Xbox boss is open to bringing Game Pass to Switch and PS4
Phil Spencer is open to discussions, at least
It sounds as though Phil Spencer is definitely open to Xbox Game Pass being discussed for both the Nintendo Switch and PS4.
In a recent interview with Game Reactor, the Xbox boss spoke about Microsoft's approach to bringing Game Pass to new platforms. "I love the Switch, I love PlayStation, honestly, I think they've done an amazing job as being a part of this industry," he said. "I'm not sure that those are the next big set of users for us, but we could be open to those discussions."
This was preceded by Spencer commenting on Microsoft's attitude to selecting which platforms to bring Game Pass to. "I think for us it's all about priority, and reaching more players," the Xbox boss said. "So we went to PC first after Xbox, because there's just so many players there, globally, that don't own an Xbox, that we could go reach. We went to mobile next because there's a billion Android phones on the planet."
Earlier this year, Game Pass's streaming service launched under the Project xCloud initiative, which saw game streaming being included for Android and iOS users in beta. While cloud streaming launched in full through Android in September, it was unfortunately shut out from iOS users by Apple's App Store policies (which is just one area of contention between Epic Games and Apple in an ongoing legal dispute).
"We still have iOS to go after, we will come to iOS at some point," Spencer continued. "We're still working on some of our technology on PC for larger screens in terms of streaming, and getting to iOS, and I think once we get through that, we look at what the other options are."
In the same interview, Spencer commented on the areas that Xbox's portfolio of games is currently lacking in. Highlighting single-player first-party games as one such area, Spencer also outlined that Xbox could do with more E-rated titles in its games portfolio.
If you're looking to put down a pre-order of Xbox's next-gen console before it launches next month in November, head over to our Xbox Series X pre-orders guide.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.