Because of conflicting ideologies, we can safely rule out the Xbox Game Pass coming to the PlayStation. What is possible though, is for Microsoft to team up with Nintendo to make Xbox Game Pass available on the Nintendo Switch. Believe it or not, we have reported on this before. Back in April, we published an article when Xbox head, Phil Spencer, uploaded a photo of himself where you can make out a Nintendo Switch in the background. Since then, talks of a partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo have simmered down, but it hasn’t stopped audiences from wondering if it would be possible. Unfortunately, it appears that Microsoft has no intention of bringing the Xbox Game Pass to the Nintendo Switch and, by extension, the PlayStation 4 and 5 as well.
Why isn’t Microsoft interested in bringing the Xbox Game Pass to its competition?
If Sony and Nintendo are open to the possibility, Microsoft has every reason to explore it. However, as revealed by Phil Spencer, this isn’t Microsoft’s priority right now. Microsoft considers the Nintendo Switch as a closed platform. Although it wasn’t specifically mentioned in the interview, we can assume that this reasoning applies to the PlayStation consoles too. Right now, Microsoft wants to focus its efforts on bringing the Xbox Game Pass to the iOS and Android platforms, as well as the PC, which it considers as open platforms. If it’s any consolation, it’s not like there’s no way to access the Xbox Game Pass on the go. In addition to xCloud for iOS and Android devices, Xbox Game Pass will be available on the Steam Deck. Even if Valve’s handheld gaming console isn’t available yet and is hard to even order, we have reason to believe that Xbox Game Pass subscribers will skyrocket even further as soon as the Steam Deck launches in late 2021. If the numbers are high enough, Nintendo might just have no choice but to try and convince Microsoft to make the Xbox Game Pass available on its portable console to help drive up sales.
