Microsoft has said it wants to introduce digital midnight launch events for games on Xbox Live.
Consumers are accustomed to glitzy High Street retail midnight launches, but it’s a different story online – although perhaps not for long.
A Twitter user said the following to Microsoft Studios VP Phil Spencer: Xbox one should do midnight launches on Xbox live and release the game digitally and while it’s downloading we watch the event.”
To which the Microsoft exec replied: That’s the future we are building towards.”
Services like PSN (in Europe, at least) and Steam already allow customers to pre-load some games and have them unlocked and available at the moment of launch at midnight.
Microsoft, however, has until recently resisted day-and-date parity between digital and physical releases, although it finally introduced such a policy when the Xbox One arrived in November.
@Tyler_Martin1 That's the future we are building towards.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 11, 2014