Microsoft is reportedly ready to reveal Xbox Live support for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
This news comes from Windows Central who have shared a copy of the upcoming GDC 2019 schedule. There, Microsoft seemingly reveals their plans to significantly expand their support for Xbox Live.
“Xbox Live is about to get MUCH bigger,” reads the schedule. “Xbox Live is expanding from 400m gaming devices and a reach to over 68m active players to over 2bn devices with the release of our new cross-platform XDK. Get a first look at the SDK to enable game developers to connect players between iOS, Android, and Switch in addition to Xbox and any game in the Microsoft Store on Windows PCs.”
The wording of that statement is a little ambiguous in regards to what, exactly, this expanded service will provide. After all, it’s already possible to link your Nintendo Switch to Xbox Live when playing games like Minecraft. However, it seems this new version of the service will allow you to access Xbox Live via other platforms on a much greater scale. In fact, you can theoretically access Xbox Live features like friends lists and achievements via iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch as long as you’re playing games that are available on both Xbox and the platform you’re playing.
As you’ve probably noticed, Sony’s name is not included on this list of supported devices. That’s really no surprise considering that those two are not only still major console rivals but that Sony has been slower than most when it comes to embracing the concept of cross-platform play and cooperation. We’d be shocked if a PlayStation device ever supports Xbox Live.
Still, this move represents a significant step forward to a future that Microsoft has teased in which they eliminate some of the boundaries separating devices and turn the Microsoft gaming brand into something that transcends the Xbox hardware.