The head of Microsoft’s gaming division, Phil Spencer, spoke about plans to make the Xbox ecosystem more open.
In the future, third-party digital platforms for selling games, such as the Epic Games Store or Steam, may appear on consoles in this line.
According to Spencer, historically, console manufacturers have subsidized the production of expensive hardware, hoping to recoup costs through subsequent sales of games through company stores.
However, in recent years, rising component prices and the stagnation of the console market have called this model into question.
“If I want to play on PC, I feel like I’m part of the same gaming ecosystem. And on consoles you have to operate within closed environments,” Spencer said, calling for breaking down existing “walls” for the sake of a better user experience.
The head of Microsoft’s gaming division is convinced that the openness of the ecosystem and the availability of a choice of platforms for purchases are one of the key factors for the growth of PC gaming. This practice could prove to be an effective cure for audience churn on consoles.
As an example, he cited a conditional situation with the game Sea of Thieves, where users do not have to think about what platform the title is running on – it is enough to know that their friends have this game.
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In the future, third-party digital platforms for selling games, such as the Epic Games Store or Steam, may appear on consoles in this line.
According to Spencer, historically, console manufacturers have subsidized the production of expensive hardware, hoping to recoup costs through subsequent sales of games through company stores.
However, in recent years, rising component prices and the stagnation of the console market have called this model into question.
“If I want to play on PC, I feel like I’m part of the same gaming ecosystem. And on consoles you have to operate within closed environments,” Spencer said, calling for breaking down existing “walls” for the sake of a better user experience.
The head of Microsoft’s gaming division is convinced that the openness of the ecosystem and the availability of a choice of platforms for purchases are one of the key factors for the growth of PC gaming. This practice could prove to be an effective cure for audience churn on consoles.
As an example, he cited a conditional situation with the game Sea of Thieves, where users do not have to think about what platform the title is running on – it is enough to know that their friends have this game.