As we count the hours until the promised Microsoft Xbox business update on Thursday, Feb. 15, a new report claims the company will soon launch two first-party titles for non-Microsoft game consoles.
According to The Verge, via unnamed sources, Tango Gameworks" music-themed action game Hi-Fi Rush and Obsidian Entertainment"s adventure-RPG Pentiment will be the first Microsoft-published first-party games that will be made available on other game consoles, presumably Sony"s PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch. In addition, the report claims that later this year, the same thing will happen for Rare"s pirate-themed online game Sea of Thieves. The story claims other Microsoft first-party games are being considered for a multi-console launch.
The same report claims Microsoft is making these changes in part due to a slowdown in the growth of Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Microsoft has not officially revealed how many Xbox Game Pass users it has since January of 2022, when it said it had 25 million subscribers.
In the past year, The Verge claims that Microsoft has been putting less emphasis on Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, in favor of increasing the numbers for its PC Game Pass plan.
Thursday"s Xbox business update could also shed some new light on Microsoft"s mobile game plans. The company has confirmed it has been working to develop a mobile game storefront. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated back in November 2023 that it was "talking to other partners" about the development of this new mobile store.
However, Apple"s announced plans to let third-party stores be installed on iPhones and iPads in the European Union will come with a lot of restrictions. Microsoft"s Xbox President Sarah Bond has already let her feelings be known on this subject a few weeks ago, stating that she thought Apple"s rules were "a step in the wrong direction."
There are also unconfirmed rumors that Microsoft has approved the development of new Xbox hardware devices, according to Jez Corden of Windows Central. However, the company has already put one such Xbox hardware product, the streaming-based " Xbox Keystone", in turnaround.