New reports have suggested that XBOX could be looking to move away from Steam and stop releasing XBOX games on the store, but this has been mooted already, with new details on XBOX’s ‘doubling down on PC gaming.’
The last 12 months for XBOX have been about as eventful as the 12 years before them!
With Game Pass prices going up and down, Asha Sharma becoming the new CEO, and console prices going up, it’s hard to keep track of what Microsoft’s focal gaming company is up to. However, a recent rumor suggested that XBOX was looking to distance itself from Steam, but this doesn’t appear to be true.
XBOX and Steam to Continue Partnership
According to an August 3 report by Jez Corden for Windows Central, the possible dissolution of the XBOX and Steam partnership is a false narrative that has been overblown by outlets.
Corden said:
‘Something I said on our Xbox Two Podcast this weekend was taken a little bit out of context by some news aggregates, and it led to rumors that Microsoft was exploring quitting Steam. They are absolutely not exploring that (right now), but there is good reason to think Microsoft is evaluating how it engages with Windows gaming all up.’
The ‘right now’ part is interesting, as it opens the door to this narrative being revisited in the future. For now, XBOX games are still launching on the Steam storefront.
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Corden also explained that PC gaming is still a huge part of the company’s DNA, and how ‘Xbox is still investing a ton in improving the Xbox PC app.’
Furthermore, Corden explained about internal plans to expand Battle.net:
‘I’ve received information from multiple trusted sources that Microsoft and Blizzard have been planning to open Battle.net up to third-party developers. It’s unclear if that’s still the plan under new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, but so far, I’m not yet seeing evidence that the plans here were canceled.’
So, if you’re worried about not being able to buy games on XBOX, then you needn’t worry…for now.
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It does mean you can buy Gears of War: E-Day on Steam, and here’s the latest gameplay trailer.
What does the future look like for XBOX? Share your thoughts in the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.
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Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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