One thing that has happened over the years is that Microsoft has made a push to create a more connected ecosystem. With their reentry into the PC space, they’ve also introduced the Play Anywhere initiative, where you can buy and play game, as well as transfer saves and progress, between Xbox One and PC. Now, the next generation of consoles are coming with the next Xbox, for now being dubbed Scarlett, and it seems the hope is to get everything connected.
According to Stevivor, Phil Spencer was asked about whether Play Anywhere will be applied to crossgen titles as well, such as Halo Infinite which will release on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Scarlett. While he didn’t give any specific details, he did say the hope was to continue the Play Anywhere policy with Scarlett, and that he hopes the transition from One to Scarlett will be smooth as opposed to transitions from the original Xbox to the 360, and the 360 to the One.
“Our goal for our first-party games is that your entitlements will be cross-generation and your Achievements will move effectively with your save game because that’s where they stand.
“[Xbox] 360 to One shouldn’t have been [two self-contained silos] either,” Spencer said. “We talked about how important digital was going to be this generation, and yet we didn’t move the digital purchases that you’d made on 360 seamlessly over to Xbox One. I always thought that was a miss.”
It seems like a no-brainer, especially with the current policy being a hit with those playing on those systems. We’ll know more about it as we get closer to to the next generation of consoles, stay tuned.