Xbox executive Albert Penello takes to a podcast to assuage concerns
that Microsoft putting Xbox One exclusives on PC will somehow devalue
the console.
When it was announced back in February that Xbox One exclusive Quantum Break was also coming to PC,
the move was not met with universal applause from Xbox fans. Some were
worried that the move would devalue the Xbox One and might even be the
beginning of the end of console exclusives altogether.
But that’s not the case, according to Xbox executive Albert Penello. Penello, in an appearance on the Inner Circle podcast, said that bringing Xbox One games to the PC gives gamers more options and doesn’t take anything away from consoles.
“There’s a debate or a discussion that you can have with a certain type of people online and you want to argue details and argue nuance, but the reality is that most people don’t make that kind of choice,” Penello said about gamers deciding not to buy a game simply because it’s on another platform. “Today, if you play games, you’re playing games on just about everything you own.”
Penello pointed out that gamers today play games on everything from consoles to PC to tablets and mobile phones. He added that even PC diehards are known to dabble with console or mobile games on occasion.
“Giving PC guys the opportunity to play Quantum Break and Killer Instinct doesn’t doesn’t really take anything away from the console guys,” he explained. “It just gives more people a chance to play great games on the device they want to play on.”
While Quantum Break‘s move to PC served to put the industry on notice about Microsoft’s intentions, the company has since expanded upon this strategy with its Xbox Play Anywhere program, first announced at E3 2016.
Plenty of games that were initially announced as exclusive to Xbox One can now be obtained for both the console and PC with just one purchase. The first title to support the program will be ReCore in September. Other key games include Forza Horizon 3, Gears of War 4, and Halo Wars 2.
At the same time, however, Microsoft has also made comments that indicate it might still see some value in keeping certain games on only Xbox consoles in the future. The company put out a statement saying that not all Xbox One exclusives would support cross-play after there seemed to be some confusion among the fan base following the Xbox Play Anywhere announcement. This statement did not list any specific games but rather seemed designed to give Microsoft the ability to be flexible in the future. For example, it wouldn’t be surprising if certain major franchises like the main Halo series were to release only on Xbox One at first with a PC release coming later. At the very least, the ability to also release Xbox One games on PC gives Microsoft another potential source of revenue and a feather in its cap in the never-ending battle against Sony’s PlayStation.
Penello isn’t the only Xbox executive to make headlines this past week. Marketing executive Aaron Greenberg talked about how the current console generation could end up being the last, with companies moving towards an incremental upgrade plan like cell phone companies. But Xbox head Phil Spencer also chimed in, saying that Microsoft is also working on what will come next after Project Scorpio releases in 2017.