Xbox chiefs assure players "hardware is a critical component" of the business amid speculation that Microsoft could stop making consoles
Well, Xbox most definitely isn't exiting the console business any time soon, with today's business update absolutely squashing any speculation that Xbox Series X would be Microsoft's final gaming console.
Not only did Xbox president Sarah Bond tease the company's next-generation machine and promise "the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation" but Xbox boss Phil Spencer assured hardware remains key to the company's business strategy.
"It's all about putting Xbox in the best position, and our hardware is a critical component of that. The absolute best experience that someone has on Xbox is on hardware that your team builds and that people play on," Spencer said, gesturing toward Bond.
Spencer said this while also admitting people will continue playing Xbox games on other platforms. "That's not going to be everybody," he added. "We've fully accepted that we're going to have Xbox players on all kinds of devices."
Theories that Microsoft could stop making consoles were sparked when reports surfaced claiming several Xbox games, including Starfield and Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, would be coming to PlayStation consoles. Spencer indeed revealed on Thursday that four Xbox games are coming to other consoles, but he definitively ruled out Starfield and Indiana Jones. Those games will remain certified Xbox exclusives for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, you can expect even more PlayStation games to come to PC after Sony revealed its plans to "proactively" work on multiplatform releases as part of an "aggressive" growth plan.
For everything on the way to Microsoft's current-gen gaming machine, check out our guide to upcoming Xbox Series X games.
