Xbox has ruled out Game Pass on other consoles in near future

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has ruled out the possibility of launching Xbox Game Pass on other console platforms in the near future.

In a GamesRadar interview, Spencer was specifically asked whether Microsoft is planning to bring Xbox Game Pass to Nintendo Switch.

“We have no plans to bring it to any other kind of closed platforms right now, mainly because those closed platforms don’t want something like Game Pass,” he responded.

“There’s a ton of open platforms out there for us to grow in: the web, PC, and mobile. So all of our focus, frankly, is on those platforms.”

However, Spencer wouldn’t rule out the possibility of bringing Xbox Game Pass to non-Microsoft consoles in the long-term, were other platform holders open to offering the “full experience” on their hardware.

“You know, evolution always takes time,” he said. “There are different strengths that different companies have built through hard work, and some of these changes they might see as disruptive. And they’ll have their own kind of business cadence and pace at which they want to make those changes.”

Spencer added: “In the end, when we say we want everybody to be able to play on Xbox, we really mean if we can bring that full experience to a device that players want, we are totally open to those discussions.”

Further reading

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Former PlayStation exec questions the Xbox Game Pass model

Shawn Layden is sceptical of its sustainability and its potential to expand the console market

Microsoft said in June that it is planning to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to internet-connected TVs in a move that will let players access services like Game Pass with no extra hardware required except a controller.

It is also building its own streaming devices to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to any TV or monitor without the need for a console.

As of this week, Xbox Cloud Gaming on Windows PCs is available through the Xbox app. It’s currently open to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who are signed up to the Xbox Insider programme, ahead of its wider rollout.