Microsoft’s Phil Spencer leaves the door open to Xbox Game Pass on Switch
Earlier in the year, rumors persisted that Microsoft would be bringing Xbox Game Pass to Switch. There hasn’t been an official announcement, but that doesn’t mean the possibility doesn’t exist.
Giant Bomb spoke with Xbox boss Phil Spencer last night at E3 2019 and asked the executive about that very topic. Spencer noted that Microsoft is currently focusing on Android for streaming because of its reach, and while bringing the service to Switch wouldn’t be a simple task, they want Game Pass “everywhere.” He also had high praise for the system and Nintendo as a whole.
Spencer’s full words:
“I have said over time I’d like to take Game Pass everywhere. I saw somebody joke I’d put Game Pass on the toaster if I could – I don’t know about that. We’re focused on the streaming side, at least, on Android, just because in some ways it’s the hardest for us because it’s so diverse in terms of the number of devices.
I love the role that Nintendo plays in the industry. I love the fact that Minecraft Dungeons was announced there and we have really good relationships with them, and obviously Banjo in Smash. But that platform is different enough from an Xbox platform that it’s not trivial for us just to say, ‘Okay, all those games would run there’. So then you’re like, ‘Okay, are we gonna stream the games to there?’ I love what Switch is, but the opportunity globally to focus on an Android platform is just such a natural first move for us. And frankly, it will take us quite a while to work through that, so that’s the focus for us right now. But I want to have the best console experience because of what it gives you. I want you to be sitting on the couch with an amazing experience – it sounds great, I have access to any game that I want to play, and if I want to take that while I’m on the go, I think the Switch is a really cool platform for that. It’s just that in the near-term, it’s kind of hard for us to prioritize different than we are today.”
