Xbox First-Party Games Expanding to PlayStation and Nintendo – Xbox Hardware Here to Stay

Since Microsoft snapped up Activision-Blizzard along with its array of development studios, Microsoft—and by extension, Xbox—has climbed the ranks to become the biggest third-party game publisher ever. So, when Xbox chief Phil Spencer recently hinted in an interview with Gamertag Radio that upcoming Xbox games might find their way to other platforms like Nintendo and PlayStation, it stirred the waters significantly, yet it’s a strategy that holds a lot of logic.

Spencer’s remarks about wanting players to enjoy Xbox games and services on as many devices as possible, while also valuing the native experience on their own hardware, came during a YouTube podcast discussion with Danny Peña and Parris from Gamertag Radio. This insightful 26-minute session dives into the gaming industry’s future and takes a nostalgic look at the classic Xbox and Xbox 360 eras.

For those unacquainted with the console wars, here’s a brief history lesson. Consider Sonic the Hedgehog, the speedy blue character from both games and a hit movie. Sonic’s early adventures were exclusive to Sega consoles until the series branched out with Sonic Adventure 2 on the GameCube. Sega’s last console, the Dreamcast, bowed out to Sony’s mighty PlayStation 2, nudging Sega into a third-party developer role—a market gap swiftly filled by Microsoft’s Xbox.

In Xbox’s early days, known as the “DirectX Box,” it flirted with backward compatibility for Dreamcast titles, capitalizing on Dreamcast’s compatibility with Windows CE. Although the final Xbox didn’t retain this feature, it hosted several Dreamcast-era sequels, like Jet Set Radio Future, as Xbox exclusives.

At first blush, Spencer’s comments might resemble the desperate move of a struggling console maker, but rest assured, Microsoft’s strategic position is far more formidable. With Xbox crowned the largest third-party publisher, the aim is more about selling games broadly rather than coercively ushering players onto Xbox.

Spencer has said, “We want everyone to be able to play on Xbox, and that means more of our games releasing across more platforms, not just PlayStation. We cherish our work with Nintendo and our collaboration with Valve on Steam, and that won’t change.”

So, is Xbox heading for a Sega-esque fate? Definitely not—Microsoft’s financial muscle prevents that outcome. Nonetheless, the next wave of Xbox consoles must truly entice consumers with hardware innovation, especially in a future where “Switch 3” likely champions portability and PlayStation 6 promises even greater power, backed by exclusive game offerings, a hallmark in the console realm.

But if Microsoft mishandles the notion that Xbox isn’t just hardware but a suite of games and services, it faces the risk that, “When everyone’s on Xbox, no one will be.”