Well, today Microsoft took the next big symbolic step, announcing the Xbox Everywhere initiative. While Microsoft doesn’t spell it out 100 percent clearly, the goal here is to decouple Xbox Cloud Gaming from Game Pass and get it on as many devices as possible. As a first step, Fortnite is now playable via the cloud without the need for a Game Pass subscription. Microsoft promises this is “just the beginning” of their free-to-play offerings. Meanwhile, Microsoft insider Tom Warren has chimed in with more details about what Xbox Everywhere might entail. According to Warren, Microsoft’s goal is to let you play your entire library of games via the cloud if you so desire. They also plan to release a streaming box (or puck) and apps to make accessing cloud gaming easier…
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) May 5, 2022
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) May 5, 2022 Of course, take Warren’s comments with a grain of salt for now, but it all sounds plausible enough. Given the ongoing chip and hardware shortages, Xbox becoming primarily a cloud-based platform makes a certain amount of sense. This is something a lot of players in the industry are eyeing, and whoever does it first gets a big advantage. What do you think about our potential cloud-based future? Is Xbox Everywhere ahead of the curve, or is Microsoft barking up the wrong tree?