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Phil Spencer: Why Scalebound, Crackdown 3 and Quantum Break won't be launching on PC

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http://www.pcgamer.com/why-scalebound-crackdown-3-and-quantum-break-arent-coming-to-pc/

Microsoft showed Crackdown 3, Scalebound and Quantum Break at the Xbox conference this week. If Microsoft are planning to make Windows 10 part of the Xbox ecosystem, why not bring those games to PC? We put the question to head of Microsoft's Xbox division, Phil Spencer.

"In the case of things like Scalebound or Crackdown or Quantum Break, you know, just to be completely honest with you, we started those games before we really looked at expanding into Windows in the way that I wanted to bring as part of becoming head of Xbox.

"Going to those teams mid-cycle and saying: ‘Hey, by the way, I want to add a platform,’ didn’t really feel like necessarily the best way to end up with the best result for the game. They had a path that they were on. It’s not to say those games could never come to Windows, but right now we’re on the path to finish the great games that they’ve started, and I want that to be the case. These games are on a path, whereas with, like, Halo Wars 2 I had the opportunity from the beginning, when we’re sitting down with the studio, to say, ‘Here’s the target. Here’s what we wanna go do.’

"Even with Gears, like the Gears 1 remake, we thought about framerate, we thought about multiplayer. The opportunity to bring it to Windows in a refreshed way felt like a great opportunity from the beginning. I’m trying to be more deliberate in the choices that we make."

It sounds like more Xbox games could appear on PC, but only if MS feels they suit the platform. Spencer also implied that we could see some series from Microsoft's past return "purely on PC".

"What I’d say is, my goal is to bring—to build—great PC games, and I think there’s some great PC games that can come from the things that we’ve done on console, but that’s not the only place that they would come from. And there might be some games in our console portfolio that don’t work on PC, and vice versa.

"I look at the franchises that we have on console and I think there are some franchises that can work really well on PC. I also think about some of the things in our past, as Microsoft, that we used to have on PC, and say, ‘Boy, wouldn’t it be great if we brought some of these games back purely on PC.’"

"So I’m stating it again, I’m kind of less in the broad sweep of, ‘Everything should be over here and over there,’ because I think in certain instances that might not be the right model, but I definitely want to build out our Windows games portfolio, and we’re making slow progress on that. But slow in a way that I think is good, because we’re being deliberate about the games that we’re deciding and make sure we have a real plan."
Click to expand...
 
Read: If all Xbox One games are also on PC...why buy an Xbox One? I said we'd support PC gaming more and we will, look at Windows 10. Please understand.
 
That's sad to hear since I'd like to play those games but the Xbox One desperately needs some true exclusives if it wants to be competitive
 
i still think the endgame here is 'there is no xbox, there is windows devices'

so we might see more and more, who knows. they are dipping their toes in the water. im interested to see where it goes.
 
Theres a difference between supporting PC and getting every xbone exclusive on PC.

They would be fucking stupid to lose all their exclusives, there would be no point in owning a xbone over a PC or PS4.
 
"And there might be some games in our console portfolio that don’t work on PC, and vice versa."

I would imagine this is the most important part. He wants to put things on PC that makes sense. Halo Wars 2 is obvious. I would also imagine him porting games to maximize profits or trying to expand the userbase.

And games returning "Purely PC". I would imagine Age of Empires and Rise of Nations will be there eventually. Microsoft didnt buy Rise of Nations for no reason, plus they have a new first party studio Decisive Games that is hiring for "Beloved Strategy Game"
 
Got half way through phils sentence and the starts with to be totally honest.....could smell the bullshit and bile rising, could not read or take anymore.

He should just smile or say we have nothing to announce at this time but stay tuned.....instead of the bullshit.
 
Same people mad he didn't want to squeeze in another platform 3/4s of the way through development will lose their minds at bad PC ports lmao
 
that's a lot of words for saying "Yet"

just says he doesn't want them working on it before the games are out since it wasn't planned from the start
 
There was a discussion here about this article a few days ago, but am I the only one satisfied with his message here? Looking at "purely PC" games is a way more preferable thing for Microsoft to do than port Xbox stuff over.
 
It’s not to say those games could never come to Windows, but right now we’re on the path to finish the great games that they’ve started, and I want that to be the case.
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Thread title is misleading, those games won't be coming to PC for now.

SparkTR said:
There was a discussion here about this article a few days ago, but am I the only one satisfied with his message here? Looking at "purely PC" games is a way more preferable thing for Microsoft to do than port Xbox stuff over.
Click to expand...

Yeah pretty sure this is old, couldn't find the other thread though.
 
Not seeing the reason for people to be so cynical. This strongly suggests that games slated late 2016 or 2017 onwards could come to PC as well. And that's better than no major PC titles at all.

I wonder if the Gears franchise would make it
 
Phil Spencer said:
"It’s not to say those games could never come to Windows"
Click to expand...
11555d1433637453-likely-story-yoda-yoda-sees-what-you-did.jpg
 
Ke0 said:
Read: If all Xbox One games are also on PC...why buy an Xbox One? I said we'd support PC gaming more and we will, look at Windows 10. Please understand.
Click to expand...

But do the Xbox and PC really compete with each other? They're somewhat separate markets.

Despite what MS said a few weeks back about Steam, I feel like Xbox games could be a great way for MS to get people using the Windows Store. And isn't the store what really matters anyway? How much revenue does the Xbox generate from hardware sales, as opposed to software royalties?
 
Ke0 said:
Read: If all Xbox One games are also on PC...why buy an Xbox One? I said we'd support PC gaming more and we will, look at Windows 10. Please understand.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, yeah. Until MS values the gaming aspects of Win10 to the same degree they value the Xbox brand's gaming, we aren't going to see the meaningful, important IP on PC. They currently don't, and I have serious doubts as to when they will.

I hope a day will come when MS sees fit to go fully into the PC space for gaming, using the Windows Store to distribute their IP, but that day is not now, and perhaps never will be. Prove my doubts wrong MS. Please.

Edit: I get too that the thread title is misleading, but I do think it most likely appropriately reads between the lines. That comment about "not never" feels very much like it's baiting people into that eternal spring of hope.
 
The title of the thread is misleading, it says they wont ask devs mid cycle to add a platform, not that they won't be coming to PC.

The only thing it can be taken from that is they wont be releasing at the same time for sure, as focus is on xbone versions.

Again, title totally misleading.
 
Honestly, what Phil is saying makes a lot of sense. They shouldn't add a platform in the middle of development.

Phil Spencer said:
I also think about some of the things in our past, as Microsoft, that we used to have on PC, and say, ‘Boy, wouldn’t it be great if we brought some of these games back purely on PC.
Click to expand...

Man, that's awesome. This is the news that should be emphasized.
 
LegendofDragoonLives said:
I'm 99% sure Scalebound will be on PC 1-2 years post X1 release. Unless it turns out to be a PG game that doesn't bomb sales wise.
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You say that as if Platinum's games have typically appeared on PC.

We didn't even get any of the games Sega published, and they're pretty much the shining star of Japanese PC support.
 
That's understandable, I'd be fine with getting all those games 1-2 years after their original releases. We just have to keep them on a system that doesn't have an expiration date.
 
Im positive we will see more and more games on both platforms from Microsoft. But this right here is just a case of "we need something exclusive to Xbox". Because you know damn well the PC crowd above all else would eat up a Platinum game!

The idea that certain games wouldn't "fit" on PC is an odd statement when you think about racing games and shooters. Forza would be perfect, but hey need to sell some Xbox's.
 
We need to update the list of false promises MS has made about PC support. We totally mean it this time, guys!
 
That's a lot of words to say "there's gotta be some reason to have an Xbone."

Scalebound, alone, is enough for me. I mean, really -- my Xbone is just sitting here, never having played a game. I need it.
 
I bet these games cost a lot to make. If they don't recoup their costs on XBO I think they'll look to Steam, and heck, even if they do. They'd just make so much more dough on Steam that it's hard to argue not to port them to your other platform (win10), even if it's just a year down the line.
 
viveks86 said:
Not seeing the reason for people to be so cynical. This strongly suggests that games slated late 2016 or 2017 onwards could come to PC as well. And that's better than no major PC titles at all.

I wonder if the Gears franchise would make it
Click to expand...
My thinking as well. Not really seeing where all the cynicism makes sense.

What he said actually makes sense to me in regards to those games. THey started as X1 developed games, focus on releasing there first then bring them over afterwards.

The other announced games are either F2P games or games that started dev a year ago(gears), and made sense to build in Windows 10 from day1 at that point.
 
Title is really misleading. The article suggests these games could come to PC in time, which is actually the whole point of the article; Phil is saying the games won't be coming to PC yet because they've been waist deep in development since before they began integrating Xbox games into Windows 10.
 
I wouldn't even have bought an Xbox One if they released their games simultaneously on PC. I would be using that extra money to upgrade my PC.

Just say it straight: Xbox One first, PC later.
 
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