Xbox Game Pass Won't Come To Other Consoles, Says Phil Spencer

Xbox Game Pass gives you a large library of games to download for a relatively small monthly fee, extending across both Xbox One and PC. Despite rumors that it could eventually make the jump to other consoles, Xbox's Phil Spencer says this isn't part of the plan.

Speaking to GameStar, Spencer explained that it isn't in Microsoft's interest to offer Game Pass on other consoles, such as the Nintendo Switch or PS4, since they cannot also offer the full suite of Xbox features. This includes Xbox Live and Achievement support, which Spencer says creates a feature set that players can depend on where they find Xbox Game Pass.

"In places where we have brought Xbox, like mobile phones like we're doing now with Project xCloud with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, what we've done with PC with bringing our full Xbox experience there," Spencer explained. "We know when somebody is playing one of our Xbox games there is an expectation that they've got their Xbox Live community, they have their achievements, Game Pass is an option for me, my first-party library is completely there."

The Nintendo Switch did receive some Xbox Live support last year after Cuphead launched on the console, which initially supported rumors that Game Pass support would soon follow. But as much as it isn't in Microsoft's plans, Spencer doesn't believe Xbox's competitors would want to allow Game Pass support either.

"The other competitive platforms really aren't interested in having a full Xbox experience on their hardware," Spencer concluded.

Last week Microsoft announced that xCloud, its Xbox games streaming service, will launch in September and be included at no extra charge with Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions. Games supported by xCloud will be available to stream on Xbox consoles, such as the upcoming Xbox Series X, as well as PC and mobile devices with either iOS or Android support.