Phil Spencer Discusses Change to Xbox Developer Showcases

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 16, 2025 92 Views 6 Min Read
Phil Spencer Discusses Change to Xbox Developer Showcases

Summary

  • Spencer embraces showing logos from competitors at showcases to focus on player experience.
  • New Xbox first-party games shown at Developer Direct that will be available on PlayStation included its logo.
  • Spencer aims for transparency about Xbox games on other platforms to expand the player base.

CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer has announced that he will not shy away from showing the PlayStation, Nintendo, or Steam logos at Xbox Developer Direct showcases moving forward. It’s a bold step forward for the Xbox executive, who expresses that he cares more about players enjoying video games than what platform they’re using to play them.

The latest Xbox Developer Direct took place on January 23, 2025. The showcase was filled with new game announcements like Ninja Gaiden 4, previews like South of Midnight, and even a surprise shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden Black, all interspersed with commentary from the people behind the games. But one thing viewers may not have been expecting in a showcase from a major console developer is that its first-party games that will also be available on PlayStation 5 included the PlayStation logo in their trailers.

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That’s going to continue to be something that happens at future Xbox Developer Directs as long as Spencer is in charge. Spencer’s support of Xbox first-party games on other platforms is already well-known, and he bolstered it as a special guest on the 250th episode of the Xbox Era Podcast, which was recorded shortly after the January showcase but not released until February 16. Asked about the inclusion of PlayStation’s logo, Spencer indicated that he wants Xbox to be honest with his customers about the platforms its games can be played on. “I just want to be transparent with people,” he explained. “If we’re shipping on Nintendo Switch, we’re gonna put that. If we’re shipping on PlayStation, if we’re on Steam, like, people should know the storefronts where they can get our games.” Spencer’s comments can be found starting around the 1:47:03 mark in the video.

Phil Spencer Doubles Down on First-Party Xbox Games on Other Platforms

While he has proven himself to be open to developing games for other platforms, the CEO acknowledged that there are some difficulties associated with shifting games away from his home brand’s consoles. He acknowledged that not all platforms have the same features, and there are some things that Microsoft can do through Xbox Cloud gaming that simply wouldn’t work on other consoles, but he doesn’t want that to deter him from reaching a broader player base.

Spencer has a long history of encouraging development and publishing teams outside his own company. Shortly after becoming head of Xbox in 2014, Spencer genuinely wished Sony a good E3, seemingly wanting to put the console wars of the past to bed for good. His recent comments on the podcast continue to show that same spirit of friendly competition in the games industry, as he wants people who don’t even own an Xbox console to have a chance to be part of the Xbox community that he’s helped to build. “I know it’s not what everybody else is doing, but I just believe games should be the thing that’s at the forefront,” he noted. “Maybe it’s because of how I’ve grown up in this industry … The games are the things that I see growing in their strengths in what we’re doing, and it’s because more people can play.”

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