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Xbox And Nintendo Collaborations Not 'Sustainable', According To Xbox Head
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, doesn't think that future collaborations with Nintendo are "sustainable." The two companies have enjoyed a surprisingly friendly relationship in recent months. Microsoft has ported a few of its own titles, like Cuphead and the Ori games, to the Switch. Fans of Nintendo's blockbuster fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have also seen Microsoft characters Banjo & Kazooie join the roster, as well as Minecraft's Steve earlier this week. His addition was especially exciting for Minecraft fans, despite the technical issues his unique crafting mechanic brings to certain stages.
Nintendo is certainly not the only video game company Microsoft has been fraternizing with. Last month the video game community was rocked by the news that Microsoft bought out ZeniMax Media for a cool $7.5 billion, bringing with it big names like Bethesda, id Software, and Arkane. This has filled out Microsoft's game library with iconic franchises like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom. The company's upcoming console, the Xbox Series X, will surely profit from this sale in a big way.
But a major buyout of a developer company is much different from an occasional collaboration with a rival console producer. In a recent interview with Kotaku, Phil Spencer touched on his company's relationship with Nintendo, among many other things. Spencer did mention that his company has had an excellent relationship with Nintendo, and that conversations and negotiations between the two studios have been very easy and pleasant. However, he did affirm that future Xbox games coming to the Nintendo Switch "doesn't feel sustainable." He claims that in order to truly support Xbox games on Switch, he would prefer a full ecosystem, in the vein of Xbox Game Pass.
This stance is in keeping with a statement from Xbox last year, when the company announced that it had no plans to put more Xbox games on non-Xbox consoles. When Ori and the Will of the Wisps came out on Switch earlier this year, some took that as a sign that Xbox had gone back on that announcement. This interview does seem to dash those hopes quite efficiently. Spencer claimed that the Ori rerelease was a simple case of fulfilling the wishes of the developer; even though Microsoft published the game, it doesn't own it. That one anomaly is not an indication of future Microsoft games on the Switch.
This is definitely a shame for Nintendo fans. Owning multiple video game consoles is a very expensive proposition, and Xbox games finding their way to Switch has been a great way to broaden player bases for some of Microsoft's best products. It's understandable that Microsoft would want to focus on exclusives to boost sales of the Xbox Series X, and according to analysts, that might pay dividends. But a lot of Switch owners will definitely be bereft if they can't afford an Xbox Series X.
