WARNING!!! Take this one with a whole shaker of salt.
This afternoon, a redditor posted information they claim to have gotten from industry contacts regarding the upcoming ability to play Xbox games you own outright in the cloud. The post was made to r/GamingLeaksAndRumours. Note, even if we were to believe the post is genuine, we don’t know who the industry source is, how well-connected they are or how timely the information might be. So, this is rumor quality at best.
Next, before we share the post, it is also important to note that we already know that this Xcloud capability is expected to arrive sometime this year. Phil Spencer just recently reiterated that. We also know that complex and convoluted licensing agreements do tend to be in play when it comes to cloud gaming. These limit game availability on GeForce NOW, PlayStation Cloud, Luna and, of course, Xbox.
So… we will say that a lot of what is stated below seems plausible at least.
Here is the full post:
You can take this with a grain of salt, if you wish. I used to be a gaming journalist 10 years ago, and I have retained some contacts since then. Every so often, they feed me a piece of information, but I am often behind the pack as other leakers are there first. This is the first piece I get to say first. Unfortunately, I don’t have a rep as a leaker, so take it or leave it. I can tell you that I ‘leaked’ FF14 coming to the Xbox (and the exact date) on a prominent FF14 website, though.
In July 2024 (after their showcase in June), Microsoft will allow you to start streaming your own games via xCloud, with some publisher exceptions:
- Activision-Blizzard
- EA (some games)
- CD:PR
- Square Enix will let you stream FF14, but no other game at the moment. This is despite cloud streaming versions of their games existing due to Game Pass.
Publishers have been (or will be) given the option to opt in or out of the service. Most publishers, from what I am told, are happy with the terms Microsoft has given them (I do not have access to those terms).
Microsoft are still negotiating cloud streaming rights with Ubisoft for Activision-Blizzard. Ubisoft want more cash for Activision-Blizzard games to stream. Microsoft, so far, has said no.
All streaming will require an Xbox GP Ultimate account.
Microsoft is looking to work with major publishers on ‘exclusivity’ deals, with the hope that they will be the only ones to offer the games via cloud streaming and digital ownership. The idea is that it pulls people away from other platforms to enter the Xbox ecosystem e.g. Microsoft have made an offer for Persona 6 to be a console exclusive, with cloud streaming available for owned versions. This offer has currently been turned down, but Microsoft do have other potential exclusive deals in the pipeline.
Obviously, physically owned games won’t work. It would have done if Microsoft had their way at the launch of the Xbox One, though. That was when digital licensing was tied to physical ownership (and you could transfer digital licenses).
As mentioned above, nothing in here is particularly surprising. If the feature lands in July, we’ll certainly be pleased.
The fact that Diablo IV hasn’t yet reached Xbox Cloud Gaming is a strong sign that Xbox and Ubisoft do still need to hash out an arrangement for Activision games on Xcloud. It would be unfortunate if Xbox can’t put their own games on their own cloud service. It would also be downright silly if Ubisoft+ get Activision titles – but only via the cloud and not via Ubisoft Connect on PC. Let’s hope this all gets worked out if it hasn’t already.
