Xbox’s strategy is evolving rapidly these days, shifting to becoming the biggest publisher of games across all platforms, and now reports are suggesting that they are looking into integrating Steam into their plans.
This slice of information comes from eXtas1s, a Spanish insider who frequently knows about all things Game Pass. Outside of Game Pass specifically, his track-record is a little spottier, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Or a spoonful. Perhaps a shovel might be the best option, actually.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, eXtas1s claims that Microsoft is internally testing adding Steam to the Windows store, with the future goal being to somehow integrate it with next-generation Xbox as well.
Note: the quotes here were translated from Spanish to English by taking the Youtube transcription and running it through chatgpt, which also attempted to turn it into more natural English rather than just a direct translation. As always, mistakes may have been made.
“Microsoft has officially added the Steam application to its device support software, under the name “Steam Developer Beta”. It’s currently only available to certain employees and collaborators, but the implication is huge,” said eXtas1s. “This reflects Microsoft’s intention to foster coexistence and cooperation between the Xbox ecosystem and the massive PC platform that is Steam.”
He continues by explaining that the next Xbox is going to be more like a PC.
“Naturally, that means you’ll need Steam integration, and this will come via the Microsoft Store — so when you boot up your next-gen Xbox, you’ll have access to Steam without any complex setup. That’s a key step toward making both the next Xbox and handheld PC gaming more attractive and seamless.”
But it doesn’t end there because eXtas1s also claims that Epic might be involved in this experiment.
“…this is a clear strategic move from Microsoft. It supports their ongoing vision to create interoperability between Xbox and other platforms like Steam, and even Epic Games Store, which is also reportedly part of this integration.”
There’s a lot of room for interpretation here. It could purely be a PC thing, or it could come to Xbox as well like eXtas1s is claiming. Honestly, I’m not sure how tempting this would be for Microsoft, though. Imagine, for a moment, that Microsoft does integrate Steam with the next Xbox: Valve would get their standard 30% cut for every sale made via Steam on the Xbox. Presumably in this scenario Microsoft’s idea is that they would boost total sales enough to make it worthwhile.
I can see them integrating Steam with the Windows Xbox Store, though. Perhaps a way of combining your game libraries? Xbox, I’m not so sure.