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Xbox boss believes console players would benefit from more options to purchase games
Xbox head Phil Spencer has said that he wants to see more digital retailers on the console, such as the Epic Games Store and Itch.io.
When asked by Polygon if he could see these storefronts on the platform at some point in the future, Spencer said he believed console players would benefit from more options.
“[Consider] our history as the Windows company,” said Spencer. “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.”
Spencer also noted that the console market isn’t growing, and that expanding storefront options may help motivate players to continue using them.
“[Subsiding hardware] becomes more challenging in today’s world,” he added. “And I will say, and this may seem too altruistic, I don’t know that it’s growing the industry.
“So I think, what are the barriers? What are the things that create friction in today’s world for creators and players? And how can we be part of opening up that model?”
Microsoft previously announced plans to build a new games mobile app store in October 2022.
Last December, Spencer revealed that Xbox was working with unknown partners on the project.
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