• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Xbox Boss Phill Spencer Explains Why Backwards Compatibility Is So Important

October 4, 2017 by Jordan Coetsee

Phil Spencer sees the value in keeping old games alive.

If you haven’t noticed it yet, Xbox One has a backwards compatibility program, this basically allows you to play your old Xbox 360 games on your current generation console. It’s a pretty cool feature, both rewarding fanboys of the company for sticking with Xbox, and allowing you to replay your older titles, generally with a couple of enhancements.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke to Wired recently, backwards compatibility is important to preserve the older games for new players, that and it also functions as a way for publishers to get more cash out of their old assets.

“I see games as an art form,” Spencer said. “Console games can get lost when hardware generations go away. It can become more challenging to play the games of our past,” Spencer said. “There’s something to be learned from experiencing what I played as a kid. There’s good business there for the content owners, but as players, it’s nice to be able to understand how our artform has progressed.”

The list of supported titles is actually pretty comprehensive, with the most recent addition being 4 Halo titles.

What games do you play on the backward compatibility program? Let us know in the comments below.

 

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 Gaming Ideas They Thought Were Good...BUT NO

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

10 DLCs That BROKE THE GAME

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

NEW Post-Apocalyptic Game Looks Insane, Another GTA 6 DELAY? & More

Top 20 NEW PS5 Games of 2026

Top 20 NEW PS5 Games of 2026

10 Video Game Things That DIED in 2025

10 Video Game Things That DIED in 2025

20 Game REMAKES That We Are LOOKING FORWARD TO

20 Game REMAKES That We Are LOOKING FORWARD TO

10 Side Quests BETTER Than The Main Story

10 Side Quests BETTER Than The Main Story

Evolution of Bosses in Video Games

Evolution of Bosses in Video Games

10 Upcoming Games We Don't Quite UNDERSTAND

10 Upcoming Games We Don't Quite UNDERSTAND

Category: UpdatesTag: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Roblox: 99 Nights in the Forest – Sacrifice Totem
  • Roblox: 99 Nights in the Forest – January 2026 Codes
  • GTA Online: KnoWay Out – Tunnel Vision
  • Masahiro Sakurai Almost Turned Down His “Educational Manga” About His Life and Career
  • Hideki Kamiya Drops Special Clovers Video Teasing Development On Okami 2!

Copyright © 2026 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme