Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty also acknowledges the studio has some “‘catchup to do” when adding crossplay and cross-save to its titles.
Microsoft has confirmed that four of its Xbox/PC titles will be coming to other platforms. These don’t include Starfield or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which will remain exclusive. However, what about Game Pass, which has reached 34 million subscribers since launching in June 2017?
Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has reaffirmed some “core principles”: All of its first-party titles will be on Game Pass, launching day one, and the service will only be available on Xbox. He also discussed what this means for the player, specifically cross-play and cross-save.
“Those things allow us to deliver on the promise of Xbox, which is to play with your friends where they are, play on the devices you want, play the games you want. So that is only possible at a practical level when you know that your saves and your player will be able to move across all those parts.”
Booty acknowledged that not all titles take advantage of the same, which may also apply to some future games. However, as more developers join Xbox Game Studios, there’s “some catchup to do as we get there. But that cross-play, cross-save is so fundamental to what we’re doing. And I think it’s something that we, as the first party, get such a good benefit from being so close to the platform.”
As for future additions to Game Pass, Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo 4 will be playable for subscribers on PC and Xbox consoles on March 28th. Other titles weren’t confirmed, but stay tuned for further announcements in the coming months, especially with Spencer reportedly indicating that a new Call of Duty is coming in October.
