Xbox Plans to Invest in Battle.net As It Believes Its Player Retention is As Good As Steam

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They Still Want To Continue Collaborating With Steam and Other Storefronts!

Story Highlight
  • Asha Sharma says Xbox has historically only focused on a single gaming app on PC. 
  • They want to invest more in Battle.net launcher, since it has great player retention. 
  • She claims that the player retention on the platform is as good as Steam. 

Xbox isn’t just about its consoles; because Microsoft is its parent brand, it has always had a strong focus on PC as well. Historically, they’ve been focused on their own Xbox PC app as the primary platform, but the company wants to extend that. 

In a recent meeting, the Xbox CEO stated that they plan to invest in Battle.net, as its player retention rate is nearly “as good as Steam”. They’ve always been about one app, but now the focus will extend to another. 

Why it matters: Microsoft owns the Battle.net launcher, but it has always been used for just first-party releases like Diablo, CoD, and more, but it is growing since it also recently got its first third-party game, The Witcher 3. 

Sharma wants to invest in the Battle.net app as its player retention is similar to Steam’s

Asha Sharma stated that they have always taken a one-shot approach on PC, but having researched, they do need to add to it. She said Battle.net has a loyal audience that doesn’t go out of it, and they need to cater to them. 

The retention is nearly as good as Steam’s retention, and we’ve never really put any work behind it as a platform. And so, we are doing that. We are doing it the right way for that community

They want to push the platform along with the Xbox PC app

This could also align with Helix being a family of devices, and Xbox Play Anywhere could largely benefit from making the platform a primary thing. The platform is also light on the system and is superior to the Xbox app. 

Sharma has made it clear that despite this, they won’t be turning their head from Steam. In fact, they’ll continue collaborating since there is still a distinct player base that they can reach with other platforms too. 

What are your thoughts on Xbox wanting to heavily invest in Battle.net? Are you a fan of the launcher? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum.

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