Like other game consoles, Microsoft offers just one store, its own, where you can purchase its games and other content on its Xbox Series S and X hardware. However, it seems like the head of Microsoft's gaming division would like that to change.
In a new interview at Polygon, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was asked if, in the future, we could possibly see third-party digital game stores, with the Epic Games Store and Itch.io specifically mentioned, become available on Xbox consoles. Spencer replied in the affirmative and added:
[Consider] our history as the Windows company. Nobody would blink twice if I said, ‘Hey, when you’re using a PC, you get to decide the type of experience you have [by picking where to buy games]. There’s real value in that.
The idea of expanding Xbox consoles to accept other digital game stores is part of trying to also expand Xbox hardware and services to more players. In an earlier interview with Polygon, Spencer stated that the biggest issue facing the entire game industry is the current lack of player growth. Opening the Xbox hardware to accept other stores could draw in more PC players who are used to having the freedom to pick and choose where they get their games and other content.
Of course, the biggest PC digital game store remains Valve's Steam service. Valve has been trying to expand the reach of its store on its own with its own Steam Deck portable gaming PC. It would be a huge shock to see the Steam service become available on an Xbox console, but it's not impossible. The same goes for adding the Epic Games Store, GoG.com, and the indie-themed Itch.io site to Microsoft's consoles.
Ultimately, it seems Spencer is willing to at least think outside the box in order to get more people to play games, buy hardware, and use gaming services from Microsoft. We will have to see what directions he's willing to take to make that happen.
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