Copilot Is Coming To Gaming, Xbox Play Anywhere Updates, And More | Official Xbox Podcast

SPEAKER 1: Games in this podcast range from E to M.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Hello and welcome to The Official Xbox Podcast, the only podcast that comes to you from inside Xbox. I'm Ethan, and today we are digging into the recent updates to the Xbox platform, including AI, Xbox Play Anywhere, Cloud, and more. We have Fatima Kardar and Jason Ronald here as our experts on all things AI and the Xbox platform. Fatima, Jason, welcome to the show. How you doing?

FATIMA KARDAR: Awesome.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Awesome. Awesome.

JASON RONALD: Thanks for having us.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Let's dive right into it. Fatima, you're the CVP of gaming AI. Incredible job title. Tell me about your role.

FATIMA KARDAR: So first, I have the best job in the world. Because I think like AI is such an interesting space, but gaming is an even more interesting space. And I get to look at the intersection of two such amazing things and see how they come together. So I get to kind of imagine what's in the future with gaming and AI.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Truly at the forefront of technology, which has got to be a lot of fun.

FATIMA KARDAR: Absolutely.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Got to be kind of intense, I imagine, too.

FATIMA KARDAR: It is definitely intense, but in a good way.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, totally, totally. Jason, your title now, the VP of the next generation. I'm sure there's 100 Star Trek jokes I could make right now, but I want to ask you what that means. Like truly, that's super interesting.

JASON RONALD: Yeah, I'll actually challenge Fatima. I think I have the coolest job.

FATIMA KARDAR: I knew he was going to say that.

JASON RONALD: But no, seriously, I'm really focused on where the future of gaming is going and how we need to evolve the Xbox platform to meet where that future is. So that's everything from looking at the future of silicon, the future of our hardware, working with our great hardware team, partnering with Fatima and her team as we think about how AI can be transformative for gameplay. And ultimately, we're just really focused on how do we evolve the Xbox ecosystem to meet both creators and developers where they are. And, you know, one of my favorite parts of my job is working with the best creators all around the industry just to make sure that we're designing and optimizing the platform to allow them to really deliver on their creative vision.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Totally. I love that you brought up the teams, too, because obviously we're just three people here, lucky enough to be here or unlucky enough on a Monday morning. You have to sit here with me. But it takes a village. And so there are a ton of people working hard at every facet of the gig. And yeah, I just feel lucky to kind of be here to talk about what everybody is doing. Jason, we know each other a little bit. Fatima, this is our first time kind of meeting in person. I feel like the best way to get to know each other is to ask what you're playing. I'd love to start with you.

FATIMA KARDAR: So maybe I should tell you this. Last night when I should have been prepping for the podcast, I was playing Stardew Valley.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Nice (laughs).

FATIMA KARDAR: So that should tell you a little bit about the kinds of games that I play. I'm newer in gaming, not like Jason, of course, who is the pro, but like really trying a whole bunch of very fun old retro games because somehow in my head I feel like they'll be easier.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: I get that. I think generally, like, it is a little bit of an easier barrier to get into. Did you make a new character in Stardew first time running through it?

FATIMA KARDAR: Yeah, but, like, my six-year-old helped me.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Oh, I love it.

FATIMA KARDAR: My farm is called Fruity Farm (laughter).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Nice, nice. That's awesome. That's so funny. Jason, how about you? What are you gaming right now?

JASON RONALD: So it's interesting that Fatima brings up retro games because I'm currently playing Ninja Gaiden II Black, which is amazing. I'm in the middle of a replay through of Final Fantasy XIII, and then I just downloaded Split Fiction. I'm excited to jump into that with my son. And then for me personally, I'm honestly just really waiting for Assassin's Creed Shadows. Assassin's Creed is one of my favorite franchises of all time. So I'm just excited for that to come out very soon.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, totally, totally. I love that you brought up Split Fiction because what a game. What a studio, first of all. I love all their games, but I don't know who does couch co-op better these days. Those games are all so great. And normally my wife plays those games with me, but because she's a bit of a writer and her best friend is one, I kind of got dumped for this next game (laughter). So I'm still looking for my player two out there, ladies and gentlemen. If anyone wants to play it with me, let me know. I'm playing through Monster Hunter. I've been no-lifing that game. I know everybody is playing that game right now. Not something I would normally play. It's like the opposite of what you were looking for. It's one of the most complicated experiences I've ever played. The amount of depth in your armor and your weapons and like just the core gameplay loops is pretty intense. And I don't know that I would have gotten into it without, like, a great group of friends that I have that run through it. But yeah, that bug got me. Like if I'm not working, I'm playing Monster Hunter. And that's probably my future, at least until Shadows comes out.

JASON RONALD: And even when you are working, you're probably playing.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, I'm just going to test this hardware, boss. Let's see how this thing plays.

FATIMA KARDAR: Yeah, that's the thing with, like, Stardew Valley. I feel like now I'll be at work and I'll have like a 20-minute break (laughs).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, got to water those plants. Yeah, it's crucial.

FATIMA KARDAR: Yeah, exactly.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Well, let's dive into the topics at hand. Because as anybody that's watched this show knows, we could just talk about video games the whole time. Let's talk about updates. Obviously, you both are so involved in some of the new updates coming to the platform. But let's start with you, Fatima. What has really been your focus?

FATIMA KARDAR: So for me, because I'm relatively newer to Xbox, my first instinct was to really learn more about the players. So really, if we're going to go build products, especially as we think of where gaming is headed, what needs to be done, I really, really need to ground myself in the player and where they're moving forward. And that's the part that I found very interesting. Like gamers in the future are definitely multi-device, right? Like they use Netflix, they use Spotify, they're used to their content going with them everywhere. And that's the trend that you see. And I was looking at some very interesting stats that say, like as you go from, like, the broader cohort of gamers to Gen Z, Gen Alpha, then the percentage of the gamers that are now multi-device increases. So you really think about experiences that have to go with you everywhere. The other things I realized is, again, base because consumers are not just consumers in isolation. They get experience to all the other consumer products out there. So they're used to being more personalized. They're used to having no friction in what they're doing. And now, especially when you think of like the really popular AI products like ChatGPT, what does ChatGPT do? It basically says instead of you learning how software works, it learns how you work. So really having it be really easy to interact with. So when you think about that, that's really the most interesting thing is players are expecting different things. And it becomes really important is how do I build gaming experiences where the players are at the center of the experience. I feel like that's really what it taught me, how to make games more approachable, how to make sure new players like me, who would be intimidated by games other than Stardew Valley. I have tried some other ones and I have stopped them very quickly because I was like, this is not going anywhere. So really helping when you're stuck, when you're helpless, like something that I've kind of seen a lot is, like, people come back to games. What does that mean? Like, where were you? What just happened, right? So there's a lot of those kinds of things that I think that we can do to make games better. And I feel like -- the other thing that I feel very strongly about is that as we think of how AI will be applied to gaming, we have to share early because in some ways you don't know, I don't know where things will resonate. We really for sure don't want to mess up the gaming experience. So we have to be very cautious about it, which means we put things out there. We let people kind of give us feedback, try it out, see what resonates and build from that, right? I feel that's going to be very important. It does make us uncomfortable. Like, it makes me uncomfortable. I keep getting reminded that people expect a lot from the Xbox brand. And, like, that is what keeps me up at night. But, like, really, I think making sure that we let people be part of the future that we can envision with this is going to be very, very important, right?

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, absolutely. I think we talked about it a bit, but, like, I love the fresh eyes that you're going to be bringing to this as kind of someone who is newer in gaming and exploring, like, these new experiences compared to, like, someone like Jason and I who just play maybe a little too much. I would never say too much.

JASON RONALD: Well, and I think also to build on what Fatima was talking about, one of the things that I see often when I go talk to developers is there's a large percentage of games that the vast majority of players never actually get to experience because they run into some challenges or because they don't understand that there's this awesome side quest over there. So for me, I'm really excited to see how AI can actually enable people to experience more of the games that they're already enjoying and they're already playing today.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: We should talk about that because I think player pain points is a big one. It's interesting that you guys are thinking about that, focusing on player pain points, potential opportunities there.

FATIMA KARDAR: We have to think about what is the value that Xbox can uniquely bring, right? So it's very, very important. There's a lot of things that can be done, but what is it that we can help unlock for players and for creators and really then make sure that we can bring those people along, like I talked about. And that's when you, like, put the next lens on how can AI unlock. Like, I really don't want to start with AI. I really want to start by kind of really grounding myself in gameplay and players and creators and understanding their problems. So, like, I feel that's going to be, like, at the core of everything we do.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah. I brought this up on the show before, but, like, my mom and I have a really close relationship lately because she's been getting into gaming so much since COVID. Really ramped up. And so I think of so many times, like the question she texts me, like, oh man, if Copilot could just answer this one (laughter) it'd be a great experience when she's playing Human Fall Flat or whatever it is. Let's dive deeper into what we're currently building for players, specifically your team.

FATIMA KARDAR: Yeah, so actually it's fancy that you mentioned Copilot for gaming because that is one of the things that we are working on and we want to bring it out to players to try. Copilot in the context of Xbox has to be about gameplay. It has to be personalized to you the way that you like to play and it should be able to help you kind of get further in gaming, be your companion, and help connect you with families and communities. AI is going to be there and you can chat with it and it can trash talk you if that's what you need (laughter). But really, AI can bring those people together and help you tell you when your friends are doing things as well.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Nice, nice. I like the idea of like, I can set a setting of how disrespectful it's going to be to me.

FATIMA KARDAR: Absolutely, right, yeah.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Is it going to be like, maybe you should have mined that versus like, maybe you should just get better, you know?

FATIMA KARDAR: Exactly, exactly. And I will tell you, like, this is not just Copilot. My six-year-old and my nine-year-old are usually my gaming partners, and I get a lot of yelling like, Mama, you are so bad (laughter).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: I do like the idea of you guys playing co-op games with your kids though or just like experiences like that where you can all kind of play together. I'm trying to get my parents to do Sea of Thieves with me. Like, let's all get on a ship and play. It might destroy Christmas, you know, or whatever the next holiday we get together is. I even talked to my wife. I was like, is it bad if I want kids mostly to have a full stack in a game? If that's the number one reason, maybe not the best.

FATIMA KARDAR: Yeah, but really when you think about the Copilot experience and what it would be like, it's about helping you, but it's also about telling me what games to play, right? For me to land on Stardew or any of those, I had to ask a lot of people and like, here's what I need. I play with kids. I need to be easy. And really having somebody who can help me understand that and say, okay, here's, depending on actually your mood as well, like this is what will work. This will not work. You want to go practice kind of your controller muscles, like try this game, right? So I really think about those kinds of things where helping you get to what you need to do. All of it is with one goal, to help you get to play first. That's the biggest part of it.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Find your next adventure and then kind of enhance that adventure.

FATIMA KARDAR: Absolutely.

JASON RONALD: I think about, you know, you and I may play the same game, but we play them fundamentally differently. I might be a tank. You might be a healer. Or even think about a game like Forza where it's like, maybe I actually prefer to drive in this style of car versus this style of car. So just really having an assistant who can actually help me understand how to just have more fun based on how I choose to play other games.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah. And tailored to you. I mean, generally, like everything you do. What other main points I think are you searching for in this work? Like what is top of mind for you as you kind of explore Copilot and what it can do for the gamers?

FATIMA KARDAR: It's not just about AI showing up to help you. It's about AI showing up at the right moment. So I think we have to really think of the experience that we built. It can't be intrusive, right? It cannot show up in the middle of the game. It's a little bit of an art and it is a little bit of like, let's have people try it and kind of find out from them what it would be in those kinds of games.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah. Yeah. That's funny. My mind goes like the idea of being so close to beating a boss and just like it popping up and saying like, it looks like you're getting slammed. [ Laughter ]

FATIMA KARDAR: Gaming is the only form of entertainment where you can get stuck. So I look at it. That's where you want something to show up and say, actually, this is what it looks like. Let's get you past that.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah. I imagine it's gradual too. Like, this is not just like an overnight thing.

FATIMA KARDAR: Oh, it is not. We're going to start. We want to put something out there. We want people to try it because the more people try it, the more people use it, the more it will learn. If I'm playing Stardew Valley, what I need is like, where do I go next? You have like two hours before it gets dark (laughter).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, exactly. That's really what I want it for is like time management. Like, I get to play for two hours. Like, what am I going to do? And I guess kind of teed it up there in that last conversation, but when can gamers expect to get their hands on Copilot?

FATIMA KARDAR: So actually you'll be seeing Copilot for gaming showing up on mobile first in Xbox Insiders. Mobile just helps us experiment fast. So like if it shows up in the Xbox app, we can try things based on feedback. We can tweak it. But I also going back to the point I made earlier about not being intrusive. Like if I have this experience show up on the console in the middle of your gaming and it wasn't fully baked and you got killed, like you would be mad at me (laughter). I do not want you to be mad at me.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah. Fatima (laughter).

FATIMA KARDAR: And so really you're having a companion experience. So even if you're playing on your console or if you're playing somewhere else, your experience shows up on mobile, and people are starting to get used to two devices or two screens at the same time. The Xbox is not about a device and Xbox is about me, the person. Saying my companion should go everywhere with me, right?

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, totally.

JASON RONALD: Well, and this is something that I actually love that we're -- you know, we're being bold. We're putting it out early, even if it makes us a little bit uncomfortable, because I think we've really worked with the community to understand we want to develop this with the community. You know, so if you think about the Xbox Insider program as an example, we evolve the product in real time. We get the feedback directly from the players. And then that helps us make an actual better product. So I think it's just core to the DNA of Xbox is to really build Xbox together with the community. And I think we're going to do the exact same thing with AI.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: That is wild. I guess, I mean, my next question, what else is coming this year on AI if we're talking a month?

FATIMA KARDAR: There is a lot coming in AI, for sure. We have been busy. I think what we need to really build assistance is you take the game understanding, you then understand. As we talk about people who are playing on the game, it understands Ethan, it knows what Ethan likes to do, and kind of bring that information in. And really understanding the context that it's in. Is this a scene? Is this a boss? Right, like that kind of stuff. So I think that is going to be kind of very, very important for us to build a really holistic assistance vision.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Totally. You got GDC right around the corner. I imagine showing off some of that there, maybe?

FATIMA KARDAR: Absolutely. We will be showing off some things. Actually, I brought some videos as well. We've been partnering with a bunch of our studios and kind of taking different genres of games just to see what it would look like in those. These are explorations and proof of concepts. But what is really cool about them is they help us understand what we need to do on the platform. One of the things I love about being part of Xbox is we have sister teams who are all kind of studios. So every time they have an interesting idea, we're like, there are lots of very good people who will tell me, yeah, this might be a little crazy, right? So with the game, like Overwatch 2. What we really explored was what does it take to reach that threshold of feeling successful. And I love that term because your level of feeling successful is different. My level of feeling successful. And so in that, we explored some scenarios like assistance, like on team composition, what could you do, right? And then like maybe post matches kind of coaching you and like doing it in the down period. So like really, it was exploring these things. Maybe we should take a look. That might --

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, we got a video. I'd love to take a look.

SPEAKER 2: Xbox Copilot prepares you for the competition.

SPEAKER 3: Oh no, Echo is taken already. What should I play now?

SPEAKER 4: Echo is taken, but Cassidy would be a solid pick with this team. His mid-range hitscan and Mercy's damage boost will work great on Ilios' ruins. Plus, you've done great with him on this map before. [ Shooting ]

SPEAKER 2: Xbox Copilot helps you during a downtime.

SPEAKER 3: How did I die so fast?

SPEAKER 4: You stayed in the fight too long after your teammates were down. Great picks with your ultimate. But diving straight into Ramattra was a death sentence. Next time, retreat to regroup with your team.

SPEAKER 2: Xbox Copilot is there when you have questions.

SPEAKER 3: Whoa, what just happened?

SPEAKER 4: Sombra hacked you, disabling your abilities, then melted you with her machine pistol. To counter her, stay near Kiriko for a quick Suzu cleanse or move unpredictably to make hacking harder.

SPEAKER 3: That Sombra is annoying me a lot. I think it's time to switch heroes.

SPEAKER 4: Good call. Soldier 76 could work well here since you can pressure Sombra at range and self-heal to survive her engages. Stay with your team and keep an eye on flanks.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Incredible to kind of see that. Like, I was immediately surprised with the depth of knowledge. Like, you just got melted by the machine pistol, you know? Like, that's pretty wild.

FATIMA KARDAR: That was the whole point of the exploration that we did with Overwatch 2 is like, you want to refer people back to the original source of the information. What you have on the web is absolutely helpful, but at the end of the day, the game creator really understands that. And so what is the mechanisms that you do that, right? I completely agree. I'm glad that point got nailed.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: It really did. I mean, what amazes me that it's sourcing this game knowledge, like, in real time like that. Fatima, how do we ensure accuracy of Copilot?

FATIMA KARDAR: I think it comes to multiple things. First, we have to really go back to the source. There's plenty of information on the internet about games, right? Not all of that is accurate or it gets out of date. Like, it was accurate, goes out of date. So for us, it's very important that we have to partner with creators and game studios, as well as other content creators, when you think of guides and stuff as well, right? Not only do we want to help bring the right information to players, we want to partner with them and make sure that they've put in the work. They should be able to benefit from that as well, right? So we're also looking at what it means to refer back to the content creator. Let me show you another one, actually. So we took another game, very different from Overwatch, Minecraft, a very known and loved game in my household as well. So maybe we should kind of consider -- like, we have a video for that as well.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, let's take a look.

SPEAKER 5: Okay, this is my first time playing Minecraft. What should I do first?

SPEAKER 6: Start by punching a tree to collect wood.

SPEAKER 5: Okay, I've got some tree wood. What do I do with that?

SPEAKER 6: Craft the oak logs into wooden planks by opening your inventory and placing the logs in the crafting area.

SPEAKER 5: Okay, I've got some planks.

SPEAKER 6: Now, craft a crafting table by placing four wooden planks in a two-by-two square in the crafting area. Next, craft a wooden pickaxe by placing three wooden planks across the top row and two sticks in the middle column.

SPEAKER 5: Oh wait, where is my crafting table?

SPEAKER 6: Your crafting table is not in your inventory. You may need to craft a new one or find it at the previous location.

SPEAKER 5: Can you tell me how to get to the previous location?

SPEAKER 6: I can't provide directions, but you can try retracing your steps to where you placed the crafting table earlier.

SPEAKER 5: Why can't you provide directions?

SPEAKER 6: I can't provide directions because cheats are not enabled in your settings.

SPEAKER 5: Okay, now I've got cheats enabled. Where do I find ores?

SPEAKER 6: You last saw coal ore right next to you, but a few blocks lower.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Jeez, that is powerful. Like, love seeing the dynamic between the Overwatch video and the Minecraft video and just like the difference of usability there. And I love that call out on, I guess my worry was like, does this make it too easy or is it almost like cheating? But it was called out in the video, like there's a mode, you just toggle it.

FATIMA KARDAR: Just because you have Copilot doesn't mean you get to cheat.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Interesting, that's so cool.

FATIMA KARDAR: Sorry, Ethan.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: No, no, it's fine. I'll be okay, I'll figure it out.

JASON RONALD: Everybody remembers that moment where you're like, I have to punch a tree. Like for those of us who have played it many, many times, it feels intuitive. But the first time you're playing it, just that little assistance is super helpful.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Huge, just being able to talk through it in real time. It definitely kind of blows my mind to just be able to talk through something, especially in Minecraft. Like when it does get super complicated, the end game, at least for me, like that is a great time to kind of bust out Copilot, even for an experienced player. And be like, all right, what is my path forward here? But yeah, Minecraft is a good example too, because it is on everything. Like you can play it on your phone, you can play it on the PC, play it on many devices. And I think that that's a great segway to talk a little bit about our next topic, which Jason, I think you're going to be in the hot seat for this one. Xbox Play Anywhere updates. Really exciting feature. One of my favorite features at Xbox currently as someone who is a multi-device user. And like you said, Fatima, like more and more people are gaming on more devices. But let's dive into it, Jason. Tell me about some of the stuff coming.

JASON RONALD: Yeah. So the team is really dedicated to providing one of the largest catalogs of games that are really designed around Xbox Play Anywhere. And when we first launched in 2015, it was one of the first steps that we took to really recognize that people are playing across multiple devices. And when you really think about like modern gamers, people that are used to Spotify or Netflix and whatnot, it's this notion of, I want my library of games to come along with me wherever I go. And so when we launched it, this was really that first recognition of player behaviors are changing. And so when you buy the game on, say your console or your PC, the game and the DLC is accessible to you on your console, on your PC, on gaming handhelds where it's supported. And even as we're starting to expand more and more into the cloud, I can now stream that game from anywhere. Not only is it about being able to play the game across multiple screens, it's really about ensuring that my progress moves forward with me. There's nothing more frustrating that maybe you start a game on your console and then you go launch the game on a PC and it's like, welcome new player. And it's like, wait, I already have like a level 40 character. I've already gone through multiple levels or I'm like hours deep into the lore. Like, I want my game progress to move across screens with me. So whether that's my game saves, whether that's leaderboards, that's achievements, it's really about making sure that the library moves with me anywhere that I want to go. And not only is it good for players, it's also good for developers as well. Because when we look at data for titles that are Xbox Play Anywhere enabled, these titles get 20% more gameplay because it's more flexible, because I can play on the go. And like I mentioned earlier, I'm playing Ninja Gaiden II. I started that on my handheld when I was on a business trip. I got as far as I could and then I got home and then I was able to just pick up and resume exactly from where I was on my console. And it just really felt great to me. So we're excited to announce that we have more than 1,000 Xbox Play Anywhere games as of today. And there's many, many more coming.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Thousand, that's amazing. And I went on a vacation I think last week and I was so excited for this vacation. I planned it six months ago and legitimately the last, like, week leading up to it, I was stressed because I was so obsessed with Avowed. And I was like, I'm going to have to leave this game to go hang out with my friends in a wonderful place.

FATIMA KARDAR: Ethan, let me tell you, I have had multiple people, some of them might be in the room, who have told me they used to travel with their consoles in their backpack.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Oh, totally, totally, totally, definitely. I mean, it fits in a carry-on, you know, it's easy enough. It's great. Shout out Obsidian because one, that game, I'm a huge fan. I love Avowed. And two, it actually saved my trip. I was playing like every night when I'd go to bed.

JASON RONALD: It saved your trip, maybe not your wife's trip is what I just heard (laughter).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Exactly, yeah. She wasn't too thrilled about it. But I definitely gravitate towards titles that work with Play Anywhere for that reason. Because like you, I travel a lot for work and it's just handy to be able to have that with me. Or like Balatro is another great example. Like, that is a great Xbox Play Anywhere title now that you can just kind of jump in anywhere you're at. You get your decks, you have everything unlocked. It's such an improvement.

JASON RONALD: Yeah, and I think about like, for example, my son, he loves the Yakuza series. So like the fact that he can play in his room, he can play in the console in the living room. If he's on the go and I let him borrow one of my handhelds, he's able to bring that along with him. So just really about, you know, making sure that for those of us who really enjoy gaming as our primary form of entertainment, just making sure that that's always available at my fingertips, wherever I may be.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Super nice. And I do like that you brought up that data point of, like, those titles see 20% more hours. Personally, just wondering like, what is the incentive for developers to some extent? Like, there is a lot of benefit to doing it.

JASON RONALD: Yeah, to Fatima's point, especially as somebody who is new to kind of gaming, she shouldn't have to purchase a console or have a gaming PC. Maybe she wants to experience that on her smart TV or maybe, you know, a family member has a gaming handheld and she wants to be able to go do it. It's really about just providing more opportunities for play.

FATIMA KARDAR: Or I'll tell you, all in the same room. Sometimes my kids are on the screen and I'm on my laptop.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: I feel like that's got to be the biggest. Like, I wonder how much of it is for travel and how much of it is just like, I never get my TV and I just want to play.

FATIMA KARDAR: I have a husband who is obsessed with sports and two young kids. So I never get the TV (laughter).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: I do love that Xbox Play Anywhere is a core part of the vision of the future of Xbox. Like when you as an employee, like believe in something wholeheartedly, to march to that tenet, beat of that drum is a lot easier. And it is just like, maybe one of my favorite features we're working on, just in general in terms of, like, access. You just said 1,000 titles, over 1,000. We got some new ones in the pipe coming, right? Like what's coming up next that's going to be in there? I think we have South of Midnight, for example. Doom coming. And I think Towerborne as well.

JASON RONALD: Exactly. And we're working with the best developers all across the world. And, you know, we're just seeing a lot of support and momentum behind Xbox Play Anywhere. So even beyond the ones that you mentioned, many more Xbox Play Anywhere titles are being added to the catalog every single month.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah, yeah. Really, really cool, man. When we talk about playing on other devices, I think we should talk a little bit about updates coming to cloud gaming, because that's obviously a huge part of our community and player base. So let's talk about that. What is next for cloud gaming, Jason?

JASON RONALD: Yeah, so cloud gaming just continues to grow exponentially. It's the fastest growing part of how people choose to play with Xbox. For a lot of players, it might actually be the first and the only way they actually experience Xbox. You know, whether they're directly integrated into a smart TV, or maybe they have a laptop that is not powerful enough to play the game that they want to play natively. Just being able to have that game accessible to me via the cloud. Once again, it's just really about providing more opportunities for people to play.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: So with that in mind, new devices coming?

JASON RONALD: Mmm-hmm. Just at CES earlier this year, we announced our upcoming partnership with LG. And this is in addition to, for example, when we released on Amazon Fire TV last fall. And we have our existing partnership with Samsung in the smart TV space. So it's really about now providing access to Xbox on more than 200 million devices all around the world. And it's going to really take advantage of this flexibility that we're building into the ecosystem.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Love it. And I love that, again, like this just goes hand in hand with Play Anywhere. The vision is coming together. It's really great to see as a fan and someone who works here. Beyond cloud gaming and new devices, like I know that team has rolled out some other great updates. What can players expect to see?

JASON RONALD: Yeah. One of the features that we released last fall was the ability to stream your own games, even for games that are outside of the Game Pass subscription. And it's just been hugely well received. We launched with more than 50 games initially, and we've added more than 20 games since the initial launch. Everything from Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, like one of the biggest games out there right now. And then I think about my son who loves Subnautica. So the fact that Subnautica and Subnautica Below Zero are available in this new way is just hugely awesome for players anywhere. Why do anything else other than play games whenever you can?

FATIMA KARDAR: That's called good parenting.

JASON RONALD: Yes, exactly (laughter).

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: I do want to call out one game on this because I saw the list. Slime Rancher 2. This is one of my wife's favorite games. If you're a fan of Stardew, Slime Rancher might be up your alley. Write that down, make a note. You might dig that game. It's definitely one of my wife's decompression games. So yeah, we'd shout that one out. And I saw Worms on here as well. I feel like Worms is a great one because it's like, that's a great one to kill time when you're on the go. Like, even just jump in with some friends and just play around because Worms is maybe one of the best party games of all time. Like, that's up there for me with just like Fusion Frenzy and stuff. I'm just like, if you got friends in a room, you don't know what to play, boot up Worms.

JASON RONALD: And I also think about like Cult of the Lamb is a great example. Like, that has been in my backlog for many, many months. And now just to have the ability to play that wherever I am on the go, like it's super powerful. So, you know, I, like all gamers, have a long backlog of games that I have access to or I purchased that I haven't had a chance to play yet. So just being able to, you know, find those moments in your day-to-day life and being able to play them, super powerful.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Super cool. Insiders testing this right now?

JASON RONALD: Yeah. So this is available now. And then very soon, this is actually going to be available on the console itself.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Awesome. Anything else coming that you could share with us?

JASON RONALD: We have so much in development. You know, we're definitely excited for GDC next week where we'll start sharing more information there. But we have a whole host of features that we'll be talking about later this year, especially as we start approaching holiday of this year.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah. Wow. I want to thank you guys for letting me kind of come in and join you on this journey because I love getting to say yes to these shows because I learn so much about what we're doing that I'm not even privy to in the hardware side of things. And so really fun to talk with you both today. Thank you both for the time. Any parting words? Any final thoughts for the fans?

FATIMA KARDAR: I am really excited. If you have feedback, send it my way. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. [ Laughter ] As a new person, I am happy to take all feedback. Feedback is a gift. But I think that's like, we will make the best things together if we kind of do this together.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah.

JASON RONALD: Yeah. And just building off what Fatima said, something that we talk about often inside of the team is we build Xbox together with the community. So that feedback is critical. You know, Fatima and I will both be down at GDC. The opportunity to interact with developers and the players in the community. We're just very excited for the future of Xbox.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: Yeah.

FATIMA KARDAR: Or if you have a recommendation for a game for me.

ETHAN ROTHAMEL: I will get you a full list for real. Like Slime Rancher. I got other ideas. Way to shout out the community. We could not be doing this without them. I love you guys are going to GDC as well. And I got to shout out the Xbox Insiders one more time because they're the ones putting everything through the paces. Learning so much from that program. That is it for this episode of The Official Xbox Podcast. For more on what Xbox has going on at GDC, please check out Xbox Wire and the Microsoft Game Dev blog at the links below all next week. See you next time.