XBOX Play Anywhere Could Become a Next-Gen Strategy

XBOX Play Anywhere is becoming a larger part of the XBOX ecosystem as more games support the feature across consoles, PC, handhelds, and cloud gaming. Developers are increasingly adding Play Anywhere support to existing and upcoming titles, while Microsoft is also changing how it brings games to the XBOX platform.

This strategy could become a key part of the next generation as gaming moves across more devices. XBOX has a strategy that is growing faster than Game Pass, and PlayStation is completely ignoring it. This is the XBOX Play Anywhere strategy, which could become a major part of the competition.

XBOX Play Anywhere Is Expanding Across Devices

The next generation doesn’t care about a plastic box on the TV the way it once did. Over 70% of players prioritize PC or on-the-go gaming. While competition tries to keep players on a single living room license, XBOX Play Anywhere turns every device you own into an XBOX at no extra cost.

This isn’t just a feature. It is a strategy that could help XBOX build its ecosystem before the next generation even starts. It is growing fast enough that developers are now actively patching older titles with Play Anywhere support. According to insiders such as Jess Corden, this is a major technical undertaking, but developers are doing it anyway.

We can see this with The Witcher 3 Remastered, which will become a full XBOX Play Anywhere title. Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have also received Play Anywhere support. Basically, developers can sell around 20% fewer copies on XBOX and still make the same amount of money.

Why Developers Are Adding Play Anywhere Support

Why are developers doing this? It basically comes down to two things. Let’s assume the game is $70. If CD Projekt Red ends up selling only 800,000 copies on XBOX because Microsoft takes only a 12% cut, that would give them roughly the same revenue as selling 1 million copies on PlayStation and Steam, where the platform takes 30%.

And it’s not just the 12% cut. Microsoft is also making it easier for developers to actually get their games onto XBOX. At GDC this year, Microsoft showed that XBOX onboarding has gone from taking months to 30 days, to now roughly 30 minutes. Basically, Microsoft is making XBOX cheaper to sell on and easier to develop for.

That gives developers an incentive to go back and make their games Play Anywhere titles. That’s why so many new AAA games are expected to become XBOX Play Anywhere titles over the next 6 months. The list continues to grow, and more additions could come as we move toward The Game Awards and the XBOX 25th anniversary.

Ashish Sharma also announced the XBOX disk-to-digital program at Gamescom. If you own a game on disk and it's an XBOX Play Anywhere title, you can get a digital license through this program and play it anywhere across the XBOX ecosystem. That includes an ROG XBOX Ally X, PC, console, or even cloud gaming when traveling.

Play Anywhere, along with other things that XBOX is doing, could become one of the cornerstones.

XBOX community has embraced Play Anywhere. When the XBOX Play Anywhere tag appears, it can make the game an immediate buy because the purchase works across the XBOX ecosystem. The feature has become a reason for some players to choose XBOX, while also giving them the option to play on different devices.

We could see a surge of AAA games becoming Play Anywhere titles over the coming 2 years as we move toward XBOX Project Helix. This month alone, Onimusha, Blood of the Dawn Walker, Control Resonance (which has a marketing deal with PlayStation for 1-day exclusivity), Dune Awakening, and The Witcher 3 are included.

As we move toward October, End of Abyss could also become a Play Anywhere game. The list continues with Valor Mortis, Metro: 2039 Exodus, Stranger Than Heaven, Persona 6, and Zoopunk. And that’s only the AAA games. Many double-A and indie games are also becoming Play Anywhere titles. The discounts available on these titles also add value to the ecosystem.