For quite some time, Microsoft has shared that it would be open in case its developers would’ve asked to work on other platforms outside of Xbox and Windows, but it looks like things are about to change rather soon.
For quite some time, even at E3 2019 in June, Microsoft has shared that it would be open in case its developers asked to work on other platforms outside of Xbox and Windows, but it looks like things are about to change rather soon.
In a note issued to GamesIndustry International, the Redmond platform owner has revealed that it doesn’t plan on releasing titles from the Xbox Game Studios on other consoles, such as the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
“The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios,” said the company. “As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them.”
“However,” reads the note, “going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms. We have no plans to expand our exclusive first-party games to other consoles further. We continue to believe deeply in cross-play and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to insure a fair and fun experience.”
At the time being, there are multiple games in the making at Microsoft for PS4 and Switch, such as the newly announced Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, Psychonauts 2, and The Outer Worlds. It’s worth noting, though, that Ori’s dev Moon Studios is still indie, and that the other two titles have been announced when Double Fine and Obsidian had yet to be acquired.
