Xbox Boss Argues Cross-Buy & Hardware Is The Seller For Its Business Model

Although the platform is not at the height it once was, Xbox remains a contender alongside PlayStation & Nintendo. Despite that, Microsoft is taking new approaches to bring in larger audiences from all fronts. The ongoing push for Xbox Cloud Gaming is the latest example of that. This past fall, Microsoft enabled private library streaming for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users on a select number of titles.

Even more, the firm is also chasing after exploring Xbox on other hardware. Part of its ‘This Is An Xbox’ campaign has advertised playing titles on devices like smartphone, Amazon Fire Stick, and even Meta Quest. Previously, CEO Satya Nadella even stated that a new initiative for the Xbox company is to redefine what determines an Xbox user as well.

When speaking on the topic of drive to engage users on its platform, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer argues that the systems to feature cross-buy as well as the in-house hardware provided for Xbox is its strong suit. You can watch the segment of the interview in the video below:

“You’re going to be able to play your games that you buy with us in many different places; your state; your save game […] the simple thing of like logging in and seeing my save game from 2011 kinda populate and I still get to go play,” Spencer explains when speaking to Dustin Legarie on what makes Xbox a platform appealing to consumers.

“You know like the experience that you’re going to have on Xbox is we respect your progress on our platform and the games that you own with us we’re going to make available in more places whether it’s buy to stream and you can stream to the devices that are near you on console or PC, like I think that- I thin that’s our value proposition of Xbox.And on the hardware side, I want us to innovate and make the hardware the differentiator. Like we’ve got into this space where the differentiation on the hardware has gone down and it’s really been locked games that you’ve tried to make the identity of the hardware. 

“I want our hardware to compete in power and on innovation: so let’s have our platform continue to innovate with services and hardware work that we’re doing whether its control; whether its power; mobility; whatever it is that we’re focused on and let’s have our games reach you as the person who’s investing your time and your money in our games wherever you want to go play. I think that’s our identity going forward .”

Another topic that Spencer elaborated on greatly is its titles on more devices – including those not from Microsoft. Elsewhere during the same interview, Spencer disclosed that there is no defining red tape that withholds an Xbox game going to any platform. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you convinced by Spencer’s statement?