Xbox might soon get Epic and Steam stores, CEO Phil Spencer advocates a less restrictive ecosystem

Amidst reports of trouble mounting for Xbox, with retailers cutting back the stock and publishers choosing other platforms, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has an idea that could aid Xbox in reclaiming the lost glory.

In an interview with Polygon during the GDC (Game Developers Conference), Spencer talked about a less restrictive Xbox ecosystem where you can get games from different stores, unlike the present situation where you are restricted to one.

When asked if Itch.io and Epic Games Store could make it to Xbox, Spencer said,

Yes, [Consider] our history as the Windows company. Nobody would blink twice if I said, ‘Hey, when you’re using a PC, you get to decide the type of experience you have [by picking where to buy games]. There’s real value in that.

He believes players on Xbox should have the same experience. Basically, more freedom when it comes to picking up games, which benefits both the players and the console maker. Spencer went on to add,

If I want to play on a gaming PC, then I feel like I’m more a continuous part of a gaming ecosystem as a whole. As opposed to [on console], my gaming is kind of sharded — to use a gaming term — based on these different closed ecosystems that I have to play across.

Xbox isn’t the only console that limits your options. PlayStation and Nintendo do the same thing. So, if Xbox could make this multi-store thing a reality, the sales gap between Xbox and PlayStation consoles might narrow down.

And if we are talking about Epic Games and Itch.io, why not Steam? It has one of the biggest game collections and is compatible with most platforms. It would be our first choice for Xbox!

Besides, Microsoft is already working on releasing Xbox-exclusive titles on PlayStation and Switch, with Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush being the first on the list to go cross-platform.

So, introducing game stores and opening up the Xbox ecosystem doesn’t seem like a distant reality. It could happen sooner than we expect!

Would you want Xbox to get Epic Games, Itch.io, and Steam? Share your thoughts with our readers in the comments section.