Over the last few days, you may have seen a handful of conflicting quotes from the Microsoft leadership team online that seem to suggest that Xbox Game Pass could very well become available on both PS5 consoles and the Nintendo Switch in the future. While an interesting idea that would undoubtedly increase the number of active Game Pass subscribers substantially for Xbox, new Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed that this isn’t something in the works and it’s not something we’ll see for a very, very long time – if at all.
While a number of the best Xbox Game Pass games currently available are Xbox exclusives, the majority of games available through the subscription service are also playable and available to purchase on the PS5 – and quite a few of them are being rolled out to the Nintendo Switch. When you think about it logically, the idea that Xbox Game Pass – as a subscription service similar to PS Plus Premium or Ubisoft Plus – could be made available on these platforms is far from the most unrealistic idea; that is, if you ignore the fact that Microsoft and Sony are competitors in the console gaming space.
So, when Xbox CFO Tim Stuart says that Microsoft’s goal is to get Game Pass available on “every screen that can play games” during the Wells Fargo TMT Summit in late November – as reported by Gamespot here – it’s easy to see why this idea has even taken root in the first place; and, why quite a few of you think this is something we could see in the future.
If that actually isn’t enough for you to go on, Stuart specifically mentions both PlayStation and Nintendo when explaining this goal, saying that this means “smart TVs… mobile devices… [and] what [Microsoft] would have thought as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo”. As chief finanical officer of Xbox, it’s pretty fair to take what he says seriously and that this is indeed Microsoft’s goal.
Well, enter Phil Spencer – who was recently promoted to Microsoft Gaming CEO during a recent shake-up of the Xbox leadership structure.
In an interview with Windows Central reported on by Eurogamer, Spencer says irrefutably that Microsoft has “no plans to bring Game Pass to PlayStation and Nintendo”.
On what Microsoft actually has planned, Spencer says that the main thing he wants to focus on is how does Microsoft “continue to innovate for people who’ve made the commitment to [Microsoft’s] hardware platform… And how [does Microsoft] continue to make sure that they feel great about their investment”. This, as interesting as it would be to see Xbox Game Pass on a PlayStation console, makes a lot more sense when it comes to future plans from Microsoft.
That being said, Xbox is actively working on a mobile store app and you can already stream some Xbox games through your Smart TV. So, it’s clear that Microsoft is also working towards Stuart’s goal of having Xbox Game Pass and its games available on more than just TVs specifically hooked up to an Xbox console. You just won’t see any new PS5 games available through Xbox Game Pass on a PlayStation console anytime soon.
If, though, you want to know what Xbox Game Pass December 2023 games you have to look forward to, you can find out all about that here. While you’re at it, you may want to look into picking up one of the best Xbox expansion cards available – if you don’t have one already, that is. Quite a few of these games are going to take up quite a bit of storage space. Likewise, if you’re a PlayStation player, you can check out all the free PS Plus games available with the PS Plus December 2023 games line-up right here. You should also look into the best PS5 SSD options if you haven’t expanded your internal storage yet, too. It’s always useful to have, whatever platform you play on.