Microsoft: Cross-platform Xbox One/PC play 'makes a lot of sense'

Cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows PC games "makes a lot of sense" as part of a "connected ecosystem across all the different devices," said Microsoft's Phil Spencer in an interview with AusGamers.

Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, stopped short of confirming that the feature is on its way, saying, "I'm not allowed to leak things.

"But I think what you're talking about makes a lot of sense," he continued. Spencer pointed out that both Xbox 360 and PC owners of the 2007 first-person shooter Shadowrun could play together, and said, "We didn't have tremendous success with that, but we learnt a lot from it."

He then gave more recent examples: 17-Bit's Skulls of the Shogun, which launched earlier this year on Xbox Live Arcade, PC, Windows Phone and Windows 8, and Halo: Spartan Assault, the Windows 8 and Windows Phone game that hooks into Halo 4.

"This connected ecosystem across all the different devices is definitely where I think the future of gaming is going; you don't have to do it as a developer, but you have the capability and I think a system like Xbox Live across all those screens where you know who someone is and who their friends are, what their Achievements are and their progression is really critical to that," said Spencer.