Xbox chief Phil Spencer explains exactly why Halo 5: Guardians is not coming to PC, stating that the company is not 'looking back' for game opportunities.

When Halo 5: Guardians released for Xbox One at the end of last year, it proved to be a return to form for the first-person shooter franchise. Delivering a multiplayer experience that almost made up for the errors of The Master Chief Collection and a solid campaign, fans of the franchise were content with what 343 Industries had been able to offer. However, PC users have yet to see the title, and according to Xbox, that is not going to change any time soon.

Recently, Xbox executive Phil Spencer spoke on the matter at Microsoft’s Build conference, and unfortunately the news is not that positive for PC gamers after a copy of Halo 5. Although the Xbox head has been extolling the virtues of Windows gaming, it seems as though a number of games are going to remain tied to a single platform. This is going to be the case for Halo 5 – at least for the time being.

"I don’t want to get into a world where we’re looking back, like Halo 5," said Spencer. Built as a console experience from the word go, the Xbox chief does not feel that the title will be seeing a PC port any time soon. However, Microsoft may be looking at bringing another Halo FPS to the platform going forward, with Spencer hinting that "in terms of Halo FPS on PC, I think there’s a ton of opportunity for us right now."

It seems as though the issue comes down Microsoft not wanting the restriction of requiring all games to be released across different platforms, therefore potentially impeding the overall quality of the finished product. "I don’t want to make it some kind of artificial mandate, because then I think we end up with Frankengames," said Spencer. By avoiding this, Microsoft therefore believes that games that are "meant for a certain platform" will stop being shoehorned into a ported release schedule.

Instead, Spencer stated that the company is planning to "look forward with what our plans are." Rather than forcing games into a cross-platform release, it looks as though Microsoft will take a more laissez-faire approach. Although multiple device releases may be on the cards, particularly when "franchises look like they belong on both platforms," it's not going to be a mandate for developers.

Given some of Microsoft's plans in terms of Windows 10 and Xbox one, it may well be that cross-platform support will no longer be necessary through multiple device launches, such as PC/Xbox One cross-buy. Nonetheless, those gamers hoping to see the release of Halo 5 on PC may feel a little disappointed. Let's see whether Microsoft has a plan up its sleeve to give PC gamers something a little bit different.

Source: VG 247