Microsoft confirms full Xbox catalog playable in cloud later this year

Microsoft has laid out its vision for the future of gaming, revealing plans to make the entire Xbox game catalog available for cloud play later this year. In the latest episode of the official Xbox podcast, Xbox’s top executives Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty addressed the company’s decision to bring four Xbox-exclusive titles to other gaming consoles. 

Spencer, who is Microsoft’s Gaming CEO, addressed the company’s decision to bring four Xbox-exclusive titles to other gaming consoles. However, he refused to name which games these were. Spencer did reveal that two of those games are “kind of community-driven games,” while the other two are smaller titles that were never designed to be exclusive to Xbox and PC. 

He said that the company’s aim was to “play the games you want with the people you want, anywhere you want. When everybody plays, we all win.”

This all means that the biggest games in the world will be available on Xbox, with continued Game Pass day one releases, a multi-year hardware roadmap, and a commitment to a player-first platform. We are here to help game creators reach the largest audience possible. The biggest…

— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2024

The executive elaborated on the evolving landscape of game exclusivity, predicting a future where games will become more universally accessible. This vision is said to align with Xbox’s strategy to foster a healthy gaming ecosystem, where success is measured by player reach and engagement rather than platform-specific exclusivity. Spencer had confirmed the Xbox Cloud Gaming feature back in June 2022, however, it brings it one step closer to reality.

In recent years, Xbox Cloud Gaming has surged in popularity, allowing players to enjoy a wide array of popular titles on remote hardware, eliminating the need for costly gaming PCs or consoles. Among the titles available through the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership are renowned games such as Halo, Gears of War, Forza, Flight Simulator, and others.

In the same conversation, Bond, Xbox president, announced the addition of Activision Blizzard titles to Xbox Game Pass, starting with Diablo IV on March 28. “It’s all part of our commitment to make Xbox, the Xbox experience, and the games that we build as widely available as possible. So now the 34 million Game Pass members can all enjoy the fantastic experience of Diablo IV.”

In October 2023, Spencer had said that Activision Blizzard games would not be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the near future, but it appears that there has been a change in direction.

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