There might be a much bigger Xbox story hiding inside the reported GTA 6 streaming deal.
From the reports, Microsoft is securing exclusive streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto VI. We don’t know too much about the terms of the deal, as the company hasn’t publicly confirmed anything.
But we do know that GTA 6 is coming on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Rockstar hasn’t announced a PC version. That means players who want access at launch will need one of those consoles unless the reported Xbox cloud arrangement provides another option.
Could GTA 6 become the clearest example yet of Microsoft's attempt to make Xbox less about the console and more about the platform?
Emmanuel Umahi
Xbox could be using GTA 6 to sell Xbox without selling you an Xbox
For years, the simplest way to explain Xbox was equally simple: buy an Xbox and play Xbox games. Microsoft has spent the last few years steadily moving away from that idea.
Xbox games are now appearing on more platforms, Game Pass has become increasingly important to Microsoft's gaming strategy and Xbox Cloud Gaming has given players a way to access games without having the hardware sitting underneath their television.
GTA 6 could take that idea much further. Imagine someone who wants to play Rockstar's new game but doesn't own a Series X or Series S. If the reported deal works the way we're expecting that player could potentially buy the Xbox version and stream it through Microsoft's servers on a supported device.
The Xbox console becomes optional. That is a much bigger deal to me than simply saying Xbox has secured GTA 6 streaming rights.
Microsoft isn't necessarily trying to convince everyone to buy its console anymore. It increasingly wants to convince people to enter the Xbox ecosystem, regardless of where they play. And GTA 6 is probably the best game Microsoft could have chosen to make that argument.
GTA 6 could turn Xbox Cloud Gaming into a mainstream service
I've always thought cloud gaming has had a chicken-and-egg problem. People need a reason to use it, but they also need to trust it before they're willing to use it regularly.
Most cloud gaming libraries are filled with plenty of good games, but GTA 6 isn't just another good game. This is one of the biggest entertainment launches of the decade.
If Microsoft can put GTA 6 in front of people who don't own an Xbox, it suddenly has something much more powerful than another addition to a cloud library. It has a game that could persuade people to try cloud gaming for the first time.
That's why the reported streaming exclusivity matters. Microsoft doesn't need GTA 6 to make Xbox Series X|S the only place to play the game. PlayStation 5 will have it too.
Instead, Microsoft could make the Xbox version the one that can travel with you through the cloud. That's a very different kind of advantage.
The Xbox One possibility could be even more interesting
This is the part I think Xbox players should pay close attention to. GTA 6 isn't coming to Xbox One. The hardware is simply too old to run the game natively.
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