What the Future of Gaming Means for Developers

For those of us in the games industry, we've always understood the incredible power of gaming. Over the past few months we've seen gaming become a part of our social fabric in ways we could never have imagined. It's clear, now more than ever,​​ the crucial role gaming can play in our lives.

​Today we announced we are bringing Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud together at no additional cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members – unleashing the power of gaming by making it more accessible than ever before. This September, in supported countries/regions, gamers will be able to play more than 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on their phones or tablets, from the cloud, as a part of their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. This is one of many creator focused breakthrough innovations we will unveil, and a product of our multibillion-dollar investment in gaming tools and technology that benefit both players and developers.

As the Head of Gaming Ecosystem at Microsoft, my team is focused on empowering game creators to conceive, build, launch, and manage games – using any and all of Microsoft's software and services, from Azure to Xbox  – to reach any player and every device. When we created Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud, our goal was to put the amazing titles from game creators all over the world into the hands of more players across more devices. We see a future where players can play console-quality games on any of their devices.  

As an industry, we are moving from a world of device-centricity to a place where players, their friends, and their content becomes the center focus.  This shift creates incredible challenge and opportunity for game makers. As players increasingly demand that their gaming experience span devices, creators must have the platform, tools, and services to deliver that experience. The days of having to manage a multitude of builds, game instances and communities across device types and brands will be relegated to the past – unlocking access to more players, opening up revenue opportunities, and expanding gaming communities.

Our commitment has always been to listen carefully to what players and game creators want from the future of gaming. And, as Microsoft and Xbox's Gaming Ecosystem team, we are on a mission to empower game creators to realize their dreams – by building the platform, tools and services that help make that future a reality. Today's announcement is another step towards that promise, creating a path for console developers to reach millions of new players globally, on mobile. 

Over the next few months, we will continue to share updates and information on our journey with Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud. Next Thursday, July 23rd, please join us for the Xbox Games Showcase and at 10:00am PT on August 3rd, we'll share more updates on game development at Microsoft through Game Stack Live. 

You can read more about today's announcement, plus the commitments Team Xbox is making to all gamers, on our Xbox Wire blog post​.