On a special episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Broadcaster Tina Amini is joined by the presidents and CEOs of Microsoft and Xbox gaming operations Phil Spencer (Microsoft), Sarah Bond (Xbox), and Matt Booty (Xbox Studios) to announce that four previously console-exclusive Xbox games will release on other platforms this year.
Before you get too excited, Spencer confirmed in the podcast that these soon to be multiplatform games do not include Starfield or the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
The titles include “hidden gems” and community-driven, live service games. All four games have been available on Xbox (and PC) for at least a year, and Microsoft hopes to grow their audience by expanding their platforms.
The announcements for each game are being left to the respective developers, but we’re guessing Sea of Thieves, a successful live service game, is one of the games going multiplatform.
One game the group could announce, is Diablo 4.
Last year’s big live-service action-RPG is already multiplatform on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. On March 28, Diablo 4 will be the first Activision Blizzard game available on Xbox Game Pass subscribers (Microsoft recently acquired Activision Blizzard in 2023).
During the podcast episode, Spencer admits that the lack of growth in the industry and widespread layoffs last year helped make this decision to release certain games on other platforms.
Rumors have been circulating about Microsoft getting out of the console market altogether and remaining as a games publisher, a la Sega in the 2000s. But for now, Spencer and crew reaffirmed their commitment to the Xbox as a hardware manufacturer as well as a gaming publisher, with Game Pass available only on Xbox (and PC).
