Microsoft executive Phil Spencer said in a recent interview that PlayStation and Nintendo players will be considered a part of the Xbox community going forward. Spencer’s comments come less than a month after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard — the most expensive merger in the history of the games industry.
Xbox’s path is different than PlayStation’s, Microsoft insists
Spencer’s eyebrow-raising comments were made during an interview with Japanese outlet Famitsu. According to a translation, the Xbox boss said that “just as we think of ROG Ally and Steam Deck as part of the Xbox community, we need to think of the many Nintendo Switch and PlayStation users as part of the Xbox community in the future.”
This isn’t the first time Spencer has talked about Xbox needing to pivot from hardware to software and services. Microsoft has already made huge strides with Xbox Game Pass, but recently suggested that Xbox’s services segment needs to grow significantly in order for the gaming business to remain viable for Microsoft.
“In terms of hardware, I think it’s not just a matter of adapting to what other companies are doing, but also providing something unique for Xbox users,” Spencer added. The executive has previously said that Microsoft will continue to retain exclusives for Xbox consoles.
