There"s been lots of rumors over the last few days about the future of Microsoft"s Xbox business. In particular, there have been unconfirmed reports that Microsoft plans to offer major first-party games to other consoles, like Sony"s PlayStation 5, in the near future.
Some people have even speculated that Microsoft will stop selling Xbox consoles, becoming a software-only game developer and publisher. This has happened with other companies that have sold game hardware consoles and later moved away from that business, including Atari and, more significantly, Sega.
However, a new but unconfirmed report claims that Microsoft will not be going that route. It comes from noted game journalist Shannon Liao in her Substack newsletter (via VGC). The newsletter stated that earlier this week, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer held an internal town hall with Xbox employees.
Spencer reportedly told those assembled team members that the company has no plans to stop making Xbox consoles. He also allegedly said that Xbox hardware will still be part of the company"s video game strategy, alongside other kinds of devices.
It"s worth noting that Microsoft already offers games beyond its Xbox consoles and PC. A few of its titles, like Minecraft, have been on Sony and Nintendo"s consoles for years. Of course, the purchase of Activision Blizzard in October 2023 means Microsoft offers games like Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, and the Call of Duty series on the PS5 as well.
That also doesn"t even cover the devices that are supported by Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is part of Microsoft"s Xbox Games Ultimate subscription plan. It allows hundreds of games to be streamed and played on iOS and Android devices, and also on Samsung smart TVs, without the need for an Xbox console or PC.
Spencer has already publically announced that there will be more info on the company"s Xbox future revealed later this coming week. Hopefully, we will get more clarity on how Xbox consoles will fit into this strategy.