Phil Spencer wants to ‘open up’ the console model, bring other stores to Xbox

Microsoft might have plans to open up the Xbox to additional stores, such as Epic Games.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said as much in a recent interview with Polygon, warning that the console market isn’t growing and more players are moving to PC, prompting Microsoft to reconsider the current model of offering subsidized console hardware and recouping the investment by forcing purchases through an official storefront.

“[Subsidizing hardware] becomes more challenging in today’s world,” Spencer said.

“And I will say, and this may seem too altruistic, I don’t know that it’s growing the industry. So I think, what are the barriers? What are the things that create friction in today’s world for creators and players? And how can we be part of opening up that model?”

One way Spencer mentioned was giving players more choice by allowing them to choose where to buy games, like how it works on Windows. “There’s real value in that,” Spencer said.

Another way is scrapping exclusivity on more games. Spencer acknowledged that limiting titles to specific consoles or platforms can negatively impact those games. Spencer used Sea of Thieves as an example, saying that players shouldn’t have to worry about which hardware their friends are playing on — it should just be a question of whether they have the game or not.

In the interview, Spencer said he wants to make handhelds like the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go work better with the Xbox ecosystem.

You can check out the full interview here.

Source: Polygon