When it was announced that Xbox Play Anywhere would allow for cross-platform support, many gamers were immediately excited for the possibility of playing “Halo 6” on their PCs. However, Microsoft have stepped in to calm down the crowds, explaining the situation and clarifying some details about how Xbox Play Anywhere will work. As it turns out, the feature by itself is no guarantee that the game will be playable on PCs – but there’s still the possibility of an official PC release.
According to Microsoft, the ability to play Xbox games on the PC will be limited to games announced during this year’s E3 specifically. This doesn’t only exclude games before E3, but those coming after the event as well. And since we don’t really have any official details on “Halo 6” at the moment, it’s safe to assume that the game won’t be part of the special deal.
With that in mind, players should still not lose hope. Microsoft did release a set of tools for “Halo 5” for Windows 10, and while it’s a small step, it’s still progress in the right direction. Many players are convinced that the company has a ripe opportunity to boost the popularity of both their operating system and the game franchise by making a Windows release, but there are many factors at play here, so the situation is far from a simple one.
One of the things about “Halo” is that it’s one of the flagship franchises of the Xbox platform. If someone wants to play “Halo”, buying an Xbox is the only way to do it, and the popularity of the franchise has helped Microsoft sell lots of console units. Making the game available for Windows could diminish that effect. But on the other hand, it could be argued that people who would buy an Xbox for “Halo” would have already done that, so it might be a good time for Microsoft to reevaluate their plans too.
Plus, it wasn’t always like that – “Halo” was originally a PC game, but the changing industry trends forced Microsoft to rethink that strategy at some point in the development of the franchise. Now, trends are changing again, and the company should similarly think about the future and consider their plans very carefully.
Microsoft have been making vague, somewhat mixed statements about their plans for the game, so it’s entirely possible that they have a PC version of “Halo 6” on the table, but just don’t want to commit to that promise yet. It’s understandable, too, as announcing this and then backtracking on that announcement would guarantee a huge blow to the reputation of the franchise, and Microsoft themselves.
There are hopes that the major “Anniversary” update for Windows 10 could arrive with some special news for gamers, and there have also been some major hints in that direction by Microsoft themselves. It would be interesting to see if the company has any special plans for their gaming fans for this year, or in the near future.
As for “Halo 6”, rumors about the game are running wild right now, but nobody knows for sure what the game will be about and what kinds of changes it will introduce to the franchise. Needless to say, pretty much everyone is hoping for a solid multiplayer experience that can keep players glued to the screen for hours on end. in other words, more of the same features that made the franchise so beloved in the first place.