Microsoft unexpectedly announced plans to release more games through Steam. Even Gears 5 is set to appear on Valve’s platform. What does this mean?
What was announced? Microsoft’s Phil Spencer stated that they want to give players the choice of where to purchase their games. This means that Microsoft will initially offer 20 Xbox Game Studios titles through Steam.
Microsoft opens up to other platforms
Which games does Microsoft want to release through Steam? Phil Spencer mentioned Age of Empires 1-3 Definitive Editions and Gears 5 (Gears of War 5) as the first titles to be offered on Valve’s platform. It is also quite possible that we will see titles like Sea of Thieves or Forza Horizon on Steam.
While this wasn’t explicitly stated, Phil Spencer hinted at it. He aims to focus heavily on crossplay in the future, allowing players on different platforms to interact with one another. This would be very suitable for Forza Horizon or Sea of Thieves.
Why is this special? Microsoft has hardly released games through Steam before, to support its own Microsoft Store. The fact that the company is now placing more emphasis on Steam is somewhat unusual.
What is the problem? Microsoft will need to offer the games in multiple formats in the future. The titles are available as Universal Windows Apps (UWA) through the Microsoft Store. However, for Steam, Win32 files are required. This means that Microsoft must now also offer the games in Win32 format.
A broader audience is to be reached
What does Microsoft want to achieve with this? The Microsoft Store is not well-received by players. It has faced criticism for years. Microsoft is aware of the issue.
To reach more players, the company now wants to broaden its approach. Steam is one of the largest gaming platforms with a vast number of players. Offering titles there greatly expands the customer base.
This has already been seen in that Microsoft will also offer Xbox Live for Android, iOS, and Switch.
Furthermore, Microsoft has certainly noticed the discussions surrounding exclusivity deals with the Epic Games Store and wants to avoid similar situations for its own titles in the future.
UWAs, however, only support DirectX 11.1 and 12, which is why older games cannot be found in the Windows Store. This means, however, that these titles can now be offered through Steam.
What do the players think? Players are already excited to see more Microsoft games on Steam, especially older titles like Freelancer or Rise of Nations.
Some find it particularly interesting that Microsoft titles could also run on Linux. Many titles are playable on Linux via Steam’s Proton interface.
When will we learn more? According to Phil Spencer, Microsoft intends to reveal more about this at E3.
It is also interesting that Microsoft wants to bring Xbox Game Pass to PC:
It is also interesting that Microsoft wants to bring Xbox Game Pass to PC:
