Xbox Game Pass may soon make its debut on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.
Xbox is making strides toward expanding, with Activision acquisition and now the prospect of Xbox Game Pass coming to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Could this signal an end of console rivalries?
As Microsoft has grown its Xbox services over time, their brand has evolved as they use “Xbox ecosystem” as their way to describe all their assets – this being an effective way of emphasizing its quest for expansion while maintaining unity.
Now the company’s eyes are set on expanding Xbox Game Pass beyond consoles owned by Xbox, even if this means facing some logistical hurdles in doing so. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart remains passionately supportive of such potential expansion.
“[We are] shifting our strategy. Without making any grand proclamations here, our mission will be to extend first-party experiences and subscription services across every screen that supports gaming – including smart TVs, mobile devices and those we would have considered competitors such as PlayStation or Nintendo,” Stuart noted at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit.
Xbox’s plan for Starfield or Baldur’s Gate 3 would likely prove ambitious but is also unrealistic, given their respective companies are constantly at each others throats over console wars and both strive to outdo one another despite publicly condemning “console wars”. Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch would struggle with such titles due to limited power resources available for it.
Microsoft’s vision faces significant roadblocks before it can become reality, yet expanding Game Pass’ potential would certainly add value. We don’t yet know whether there will ever be such an event and as players it poses the question as to whether we would actually welcome it or accept its changes as we become so entrenched in our habits.
