LONDON: Microsoft’s Xbox will release four video-game titles on external platforms, including Sony’s PS5 and Nintendo Switch, gaming CEO Phil Spencer said on a podcast on Thursday, as it looks to tap into a wider base of gamers following its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Although Spencer did not give more details on the titles the company intends to release, he said they have been available to Xbox players for at least a year.
He also made it clear that the games coming to other platforms does not include “Starfield” or the upcoming “Indiana Jones” title.
Spencer said games exclusive to one piece of hardware were going to become a smaller part of the industry over the next five to 10 years.
The Activision acquisition was a step toward boosting Microsoft’s heft in the videogame market to better compete with industry leader Sony, which recently
cut its forecast for its PlayStation 5 sales for the year ending March.
Microsoft announced last month that it would lay off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox, a cut that represents about 8 percent of the overall Microsoft Gaming division.
Spencer’s comments on game exclusivity come a day after Sony’s chief financial officer said on a post-earnings call that the company can improve operating profit by bringing first-party games to other platforms.
“Diablo IV,” the first Activision Blizzard game post-acquisition, will be available to subscribers of Xbox’s Game Pass from March 28, according to an Xbox blog.
The growth environment for multi-game subscription services, which include Sony’s PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, is expected to slow this year, according to research firm NewZoo.
During the podcast, it was also suggested that the company will share details of the next version of its Xbox console before the end of 2024.
With Reuters