Phil Spencer wants the Xbox app to be available on as many devices as possible

Phil Spencer wants the Xbox app to be available on as many devices as possible.

Phil Spencer explains why Xbox Game Pass isn't available on the Ps4 or Nintendo Switch yet. Phil Spencer wants the Xbox app to be available on as many devices as possible.

Image Credit Xbox

Why Xbox's popular Game Pass service hasn't made it to PS4 or Switch was explained by Xbox's Phil Spencer in a recent interview. 

Currently, Xbox Game Pass is one of the best gaming services available around the world. When Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is linked with Xbox Live Gold, gamers may play premium games online, get access to a handful of monthly games with Gold, access to EA Play's library, and also access the Game Pass library of 100+ games. The sheer diversity of Game Pass titles is a significant victory for Microsoft, even though they are almost always rotating.

As a result, Microsoft and Xbox's sustained emphasis on Game Pass via the cloud, PC, and mobile in addition to the console is unsurprising. There have been reports that Xbox Game Pass will be available on other manufacturers' hardware, such as the Nintendo Switch. While the answer may appear apparent (competition), Xbox's chief of marketing, Phil Spencer, detailed why in a recent interview with Gamesradar.

When asked if Game Pass will be coming to the Nintendo Switch, Spencer responded that the firm was focusing its efforts elsewhere, "mostly because those closed systems don't want something like Game Pass." It's clear that he's referring to Nintendo and possibly even PlayStation, but he's also referring to any platform that might theoretically support Game Pass. Instead, because Spencer wants customers to have the "complete Xbox experience" wherever Game Pass is delivered, the firm has prioritized open platforms that can foster growth: the internet, PC, and mobile. In his own words,

We currently have no intentions to bring it to any other closed platforms, primarily because those platforms do not want something like Game Pass. There are numerous open platforms for us to develop on, including the web, PC, and mobile. So, to be honest, our entire attention is on those platforms."

Furthermore, Spencer would go on to say that it's a position he understands and that it's not a "slam on anybody else who has a system that works for them." He recognizes that, in this case, Game Pass could be a disruption to their ecosystems, especially because if Game Pass were to appear on a system like PlayStation or Nintendo, it would have to be the full experience. This would imply that titles like Halo: Infinite would be included, implying that Xbox exclusives would have to be playable and acceptable on other platforms.

Finally, Spencer did not rule out the prospect of Xbox Game Pass being made available on other platforms. Spencer appears to be committed to the Xbox experience in general, making things as accessible as possible. After all, he emphasizes at the end of the interview that those discussions—putting Game Pass on Switch, PlayStation, or any other platform that could support it—are always welcome: "In the end, when we say we want everyone to be able to play on Xbox, we really mean if we can bring that full experience to a device that players want, we are totally open to those discussions."

Every month, Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a new batch of free games.

H/S: Gamesradar