Microsoft has another exclusive up its sleeve for gamers on its platforms.
After getting the Hitman beta opened up for Xbox players only over the weekend, Microsoft is also making Quantum Break exclusive to both Xbox One and PC.
That means Quantum Break will not be available on Steam even though it is coming to PCs.
In an interview on the latest Major Nelson podcast, Xbox marketing executive Aaron Greenberg reiterates that Quantum Break is a Windows Store exclusive. Another first-party Microsoft game, Fable Legends, is slated to be scratched from Steam's library of games as well.
In the past, Microsoft has been very vocal of its support for Steam on PCs. Last year, senior director for PC gaming, Kevin Unangst went so far as to say that they were not intending to compete with Steam.
"If anything, we want Steam to be even more successful - they've done great things for PC gamers in terms of having a single store," Unangst said at the time. So, is the Quantum Break and Fable Legends exclusivity an accidental form of competition on Microsoft's part against Steam?
Some Xbox fans, however, weren't too happy with the news about Microsoft bringing Quantum Break over to PCs. Originally announced as an Xbox-only game, its upcoming release on PCs rattled a few Xbox loyalists so much that Greenberg had to ease their fears that Microsoft wasn't prioritizing hardcore Xbox gamers.
"Please do not let the fact that we are also launching a game on the same day on Windows 10 change your perspective on the importance of the console business [or] our commitment to innovating on console," Greenberg explains.
Players who have preordered Quantum Break on the Xbox Store will also be receiving a free copy of the Windows version, and the two gaming platforms support shared saves between the Xbox and PC. Unfortunately, there will be no way to cross-play Quantum Break over Xbox and PC since it is just a single-player game.
Flaming fans aside, opening up Quantum Break to Microsoft users on both Xbox and Windows is a good thing. The game will launch on both platforms on April 15.
