In a surprise move, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer announced his desire to bring Steam and the Epic Games Store to Xbox platforms. This move comes as part of a multi-platform strategy aimed at expanding the Xbox user base and offering players more options.
Speaking to Polygon during GDC 2024, Spencer expressed his belief that the future will see different game stores present on different platforms, citing the Windows experience as an example. Spencer believes this freedom will be beneficial to developers and players alike.
The video game industry is facing new challenges right now, such as the slowdown of Moore's Law and the rising cost of hardware. Spencer believes that opening up Xbox consoles to other stores can help overcome these challenges and grow the industry as a whole.
"Consider our history as a Windows company. No one would bat an eyelid if you said, 'Hey, when you use a PC, you can determine what kind of experience you have [by choosing where to buy games]. There's real value in that.' This freedom could be useful for home-made platforms, including Microsoft's.
Speaking of the current generation, Spencer said:
“Moore's Law has slowed down. The price of device components is not falling as quickly as in previous generations.” It also seems that the home appliance market has not witnessed radical growth compared to PC and mobile units.
"Hardware support is becoming more difficult in today's world. And I say, and this may sound very optimistic, I don't know if it grows the industry. So I think, what are the obstacles? What are the things that create friction in today's world for creators and gamers? And how can we be Part of opening this form?"
However, the question remains whether Steam and the Epic Games Store will want to be on Xbox platforms. On the one hand, Steam may not want to give up its control of the PC gaming market. On the other hand, Epic Games may see an opportunity to expand its user base through a presence on the Xbox platform.
In other news, Xbox Cloud Gaming has added mouse and keyboard support. This feature is an important step to make the service more attractive to players who prefer using PC controllers.
List of games that support mouse and keyboard on Xbox Cloud Gaming:
Fortnite – Browsers only
ARK Survival Evolved
Sea of Thieves
Grounded
Halo Infinite
Atomic Heart – Known issue: Difficulty switching between trackpad (controller), mouse, and keyboard while streaming the game
Sniper Elite 5
Deep Rock Galactic
High on Life
Zombie Army 4 Dead War
Gears Tactics
Pentiment
Doom 64
Age of Empires 2
Finally, Microsoft will release Grounded on PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch on April 16, and Sea of Thieves on PS5 on April 30. It's still unclear whether other titles will follow suit, but the move represents a major milestone in Microsoft's cross-platform strategy.
