Feeling Better About Xbox? (Premium)

Today, Phil Spencer and his senior executive team came clean on Microsoft's strategy for Xbox in the wake of its Activision Blizzard acquisition. It was nothing but good news. But if I know the Xbox community like I think I do, we're going to see some grumbling, if not some all-out Chicken Little doomsday prophesizing. So let's relax, and step through this, in what I assume would have been the normal order of things.

Up front, I was delighted to hear Phil Spencer confirm my theory---stated here and in at least two podcasts---that this event was primarily about Microsoft's plans for Activision Blizzard and that they reordered the announcements only because of recent rumors and all the resulting handwringing. Damn straight: Microsoft spent $68 billion on Activision Blizzard, and this is a big deal. And a gamer, an Xbox fan, and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, I want to know when I'm getting all that content.

Now we know: "All of our games are in Game Pass" is the mantra and, on that note, Activision Blizzard titles are of course coming to me at the other 34 million Game Pass members (new number!) starting with Diablo IV on March 24. Which, granted, is problematic on two levels---why so late and why only that one game?---but at least we know. One assumes---because one has to---that Microsoft will spend the rest of 2024 slowly leaching Activision Blizzard content out in Game Pass (and Cloud Gaming).

Regarding Game Pass, Microsoft also reiterated that all first-party Xbox games will appear on Game Pass on day one, and that answers another burning question: Future Activision Blizzard titles, like the next Call of Duty, will indeed be made available on the service on day one. That's huge.

But Microsoft also dropped this interesting bomb: Game Pass will only be available on Xbox, which in Microsoft's somewhat contorted terminology, could mean different things. Today, it's the Xbox consoles and PCs. But the company noted that it will continue looking at how it can further its vision of bringing more games to more players, and it's difficult to believe there aren't plans for an Xbox Game Pass Mobile or whatever. That will then be considered "Xbox." That said, no one was explicit about that.

Microsoft also sees cross-play---the ability to play with gamers on other platforms---and cross-save---the ability to continue single-player experiences in a game across multiple devices---as a key strength of Xbox as a platform. And that, too, hints at a future in which the definition of the term "Xbox" expands. For example, first-party Xbox titles on PlayStation and/or Nintendo will surely allow gamers to compete with those on Xbox and PC. Because those titles fall under that Xbox umbrella.

Before getting to the exclusivity nonsense that had so much of the community in tears, I think it's important to reiterate that everything Microsoft announced today is in keeping with its long-time strategy for Xbox, to meet gamers where they are. I ...