Next week’s free Epic Games Store titles have been revealed.
26.03.2024 - 15:39 / polygon.com / Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer doesn’t just want Xbox games on other consoles. He wants other video game retailers on Xbox, too.
In an interview with Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming during the annual Game Developers Conference, Spencer told Polygon about the ways he’d like to break down the walled gardens that have historically limited players to making purchases through the first-party stores tied to each console. Or, in layperson terms, why you should be able to buy games from other stores on Xbox — not just the official storefront.
Spencer mentioned his frustrations with closed ecosystems, so we asked for clarity. Could he really see a future where stores like Itch.io and Epic Games Store existed on Xbox? Was it just a matter of figuring out mountains of paperwork to get there?
“Yes,” said Spencer. “[Consider] our history as the Windows company. Nobody would blink twice if I said, ‘Hey, when you’re using a PC, you get to decide the type of experience you have [by picking where to buy games]. There’s real value in that.” Spencer believes console players would benefit from that freedom too — and so would console makers like Microsoft.
Spencer explained how, in the past, console makers would typically subsidize the cost of expensive hardware, knowing that a portion of every dollar spent on games for the platform over the years would eventually make it back to the console maker. Then, in time, the console maker would recoup the subsidy — and hopefully more.
But, Spencer said, “Moore’s Law has slowed down. The price of the components of a console aren’t coming down as fast as they have in previous generations.” Worse, he explained, the console market isn’t growing, with more gamers moving to PC and handheld options. Now, the notion of subsidizing a console — and forcing players to purchase games through the official storefront to help recoup costs — might not make sense. The walls meant to lock people into consoles might be motivating them to stay out.
“[Subsidizing hardware] becomes more challenging in today’s world,” Spencer said. “And I will say, and this may seem too altruistic, I don’t know that it’s growing the industry. So I think, what are the barriers? What are the things that create friction in today’s world for creators and players? And how can we be part of opening up that model?”
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The answer, in part, is scrapping exclusivity on more and more Xbox games. Spencer explained that the game experience is hindered when it matters what consoles we play on or what shops sell us our games. As an example, he pointed to Sea of Thieves. A player, he explained, shouldn’t have to worry about what hardware they or their friends own. They should just know if their friends have and want to play Sea of Thieves.
Now,
Next week’s free Epic Games Store titles have been revealed.
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Next week’s free Epic Games Store title has been announced.
The Epic Games Store recently saw the addition of several older games from EA, including multiple entries from the Need for Speed and Battlefield franchises. Standing as one of the most popular online marketplaces for games, Epic Games has often looked for ways to help its storefront stand out from major competitors like Steam. Epic Games regularly features free games for users to claim through the storefront, often giving away popular games like The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas. Now, the storefront has added multiple EA games to its lineup.
Next week’s free Epic Games Store titles have been confirmed.
Next week’s free Epic Games Store title has seemingly leaked ahead of an official announcement on Thursday.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested that Microsoft would be willing to open up their console platform to third party storefronts. Could with see the likes of itch.io and Epic Games Store on Xbox in future?
Xbox head Phil Spencer has said that he wants to see more digital retailers on the console, such as the Epic Games Store and Itch.io.
In another interesting revelation, Xbox head Phil Spencer has reportedly backed the arrival of third-party game stores on game consoles. This has led to Xbox fans anticipating the possible launch of game stores, like Steam, on Microsoft's console.
Microsoft's gaming head Phil Spencer has said he wants to feature more digital storefronts on Xbox consoles.