Remember when everyone was talking about Xbox Game Pass on Nintendo Switch, and how an official announcement was surely forthcoming any time? But it didn’t happen, and since then, we have waited and wondered. Xbox boss Phil Spencer finally has said something about the matter, so we at last have an update on the possibility.
What Phil Spencer Had to Say About Xbox Game Pass on Nintendo Switch
While speaking with Giant Bomb, Phil Spencer commented at length about the idea of bringing Xbox Game Pass to Nintendo Switch. He said, “I love the role that Nintendo plays in the industry. I love the fact that Minecraft Dungeons was announced there and we have really good relationships with them, and obviously Banjo in Smash. But that platform is different enough from an Xbox platform that it’s not trivial for us just to say, ‘Okay, all those games would run there’. So then you’re like, ‘Okay, are we gonna stream the games to there?’”
So he then goes on to explain that right now for Microsoft, the priority is to “focus on an Android platform.” Obviously, from a technical perspective, that does make sense, just as bringing it to PC made sense. It would be an easier platform to work with than the Switch. So while he does think that “Switch is a really cool platform for that [gaming on the go]. It’s just that in the near-term, it’s kind of hard for us to prioritize different than we are today.”
So what does all of this amount to? Basically, the issues right now are practical in nature. It seems clear from Spencer’s comments that Microsoft’s attitude toward the idea of bringing Xbox Game Pass to Switch is incredibly positive. They just don’t have the resources to tackle the technical aspects of the project right now.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t sometime in the future. We just need to keep in mind that sometime could be some time off. Holding our breaths is a bad idea, because clearly this isn’t really on Microsoft’s near-term radar.
Looking for more news, updates and rumors on Xbox and Nintendo? Check in with us regularly, because we are always bringing you fresh information. While you are at it, be sure and check out the recently-posted Xbox Game Pass pricing and games list, which was revealed the other week.