Microsoft has been on a spree of acquisitions within the gaming industry over the past few years, with its most significant and recent being the purchase of Activision Blizzard.
This series of substantial corporate moves has led Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Gaming, to assert that Xbox has now solidified its position as “one of the largest publishers” even on competing platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo.
Speaking on a recent Xbox podcast, Spencer noted, “We have shipped games on other platforms. In fact, realistically, if you look at the addition of Activision Blizzard and Zenimax, we’re one of the largest game publishers on PlayStation, we’re one of the largest publishers on the Nintendo Switch, especially when you put Minecraft into the equation as well.
And now we’re one of the largest publishers on mobile platforms as well. That’s not something that we want to back away from. We want to continue to build great games that millions and millions of people can love and that they can play those games where they want to go play.”
Spencer’s remarks seem to downplay the significance of Microsoft’s decision to expand onto other platforms, despite the fact that four Xbox exclusives are now set to be released on PlayStation and/or Nintendo.
For instance, post-Zenimax deal, titles like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo became timed PS5 console exclusives. However, the framing of this expansion feels somewhat indirect, as it could be more accurately characterized as Xbox absorbing these companies rather than Xbox becoming a major multiplatform publisher.
Furthermore, Spencer delves into the underlying business strategies of these acquired companies in a manner that exudes business professionalism.
“We do understand the business success that Xbox has to have,” he explains, referencing his colleagues. “Us as leaders in this business, the system today, the system that all companies that we play video games from, is a world of you gotta be growing your business. Growth in our Xbox business is critical to the long-term health of Xbox. Many people know I’ve been on Xbox for over 20 years, and I wanna make sure Xbox is in the best position for the next 20 years. That means a healthy player community, a healthy creator community, and a healthy business. So when we look at opportunities to allow more people to play, more people engaged, more people to buy, more people to subscribe, it’s all about putting Xbox in the best position.”
A pivotal aspect of this positioning involves the release of quality consoles, with Spencer emphasizing that “hardware is a critical component” despite speculation suggesting that Microsoft might be scaling back its hardware ventures.