Microsoft Studios games on Nintendo Switch include Studio MDHR’s Cuphead, while Ori and the Blind Forest will come to Nintendo’s console too. However, some Xbox One fans have argued moving Microsoft-developed titles to other platforms is detrimental. While we don’t necessarily agree with it, Microsoft says it currently has no further plans to bring more games to Switch. “We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first party games to other consoles. We continue to believe deeply in cross play and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to insure a fair and fun experience,” a Microsoft spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz. That said, Microsoft says studios it has acquired will still roll out titles to the Nintendo Switch: “The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios. As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them,” the spokesperson said. “However, going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms.”
If it Makes Sense
There seems to be some contradictory messages coming from Microsoft. Earlie this month, the company’s gaming chief said he was open to Xbox first-party titles coming to other consoles. According to Xbox Game Studios chief Matt Booty, said Microsoft would be willing to release cross-platform versions of its games if it “makes sense”. “I think we would. I think that the question is less binary about, ‘should it be on Switch, should it be on PlayStation?’ and more, ‘does it make sense for the franchise?” Booty explained. “In other words, is it a kind of game where it would benefit from the network effect of being on a bunch of different platforms, or is it a game where we can best support it by putting resources and making sure that our platforms, things like xCloud and Game Pass and Xbox Live, are really leaning in to support the game?”
