Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, has revealed that Xbox will still be committed to physical media, but they will “follow what customers are doing”.
This information was revealed by Spencer during an interview with Game File. If you are interested in the state of the video game industry, you can check out our other articles here.
Phil Spencer: Xbox Still Committed to Physical Media
Speaking with Game File, Phil Spencer was asked about the leaked “all digital” Xbox Series X console codenamed “Brooklin” which sparked speculation that Xbox is ready to shift away from supporting disc-based games.
However, Spencer replied to Game File that Microsoft will “follow what customers do”.
We support physical media, but we don’t feel the need to push things that are disproportionate to customer demand.
We deliver games physically and digitally, and we just follow what customers do. I think our job in running Xbox is to realise the things that most customers want. Right now, most of our customers buy games digitally.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming
While most AAA games today are released physically and digitally, some are only available for download such as Alan Wake 2 and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Gaming consoles themselves have been the last consumer electronic device to have a drive. This is a real problem, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that actually make hard discs and the costs associated with doing so.
When you think about the drives that we’re going to put into the console-and because you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers-the cost of those drives does have an impact.
But I don’t think our strategy depends on people going digital. Eliminating physical, that’s not a strategic thing for us.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming
When asked about the Windows Central report that Microsoft had laid off people on the team involved in creating the disc version of the game, Spencer said that it was more about “aligning our teams across ZeniMax, Activision, and Xbox”.
Call of Duty Still Planned to Enter Game Pass
On the other hand, Spencer was also asked about when Activision Blizzard franchises like Call of Duty will be coming to Game Pass.
“Our goal is that the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard, and XGS-Xbox Game Studios will be on Game Pass on day one,” Spencer replied.
Spencer added that there is development work to be done in order to launch Game Pass for games from Activision Blizzard.
“We’re doing the back-end work to make them available on PC and console at the same time,” said Spencer.