Microsoft seems to have pivoted to a multiplatform strategy for first-party Xbox games in 2024, with more and more exclusive titles launching on rival platforms. The company is decoupling its content offerings from its hardware — a move highlighted by Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” campaign in November. At Microsoft’s annual shareholders meeting, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella doubled down on the approach, saying players could enjoy Xbox games on their preferred device.
Satya Nadella on Microsoft’s Gaming Strategy
Nadella’s comments, spotted first by Game File, came at the meeting last week in response to a question from Brett Iverson, vice president of investor relations at Microsoft, about the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, the early return on the investment and the progress on Microsoft’s overall gaming strategy over the past year.
“If I think about it, right, we chose the secular growth category in entertainment, which we think is gaming, and said, let’s double down on it, let’s – and it’s been a passion for Microsoft ever since,” Nadella said during the Q&A session.
“In fact, I think Flight Simulator launched before Windows or Office even, and so it’s like one of the longest franchises in this company. And so we said, let’s take that joy of gaming everywhere. And that’s why even these ads with Xbox now, where we are redefining what it means to be an Xbox fan, it’s about being able to enjoy Xbox on all your devices,” he added.
Nadella’s response seems to refer to Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” ad campaign that debuted in November, calling all Xbox-enabled devices — whether that’s an Xbox console, PC, Samsung Smart TVs, handhelds, mobile phones, Amazon Fire TV, or a Meta Quest headset — an Xbox. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play Xbox games on their preferred supported device with Cloud Gaming or the Xbox App.
The Microsoft chief executive said he was “feeling very, very good” about where the company stood in gaming and lauded the successful launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Nadella also said Microsoft’s strategy with Activision content was now in “full force”.
“We feel fantastic about the progress we’ve made. And more importantly, I think, long term, as a company, we can bring the best of AI innovation, cloud innovation, console innovation, PC innovation to build the best games that can be enjoyed by gamers everywhere,” he said.
Microsoft’s Approach to Exclusive Games
In addition to Xbox games being playable on PC and other supported devices with cloud and the Xbox app, 2024 has seen more Xbox first-party titles coming to Sony’s PS5 and the Nintendo Switch. Microsoft’s shift towards launching its exclusive games on rival consoles began with the company announcing four titles for PS5 and Switch in February. Several new and upcoming Xbox games, like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Doom: The Dark Ages and The Outer Worlds 2, are slated for launch on the PS5, as well.
Windows Central’s Jez Corden also shed some light on Microsoft’s exclusive strategy in a string of responses on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. Responding to a user’s query about the exclusivity of upcoming first-party Xbox games, Corden said, “Xbox won’t have exclusives going forward. Everything is timed exclusive at most.”
“If some games are exclusive it’s gonna be incidental at best, the “case by case” argument is by and large going to be multiplat, timed, and with maybe a few (very few) outliers,” he added in response to another user.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told Bloomberg last month he was pleased with the results of Xbox games launching on PS5 and Switch and said the company would release more of its first-party titles on rival platforms. Spencer said he wouldn’t rule out any game in Microsoft’s stable from making the jump to PS5 or Switch.
“I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not,’” he said at the time, but added that it was too early to make any sort of decision on the next version of Halo.