phil spencer looking for companies that can create games for more than one device

Phil Spencer Is Looking For Studios That Can Develop Games on Multiple Devices

Looking to their future, and perhaps realizing the future of gaming overall, the executive VP of Gaming at Microsoft is looking at a new direction. Phil Spencer mentioned in a recent interview that he’s looking at bringing in game studios that can build on multiple devices.

Spencer was a part of a Q&A session at the Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications conference. He said that the way people consume games is starting to expand more than beyond just one device, so he’s looking for game developers who could work with more than just one device.

“Cloud is the way we can deliver community and content to a player on any device,” he said. “Yes, I’d say I’d hesitate to look for a game studio that’s only capable of building on one device because gamers play games on all devices, and I think you’re missing out on an opportunity if you’re not thinking about games that can work everywhere players show up.”

Microsoft is starting to get its feet wet when it comes to cloud based gaming. Project xCloud will be its answer, set to launch sometime next year.  Spencer mentioned that their goal is to first focus on Android devices.

“We focus first on Android phones, because there are 1 billion Android phones on the planet and it’s a place with the content that we’ve natively built up over the past decades on our platform,” he said. “But, we look at cloud streaming as a way over the years where we’re able to bring content to customers on any device that they have, regardless of the local compute capabilities.”

The company has worked hard over the last year to bring a number of new development studios under its fold. Developers such as Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, Obsidian Entertainment and The Initiative have all been purchased by Microsoft in the last year. They join other high profile development teams such as Rare and Microsoft’s own development team.

Public trials for Project xCloud are set to begin next year.

Upcoming Releases

Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is designed to bring players a modern take on a classic JRPG experience. Get ready to lead 100+ playable characters through a war-torn world only you can save.
Eve and her comrades land on the surface to reclaim the extinct Earth and cross paths with a survivor named Adam. Eve is then led by Adam to the last surviving city, Xion, where she meets the elder of the town Orcal and is told many stories. In order to serve her mission to save Earth, Eve develops close relationships…
Tactical, beautiful, and wholly unique, the GOTY-winning sci-fi RTS returns with Homeworld 3. Assume control and battle through fleet combat in dazzling, fully 3D space while the award-winning story unfolds on a galactic scale.
The sequel to the award winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without.

Reviews

X