Microsoft says Xbox Play Anywhere titles can double spending and engagement

Microsoft says Xbox Play Anywhere titles attract the "most engaged" players within its ecosystem.
During a GDC Festival of Gaming keynote, Xbox VP of next generation, Jason Ronald, explained players who purchase Xbox Play Anywhere titles spend more than two times the same number of hours in-game as other players.
He also said those players purchase more than two times the number of games compared to other consumers.
Ronald revealed over 1,500 titles currently support Xbox Play Anywhere—letting owners play on Xbox console, PC, and other hardware such as the ROG Xbox Ally at no additional cost. Xbox Play Anywhere also supports cross-progression across multiple devices, allowing players to access their saves, add-ons, and achievements on the fly.
Ronald encouraged developers in attendance to consider adding their products to that roster.
"These players actively seek out Xbox Play Anywhere games. So, when they're looking for their next favorite game, oftentimes they will explicitly look for what other games support Xbox Play Anywhere," he added.
"[...] There's a huge opportunity to really lean into this and start building games for the way that modern players play games, and it has real, tangible business impact for you as developers."
Of course, the wider context here is that Microsoft has been vocal about turning Xbox into a vast multiplatform proposition for some time.
Last week, the company confirmed its next-generation console, codenamed Project Helix, will be capable of playing both PC and console titles.
Earlier today, Microsoft outlined how it will spec out the console to serve developers and revealed it will begin shipping alpha dev kits in 2027.
Game Developer and GDC Festival of Gaming are sibling companies under Informa Festivals.