Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has stated his preference for revisiting Microsoft's owned intellectual properties (IPs) over developing more licensed games. In a recent interview, Spencer discussed the complexities of licensing, particularly regarding subscriptions and streaming.
I'm not the biggest fan [of making licensed games]. It creates some complexities for us when we think about putting it in a subscription or streaming it...So I'm always very careful, if we're going to take on a license, that we're doing it for creative reasons.
While Microsoft currently has licensed games like Indiana Jones and Blade in development, Spencer expressed his enthusiasm for leveraging Microsoft's extensive catalog of unused IPs:
...given the intellectual property that we have that we own. I'm a big fan of us using the IP that we haven't even revisited.
This preference is understandable considering the high cost of licensing popular IPs like Disney's. Microsoft owns a wealth of dormant franchises, including Rare's Conker and Banjo-Kazooie, Killer Instinct, and numerous IPs from Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. Spencer's known for teasing fans by wearing t-shirts featuring classic franchises, further fueling speculation about potential revivals.
