Microsoft Will Eventually Release Games on Steam Again

Microsoft will bring its games to Steam again, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said.

“I look at Steam today, it’s on an incredible growth trajectory. It’s a massive force in gaming; a positive force,” Spencer said on Giant Bomb’s E3 livestream, as reported by GameSpot. “I think it will be bigger a year from now than it is today. And five years later it will still be bigger again.”

Valve is “an important [independent software vendor] for us on Windows,” he added. Steam is a “critical part of gaming’s success on Windows,” and Spencer doesn’t think the service is hurt by not having Microsoft’s first-party games in their store at the moment.

However, Microsoft “will ship games on Steam again,” Spencer confirmed.

He did not, however, mention which games would come to Steam, or when. Microsoft is also interested in growing its Xbox store on PC. “There’s going to be areas where we cooperate and there’s going to be areas where we compete,” Spencer said. “The end result is better for gamers.”

During its E3 press conference, Microsoft revealed its Xbox One S—a console 40 percent smaller than the original Xbox One. The Xbox One S will come equipped to handle 4K streaming and HDR color. It’s expected to release later this year.