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Rumors of Xbox exclusives going to the Nintendo Switch
A few days ago, Youtuber Nate the Hate said on his YouTube channel that a critically acclaimed Xbox 1st party game would be going to a rival console. This immediately lead many to start speculating about if this was true and what games it could be if it ended up being true. Then ResetEra forum user “lolilolailo”, who has reliably leaked information about Xbox in the past hinted at Hi-Fi Rush being ported to the Nintendo Switch.
According to Jez Corden of Windows central “it has been suggested to me from very trusted, proven sources that Microsoft has been exploring bringing some of its back catalog to other platforms”.
This means that there is a possibility that the rumors are true and Xbox is possibly thinking of bringing select titles to rival consoles.
The Reactions
Understandably this has received pushback from Xbox fans online, who have mostly reacted with anger and frustration at the rumors and the thought of Xbox exclusives launching on rival consoles.
X User Klobrille said:
XcloudTimdog a prominent Xbox fan on X said:
X user Immortal gamer said:
These are just two of the hundreds and possibly thousands of angry reactions from Xbox fans online, not including mine.
Why would Xbox want to do this?
This leaves us with the question of why Xbox would choose to go down this path, there have been lots of speculation regarding the reason Xbox would do this and I briefly explore a few of them here.
One theory is that Xbox console sales are low, according to this, Xbox is choosing to port their games to rival platforms because their console sales are low and they don’t have enough users to buy their games. But this fails when you take into account the fact that Xbox releases their games day on on Steam on PC, which has a user base that far exceeds the user base of PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
Another theory is that Xbox hopes to attract people to the Xbox ecosystem, according to this theory Xbox is trying to attract users into the Xbox ecosystem by showing them what they are missing by not buying in. For example, when Xbox puts Hi-Fi Rush on the Nintendo switch, this will lead more people to the Xbox when a potential Hi-Fi Rush 2 releases. But in reality this is more likely to create an expectation of the future sequels coming to rival consoles at a later date.
Another theory is that Xbox is leaving consoles behind after the failure of their consoles in the last generation and current generation, this is straightforward and is a likely scenario. Xbox could be laying the groundwork for exiting the console space and becoming a 3rd party publisher.
And lastly, Xbox could be trying to sell games on Xbox consoles and rival consoles at the same time. From a business sense this could make sense and not make sense at the same time, Xbox could sell more copies and make more money in the short term, but this would hamper the long-term growth of the core Xbox ecosystem. As PC is likely already cannibalizing Xbox console sales, this could end up permanently putting the Xbox consoles out of business.
What are the lines?
Where does this stop, does Xbox stop at Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment? Or do they port more games? If they need to port Hi-Fi Rush to boost its sales, and make more money, why don’t they apply the same logic to Halo Infinite and Starfield. This creates a lot of uncertainty around Xbox and uncertainty is not helpful when you are trying to grow a business.
The Xbox fanbase
The Xbox fanbase has stuck with Xbox through thick and thin, many stuck with them through the Xbox One era, Xbox fans stuck with them through the drought in 2022 when there were no major games and through the catastrophic launch of Redfall in 2023.
After Microsoft acquired Bethesda, Xbox boss Phil Spencer specifically said that the Bethesda acquisition was done to bring exclusive games to Xbox customers on platforms with Game Pass. This would mean that Xbox would be failing to keep that promise. Phil Spencer Said:
So obviously I can sit here and say every Bethesda game is exclusive, we know that’s not true there’s contractual obligations that we are going to see through, we have games that exist on other platforms and we’re going to go and support those games on the platforms they’re on. There’s communities of players – we love those communities and will continue to invest in them – and even in the future there might be…either contractual things or legacy on different platforms that we’ll go do.
But if you’re an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is this is about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists. And that’s our goal, that’s why we’re doing this, that’s the root of this partnership that we’re building – and the creative capability we’ll be able to bring to market for Xbox customers is going to be the best it’s ever been for Xbox after we’re done here.
And with rumors like this, it paints a picture of Xbox not caring about their core fanbase who have invested in their platform, and right now many Xbox fans are questioning why they are even here in the first place.
In the TV Streaming Industry platforms like Netflix, Prime and Disney + all have exclusive content, Xbox must have exclusive content if it is to grow and thrive in the console market or it risks diluting it’s identity.
Conclusion
You will be hard pressed to find an Xbox fan who hates Nintendo or does not want them to get Xbox games, but Xbox and Phil Spencer set expectations at the start of this generation, and this will be going back on their word if it turns out to be true.
There is a possibility that the rumors are true, and there is no smoke without fire, but these rumors might end up being fake and these past few days would have been all for nothing. But ultimately, Xbox needs to come out and tell its fanbase what is happening, so that they can make informed decisions.
Xbox is growing in the PC space and has expanded in the mobile space with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but actions like this (if true) could end up destroying Xbox consoles altogether, there might be extra console revenue on Nintendo and PlayStation, but that would come at the cost of losing more ground in the console space. Xbox must fully commit to being a console manufacturer or being a console 3rd party console publisher.