Microsoft’s E3 is pretty much the company announcing that their games division will be building upon the Microsoft ecosystem as a whole rather than focusing solely on the console market. With numerous titles being announced as Xbox One and Windows 10 compatible, many on the PC side was wondering if wanting to own a Microsoft game would require them to rely on the Windows Store. Well, Phil Spencer has answer that question and it seems that Steam may be an option as well.
Speaking at Giant Bomb’s E3 stream, the head of the Xbox team at Microsoft has stated some Microsoft titles will be making their way to Steam as well. While Microsoft has yet to name specific titles that will be coming to Steam, Spencer promises that Microsoft “will ship games on Steam again.”
It’s not exactly clear as to how Microsoft selling its own titles on Steam would affect the whole ‘Play Anywhere’ system that the Xbox One and Windows 10 has. When you purchase a game off the Windows Store, it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine that the game will also be registered as bought on the Xbox Live Store. Should the game be purchased on Steam, a client that isn’t integrated into Microsoft’s ecosystem, we imagine that an additional step must be added so you can own the game on either the Windows Store or Xbox Live as well.
Whatever the case, Microsoft’s decision to sell titles on Steam would come as a great relief to those who have suffered through Microsoft’s attempt at empowering PC gaming through the abomination known as Games For Windows Live.
Source: Ars Technica, Gamespot
