In addition to its Xbox games and platforms, Microsoft is banking heavily on its services, one of which seems destined to experience notable developments in the coming years.
We know that services are very important for Microsoft, like Xbox Game Pass. Well according to very serious sources, the tech giant would like to go even further. Particularly on the side of its Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Something heavy in preparation at Microsoft?
Services hold a central place in Microsoft’s strategy, and Xbox Game Pass is a perfect example. According to reliable sources, the company is planning to further develop its Xbox Cloud Gaming. In fact, the firm is reportedly planning to allow streaming of PC games via the cloud, as internal emails revealed during the FTC trial against Microsoft. To date, the service is limited to Xbox games, a constraint linked to the use of Xbox Series X-specific chips in the servers. However, the company is reportedly actively working to leverage its Azure servers to expand this service to PC gaming.
Exchanges dating from July 2021 between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and executives responsible for the gaming sector indicate discussions around Google Stadia offers, considering a similar approach for Game Pass PC. In this exchange, Phil Spencer, in charge of Xbox, confirmed the design of an Azure solution intended for streaming native PC games from the cloud. This seems to be a promising initiative in terms of cost reduction for Microsoft.
A beautiful project
In these discussions, Kareem Choudhry, head of cloud gaming at Microsoft, mentions that his team is engaged in the development of a special Azure offering, meeting customer expectations and serving as support for the xCloud PC platform. Although some details are redacted in court documents, it is evident that this project was already underway as early as July 2021.
However, recent reports reveal a slowdown in Xbox Cloud Gaming development over the past year. Despite Microsoft’s previous commitments, the integration of the existing games library did not see the light of day at the end of 2022, and the idea of a subscription version of the service was abandoned… We can therefore ask ourselves some questions questions.
More recently, other signs have emerged pointing to the upcoming introduction of PC games to Xbox Cloud Gaming. A ten-year partnership has notably been established with the British operator EE to offer Xbox PC games to its customers… This suggests that Microsoft is about to deploy this type of service in the near future. But when ?
It is certain that the possibility of streaming PC games could clearly be a game-changer. It’s easy to imagine the countless number of new features that could join the catalog each month, thus making it possible to forget the inconvenience caused by Google Stadia and to satisfy those who, in search of a service of this type, found themselves orphaned .