Microsoft’s Phil Spencer wants players to have more options beyond the first-party stores tied to consoles.
Spencer has always seemed keen on creating a more open and accessible digital environment for players and has often discussed reducing platform fragmentation and providing customers with more options and control over where they play or purchase their games.
Speaking with Polygon at GDC 2024, Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming discussed the idea of providing Xbox users with additional ways to purchase titles by adding third-party stores such as the Epic Games Store, Itch.io, or GOG to the console instead of forcing users to buy from the official Xbox storefront.