Former Microsoft executive Mike Ybarra has said that the sheer size of Microsoft Gaming now warrants having some Xbox games on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Ybarra’s comments follow confirmation by Xbox boss Phil Spencer that more of the company’s first-party games will go multiplatform in the future.
Microsoft to become the world’s largest publisher with Xbox games on PlayStation and Nintendo
Ybarra, who spent two decades at Microsoft, acknowledged concerns about the future of Xbox hardware by fans once more first-party games go multiplatform. However, he’s of the view that Microsoft Gaming is beyond the point of hardware sales, and needs to focus on its ambition to be the world’s largest publisher.
“You have to put emotion aside and focus on the teams, players, and business – and make hard decisions,” Ybarra said. “Given the size of Microsoft Gaming now, it’s just not sustainable to not be embracing all platforms. They are taking their players in this journey, and that is not easy, but this is the right plan for their teams and players.”
Microsoft hasn’t said which games it plans to release on PlayStation and Nintendo going forward, but rumor has it that Halo is one of the first-party franchises going multiplatform.
