5 burning questions answered at the Xbox Business Update

The Xbox Business Update was recently released, detailing the future of Xbox as a company and video game distributor. The business update was headed by Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty and was released amid leaks that hinted at Xbox bringing its games to the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, along with rumors of Xbox leaving the console business entirely.

Five major takeaways from the Xbox Business Update can be found below, detailing the most common questions.

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5 takeaways from the Xbox Business Update

The highly anticipated Xbox Business Update podcast premiered on February 16, 2024, about a day from the time of writing this article. The podcast was about 23 minutes long and revealed a great deal of information surrounding the strategy of Xbox going forward, as well as its multi-platform approach. The event can be condensed into the following crucial points.

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Xbox Business Update confirms Xbox going multi-platform

Xbox goes multi-platform (Image via Xbox)

As detailed in the Xbox Business Update podcast, Xbox is indeed starting to go multi-platform, but only for a select few titles. This is a remarkable shift from the usual strategy of locking down games to a certain platform and is a sign of changing times.

A total of four Xbox-exclusive games will be heading to the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. These are the rumored titles:

• Hi-Fi Rush
• Sea of Thieves
• Grounded
• Pentinent

This is a part of Xbox’s current goal to push its games to every platform, thereby making its products accessible to a wider audience.

Interestingly enough, Xbox has not made any promises of newer titles heading to rival platforms, and as such, the presence of Xbox on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch is expected to be fairly limited.

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The Xbox Business Update denied rumors of Xbox stepping down from the hardware business

New Xbox hardware lands in Q4 (Image via Xbox)

The Xbox leaks brought rumors of Xbox stepping down from the hardware business and opting for the publisher-only route (much like SEGA). Thankfully, these rumors were entirely unfounded, and Xbox is apparently set to release new hardware sometime in Q4, which will be a technological leap over the current generation of Xbox consoles. Additionally, rumors are floating around about an upcoming Xbox handheld gaming device, similar to the ROG Ally and Legion Go.

Phil Spencer has gone on to assert that future consoles will respect game preservation (meaning physical media is unlikely to be discontinued anytime soon) and will continue supporting day one releases for the PC as well.

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Xbox Business Update teases future updates to Game Pass

Diablo IV heads to Game Pass (Image via Diablo)

As mentioned in the Xbox Business Update, Game Pass will continue to receive major updates as the platform grows stronger than ever. With nearly 34 million subscribers, Xbox Game Pass has come a long way, with users on both Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.

Game Pass is also set to receive its first major Activision Blizzard game (after the merger) in the form of Diablo IV. Diablo IV can be downloaded via Microsoft’s subscription service starting March 28, 2024, and is likely to be followed by other titles from the same publisher.

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The Xbox Business Update has not confirmed Starfield or Indiana Jones for the PS5

Starfield is not heading to the PS5 (Image via Bethesda)

Curiously enough, the Xbox Business Update omitted any mentions of future Xbox titles heading to the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. In fact, Phil Spencer has gone on record to say there are “no promises” of bringing more than the four previously mentioned games to other consoles.

As such, readers should not expect Starfield or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (among others) to head toward the PlayStation 5 soon. However, things may change in the future. Xbox games are expected to maintain exclusivity for at least a year, with minor and/or live service titles likely to make the jump toward multi-platform.

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Xbox Business Update has revealed no plans of Game Pass releasing for non-Xbox hardware

Xbox Game Pass will be exclusive to the Xbox (Image via Xbox)

Additionally, Matt Booty has also mentioned that there are no plans at the moment to expand the availability of Xbox Game Pass to newer platforms. This is indeed disappointing news for players wanting to experience Microsoft’s incredible value-for-money service on platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Steam Deck.

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