In a statement to Gamesindustry.biz, Microsoft has indicated that it has ’no plans’ to release more exclusive Xbox games on other consoles.
Ori and The Blind Forest will come to the Nintendo Switch, as announced during Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase, and Microsoft supports Minecraft on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. A handful of the developers Microsoft acquired as part of its Xbox Game Studios have also already released games on other systems, such as Ninja Theory, Double Fine and Compulsion Games. Yet, the company won’t be making moves to release other first-party games onto rival consoles.
‘The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios,’ a representative told Gamesindustry.biz. ‘As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them.’
‘However, going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms. We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first party games to other consoles. We continue to believe deeply in cross play and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to insure a fair and fun experience.’
Microsoft is prioritising its first-party releases, and it definitely has something rather exciting in the pipeline. The Initiative has recruited an array of talented developers, including former Crystal Dynamics, Rockstar Games and Naughty Dog employees.
