Microsoft Xbox head talks about Steam, Windows Store, UWP and the future of PC gaming

Xbox head, Phil Spencer spoke to Giant Bomb about the future of the console, gaming on Windows and the role that steam plays on Windows.

Speaking admiringly of Steam, Spencer said that Steam has seen incredible growth and that he foresees the growth of the platform even 5 years hence (duh, this is Steam we’re talking about).

When asked about publishing games on Steam however, Spencer says that he doesn’t see Steam being hurt by the lack of Microsoft’s recent games, which is certainly true, but he also said that eventually, we’d see some more Microsoft games ending up on the Steam.

He was also asked about the Windows Store and UWP. On the former, he said that it was a “learning experience.” Games like Forza Motorsport 6: Apex and Killer Instinct did well, but Quantum Break was a disaster. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition did OK for itself, said Spencer.

Considering that Forza Motorsport and Killer Instinct are free, and the fact that they were both much less buggy than Quantum Break, this was to be expected. Quantum Break was horrible on Windows 10. It was already buggy from the start, but UWP restrictions ruined the experience even further.

Tim Sweeney of Epic Games was very vocal on his disregard and strong dislike for UWP, but Spencer says they’re good friends and that they “frequently discuss” issues such as UWP.

Oh, and the Xbox Scorpio actually exists in some shape and form, for Spencer claimed to have demoed it to the higher-ups at Valve. Did Gaben’s lip curl in disdain? We don’t know yet.