The future of Xbox Cloud Gaming is uncertain because of Fortnite: Battle Royale

Microsoft slashed its investment in the service, leak reveals

The future of Xbox Cloud Gaming is uncertain because of Fortnite: Battle Royale

Microsoft slashed its investment in the service, leak reveals

Microsoft has been promoting and pushing the growth of Xbox Cloud Gaming for several years. However, things have been different throughout 2023, as we have heard very little about the evolution of this interesting proposition.

Thanks to recent Xbox leaks, we know that Microsoft drastically reduced its investment in the cloud gaming service for several reasons. One of them is Fortnite: Battle Royale, the successful title from Epic Games.

Is Xbox Cloud Gaming is in danger after Fortnite failure?

Microsoft had a master plan to fuel Xbox Cloud Gaming's growth: bring Fortnite to the service and offer it for free on PCs and mobile devices. This happened in May 2022 and caught the attention of many gamers, as it was not necessary to have a subscription to enjoy the Battle Royale.

Despite this, we know that the plan failed and did not have the impact that companies expected. In leaked emails Spencer suggests that the investment in Xbox Cloud Gaming was going to be reduced quite a bit for fiscal year 2023.

This would explain the silence around everything related to the cloud and the new features that Xbox promised months ago. Things don't end there, as Spencer claims that there is nothing clear when he talks about the future of the service. He admits that the success has not been as expected, so they will probably have to change their strategy to succeed in mobile.

"I would say our investment in specific xCloud is probably in the single digit millions in fiscal year 2023," the executive said.

This information is not entirely a surprise, as the company confirmed some time ago that Xbox Cloud Gaming operates at a loss and is the least popular feature of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Fortnite wasn't enough to boost Xbox Cloud Gaming
Fortnite wasn't enough to boost Xbox Cloud Gaming

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