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Game Pass not coming to PlayStation or Switch, says Phil Spencer

Xbox head also reveals that Microsoft spends $1 billion a year on the subscription service

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has clarified Game Pass will not be coming to PlayStation or Nintendo Switch.

Speaking to Windows Central, Spencer said bringing its subscription service to its competitors was "not in [its] plans."

This was in response to a comment recently made by Xbox CFO Tim Stuart, who said the company's mission is to bring "its subscription services to every screen that can play games" including PlayStation and Nintendo, as reported by GameSpot.

Spencer instead highlighted that Xbox was focused on continuing to innovate its hardware and subscription services.

"Game Pass was one of the things that over the last five years we built, and we continue to grow, it's on PC, it's on cloud," he explained. "It's an important part of the Xbox console identity. And I think it will continue to be that."

Spencer previously spoke of his ambition to bring Game Pass to "every device", including PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.

When discussing Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Spencer mentioned that Xbox spends over $1 billion a year supporting Game Pass.

"We have a service that is financially viable, meaning it makes money, in Game Pass," he said. "We've put a lot of money into the market, over $1 billion supporting third-party games coming into Game Pass."

In his latest column, GamesIndustry.biz contributing editor Rob Fahey explored why bringing Xbox Games Pass to rival consoles is a "near-impossibility."

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Sophie McEvoy avatar
Sophie McEvoy: Sophie McEvoy is a Staff Writer at GamesIndustry.biz. She is based in Hampshire and has been a gaming & entertainment journalist since 2018.
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