Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a notable game release for Xbox fans on a number of levels. But Microsoft revealed this week that it will also be the first major third-party Xbox Play Anywhere title.
“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard confirmed for Xbox Play Anywhere,” Microsoft’s Phil Spencer tweeted late yesterday. “Buy once, play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.”
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You may recall that this game will allegedly run at 1080p, 60 FPS on Xbox One, offering visual parity with PlayStation 4, a rarity for Microsoft’s video game console. (It will also offer HDR on Xbox One S, PS4, and PS4 Pro.)
So that’s great. But Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will also be the first major third-party Xbox Play Anywhere title, which is also pretty great. It’s not the first third-party Xbox Play Anywhere title—Astroneer and Everspace are already available—just the first major one.
Xbox Play Anywhere was announced at E3 last year and has emerged as a key differentiator for the Xbox platform. Compatible games can be purchased once, on either Xbox One or Windows 10 for PCs, and then the buyer gets the game for free on the other. Even better, these games provide shared progress across the platforms, so that you can continue play sessions on either. Game saves, game add-ons, and achievements are common to both.
There have been a few major Xbox Play Anywhere titles so far, including Forza Horizon 3 and the middling Gears of War 4, but these are first-party titles, meaning that they were published by Microsoft Studios.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard launches next week, on January 24.
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<p>I wonder to what degree this capability will actually boost Xbox One sales. I imagine the key factor in choosing a console is the cost and availability of games. And since when is "Anywhere" = Xbox One and PC?</p>