The Nintendo Switch 2 is likely to receive considerable third-party support and one of the biggest publishers on the platform will likely be Xbox Games, judging from an interview with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.
Xbox has been in dire straits throughout 2024. A rough 2023 holiday season led to a significant overhaul of the company’s operations and a rethinking of its strategy. What followed was sweeping layoffs, nixing marketing and sales efforts in multiple global regions, and a pivot to releasing its biggest games on rival consoles.
The lattermost effort hasn’t fully materialized yet. Microsoft has released a few Xbox titles onto rival platforms, including Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves on PlayStation 5. Speaking with Bloomberg, Spencer talked about the future of Xbox Games and which games might end up where. The short answer is that nothing’s off-limits.
Phil Spencer hints that all Xbox exclusives could land on Nintendo
Phil Spencer suggested that there were no limits regarding which Xbox-owned titles might wind up on Nintendo or PlayStation consoles.
“I think the ball is moving in the right direction. I think this idea of open platforms, where users have more choice, creators have more choice, you see the momentum, right?” Spencer stated in an interview with Bloomberg. He continued, “I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not.’”
Spencer didn’t specify which games might end up on which consoles. However, previous announcements and reports show there are some that players can definitively look forward to.
Call of Duty, Hi-Fi Rush among Xbox games set to come to Nintendo
Xbox is confirmed to be bringing Call of Duty games to Nintendo consoles, while other games such as Hi-Fi Rush are also set to be ported over.
The biggest brand under the Xbox umbrella is Call of Duty. Surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, the company signed a contract with Nintendo guaranteeing that the games would come to the platform over the next 10 years. Thus far, fans haven’t seen anything from this agreement but the contract is signed.
Meanwhile, Hi-Fi Rush was data mined in early 2024. This revealed hidden textures for three T-shirts for the main character that referenced the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Epic Games Store. The character has a different shirt based on which platform the game was purchased through. While this foretold a release on all these platforms, a Switch version has not yet arrived but remains likely.
Beyond that, Spencer’s framing of the matter is likely a warning to diehard Xbox fans. The group has been harrumphing about Microsoft effectively bowing out of the console wars, and voiced frustration over Xbox handing over its exclusives to rival consoles.
Games like Halo and Gears of War have long stood as the most recognizable Xbox exclusives. It’s possible these could be next.
