves

Spencer explains that a gamer shouldn’t worry about the hardware he or his friends have. In fact, they should just know if their friends have played or want to play Sea of Thieves.

“If I want to play on a gaming PC, I feel like I’m a continuous part of a gaming ecosystem as a whole. Unlike console, my gaming is kind of fragmented based on these different closed ecosystems that I have to play in.”

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