In what was clearly the most hotly-anticipated episode of the Official Xbox Podcast to date, Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty provided some clarification on the rumors that have been swirling around the internet in recent weeks. The future of Xbox is not quite as dire as some had predicted, but there are major changes in the works.
First and foremost, when it comes to exclusivity, Microsoft plans to bring four formerly exclusive titles to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer didn’t actually name any of them, but according to The Verge, the four games are likely indie hits Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment as well as multiplayer titles Sea of Thieves and Grounded.
“I’m not gonna name those games,” Spencer told the Official Xbox Podcast’s host Tina Amini. “The teams that are building those games have announced plans that are not too far away. As we know, game teams put a lot of energy into their announcements with the partners, so I don’t want to take anything away from those teams.”
Spencer then confirmed that the soon-to-be crossover titles will not include Starfield or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Microsoft might be concerned about alienating its Xbox install base by putting its biggest triple-A exclusive games on other home consoles.
This was the news many Xbox fans were most curious about, but there were more revelations on the podcast as well. For instance, Diablo 4 will be the first Activision Blizzard game to launch on Game Pass on March 28, 2024. More Activision games are coming soon after.
As for hardware, here’s what Xbox president Sarah Bond had to say during the podcast:
We’ve got more to come. There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday. We’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap. And what we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building.
In other words, it doesn’t sound like Xbox has any plans to stop making new Xbox consoles any time soon. There was some speculation that Microsoft might be getting out of the home console business altogether, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now.
You can watch the entire Xbox business update podcast below:
