Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said that he is "open to discussions" about Xbox Game Pass being available on rival consoles someday, but that it is not a priority right now.
Rumors of Game Pass coming to the Nintendo Switch have surfaced several times recently, and in a lengthy interview with our sister site GamesRadar, Spencer did not rule out the possibility of it happening one day. This is because, at the moment, the focus is on "web, PC, and mobile."
Xbox Game Pass has recently expanded significantly to PC and mobile, becoming a platform in its own right rather than just a console feature. And in fact, Spencer hinted that the ultimate goal is to make it available to all gamers, no matter what device they use.
When asked specifically by GamesRadar about the possibility of an Xbox app coming to the Switch, Spencer replied, "You know what?" You know what, that's a fair question. Because people usually ask me about one individual game release. And what I say is that I want it to be a complete Xbox experience."
But he then noted that it is not on the cards for now, stating: "We have no plans right now to bring it to other kinds of closed platforms. There are tons of open platforms that we can grow on - web, PC, mobile, etc. So, frankly, all of our focus is on these platforms."
Spencer added, "That's not a knock on anyone else who has a system that works for them. I understand that disrupting the game path is not what they want right now"
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However, he neither denied that it will happen, "Ultimately, when we say we want everyone to be able to play on Xbox, if we can bring that full experience to the device the player really wants, we mean to be completely open to such a discussion He added, "We will be.
Both make sense. Sony and Nintendo are competitors to Xbox, and it is quite plausible that they would not want to add access to their rivals' services on their platforms. It's the same reason why Microsoft is unlikely to add PS Now support to the Xbox Series X.
Still, the fact that Spencer said he was "open to discussions" at least foretells the prospect that it might one day happen. Especially since bringing Game Pass to rival platforms would be more beneficial to Microsoft than it would be to Sony or Nintendo.
Of course, such an action could also be the beginning of the end for the Xbox console. After all, why would anyone buy an Xbox Series X if they can play the biggest and best exclusive titles on the PS5? People may never have to choose between consoles again.
But the point is moot, since this possibility is purely hypothetical and will not happen anytime soon. In the meantime, Xbox is trying to expand Game Pass to as many open platforms as possible, including Android, iOS, PC, and smart TVs, and is even rumored to be developing its own streaming box that would bypass the need for an app or console altogether.
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