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The heads of Xbox stayed true to their word and were indeed a part of a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast. During today's pre-recorded podcast and subsequent blog post, head of Xbox Phil Spencer stated that four Xbox exclusives are going to be multi-platform releases. Is it Starfield? Indiana Jones? Gears of War? Halo?!
No, no, no, and no.
Though Spencer did not specify what those four titles will be, The Verge is reporting that the multi-platform titles are Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. These four titles will be coming to platforms such as PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch. When it comes to titles such as Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Spencer seems keen on at least keeping the door open for the future. In a separate interview at The Verge, Spencer doesn't like to say they will "never" go to another platform.
I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform,” he said. “We’re focused on these four games and learning from the experience. We don’t have work going on, on other franchises. But for anybody to stand up and say something’s never going to happen, I think it feels like creating more certainty in a world of gaming where you really want to respond to what customers want and what our players and creators are looking for.
Diablo 4 Comes to Game Pass
Today's update from Phil Spencer and other Xbox division leads also included word that Diablo 4 will be coming to Game Pass on March 28. This marks the start of Activision Blizzard titles that will be coming to the subscription service. Spencer claims that the rollout of these titles on Game Pass is slower than desired due to "regulatory challenges."Spencer also notes that "Game Pass will continue to only be available on Xbox platforms and will have all first-party games available on day one."
Next-gen Xbox Hardware
Xbox is already working on their next-gen Xbox console. The company claims that it is set to be the "largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation."Be sure to take note of where they say that there will be "more console and controller options for you this holiday." It's possible we may see an Xbox Series X|S refresh launch this holiday season.
Rumors about the next Xbox hardware picked up a bit of Steam over the past week. First, it was said that Microsoft could be developing a handheld Xbox console. The rumors suggest that it would be something akin to the Nintendo Switch in that the handheld could be played like a typical portable device or it could be docked and connected to a TV or monitor. This specific rumor seems to gain more and more momentum any time Phil Spencer likes a tweet that talks about handheld devices, which he has apparently been doing more often as of late.
An additional rumor popped up this week from XboxEra that says Jason Ronald will not be in charge of designing the next Xbox console. Though responsible for leading the development on Xbox Series X|S hardware, Ronald and his team have reportedly been replaced by the Microsoft Surface team. Given that this is a rumor, it's rather light on specifics. For instance, we do not know if the Surface team is working on a refresh of the Xbox Series X|S hardware, that rumored handheld Xbox device, or the full next-gen Xbox console.
If you would like to see the entirety of this very special Official Xbox Podcast with Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty, you can watch it via the YouTube embed below.
