Microsoft Considers Using Game Streaming for Game Previews

Microsoft is considering using its game streaming technique to give players a taste of games still in development. Developers could also use that as a revenue model, says Xbox CEO Phil Spencer.

Microsoft already has Xbox Game Preview, which is a section in the Xbox console download store where players can purchase games that are still in development. This is similar to Steam’s Early Access principle. Now those games still have to be downloaded and installed, streaming them would not be necessary.

“If we can stream games to any device, we can look at how we can create more such early access experiences, even as a revenue model for creators,” Spencer said in an interview with The Guardian.

The interview also includes Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios. He states that more and more games are getting options for players to add things to the game. Forza Horizon 5, for example, gets new opportunities to create challenges and obstacle courses. “I think in the future people expect to be able to do more with scripting and mods,” he says. He also points out that the Bethesda games, which are now part of Xbox, have a long history of mods.

When asked whether Microsoft will acquire a studio in India, Africa or South America to develop games for a wider market, Spencer said he would be surprised if it didn’t. He expects several major studios to emerge in the “non-traditional” regions of game development in the next three to five years.

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