Xbox Head Phil Spencer Sees More Story-Driven Games in the Future

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he believes story-driven games that take risks will still play an important role in the future, despite the rise in online-based service titles.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Spencer confirmed that narrative single-player games will still have a place in the gaming industry. According to the executive, these types of experiences can provide value to services such as Xbox Game Pass.

“I think we’re probably building more of those now than we’ve been in the history of Xbox,” said Spencer. “Platform holders, whether that platform is subscription or a hardware device or a store, are actively investing in new and probably more risky things, because, if it works, we get value out of bringing players into the ecosystem.”

In the same article, Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty agreed with Spencer, saying that Microsoft doesn’t “have any direction or mandate that says every game has to be an ongoing, sustained game.”

Microsoft has heavily invested in acquiring new developers over the last few years, with many of those studios having a focus on singleplayer games that focus on telling an in-depth story. This includes the likes of Obsidian, Double Fine, and most of the developers included under the Bethesda umbrella.