Bad news, PC gamers – Xbox boss Phil Spencer has essentially ruled out releasing Halo 5: Guardians on the platform, preferring instead, to focus on bringing future, unreleased games to Windows 10.
Despite the fact that big name Microsoft exclusives like Forza 6: Apex and Killer Instinct are coming to Windows 10, Spencer says that Halo 5 is a game that was built specifically for consoles rather than as a PC experience.
Speaking yesterday at the company’s Build conference, Spencer said:
In terms of Halo FPS on PC, I think there’s a ton of opportunity for us right now, but I don’t want to get into a world where we’re looking back, like at Halo 5. It doesn’t mean there’s nothing there that could ever end up on PC, but I’d much rather look forward with what our plans are.
One such example of future titles that are sure to straddle both platforms is Halo Wars 2, the RTS sequel to the 2009 original for the Xbox 360. However, Spencer’s keen to emphasize that not all future exclusives will necessarily be available on Xbox One and Windows 10, and that it’s certainly not something that will be a prerequisite.
I don’t want to make it some kind of artificial mandate, because then I think we end up with ‘Frankengames’, games that really weren’t meant for a certain platform. And because some suit said, ‘Hey, everything’s gotta run on both platforms’, you end up with something people don’t want.
You should expect it when franchises look like they belong on both platforms, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a mandate for the studios because it’s not.
So, does Spencer consider Halo 5 to be a ‘Frankengame’? It would be a strange view to have if so, as first-person shooters are traditionally seen as being born on the PC, and it’s not as if previous entries in the Halo series haven’t appeared on the platform in the past, right?
Published: Mar 31, 2016 09:50 am