In a sudden turn of events, Phil Spencer, the head honcho of Xbox, has thrown his support behind the idea of welcoming third-party game stores onto gaming consoles.
This revelation has sent waves of excitement among Xbox enthusiasts, who are now eagerly anticipating the potential arrival of game stores like Steam onto Microsoft’s gaming platform.
Spencer, known for sparking intrigue with his musings on the future of Xbox, has been sharing his thoughts and stirring up the community’s interest.
From dropping hints about a possible Xbox handheld device to engaging in speculative discussions about the future of gaming, he’s been keeping fans on their toes.
And now, he’s opened up about his stance on incorporating third-party stores into the console world.
In a recent interview with Polygon, Phil Spencer expressed his desire to dismantle the closed ecosystem traditionally associated with consoles.
He believes that introducing third-party storefronts, such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and Itch.io, to gaming consoles would provide players with more freedom of choice.
When asked about the possibility of these stores landing on Xbox consoles, Spencer responded with a resounding “Yes,” igniting excitement among fans.
He emphasized the value of allowing players to decide where they purchase their games, citing it as a key advantage of PC gaming.
Spencer acknowledged that implementing such a feature would entail going through a mountain of paperwork but remained optimistic about the potential benefits.
Spencer also addressed the conventional strategy employed by console manufacturers, which involves selling hardware at a loss and profiting from software sales through their own digital storefronts.
He suggested that this model might no longer be sustainable and emphasized the need to break down barriers that restrict players to specific platforms.
According to him, this includes exploring options like accommodating third-party stores, a move that mirrors the flexibility seen in gaming PCs like handheld devices such as the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go.
Looking ahead, Xbox has teased big announcements on the horizon, starting later this year. Speculations have been rife, fueled by reports of a new Xbox console developer kit circulating in South Korea, hinting at the possibility of a rumored Xbox handheld console or a potential disc-less Xbox Series X.
With Phil Spencer’s insights into the evolving world of console gaming and Xbox’s forthcoming announcements, it’s plausible to anticipate the integration of platforms like Steam and Epic Games Store into the Xbox ecosystem.
If realized, this would mark a significant milestone as the first time a mainstream game console hosts a third-party storefront.
